That was the final instruction on the handout from the Hotel when we arrived about walking the streets of Hanoi.  The other instructions were to be relaxed and self confident and keep up your speed – never slow down.  The cars and bikes are a river they will flow around you.  Bollocks!  The cars and motorbikes are out to hunt you down, to spring upon you from behind beeping and pushing through and to definitely keep you anxious.  Our first five minutes on the streets of the Old Quarter we had five near misses and an old lady falling down in front of us (she ran into Nigel’s foot and then looked like he’d tripped her up.  It was a complete debacle).

The other instructions and advice they gave us was “how to get away from pushy vendors”. “How to bargain in the streets”, “How to get away from street risks i.e. do not walk alone at night, put your bags in front of you when walking, look out for pick pockets in the markets and be careful using cell phone on the street”.  Last but not least “Be careful of the scam people on the street especially travel agents”.  Within the first 15 minutes we had some nutbar trying to distract us and grab Nigel’s arm (we still don’t know why really).  I was in there though with the best inside hooking block I could muster and Nigel was about to smash him one.  Haven’t had any other problems since but Jinkies we’ve been in some mad places before but the old quarter of Hanoi takes the cake.

First day was spent completely in the Old Quarter and we ended the afternoon doing the Hanoi Street Food Tour.  It was really great and an awesome way to learn about the foods and what’s good to eat and what to avoid.  We had eight different stops along the way and each one was completely different.  The guide knew her stuff and with only eight of us on the trip we got to learn heaps.  Finished up in Beer Street (I’ll give you 20 guesses as to why it’s called Beer Street).  They have white lines on each side of the street and the café tables and chairs have to stay behind them.  When the police drive down the street they hoof the tourists off the tables and get them to stand with their drinks and meal while they fold the tables away really quickly.  After the police have gone to the end of the street, you can sit back down again.  We chose a table behind the white line.

Next we walked from the Old Quarter through the newer parts of Hanoi and through to Ho Chi Mihn’s mausoleum and palace.  Fifteen kilometres later we were back at the hotel having been through the botanic gardens, down to the red river and past umpteen cute French inspired buildings.  The more we walked the more we appreciated how quaint this city is.  Busy, frantic, dirty, smoggy, stinky and really quaint.  The street sellers, hawkers and hagglers collide with generations of families squatting on the sides of the street washing dishes and fish heads and spitting out pumpkin seed shells.  The streets all sell the same thing in the same area (We found this in Taiwan too).  If you want to buy sellotape you go to one part of one street where that is all they sell.  If you want a bra then go to bra street.  You’re buggered if you need sellotape on steering wheel cover street though.

Today we realised that we are at the start of the biggest long weekend they have in Vietnam all year.  It starts today (Friday) and ends next Wednesday.  Monday is Independence Day (where they celebrate their victorious defeat of the Americans in 1975) and then Tuesday is May Day (another holiday).  We realised that it was a long holiday weekend when we tried to book any transport, trains, flights, accommodation etc. over the next four days.  Not so good.

Long story short – we’re going to Chiang Mai in Thailand for a few days.

And that my friend is why we are winging it.  Because you never know when you’re going to end up somewhere that you didn’t think you would, until you do.  Yay, next adventure on its way and we will see you again soon Vietnam!

For those of you who have ever been on a trip with me, you will know that I like to every so often remind myself and those around me that I’m having a good time so far.  It usually becomes the catch phrase of the trip by the end of it as it always kind of catches on.  Nigel and I are reminding ourselves every day (sometimes quite often) that we are “having a good time so far :-)”.  It’s about taking in the moments and this trip is full of loads of incredible moments.

Hong Kong has been really great.  We’ve been on every form of transport you can think of.  We spent and afternoon riding the double decker trams right into the heart of the residential area.  We spent a morning walking with a Hong Kong tour guide who explained the history (and recent history) of Hong Kong and why in 2014 thousands and thousands began the Umbrella Movement outside of Government house (it’s a really interesting story).

We rode a double decker bus to the top of the Peak and then rode the cable car back down.  We took the MTR (all over the place wow what an incredibly efficient underground that is).  We took a glass bottom cable car to see the Big Buddha (I think we are embarking on a journey that will involve a lot of Buddha’s).  Then we took a very rickety bus to a small fishing village of stilt houses called Tai O.  What a cute little place.  We boarded a little boat to go and see the village form the water and then out into the sea looking for the Chines white dolphin (that apparently roam the shoreline everyday – didn’t see any).  What we did get to see though was the bridge that is currently under construction from Macau to Hong Kong.  This means that you won’t need to board a boat to get across to go gambling.  You can drive!  It’s an incredible engineering feat and one that will end up on a Discovery channel superstructures programme one day for sure.

We then took a shuttle bus out to Disneyland.  I love Disney and my infectious enthusiasm for everything Mickey (and the fact that skip most of the way) tends to rub off on Nigel eventually.  In 1972 my parents took us to Disneyland in LA.  I don’t remember it but I have seen the photos.  It must have cost them a small fortune at the time but they really wanted to do it.  I remember growing up in Foxton being the only kid at school who had ever been to Disneyland.  Didn’t matter though coz there were heaps of kids who had been to Fantasyland in Hastings and that was the same thing according to them.  But now I have nothing but happy memories of Disneyland’s.

When Nigel and I went to the one in LA and I thought he was going to propose in front of the castle and he didn’t.  When Nigel and I went to the one in Orlando and it rained and I made him wear a bright yellow rain poncho with Donald Duck on the back (I had the Daisy Duck one).  When we went to Disneyland Paris and found out that it sold beer!  Then when we took Stefan when he was eight and he fell asleep with his head in his dinner as he was so tired by the end of the day.

Now we can remember the day we went in Hong Kong and it was a rainy Tuesday and the park was almost empty and you didn’t need to queue for anything and you could do all the rides as often as you wanted and Nigel was so happy and said that if every Disney was like the Hong Kong Disney then he wouldn’t mind going as much as you don’t get squished and bored standing in all the lines waiting two hours for a two minute ride and if you really want to ride Big Mountain Railway again you can.

So now it’s Anzac Day and I have been reading up about the Vietnam War before we fly to Hanoi this afternoon.  I’m sure we will learn a lot more about that unfortunate part of history in the next weeks too.

Until then, it’s timely to remember that “It’s a small world after all!… It’s a small world after all!… It’s a small world after all… it’s a small small world!”

We had a great flight and we were full of beans. Nigel’s bag however had other plans and had decided to go on its own adventure.  We watched the carousel go round and round.  My bag was there but his just wasn’t. I left Nigel and went hooning to the other end of the bag claims to check the other Auckland flight carousel… nothing!  After a small panic and a very helpful lady who checked the name of every bag on the carousel whether they looked like ours or not, there was a special delivery!  Yay, reunited!  Naughty bag going off on its own for a tour of the incredibly vast Hong Kong airport!

Getting from the airport into town and onto the underground was incredibly efficient and really easy.  Public transport is amazeballs.  Double decker trams, buses and an incredible underground network.  Also we got to see the new bridge they are building to Macau.  That is going to be simply mind blowing.

I’d forgotten how incredibly interesting Asian cities can be.  It’s all in the little things.

The groups of old men playing board games surrounded by their mates watching on.  The exercise parks with hundreds of people doing Tai Chi, or randomly swinging their arms or legs with no apparent rationale and our personal favourite the dude who was doing the entire exercise route backwards (like walking quickly backwards… not sure why).  It’s the elderly being taken to lunch and cared for by their grandchildren.  The number of really really really old people who are out and about in the markets.  The smell of smoke and cars and fish and rotting somethings.  It all reminds me of when we lived in Taiwan or visited Beijing.

It’s all about food here too.  Markets everywhere with fresh meat, fish, frogs, crabs, squirty shellfish of some description and fruit and veges up the yinyang.  I don’t think I have been further than 10 metres from a Kumquat or some Bok choy since we got here.

I have never seen so many people driving Porsches and high end Mercedes.  The roads aren’t really conducive to high end power vehicles but people look pretty cool driving them I suppose.  The high rise apartments are something to behold.  Everywhere you look there are 40 story buildings.  Wow, I’d be investing in some fairly robust clothes pegs if I lived here to staple my undies onto the washing line as they hang out of the 34th floor balcony.

There are signs everywhere advising how to live in the community effectively.  “Please keep voices down in the park”, “Please help if you see someone in need”, “Please hold the handrail and don’t walk on the escalator”.  People are pretty courteous so the signage must help.  There are signs all over the place too about spreading germs.  Avian Flu I understand, Middle Eastern Respiratory Disease I have never heard of and Rabies? (Don’t feed the monkey in the monkey forest Jen).  We went to a fantastic place for lunch and after we were almost finished we noticed that EVERYONE apart from us was using boiling water to sterilise their chopsticks before they started eating… Oops (never stop learning).

Our evening of walking adventure ended at the fabulous Hotel Jen (where everything is named Jen).  Even the towels have Jen written on them.  Early night for us as we catch up to the timezone.  Last thing to do tonight?  Work out if you are supposed to peel Kumquats.  Hints tips and tricks on that one warmly received.

People thought we were being weird when we said we were going to cruise to Napier, but when we explained why everyone thought it was such a good idea… AND IT WAS!

We had the best time!  We were on the Pacific Jewel (which use to be the Crown Princess and will soon become some sort of cartoonified ship sailing around Asia according to Nigel).  Had a mini suite so we did it in style, huge room with a fantastic balcony perfect for sitting and dolphin spotting.  We did see dolphins pretty much every day which was awesome.

Nigel’s birthday was simply awesome.  We had such a great time.  Arrived early and saw Napier port as we really carefully pulled in.  As it’s a working port they need you to bus into town so we quickly made other plans for Barrie to come and pick us up.  Then off to the airport to pick up Stefan (who arrived with no luggage at all and only his phone in his hand – looked dodgy as).

Then we went around to Church Road winery where we had a lovely table under the shade cloth for everyone to come and go as they pleased.  And everyone did come which was fabulous.  It was so great to see everyone.  Then back on the boat for dinner!  Weirdest trip to Napier ever, yet coolest at the same time.

Yesterday was the last day and another sea day.  We mooched about and watched people and tried our best to take the stairs to keep the step levels up.

We met a very nice couple who hated the whole trip.  They felt very claustrophobic with each other and got bored on the first day without the internet.  It really goes to show that things are what you make of them.  We had an awesome time!  Just being together, doing something different and watching the world go by (with no internet).

Nigel’s 50th – Complete Success!

Warbirds over Wanaka 2018 didn’t disappoint (not that I thought I would).  Queenstown was beautiful as always and the Hilton Residences were really amazing to stay in.  Day One of the airshow Nigel and  Barrie went across to Wanaka to check out the practice day while Dawn and I went to Rata for lunch!  Oh Rata… if I never eat anything else ever in life it would have to be the Rata cheeseroll that sits on the top of the list.  There is something about the honey and the cheese and the numminess that just blows everything out of the water.  Anyhoo… The airshow.

Day One we decided to leave a little bit later as the weather was clearing but still raining.  When we arrived we heard over the speakers that the runway was closed.  We later found out that it was because a Yak 3 had crashed into a cherry picker in the opening part of the show.  So we hadn’t really missed anything at all (apart from seeing the crash).

Part of the reason that I love WOW is because we have VIP tickets.  As you all know I love a magic lanyard.  It opens a world of possibilities that mere mortals don’t get to see eat or drink.  It provides luxury toilets, no queuing and a front and middle of the runway view.  Perfection!

Day One was great but Day Two when the sun was shining bright and we arrived in plenty of time to see the whole show was absolutely brilliant.

My favourites were the jets especially the F16 (including the American commentary set to music was so cool.  When it’s timed to speed past front and centre precisely as the beat drops in “TURN DOWN FOR WHAT?” (You had to be there)

My other favourite was the helicopter lineup, the Harvards formation, the Texans display, the 757, Jurgis the nutty Lithuanian aerobatics guy and the model aircraft display surprisingly enough (we had to apologise cause we thought that was going ot be really boring and the only time we would get out to see any of the displays – not the case).

Anyway, I had a really great time!  Barrie and Dawn loved it and Nigel was in his element.  He finished off the day today before going to the airport buying a half dozen fresh Bluff oysters and eating them down by the lake.  Pretty much an ideal weekend really.

So back home now for a few hours and heading off on the cruise to Napier tomorrow.

Thankful…  I’m truly and utterly thankful 🙂