Miaminice

After a while our group turned into a winding tunnel in between houses. Barely wide enough for one scooter it was a two way traffic route - and it included merchandise from shops and parked scooters along the way. Beep, Beep… here we come. IMG_8428.mov IMG_8432.mov

Celebrity Solstice - December 2023 - Thailand & Vietnam - Day 11 - Part 2 New Year’s Eve - Hanoi After freshening up we went down to the lobby of our hotel where Rose met us with her team of scooter drivers. After short introductions we soared off into the traffic of Hanoi. Minh, a lovely young lady, was my personal race driver 😁 Like a pro she expertly zoomed through the myriads of scooters, some with families of four on them. While doing so we casually chatted and I really admired her perfect English. Getting to see Hanoi in a way millions of locals see it daily from their motor scooters was just hilarious. IMG_8423.mov

No problem whatsoever there. Clean she was ! You could always see staff cleaning the stairs, glass etc. And it seems some staff live in the restrooms - there’s always someone in there keeping it clean 😁 Our balcony was fine. Our fabulous stateroom attendant Faniry took good care of everything. And we never ran out of water - two new bottles a day. Regardless if we drank the previous ones or not. We also very much appreciated, that she followed our decision to clean the towels or not. She only took them when we really put them on the floor. I really don’t need fresh towels twice a day. On previous cruises most stateroom attendants took them no matter if we had the on the rack or put them on the floor.

Hi David! Hope you and your wife are doing well. We are back home and busy catching up with things here. FYI: In HK you can use the uber app for taxis. Small booking fee but then payable via the app. That’s what we did because I didn’t want to exchange any money just for the day. Oliver

Rose had made some suggestions for Hanoi hotels in suitable locations during our planning phase. We had picked the Anatole Boutique Hotel because it looked good and offered a very good rate. When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised. It looked even better than online and the hotel staff was very friendly. The rooms were also very nice and the glass partition of the bathroom even had a magic switch to block the view - cool 😎 IMG_8416.mov We freshened up a bit and changed for the next part of today‘s adventure. I will tell you about it in another post - so stay tuned!

Then it was time to work off some of that fabulous food. We stopped at a pier and had the choice of kayaking ourselves or taking a sampan ride. Birgit and I decided to kayak while the rest of our cruise family chose a sampan. I swear, our kayak would have not been so low in the water on other days. A tribute to the magic lunch table. We paddled through the emerald green water and entered two beautiful lagoons through caves. The lagoons were once used by fishermen as shelters from the typhoons. Besides the singing of the ladies rowing the sampans to entertain their passengers, gliding through the waters was almost serene. After this post lunch activity we sailed back to the port and started our drive to Hanoi in yet another clean and comfortable van.

We were so absorbed by the food that we hardly had time to admire the landscape outside. IMG_8376.mov However, Rose pointed out some interesting rock formations like the one depicted on the 200,000 VND bill.

When we went back on board of our ship it was time for lunch. We sat down and Rose presented what she and the ship’s chef had prepared. One delight after the other filled the table and food kept appearing as if by magic. Rose brought spring rolls made by her mother, salads, potato fries, oysters, shrimp, fish, pork and and and… unbelievable! Everything was delicious. When we couldn’t possibly have any more, fruit from Rose’s parent’s farm was served as dessert. To call it a feast would be the understatement of the century. We felt truly blessed!

After a short while we reached Thien Cung “Heavenly Palace” grotto. Thien Cung grotto is vast and covers thousands of square-meters. Its complex structure consists of many levels, many with high ceilings and walls. Before entering the underworld of the cave, Rose expertly told us about its history and its legends. Everywhere in the grotto, there are countless stalactites and stalagmites with unique shapes. Rose pointed out a few which looked like dragons, lions and even Santa’s face. Look at the photos. Can you see them? The massive halls of the grotto appeared to us like a museum of Mother Nature’s fascinating artwork.

Once the ship was cleared, we took a shuttle to the port terminal where we met Rose. From there we took a van to the port of the Halong Bay cruise ships and boarded our ship, the Nam Cuong. It didn’t take long and we sailed out into the bay. Halong Bay is famous for the unique formation of nearly 2,000 thousand limestone islands and islets in an emerald ocean. We made ourselves comfortable on the upper deck and admired the uniquely shaped islands floating by while Rose disappeared into the galley of the boat. When I say we, I have to clarify that I really mean just us - the six of us had the whole ship to ourselves!

Celebrity Solstice - December 2023 - Thailand & Vietnam - Day 11 - Part 1 Daytime - Halong Bay/Hanoi Sorry for the delay. By the time I‘m writing this we are already back home and the last days of our cruise were so filled with fabulous experiences that I couldn’t catch up with sorting the photos and picking the best to post. We had such a great time and enjoyed so many things that I decided to split the post. After a beautiful but rainy day in Hoi An the weather was beautiful when we woke up. Perfect for our visit of beautiful Halong Bay. We had been looking forward to this day and this part of the cruise. Not just because of the destination but also because we finally got to meet Rose Nhung in person. Rose and I had been in contact since the first time we had planned this cruise some years ago before it was cancelled again and again because of the pandemic. Rose was the Mastermind behind all of our fabulous Vietnam tours and she could not have done a better job. And if we thought we knew what to expect for the two days in Halong Bay and Hanoi, boy were we wrong. She topped it again - outstanding. But sorry, I am getting ahead of myself… Our arrival in Halong Bay was planned for 10am, so we had time to have our breakfast at Blu and then enjoy the scenery and first glimpse into the bay’s beauty from our balcony while Solstice was slowly making our way to the port.

We generally enjoyed our cruise! However, our focus was really more on the destinations and less the ship. Solstice was fine and the service good as always. She seems a bit worn in places - if you really look out for it. The furniture in the staterooms have a few scratches and so on. BUT we are not really searching for fault and it was nothing that really bothered us. We definitely had a great time because our daytime experiences at the ports were fabulous. The ship - although nice - merely served as our floating hotel. A good hotel 😁 Food was OK. Not bad but not great either. However, I do admit and factor in that after so many cruises it’s just nothing new and the wow factor of the first years is gone. A luxury problem… 😁 Live music was good. Can’t say much about the shows because we never go.

Thank you! But the best is still to come. We just got home and I will write about the last few days - almost the highlight of the cruise - asap.

We booked all of our tours in Vietnam with a young lady named Rose Nhung. She does the tours in Hanoi herself and picks guides of her team for the other ports. She is very passionate about her job and very well organised. We can’t recommend her highly enough! This is her Number +84374372918 (also on whatsapp) Email: Nhungnguyen.ulis@gmail.com She is a gem!!!!!

Before we met our driver again, we had some time to shop. Birgit and I usually bring just one souvenir from our trips. One piece that fits our house or that we actually use at home - always reminding us of the trip on which we bought it. On the way to the temple we had passed an art gallery and a painting on display had immediately caught my attention. We went back and bought it as it matches another painting in our house very well. It will be a reminder of a fantastic trip. A trip to which our fabulous tour agent Rose and her guides, in this case Dao, contributed a lot. In good time we made it back to Solstice before we sailed towards Halong Bay, our next port of call.

When it was time for lunch we went to the Home Hoi An Restaurant. We immediately liked the contemporary and stylish design. When we looked at the menu of our set lunch on the table, we were speechless and our jaws dropped. Who was supposed to eat all that? Slowly but steadily one delight was served after the other. There was almost no room on the table anymore - not to mention in our tummies. The pictures I added don’t even show half of it. And as if that wasn’t enough, our tour agent Rose had told the restaurant in advance that I don’t eat fish and seafood. So even more extra dishes came just for me. Unbelievable… On the way back we could only pass by all the good looking street food. There was just no room anymore. However, we did try a coconut coffee along the way.

The famous Japanese bridge was being renovated so we could only look at it from the outside, but we visited one of the old restored shophouses.

After visiting the beautiful sight we continued along the colorful and beautifully restored houses, shops, temples and restaurants through the streets and by the riverside. Of course we did not leave some streetfood like tofu pudding with sweet red beans and grilled banana sticky rice with coconut unattended. I could return to Hoi An just for that alone.

Hoi An is said to be one of the most picturesque and charming cities in Vietnam. The city was once the largest port in Southeast Asia, largely due to its location on the Silk Road. As a result, the city displays a vibrant mix of Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, and French architecture. It has therefore been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. Our first stop in Hoi An was one of the architectural gems of the city - the Fujian Assembly Hall or Phuc Kien Assembly Hall. It was first constructed in 1690. Just as the temple we saw in Saigon, this hall has been devoted to the worship of the ancestors and a deity called Thien Hau. Thien Hau, also known as Mazu or Tian Hou, is a Chinese sea goddess who blesses fishers and sailors with safe ocean travel. I am sure she includes cruise ship passengers nowadays.

Celebrity Solstice - December 2023 - Thailand & Vietnam - Day 9 - Chan May/Hoi An When we stopped at Chan My on a previous cruise a few years back, we went to Hue. And we can highly recommend the magnificent historic places at Hue. However, we had also heard many good things about Hoi An, so we were happy to choose it for our tour on this trip. Our arrival time at 10am made the day short, but gave us time to have breakfast at Blu. Had we only known what was to come… 😁 Even before the ship was docked and cleared, we received a message and a picture from our guide Dao telling us that she and the driver would welcome us at the port. A nice gesture we got to appreciate at all of our ports in Vietnam. Not long after the ship was cleared we rode off to Hoi An in a very comfortable and spacious van again. About halfway to our destination we stopped at a marble factory. After truly admiring beautiful works of art in all shapes and sizes we continued on our way through the misty landscape.

Happy New Year from Hanoi! IMG_8521.mov

I think his name is Pete.

Fast forwarding a bit with a heads up… As we speak we are cruising in Halong Bay. Our tour guide Rose organised on of the Junk Boats for us. When I say for us, I literally mean for us - only the six of us! Currently she’s in the galley preparing a meal for us. She’s doing it because she also runs a cooking school. She’s just amazing.

Our final stop was the Po Nagar temple. Po Nagar was built during the eighth and thirteenth centuries, at the height of Hinduism’s affluence. In Cham, the word “Ponagar” refers to the earth’s mother. IMG_8100.mov IMG_8104.mov Since we wanted to be back in comfortable time before the last tender left shore, we had to leave and had to head back. However, despite the short time we had to see Nha Trang, Tao showed us a lot and we had another beautiful day in Vietnam.

After lunch we boarded a small boat and sailed down the scenic river. The ride was fun and the captain seemed to enjoy it as much as we did. We stopped at a small coconut plantation where under the watchful eyes of the lady of the house we picked our own coconuts before she skillfully opened them for us to drink the juice first and then scoop out the meat. Yummy!