Sunday 8th March 2015
Our alarm was set for 6.15am so that we can go for breakfast at 7am. It is another misty and very still morning. Breakfast only consisted of cereals, cakes and coffee, as we are also due to eat brunch, before we leave the boat. Another option was tai-chi on the sun deck but we didn’t partake. After we had eaten we went onto the sundeck to take photos as we sailed past a floating village.
At 9.30am we took to the tenders to a fishing village – the village consists of lots of huts floating together in the calm water. We docked and then transferred to a series of small drowning boats. Ours had a lady rower who took us through a small opening into a vast cave that then opened up into a hidden lake – great photo op then the three rowing boats from our party clustered together and the guide told us the history of the people who live in the floating villages. Once we were back on the dock we all tipped the rower in US dollars.
Back to the boat for brunch. It was a very nice meal but we were still full from breakfast so I just had a bacon cob and some fruit. Once we had eaten we had to check out, pay our bar bill and take our bags from the cabin, so that they could be loaded into the tender. We were having a very slow cruise in towards the tourist dock while were eating, and drinking coffee. We exchanged emails and details with the Aussie and German couple before we got back to the bay and disembarked into the tenders.
Back at the dock, we had a short wait for bus and had two extra passengers, both Aussies who had been out here for two nights. On the way back we got the back seats of the bus but Sue kept getting dripped on from the air con unit above. It was very noticeable on the way back that the roads and the fields were not as busy as the day before and we put this down to it being Sunday
Our stop on the way back was at a similar sort of craft shop at Thanh Dong. The shop was very quiet and very expensive, we didn’t even have a coffee as we are still full. Sue took her chance to move forward to the bus next to the two new Aussies. Not long after we were back on the road, the driver picked up what we assume were his wife and child to take them into Hanoi.
Just before we hit the city the driver seemed to divert off the busy main road into a development, that would have ben at home in Florida – huge palatial houses and condos, that looked brand new the development was called Vinhomes Riverside and my guess is that the diversion was to make sure the tourists saw the new affluence of Vietnam.
We were soon back in the madness that is the centre of a very busy in Hanoi -even on a Sunday. When the driver stopped to drop the Aussies at their hotel we jumped out and grabbled one of the taxis that was queued nearby. I showed hm the JW Marriott website and he nodded saying he knew it. We loaded our bags and off we went.
The journey was about 20 minutes through busy but fairly fast moving roads, past lots of new looking developments and shopping centre but also a lot more of the abandoned partially built structures that are so common. The taxi rode was 160,000 VND (less than a fiver) and he dropped us at the door of the massive JW Marriott, which is a very large impressive looking structure.
When we went to the check in desk we were escorted up to the concierge lounge where, once again we were given the VIP treatment with drinks and information as we sorted the formalities. We are in room 663 on the same level as the lounge – they said the hotel has 450 rooms and they are all full tonight and tomorrow. We booked the 9am shuttle and went to the room.
It is another lovely room with Bose sound dock Nespresso coffee machine and a very big TV, there is also a huge bath and a sit down shower – all very, very nice. It wa sonly just after 3pm when we arrived and they serve sandwiches and cake in the lounge from 3pm- 5pm, before the cocktails start at 5.30pm.
From a letter we had been given, we were not sure if cocktails includes food, so we had quite a few sandwiches and cakes and caught up with the world now we have a fast internet connection again. We need not have worried as Evening cocktails 1730 – 1930 did in fact include a lovely spread, they highlight of which were made to order Sliders. Very soon the smell of frying steak was wafting over. and we just had to partake, even after the sandwiches.
While we were in the lounge we asked two concierge staff Tung and Diamond for help about our Vietnam Airlines weight issue. Since I booked I have been trying without success to find a way of increasing our 20kg allowance. Diamond took it on as her project and said the offices were closed on Sunday evening but she would sort it tomorrow when she came to work at 11am and would let us know the result by leaving us a note in the room.
We also managed to have a phone chat with Rupert to thank him and Thuy for their help and hospitality. We also had a nice FaceTime chat with Christopher to get an update on his new job. The Lounge Manager is a Brit and he came over to have a chat as well. The evening was very pleasant full of chat eating and drinking. Sue had a nice sauvignon blanc and had some more Bia Ha Noi.
We aimed for a reasonably early night. I went for bath Sue got chatting to an Israeli couple before she joined me.
nickharris87 
Leave a comment