We had another excellent buffet breakfast in the Caravelle Hotel. Unlike some hotels, they make changes to the food options available each day. One thing we've noticed repeatedly on this trip is that they make good pastries and bread in Vietnam. Perhaps it is the French influence. This hotel obviously has a great pastry chef.
At about 8:45am, we set off from our hotel to take our bags to the Park Hyatt Hotel which turned out to be just across the road. A few minutes after we got there, Peter, Yolanda and Maria arrived by taxi from their hotel.
As we entered the foyer we saw the Scenic guide we'd met previously in Hue. There was another Scenic guide, Toan, who was busy organising name tags, passports, luggage etc for the group. Toan was quite hyperactive and we were hoping that he would calm down once the trip began. I was thinking of buying him a beer to relax him.
Toan kept our passports because they will be kept on the ship to show various authorities at points along the trip. He assured me they be kept securely in a safe on board.
When I walked back across the road to our hotel, I noticed a a few military personnel with rifles. I'm not sure why they would be stationed outside our hotel. I've noticed a few police and security people in our travels but not too many soldiers.
Just before 12 noon, we checked out from our hotel and walked back across the road to the Park Hyatt Hotel where most of the tour group had already assembled.
Lunch was to be at the same restaurant that Suzy and I had been to a couple of nights ago. Toan led us across the road demonstrating that the traffic will stop for a large group of people crossing the road at the same time.
This time we were inside the restaurant rather than at a table in the courtyard. It must be a popular spot for tour groups because there were several other long tables for tour groups apart from our own. They provided a set menu that was delicious and filling.
For drinks we were each allowed one free drink - either a beer or a soft drink. To my surprise, Suzy ordered a beer. Then I realised she was ordering it so I could have it as a second beer.
We left the restaurant at 2pm and boarded our bus at 2:15pm for the trip to the Scenic boat. For the first part of the journey, we were on a motorway next to a river. Toan, our guide, told us that the motorway was financed by the Japanese government.
Most of the trip was in urban areas because we were travelling west through Saigon. Later we saw rural areas and travelled past rice fields. From time to time, we saw small numbers of cattle in the fields or beside the road.
Incidentally, our guide told us that most people in Saigon still refer to Saigon as Saigon rather than Ho Chi Minh City. HCMC is the government's official name but the name Saigon has been used for centuries and is still the preference of the local population.
After about 90 minutes, we stopped at a roadside rest stop where could use the bathrooms and visit the souvenir shop. I found the New Zealand men on the terrace enjoying a can of beer.
We reached the ship (Scenic Spirit) by about 4;30pm. The captain and some of the crew were waiting at the bottom of the gang plank to welcome us. The remainder of the crew were lined up inside at the entrance an along the corridors.
After a welcome drink, they showed us to our cabins. We have our own butler who thoroughly explained everything about the cabin and the services they provide.
This ship is very impressive. It is quite new - only about 18 months old. Second, the cabins are bigger and there are fewer cabins than their competitors. There are only 34 cabins and our cruise is not quite fully booked because there are only 60 people on board. The ship in Bordeaux had capacity for 123 guests.
Our cabin is much bigger than the one we had earlier this year on the Scenic cruise in Bordeaux - at least 50% bigger. There is a sitting area and an internal balcony plus generous storage and hanging areas.
The features and electronics are also impressive. The shower is a work of technological art. There are two large windows looking out onto the river than can be opened by pushing a button. They even have Australian 3-point electrical power points (as well as other international options).
One feature that is not so good (just like the cruise in Bordeaux) is the WiFi. It is very slow - less than 1MB/s down and 0.5Mb/s up. From time to time it stops working. Luckily I had my mini WiFi with the Vietnamese SIM from Mobifone which was giving me 30Mb/s.
There was a welcome drink and talk at 6pm in the lounge area on level 2. Here the tour director, Joyce, introduced key members of the crew and gave information about the cruise. A guide then gave us a run-down on tomorrow's activities.
A buffet dinner was served in the dining room on level 1 at 7pm. It was an excellent meal with excellent attentive service. We enjoyed several glasses of a Yalumba Shiraz.
After dinner, I had problems with my mini WiFi. A message in Vietnamese came up on my screen which probably meant that I'd used up my data allocation.
Our boat had set sail from Saigon at pm and had dropped anchor in the middle of the river near Cai Be at 8pm. The ship would be staying at this location overnight.
As we entered the foyer we saw the Scenic guide we'd met previously in Hue. There was another Scenic guide, Toan, who was busy organising name tags, passports, luggage etc for the group. Toan was quite hyperactive and we were hoping that he would calm down once the trip began. I was thinking of buying him a beer to relax him.
Toan kept our passports because they will be kept on the ship to show various authorities at points along the trip. He assured me they be kept securely in a safe on board.
When I walked back across the road to our hotel, I noticed a a few military personnel with rifles. I'm not sure why they would be stationed outside our hotel. I've noticed a few police and security people in our travels but not too many soldiers.
Lunch was to be at the same restaurant that Suzy and I had been to a couple of nights ago. Toan led us across the road demonstrating that the traffic will stop for a large group of people crossing the road at the same time.
For drinks we were each allowed one free drink - either a beer or a soft drink. To my surprise, Suzy ordered a beer. Then I realised she was ordering it so I could have it as a second beer.
Most of the trip was in urban areas because we were travelling west through Saigon. Later we saw rural areas and travelled past rice fields. From time to time, we saw small numbers of cattle in the fields or beside the road.
After about 90 minutes, we stopped at a roadside rest stop where could use the bathrooms and visit the souvenir shop. I found the New Zealand men on the terrace enjoying a can of beer.
After a welcome drink, they showed us to our cabins. We have our own butler who thoroughly explained everything about the cabin and the services they provide.
This ship is very impressive. It is quite new - only about 18 months old. Second, the cabins are bigger and there are fewer cabins than their competitors. There are only 34 cabins and our cruise is not quite fully booked because there are only 60 people on board. The ship in Bordeaux had capacity for 123 guests.
Our cabin is much bigger than the one we had earlier this year on the Scenic cruise in Bordeaux - at least 50% bigger. There is a sitting area and an internal balcony plus generous storage and hanging areas.
One feature that is not so good (just like the cruise in Bordeaux) is the WiFi. It is very slow - less than 1MB/s down and 0.5Mb/s up. From time to time it stops working. Luckily I had my mini WiFi with the Vietnamese SIM from Mobifone which was giving me 30Mb/s.
There was a welcome drink and talk at 6pm in the lounge area on level 2. Here the tour director, Joyce, introduced key members of the crew and gave information about the cruise. A guide then gave us a run-down on tomorrow's activities.
After dinner, I had problems with my mini WiFi. A message in Vietnamese came up on my screen which probably meant that I'd used up my data allocation.
No comments:
Post a Comment