It is really Sunday September 30; but I want to back up to Friday.
Friday was a travel day for us. Our morning was free, with 2 rooms checking out at noon and two at 2:00 pm and our driver picking us up at 2:45 pm to catch our 5:30 flight (2 hours) to Hanoi.
This tour is designed so 8 different personalities don’t have to spend every waking minute together, and it worked this morning. Some shopped, some walked for seemingly miles, some rested, and some nursed the beginnings of a cold.
Fast forward to arrival in Hanoi! Hanoi means land surrounded with water. Our transportation met us at the airport as scheduled. Then we probably traveled 40 minutes through the countryside. As we got closer to our accommodations for the night, we tried to make light of the surroundings, but they were fairly gloomy. Have you ever made advanced hotel reservations and been concerned that they were going to be as expected or at least adequate? If so you know my worst fear about being in the tour business. Is the hotel going to be okay? Tonight, in the dark, all of us were experiencing that feeling. As we approached “Old Town” there were hundreds, no thousands of motor scooters sharing the road with just a few cars, and I might add, they were all honking their horns. Therefore, none of our pictures will show the whole scene because there is no audio.
We. finally arrived at the Hotel Luxury and were most pleasantly surprised. The lobby was bright and very clean, and the rooms were just as nice. However, the sidewalks were filled with parked motor scooters and Vietnamese people sitting on plastic children’s chairs, eating, drinking, and just enjoying their friendships. We thought it quite strange, but the longer we are here, the more we find it quite acceptable.
I have a speech that I give on “how travel is good for your health.” One of the reasons, is that you become more aware, which translates into more tolerate of other people’s culture. Being more tolerate of other cultures, makes you relax around them, and relaxation is very good for your health. We see this trait working in just a few days and right before our eyes.
On this trip we are having a hard time staying past 9 pm before we fall asleep in just a few seconds after our heads hit the pillow. Then we usually get up earlier than at home.
I hope you are enjoying our trip. I am sorry I cannot see where anyone is making posts. When we get to Europe, I might be able to get in touch of Word Press and find out why.
I’ll write something later