They say ...

It's one of China's "Golden Weeks", the time when EVERYONE in China has a national holiday, so Kate and I planned a trip to Hanoi, Vietnam. We booked separate tickets, so we both arrived solo. They say the greatest adventures in traveling are the ones we least expect ... Here is how my journey went:

Ningbo Airport.
- I arrived only to learn that our aircraft had not even left Hong Kong yet, we were 4 hours delayed.
- One of the families from school was on the flight, so I had good company.
- I also met 2 Israeli brothers in Ningbo on a business trip. After listening to my life story, they concluded that Tel Aviv is the place for me to settle. It definitely sounds like a place worth visiting. And Hebrew is VERY nice to listen to.

Ningbo - Hong Kong:
- I studied my Chinese characters on the flight, catching the attention of the Hong Kong-ese gentleman, who kept leaning into the empty middle seat to meticulously watch me practice my character strokes. Talk about pressure to do it right!

Surprise! Hong Kong - Bangkok, Thailand:
- Since we missed the connecting flight on to Hanoi, another couple and I were sent on to Thailand.
- I met a very enthusiastic young American traveler on the flight. He will be visiting Seattle next month so he was picking my brain for things to do. I think a walk down 1st Ave is worth it, since there are so many shops. He asked for my favorite and I mentioned a vintage clothing store on the South End. He commented how he thought he could see me in a store like that. Then he asked about what my "thing" is, what is it that I do for fun in Seattle. Somehow after mentioning my favorite store, this guy was absolutely flabbergasted to learn that I would swing dance every night if I could. I'm talking bug-eye bewildered. I had a good laugh.

Bangkok, Thailand:
Three very surprising things occurred in Bangkok.
- The first, when I finally arrived at the hotel at 2 am, I turned on the TV for background noise to fall asleep. I literally pressed the power button the TV. The radio came on in the bathroom.
- The second happened when I caught the shuttle back to the airport at 5:45 am. I may have been a little bit tired a few hours before... The shuttle was full so the driver offered me shotgun. I politely accepted and ran over to the other side of the car, opened the door, and stared a the steering wheel. Somehow, 4 hours earlier, I had missed the fact that in Thailand, they drive on the other side of the road, therefore the driver sits on the opposite side of the car. The entire shuttle giggled, as much as you can at 5:45 in the morning, and I went back to where the driver was still holding open the left-front door open for me. Oops.
- Also, I had some frightening visa issues when immigration thought I was trying to smuggle 8 other people into the country with me. So that got sorted out as I was running to last call. But I boarded!

Hanoi, Vietnam:
I'm finally safe and sound here, reunited with Kate, and ready to explore Hanoi. The hotel staff have been absolutely fantastic. They sent an extra car for me, welcomed me with fresh watermelon juice, set us up in their family suite, and rescheduled our two day boat cruise. I feel well taken care of.

So there you go, a whole blog post about my trip to Hanoi, almost none of it involving actually being in Hanoi. I was so lucky to have chatty travelers to keep me company along the way!