It was a very long trek into Hanoi from the ship. About four hours inland. We passed wonderful scenes of farming and lots of little villages. We passed some huge tech factories, camera factories and shoe factories. Hanoi was very loud and very very busy. Cars are very very expensive here so other than taxis, buses and small trucks, there were not many cars on the road. But the scooters more than make up for them. Thousands upon thousands, and they don't give a crap whether you or even themselves lives or dies. 35 thousand people die on the roads each year in Vietnam. I have truly loved our visits to this country and want to come back again some day.
Today we suite people had lunch with the Captain etc…it was a sumptuous beautiful spread of seafood, beef and veggies. Complete with bottomless chardonay. A lot of very hoity toity people down there but a couple that sat with us were from Vancouver too AND she is a successful selling artist! She was full of info to pass on to April on where to go to get started selling her stuff. Its all juried in but that is good. Can't wait to tell her. We exchanged emails. I wasn't sure why I was even going to that lunch but now I know why!!
So now everyone is packing and getting their passports back and asking the poor concierge a million stupid questions. I don't think people can think for themselves. Well, the women, I KNOW why the men are in here asking stupid unnecessary questions! Last night, around nine o'clock there was a tap at our stateroom door. I thought "What the hey??" Upon answering it was a lady I had met in the suite lounge here a day or two earlier. She had been having trouble with her iPad and the internet so I helped her out. I have done that a LOT over the last two weeks with different people. She couldn't get it to work for her again and the lounge was closed and she had seen where my room was and she was desperate! So I went to her room, her husband was in bed, and I spent a half hour solving her problem for her. It was so bizarre! I have spent a great deal of time over the last while helping people send their emails and do their photos. Like I know what I am doing…When I came back to the room, Bill, who was watching a show on his computer, complete with headphones, looks up and says, "I didn't even know you were gone!" Jeez!!!
I had half a foot of hair cut off today. It had gotten so long and crazy I actually scared a little kid at the tunnels. He was offering everyone his ice-cream until he spied me! Its so much neater and easier now. While I was up there, the hairdresser Chelsea (from Spokane) and i got talking music. We discussed this and we discussed that, she is young and into all the little localism indie type music. Then the topic ended up on Taylor Swift. Well, we hate TS and started to expound on what a skank she is and a poser and her music is awful blah blah blah. We went on quite a while about it. A few minutes later a large older red headed woman came out from her appointment from behind the screen beside us. She marched over and said, hands on hips,"Taylor is my niece….and she is a lovely talented scrupulously moral girl. Its people like you that give these people a bad name, not the girl herself. Its people like you!!!!! (by now she is really agitated) I think its just mean and vindictive and lying to be saying the things you were saying!!!" Holy Crap!! What are the odds of that happening? In fact I am still not sure she really wasn't just an avid fan (but she isn't 14 yrs old so I don't know). Poor Chelsea was mortified!!! Not me…I just shrugged and told her "I cannot stand the girl's music. Maybe all the other stuff about her dating little boys by the numbers is exaggerated, but her music sucks! Sorry if that offends you and please do feel free to pass the info along. Thanks." She stomped off and Chelsea and I about died laughing. I do not think she is TS's aunt. Those things just don't happen.
So now its time to sign off. I will see how the wifi is in Hong Kong in the hotel. If its good and not expensive I shall maybe report on Hong Kong….we shall see. We are to leave Hong Kong at 7 thirty in the evening of the 23rd. But…we cross the international dateline so truly I don't know what day we get home. If you figure it out please send me an email and let me know. I will pass the info on to Monte who is kindly picking us up! TTYL
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