Simmi, Mike & Naiya in SE Asia: Typhoons and so much more

It’s typhoon season! Heavy rains today due to a typhoon. Sounds worse than it is as it’s keeping us from melting. Supposed to ease up starting tomorrow.

Feeling a bit sluggish today as we’re all a bit tired. Didn’t prevent us from going to bed at 1 am! You know the saying, “plenty of time to sleep when you’re dead”. Poor Naiya.

We did manage to get our bearings, and organize the next 8 days. We opted to book some tours due to the limited time factor and because we figured it would be easier for the 9 year old. Theres no shortage of organized tours around here. It’s overwhelming but we found a supposedly ethical and enviro conscious travel agency who we chose to book with.

Did some sight seeing but most important of all experienced the incredible Vietnamese hospitality.
The Vietnamese are so friendly and always have big smiles. From the cyclo driver, who proudly showed us pics of his daughters, drove us to a restaurant and waited in the pouring rain until we finished lunch before he started the meter, (we did offer to buy him lunch) to the restaurant owner’s son who shared birthday cake with us and kept apologizing for disturbing us with their happy b-day singing and having to turn off the fan for a whole 30 seconds while they lit the candles. N has recognized the kindness that we’ve experienced and commented on it.

Another observation about Hanoi, we’ve seen zero beggars/street people. Maybe coincidence or maybe it’s a society that takes care of its own. Don’t know yet, haven’t had a chance to dig deeper.