Saturday, 1/14/17 - Monday, 1/16/17 (piggy-back on Julie) :-)

Saturday January 14 - Monday January 16

Julie may think her blogging gets worse as she gets older, well when you get as old as me, you just decide to piggy-back on your daughters blog.  So much easier …. BUT it also means I have to wait until she finishes and stay up later to do my part!!

.......That being said, I'd suggest you read Julie's post first.  

http://julievietnam2017.blogspot.com/2017/01/saturday-january-14-monday-january-16.html 

So, I’ll be adding comments to Julie’s discourse.  Hopefully with a bit of a heading I will create, you’ll be able to figure out how I’m tying my comments to hers. 

TIMING OF TRAVEL

As Julie mentioned we came later this year so we could spend more time with Scott at home and to give us some distance between Christmas and taking off.  However, because it is later, it also means a day or two less of being here (since Julie is using more vacation days).   It feels a little more stressful because there is so much to do in so little time!!!

LOUNGE ACCESS

Now I am going to truly sound like a travel snob here, and I know you should never look a gift horse in the mouth (by the way, what the heck does that mean?.... more on that later), but getting to the lounge we had access to at Logan, was a scary experience.  Had I been by myself I wouldn’t have gone. 

Just to make sure it wasn’t just me, I found this review by someone else online

Wow, well when it comes to international terminals, this is by far the smallest and least developed ones I have been to? I mean, the terminal was small, the lounges were stuffed away in what looked like a development area. There weren't any signs to say they were sorry they were under construction but that can't possibly be their permanent location, could it? I mean, seriously. If you're looking to compete on the international level as an international airport, this airport really has to step up its game. At this rate, I don't see any reason to choose Boston over other local airports for my international getaway. Restaurants were closed early so couldn't even get a bite to eat before the plane took off.

The British Airway lounge was also sub par. Sure I know that I was sitting in a lounge but really. Most of the seats were uncomfortable to sit in with their preference being design over comfort. The food was also questionable. They had hummus that was lumpy with a white film of liquid on top. I think the best thing were the chocolate cookies. Thank goodness they had some of those there!

Getting to the lounge was the scary part.  It definitely looked like a construction zone (and one you probably shouldn’t be trespassing through).  Granted it was 11:30 at night, but you made your way to the end of the terminal, headed down a deserted hallway into an area where the elevator was and there was nothing and no one around.  Once you got to the correct floor, there was another long, narrow hallway with all of the international airlines lounges on both sides.  (Didn’t run into anyone else on our travels)  I did have a cookie and a diet coke and plugged my phone in to recharge.  When it was time to leave, I noticed my battery had decreased, not increased –What the heck??? – Oops, the outlet wasn’t working.  Geez, I might have been better to sit at the gate with the ‘common folk’.  After all, they really are ‘my people’.  Can I just make one more teeny, tiny complaint about the lounge?  Wouldn’t you think you should have one of those departure screens mounted on the wall in case there was a delay, or you forgot what gate you should be going to or something?  Nope, not here.  Anyway, British Airways – I’m here if you would like some feedback - from someone who really doesn’t know too much about airline lounges – but who has an opinion.  J

BOARDING PROCESS FOR CATHAY PACIFIC AT LOGAN AIRPORT

So, we get to our gate and try to make sense of what this boarding process is going to be like.  I’m one of those that wants to board as soon as I can so I can be sure to claim my overhead compartment space (above my seat, not 24 rows behind because everyone else dropped their luggage in my space on the way to their seat).  I believe there needs to be an on-line course for overhead compartment etiquette … you need to be able to lift your own bag into the compartment without causing a concussion to any nearby fellow passengers  - it must fit without 4 other fellow passengers helping you to shove it into the space – it needs to be in very close proximity to your seat etc etc – you get the idea.  Can you also tell it is a pet peeve of mine). 

Anyway, Julie and I were flying premium economy and so we got into the line in front of the premium economy sign.  (Makes sense, right?)  The gate personnel start going through the line asking how many were in each ‘party’.  At this point I was a bit confused – we weren’t going to dinner, we were boarding a plane with assigned seats I thought.  People in front of us were saying numbers like – 8; 6; 5.  When Julie told them we had “two”, we got the ‘look’ and then the ‘this line is for families with children. If you don’t have children please wait until it is your turn’.  Alrighty then, we moved aside and realized we had just been chastised for not understanding that this boarding process was: 

•  ONE:  families with children … apparently you have to have more than one child and that child cannot be 30 (thanks Jules);
• TWO:   first class members;
• THREE:  business class members;
• FOUR:  all marco polo members (it costs $$ to join their club so we aren’t members);
• THEN FIVE:  premium economy/non marco polo members (without children)  this was us; and then
• SIX:   the poor economy/non-marco polo members (without children) who really must have felt like the bottom of the barrel. 

I can’t even remember when the disabled/wheel-chair bound individuals were able to board.  However, there was quite a commotion with one group who had one person in a wheelchair and an entourage of about 15.  They got to go through a special door.

You’ll be glad to know that when we got to our seat, no one had stolen our overhead compartment.  Life was good!!

By the way, I looked up ‘don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’ and still don’t get it.  It definitely means ‘don’t be ungrateful when you get a gift’ (so I used it correctly).  However, the origin is something about horse’s teeth and how new ones grow, change shape and protrude forward (do horse’s have buck teeth?) and how only specialists can tell the age of a horse from their teeth … I’m too jet-lagged to take the time to figure this one out. 

STROLLERS

Julie also failed to mention that last year we may or may not have crashed a child or two into a wall – due to faulty strollers, and trying to manage many kids. And just maybe one of our (thank goodness) easy-going girls tipped over sideways as we tried to maneuver uneven pavers.  So you can see why strollers were weighing on Julie’s heart!!  

BOXERS OR BRIEFS (oops, I mean BOXES OR LUGGAGE)

As Julie mentioned, we always see so many Asian travelers using boxes to travel.  I’ve often wondered why, so of course I googled it.  Boxes typically weigh less than luggage and there aren’t curved corners or wheels taking up inner space so it means you can usually pack more per square inch.  Anyway, as you can see from the pictures – the strollers were traveling in ‘style’.  No traditional Samsonite type carrier for them; they were traveling more in the “Louis Vitton” style…. Gray chevron vs typical brown cardboard box.  

Boring Brown Cardboard Box with Duct Tape

A Little Snazzier with Stripes

Zoom in and Check Out These Babies - Strollers in Gray Chevron Wrapped Boxes!!

LOUNGE – HONG KONG STYLE

If you want to picture this lounge (location; food; plugs; bathrooms; departure wall monitors etc), re-read my description of Logan and picture the exact opposite and then quadruple the quality.  ‘Nuff said …..

I don’t think Julie sat for more than 2 minutes at a time during our stay at this lounge.  She did allow me to go to the restroom and get some snacks while she watched my bags.  The rest of the time she was exploring, reporting back, bringing me samples and tales of her travels.  She was like a kid in a candy shop!

STEPPING OUT OF TAN SON NHAT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

 It is overwhelming to say the least.  Between the crowds of human beings, the heat, the sounds (Vietnamese language sounds so incredibly different), the smells, the horns honking, taxi drivers (legit and fake) trying to hustle you – all the while trying to hold on to your luggage and personal belongings, finding person holding your name for the ride to the hotel can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack.  (I didn’t even see it (Julie spotted it) as the sign said WILSON, MARIE …. Honestly, I was looking for Christine Wilson since I had ordered the service, but you can’t really blame them considering Julie and I are both First name, Marie Wilson!!  At least we found him and within 20 minutes were on our way. 

HOTEL AND THEN ORPHANAGE

I know you’ll be totally surprised but I take copious notes about what works, what doesn’t work, what we want to do differently the following year, things we may consider bringing, things we never used etc.  The hotel we are currently staying in we stayed in for one night last year.  Upon checking in last year the guy asked me for a specific credit card (the one I had actually used to make the booking on booking.com) ending in the four digits of xxxx.  (I have a few credit cards and believe me do not have the last four digits of each of them memorized … the last 4 of my social security number? … got them down cold … credit cards??? Not a chance.)  So, I pulled out the credit card I had most handy.  NOPE.  Looked a little further and found my ATM card – tried those numbers.  NOPE.  Okay, I know I have one more card with me and it is in my money belt UNDER my shirt, my cami and my pants.  Must I really strip down to get to my money belt (and reveal to the world where the real good stuff is kept?), it is really humiliating, but do it I must.  JACKPOT!  My guy is thrilled we have found the right four numbers of my last choice credit card.

SOOOOO, this year when making reservations I kept track which credit card I used and I made sure my hotel credit card was easily accessible for check-in.  It doesn’t take much, but I have to tell you I felt like doing a little victory dance. 

WALKING INTO ORPHANAGE “Our kids”– there are a handful of them – and everyone knows (kids and workers alike) how we have somehow just formed a tight-knit group.  Kids outside of this group will run and find the ‘group’ kids for us.  On the one hand it sounds sad for those not in the group, but you simply can’t give quality time to all of them.  AND we do spend time with as many as we can (believe me).  But it is humbling and heart warming to see them beam and light up and want to follow the ‘routine’ we have established with them over the years.  You have to wonder, does it feel like forever since they have seen us?  Had they forgotten about us until we walked in the door?  Or does it seem like they just saw us last week and here we are again?  Quite often other volunteers are here with some sort of program and may be here for 2-3 months.  We only get to spend a week with them and it goes by so fast.  But I wonder if they have other volunteers who return year-after-year.  I have no idea …. Bottom line, when you see those faces … the hours, the $$, the time preparing, the flights and crappy business lounges (crappy business lounges would be the Taj Mahal to these kids) all melt into the background.  We are ‘home’ and surrounded by incredible love!

OVERALL REVIEW OF DAY ONE – LANDING AND HEADING TO THE ORPHANAGE

If we had the luxury of time, it would probably be best to spend that first day getting unpacked and settled, going to the grocery store, getting our bearings, getting money exchanged etc.  because by the end of that first day we are beyond toast.  (Julie really had a hard time this year, I just felt like crap)  By the end of that first day, I can hardly make a coherent sentence, my body aches in places I didn’t think had places to ache, and I just want to be back in Portsmouth watching HGTV (yes Rus I have left the country – I am not hiding out in there watching House Hunters, Property Brothers, Fixer Upper and House Hunters International).  At the end of that first day I say “I’m too old, I can’t do this anymore”.  But then once again I realize --- It’s kind of like childbirth (okay, not quite) but it just feels too hard UNTIL you see the kids, their joy, our joy, the fun, hugs and laughs, you know tomorrow will be better and God willing you’ll do it again!!