A quick Canberra escape

Our team held its end of year meeting and get together in Canberra this year. To save a bit of money and to ensure that I could make it back in time for Alex's tennis lesson back in Sydney I drove down. This was the first time I've driven such a long distance alone.

On the Monday morning I regretted not flying, for the air was still and the skies perfectly clear. My colleague who flew down still said it was bumpy and the wind picked up later. My issue with driving down in the evening was that I couldn't take photos of the magnificent sunset.

While in Canberra I stayed at the Pavilion Hotel, which still lacks much character. After the meetings we split into two groups and had some fun at the Expedition Escape Rooms, my first such experience. My inexperienced team failed, though I managed to solve a number of puzzles myself.

I had to leave after lunch on the Wednesday in order to make it back for the tennis, which I did. Whilst the car was convenient, I did miss being able to relax as a passenger. At least I'll be more confident contributing to future road trips.

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Ho Chi Minh to Hoi An

The easy way to get to Hoi An from Ho Chi Minh City is to fly to Danang then go via car for the final leg. Then there's my way. We had to wake at 5.30 am to get ready for a 6.15 departure from the hotel. A hotel car took us the few kilometres to the domestic terminal at the airport, where we checked into our Vietnam Airlines flight to the central Vietnam city of Hue. The airport was nothing flash, but it seemed functional. Alex had sandwiches (refused banh mi) for breakfast, then we went to the gate. Our blue Airbus A321 was parked at a remote stand, which necessitated a packed shuttle bus ride. It was nice to be aboard a full service airline again, even if the service was just a cup of water. We took off over the hazy skies of Ho Chi Minh City and for most of the smooth flight were cruising over a carpet of cloud. We descended over mountains poking their heads through the cloud, across lakes and paddy fields and over the beach. It was lovely scenery.

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