on doggy bag and a water bottle

I am sitting here in front of ha long bay – one of the trips highlight.

Earlier this morning we woke up around 4 and headed for the airport. Our taxi was a no show. The concierge got a cab off the street and told us he would pay him half the usual hotel overpriced fair due to the delay. The guy could have paid the driver less and say nothing, but these people are very service oriented and honest. The problem with this saving is that it increases my feeling of being screwed since I find I just paid 6 times the fair coming in to the city… silly tourist mistake, but I was jet legged…

 

Well, at the airport, I got a chance to modify my flight back and stay another half day in Cambodia, instead of another day in ho chi minh. After successful ticket modification I went to security. I asked a guard if I can bring water in and he said no, so I drank it outside and then he started talking with me, where I am from and so forth. Our next destination of hai phong is his home town and for some reason he just bumped me passed the security line- perhaps 50 people waiting, nice of him, but not sure if this is what the people in line thought. With short time to go, I wanted to get a Vietnamese sandwich, with omelet. Not available yet, and neither is chicken, so I ordered Pho soup with noodles. Boarding was in minutes so I was trying to eat the hot dish fast. So I grabbed the spoon and started eating where a couple of local ladies instructed me to use the chop sticks. These work for the noodles but not for the soup itself. They then moved my water bottle to better see my barbarian eating habits. I finished the noodles and missed the soup part, shame it was good, but the flight was leaving. 2 hr + later we landed in Hai Phong. From moment one this area seems nicer then Ho chi minh, less crowded, greener and quieter. We now drove for 2 hours till the bay, seeing lots of pretty green fields. The rice fields shade of green is spectacular.  On the way we begin to see very steep and rugged hills, very interesting shapes in between many rivers, till the bay appeared which is filled with these types of hills. We now wait for the cruise to begin.

Yesterday's breakfast was great, but today since we left early we got a doggy bag. I don't think a doggy bag is something you want in this country where dogs are eaten… but the disappointment was finding 2 pieces of bread with a slice of cheese and ham- from a kitchen that can do so much..  lunch will be offered on the ship, I am starving.