Hanoi Arrival

So guess what happens when your flight is delayed and you miss your connection and they book you onto another flight the next day and that flight is with another airline because they don’t fly to where you’re going and your baggage is already checked through to that city and its not getting there by the original airline and they keep it overnight and you’ve got to get to the airport early the next day and find a line that is gargantuan in length filled with countryfolk and every belonging that they can possibly jam on, and into, giant cardboard boxes that are wrapped and taped to survive a drop from 37,000 feet up and you realize that there is no way to stay there and get anything accomplished and then you wheedle your way onto the line with only two people on it and plead your case with the nice desk lady with your baggage stubs from the original flight waving frantically so they can run down stairs and get Quasimodo to find your two bags and scurry them over to the new airline so that they can be on your new flight to Hanoi?

                        Did you guess that the bags made it onto that flight, or did you guess that the bags are still in Tokyo? *

                        Tune in tomorrow to find out if our Intrepid Travelers are re-united with their underwear or…… not!

* Fun Fact…… did you know that Tokyo is as far away from Hanoi as New York is from San Francisco?

 Who’d a thunk that!!!???

So….. yes, it’s a six-hour flight on Vietnam Airlines…… but this time we’re in Coach…. with the crates of chickens and other livestock….. and whatever else could not be jammed into those cardboard boxes…..

Only kidding! Vietnam Air had one of most spotless aircraft that I’ve ever been on and the most pleasant Cabin Crew to boot!

The flight went perfectly, the lunch was delicious, the movie selection incredibly large, and the two bags (who were on their very first trip as they are brandy-spankin’ new NOBL fancy travel cases) that should have been on that flight must have felt just slightly miffed at being squished between smelly old cardboard boxes because as it turns out, they stamped their little roller-feet and refused to be boarded.

They were left wailing and gnashing their teeth in Tokyo.

They will hopefully arrive today.

That means that we did get here yesterday! (or was it last week(?) because we did cross that incredibly confusing International Date Line and it’s tough to keep track!)

We’re at the hotel after fighting the lines at Immigration when we arrived. Apparently, everyone else in the known world decided to come to Vietnam yesterday afternoon. But no worries here as we finally overcame the queue (no cardboard boxes….yet, as we still needed to get to baggage (and cargo) claim. Our driver waited patiently outside for us and we were able to keep in contact using What’s App, an internet-based system similar to Face Time. 45 minutes later we were greeted by “Phil” (his real name is Phúc Nguyễn Hạnh) who could be one of the nicest people on the planet!

We were also greeted by Sherry from the Harold and Sherry duo and quickly whisked up to the rooftop bar for a few Baileys before dinner.

            Dinner was at a really neat little place about a block away with the rest of our group. Lively banter ensued as we all got acquainted with each other and Phil explained what were about to be served.

 I do not know what everything was.

I did eat everything.

Nothing looked suspicious, there were no extraneous crawly-type legs or bug eyes at all!

After dinner we all went back to the hotel and zonked.

More tomorrow.