It seemed to take forever to plan once the decision was made. To move a household from one end of the country to the other is probably easier if firstly you speak the language. We got over that with a little help from our friends. The second advantage was having struck up a friendship with a guy who happens to be in a senior position with the railways. We called in all favours and made life a little easier for ourselves.
Of course before we could start our journey we had to pack the house up. We sold off some things, gave away others and thought we had reduced the amount of gear we had to move. That was, until it came to fitting it into suitcases. Two cases became four, four became six, and that was just our check-in. We then carried a jumble of about eight bags, pillows (for comfort on the journey) laptop bags and camera cases. What a sight arriving at the station.
As we packed, we shifted things down a level in the house, leaving rooms vacant and ready for the new occupants. Eventually it was all assembled in the lounge room, a year of our life in boxes. Surprisingly we managed to get it all into one taxi and get it to the station the day before our departure, so that it could be taken to Hanoi and be ready for us to collect when we arrived.
With the packing and cleaning all taken care of, we continued the social rounds of farewell dinners. Saying goodbye was an intoxicating event, a meal here, a few drinks there. But really the world is a small place and we are only a short flight away. We had our last drinks at The Sheraton, watching the sun set over The Rex. This was one of the first stunning views we had seen of Saigon so it was only fitting that it was one of the last.
