Judy Slattum, tour leader, Danu Tours. Surya Made, Danu Tours, Judy’s husband and partner in their great boutique tour company. Yesterday we picked up our travelers from all over the world: Australia, Mexico, Canada, California, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Judy and Surya went to meet the first batch and our Vietnamese guide, Quynh, picked me up […]
Vietnam: And Now The Real Fun Begins . . . The Gang Is All Here! Read More »
Before our group arrived, Joanie and I decided to check out one of Judy’s tips to us, sent in an email before we left the U.S. “One of my favorite streets in Hanoi is Au Trieu street. Go there. You’ll see why.” So the same rainy day we toured the Hanoi Hilton, we headed in
Vietnam: A Very Very Bad Massage With Great Acoustics Read More »
The first thing we noticed while we were eating breakfast on the 11th floor of our hotel this morning was that the tiny people down below on the street were all wearing ponchos or holding umbrellas. It was raining. We dressed for the weather, grabbed umbrellas and headed out on foot. The second thing we
Vietnam: A Rainy Walk To The Infamous Hanoi Hilton Read More »
Doesn’t this couple look happy? Aren’t they beautiful? Well, I’m not. Apparently while Joanie and I have been savoring the sounds, smells (yes, even those) and tastes of Vietnam, the weather gods have been interfering with my son Eli’s arrival in Vietnam. He’s stuck in the Midwest–ice and snow. After all these years of leading
Vietnam: Oh Sh@t! D#mn It! Read More »
When we left the Vietnam Women’s Museum, we mapped our way to the foot massage parlor, about a mile or so away. After half an hour of swimming through streets filled with traffic and honking, we found our second destination of the day: Dai Cat foot massage. No one at the counter spoke any English
Vietnam: But I Thought We Were Getting A Foot Massage Read More »
This morning, our first in Hanoi, Joanie and I woke up from our respective twin beds (with very nice down comforters, I might add), remarked on how well we’d slept, and starting kicking around what wanted to do with our wide open day. I got on Trip Advisor and read about Women’s Museum, a likely
Vietnam: Learning About the Women of Vietnam Read More »
We made it….14 hours in the air and now we’re in Tapiei and the airport is full of some of tackiest art ever. Lots of fake scenes of nature. And…we arrived at the airport on the 25th and it’s now the 27th. Whaaa? We are definitely not in the US anymore. With my propensity to
Vietnam: Across the International Date Line Read More »
Wouldn’t you know it? My first blog post practically wrote itself before we even checked into our Eva Air flight to Taipei. Joanie and I chatted our way through the check-in line and as we approached the front, we reached into our respective purses for our tickets and passports. I grabbed mine and when I
Vietnam: Always Expect The Unexpected Read More »
It’s Christmas morning and I’ve come out to my office to write this inaugural Virtual Vacation blog post for my trip to Vietnam. Tonight, after Christmas dinner at my son and daughter-in-law’s house, I’m being picked up at 8 PM, by my friend Joanie, to head to the San Francisco airport for our 1 AM
Vietnam: All My Bags Are Packed and I’m Ready To Go! Read More »
I’m sitting on one of the old, soft couches in the lobby area of Newbold House, in the midst of all of my belongings. My soft black duffel bag is packed to the brim. I’m surrounded by a variety of outerwear since I don’t know what today’s weather will bring. To my right, my backpack
Virtual Vacation: Homeward Bound, Day 18 Read More »
We have entered the final days of our retreat. There is talk of taxis to the airport, last minute gifts, the loved ones we left behind, and the things we will be facing back home. People are letting in the reality that we will soon be saying goodbye to Scotland, to Newbold House, and to
Virtual Vacation: Final Days, Day 16 Read More »
The basic schedule of this retreat, (on the days we aren’t heading out on a major outing) is writing group in the morning, free time all afternoon between lunch and dinner, and writing class in the evening. Open afternoons are important—they give people time to digest, to integrate, to spend time alone, to enjoy new
Virtual Vacation: Life At Newbold: Living In Community, Day 15 Read More »
(Dear Readers: This is another high-density post with lots of photos. You may need to let it load for a while before you come back and read it–Laura). Today was one of the “Seeing Scotland” days on our trip. Our first stop was Clava Cairns, a Bronze Age, 4000-year-old archeological site with burial cairns and
Virtual Vacation: Macbeth and High Tea, Day 14 Read More »
Every morning at 7:35 AM, there is meditation up in the sanctuary at Newbold House. It’s for the residents of the house, but as guests, we are all invited. After the meditation is a half hour of Taize singing—devotional singing from around the world, sung in four-part harmony. I showed up for meditation and singing
Virtual Vacation, Angels In Our Midst, Day 13 Read More »
(Note to readers: This post has a LOT of pictures. Let it load for a while and then come back to read it.) Since I knew we were scheduled to go on an outing today—to the Nairn Highland Games—I gave this homework at the end of writing class this morning: “Find out something specific about
Virtual Vacation: Viking in a Kilt, Day 12 Read More »
