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Today is travel day. Our flight is late this afternoon around 4 pm. We arrive in Hanoi about 5 pm but the flight is two hours long. As I calculate it, once we arrive in Viet Nam, we will then be exactly 12 hours ahead of the time in Atlanta.
So far, this has been a mixed journey. Time on the 12-day cruise was leisurely but Internet was sparse for posting blog updates. Our time in Hong Kong has been busy . . . very busy to say the least and ironically, WIFI is everywhere. Lots to write about but little timie to do it. I managed to write a bit each night but then would be too exhausted to spend the time uploading photos and the text.
We planned all our outings in Hong Kong and luckily we seemed to make the most of every moment. From Hanoi on, however, much of our time will be pre-planned through a joint effort between our travel agent and ourselves. We won't be on a tour but will have guides and drivers almost every where we go. We tried to plan an agenda that gives us a good flavor of every place we visit but yet have timie to explore on our own as well.
I will wind up today by saying, Hong Kong is a must do destination. We found the cities to be both modern and old - some of the most exciting, vibrant, wealthy cities we've seen. Yet cities like Hong kong and Kowloon have done an amazing job in preserving the old and ancient and its cultural heritage. And it is remarkably clean! The people here generally are busy but friendly, especially those who wish to sell their goods. Whenever we made an effort to communicate; they eagerly tried to respond. There is very little variety in race here. Everyday as we met people in restaurants and shops and attractions and as we pressed through crowds on sidewalks, on buses and on trains, we saw very few European-looking faces and even fewer Africans. Why, I'm not sure.
Outside the cities, poverty is much more evident and the modern air seen in cities does not exist. We were told that 80% of Hong Kong is not developed. Still the combination of green mountains rising out of the sea through the mist (and sadly, smog) is a beautiful, beautiful sight.
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Samit Soni Enjoy your time in Hanoi. Be sure you try the bun-cha and pho (noodle soup - the weather is perfect). All the street food is safe and really enjoyable. Also there are some nice art galleries around the historic district if you can see them.