Thanksgiving From Vietnam

19 June 2012 Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh City

Thank God for His grace and provision in replacing the rating points Victoria lost at the Asian Nations Chess Cup in Shandong, China in May.

Thank God for free wi-fi and Internet access at Huong Giang Hotel n Le Loi Road, air-conditioning, hot running water, a room with a view (320) comfortably furnished with ratten furniture and glass-topped writing desk and bedside table for Victoria and me, coffee and tea-making facilities with an electric jug kettle, a nice bathroom with a bath tub and shower, thick white towels, a stainless steel rack shelf to hang my handwashing, shampoo and bath gel, a fridge, soft warm lighting but enough lamps for brightness, a long glass-topped table along one wall for the television Victoria's chess board and laptop/notebook with a conveniently located socket on the wall just behind the desk top.
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Thank God for the Riverside Restaurant with its view of the lotus pond in bloom and beyond it the wide Perfume River. The  put-put sound of the bumboats chugging up and down the river brought back memories of 494. Grandma or Kong used to carry me to look across the upstairs balcony to see the boats sailing past the east coast of Singapore. I didn't get to go on a boat ride because the USD22 for a one hour ride paid for another dress for Victoria from Gia Huy Silk across the road (www.giahuysilk.com)

Thank God for the familiar company of Iskandar's Mum, Zainah and Joyce Ho, mum of Danielle and Michelle and Mr Jovan as Victoria's trainer during the competition. The others were almost all new faces. Thank God that Victoria is still playing chess, an answer to prayer for wholesome activities for our children, when so many have given up the sport despite their talent and investment in training paid with their parents' hard-earned money.

Thank God for Joyce showing us Dong Ba Market when four of us shared a cab on the first day of the tournament with Zainah and Vivian to get juice from the supermarket.

Thank God for our smooth flight from Hue. Victoria had a Chick 'N Crisp burger at Burger King outside the International Terminal with the trainers, Jovan, Rico, Enrique and Ramos.

Thank God Iskandar found a bank of wall sockets at one end of the departure terminal. Now he, Victoria and I are seated in a row of soft blue seats, working on our notebooks. Unlike Hue City's Phu Bai Airport with its free wi-fi, this sister airport does not. Once again we have Iskandar to thank for access through Confetti Restaurant because he guessed its password "confetti" and gained us a connection to its network. Pray protection of our computers.