Good Morning, Vietnam!

Well I am finally here!First and foremost I want to say a hello (or goodbye?) to those I meant to see or call before I left but didn¡¦t quite get the chance to. We are all doing so many different things in so many places! Second, I know I didn¡¦t do a prelude entry for my blog, but it was for my own reasoning that it would probably result in something like the tales of me running around picking up last minute things and saying last minute goodbyes (which included promising Tippi (my dog) that I would not eat meat that could very well be his relatives).So on with the intrigues of what has already happened!The epically long but relatively painless 13 hour flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong began with a set of proud grandparents sitting right across the aisle from me¡Kwith two newborns. Luckily for my fabulous inability to smell, because as the plane started rolling backwards, the baby closest to me decided it needed to be changed. So picture a jam packed 747 with people still running up and down the aisles (?) as the plane is starting it¡¦s taxi, and here, right next to me, is a dirty baby bum hanging upside-down getting a look of half disgust half amusement by one of the stewardesses. I thought it was a pretty excellent way to start a journeyƒº. Second comical event was during one of the four movies I watched (yes it was a sleepless night, although I did try!). So you have to keep in mind I have my headphones on, fairly loud to hear the words, and on and off I hear this odd singing that doesn¡¦t seem to coordinate with the movie. I ignore it at first but then it started to get quite loud to the point where it was interrupting my attentiveness. I took off my headset and the man behind me was singing at the top of his lungs in a Madonna type chorus. It was so loud that everyone around him was awake and staring while he sang quite outrageously to what sounded like really bad pop music. I put my movie back on and tried to concentrate, but it was so loud that even the loudest setting wouldn¡¦t drown him out. This went on for a good 15 minutes until finally someone called over a stewardess to silence him¡ The whole situation gave me a good laugh, but I think I may have been the only one seeing as by then it was about 4:30 in the AM and most of us had already been on a previous flight.Flying with Cathay Pacific really was a treat in the end though, the food was exceptional (as you alleged Dad), and seeing as I didn¡¦t stop eating the whole 13 hours, they were amazing about always providing me with a sandwich or a bowl of ichiban etc. (on top of meals haha ƒº).I then ended up in the ever so fabulous and ever so mammoth airport of Hong Kong. The shear size of it would have amazed me but the shops¡Koh the shops, Crystal and Nathan would go crazy over it¡K! I met a couple on the flight from Hong Kong to Hanoi (which is where I now reside) who were visiting (her) family in Vietnam. We got along so well that at the end of the flight we took a picture and they gave me their contact card in case I needed anything while in Vietnam. So kind. It was the first time I was able to talk to a Vietnamese (apart from Cindy) while local.I felt the first bit of discomfort here in Hanoi however¡Knot in a negative way, but even just in the airport, I can noticeably feel that I am now the minority. Now that I¡¦ve been sitting here writing this message, I¡¦m quite enjoying listening to the soft Vietnamese dialect all around me and even more the fact that I can¡¦t understand their conversations. I¡¦m learning too! I taught myself some basic phrases and numbers in Vietnamese on the airplane thanks to Cathay¡¦s wicked video options and some local Vietnamese expertise on the plane.It¡¦s time for me now to head off towards the south to begin the real adventures and the purpose of my journey! Will write when I get there.
xoxox
Ruv yu awrrr
Roro

Om.