*Warning this post is rated BFG (Bad For Grandparents). It contains scenes related to Near Death Experience(s) which may be unsuitable for mature audiences.
DID: Out at the crack of dawn headed for the airport. Thought we arrived with plenty of time to check in, get our shopping tax refund, buy stamps/send out postcards, and do a bit of duty-free shopping. That is until we reached immigration/passport control. We were put in the ‘express’ line for diplomats/disabled/etc. We were maybe 12th or so in line, but 50 minutes had gone by before we were set free. Unbelievable. In the end we had to run to our gate without any tax refund and no shopping (but we did get the postcards off – only because that was outside immigration.) Maybe the slow immigration line is a government ploy to keep tourists from being able to submit their tax claims!!
Arrived in Hanoi with what we thought was a lengthy 4-hour layover until our flight for Hue. But again ‘the man’ had different ideas. Took an hour for us to get our visas. This was in small part due to the fact that the signage was terrible – we waited in a line for 15 minutes before realizing that it was the wrong one. No, no, the window/queue in front of you as you disembark the plane and enter the terminal is not the one to go to. You have to walk around to the other side of the building and drop off your paperwork first. Without any signs, flow of people, or immigration officers to direct you.
Anyway, visas in hand we made our way to domestic departures. This is when we learned that even if there is a sign, it might be misleading. Although we were at the area labeled check-in for domestic departures, this was not the place to check-in for our flight. Our desk was on a different floor in a different area of the terminal. Okay….
Off again, found the right desk but check-in was not open yet for our flight (at this point it was 2 hours 10 minutes until departure, check in opens at 2 hours prior). So we waited. And waited. Finally with about 1 hour 45 minutes to go, we asked and they sent us over to the ‘group check-ins’ desk. New problem – GnR were issued adult tickets instead of child tickets. Sent over to the ticket desk to resolve/receive a partial refund. Ticket desk could only sell us new tickets, not refund the old ones because we bought them online. Decided it wasn’t worth the $30/ticket savings without knowing for certain that we would be refunded by the online office, plus headache. Woman at the ticket desk was absolutely aghast that we would not try for the refund – to the point that she was making an argument that they would not let the kids on the plane with an adult ticket! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like wasting $60 either but in this situation to me the choice was clear.
By the time we got through that, checked in (as 4 adults) and were free to go, we had just over an hour until departure. We did squeeze in a first pho at the airport restaurant but Jason had to slurp it down!
Enjoyed the approach into Hue airport – the scenery is spectacular. Lush jungle/rain forest, mountains, rivers, and the coastline in the distance. One of the prettiest natural settings for a city that we’ve seen. But then near Death Experience 1 happened as we touched down at Hue. Literally the worst landing I have ever encountered on a plane, and no apparent reason for it because the weather was clear, there was little wind, and the area of the airport is wide, flat and mountain/water body-free. A couple of very hard bounces, a few jerks left and right before we skidded and slammed to a halt. People were screaming.
From this point forward everything started to go smoothly. There’s something about Hue that is instantly agreeable with me. The French influence is everywhere but they’ve made it their own. Very colorful, and love the conical hats. Cars are the minority on the road, it’s mostly motorbikes and bicycles.
Hotel has got the wow factor, seems like its in the middle of nowhere but just a 5-minute drive into the city center. Got changed right away into our bathing suits and headed for the pool. Near Death Experience 2 happened when Rhys decided to jump in a little sooner than the rest of us, just as I’d turned to get his arm floats. Luckily I heard the splash and was in to grab him within a second. Little pickle! In the future we will be putting the arm bands on him in the hotel room rather than waiting until we are poolside.
Headed into town for dinner and a walk along the river. Had planned to take the hotel shuttle back but were all too tired to wait for it.
Back at the hotel, Gavin surprised us with a letter and a drawing and love notes he’d made in the afternoon. I teared up (of course) and Jason gave him compliments for putting the light spectrum in the correct order for the rainbow.
Side note 1 – the Vietnamese seem to embrace the heat rather than huddle around fans/air-con. Hanoi airport was sticky, dinner restaurant had fans but they were all turned off. Lots of people eating outdoors, we haven’t seen that all summer.
Side note 2 – as we are entering the final phases of our trip, I asked Gavin today if there’s anything special we’ve been doing that we should continue once we get back home. His answer? We should not go to school or work. :)
ATE: Breakfast – pastries bought at Siam Paragon the night before. Pretty good.
Morning tea (as Gavin calls it) – meal on Thai Airways. Warm bread rolls with turkey, ham and butter, plus fruit plate. Not bad.
Lunch – Pho at Hanoi Airport for Jason. He was very happy with it, said it was different than any he’d had before. GnR tried (and liked) the noodles in the pho. I had a pork bun sandwich, it was flavorless.
Crunch and sip (more Gavin terms) – cornucopia of snack-y things collected in my bag since Chiang Mai. Peanuts, banana chips, Cheetos, ritz crackers, and roasted broad beans.
Dinner – Fabulous. Restaurant empty when we arrived so we were a little scared but glad we stuck with it (it also filled up as we were there so maybe the French influence has touched eating hours). Meat rolls wrapped in mint leaves, spring rolls, garlic shrimp, shredded chicken, stir-fried morning glory. Jason said the morning glory was the best he’s ever eaten – now that’s saying something! The shrimp were bland but everything else was eaten to the last morsel.
Dessert – Room service ice cream. Won’t be doing that again. Messed up our order, second round arrived partially melted and the ice cream itself was pretty flavorless.
SLEPT – Pilgrimage Village Resort outside Hue. Booked on splendida.com and it is ‘splendida’ for sure! We’ve got a little bungalow looking over a lotus pond. The shower is set in an actual rock bed (mom- kind of like your shower except the rocks are loose) – so wonder how many times we’ll have to shoo Rhys away from throwing them in the tub and elsewhere! Lofty ceiling has a ceiling fan (in addition to aircon) – wonderful. We really need one (or two) of these over our dining room at home (sigh). Two pools to choose from plus a jacuzzi, tai chi in the mornings, a spa, and lots of grounds to wander. Internet connection in the room is very poor so looks like we’ll have to use the hotel’s computer lounge. Guess they really want you to get away from it all!
At turn down service they left a little bedtime story/Vietnamese fable on the bed. Tonight’s was a story about the origin of the mosquito – a love story gone sour.
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