Dear Ruby

Dear Ruby:

I want to thank you for organizing a wonderful trip for Evelyn and me. Everything was perfect for us, no problems, just excitement and fun.

The drivers were good. I especially liked the one in Hanoi whose name, I’m afraid, I’ve forgotten. He seemed to know how to negotiate the traffic without terrifying me, just exciting.

The guides were great. I’d like to pick the one I liked the best but it seems difficult since they were all very good. Their knowledge of Vietnam and the area we were in was truly amazing. If I asked a question and, finally, they did not know the answer, I was relieved. They were human and didn’t know everything.

No one was ever late to meet us. In fact, it turned out that they waited for us. They were always friendly and seemed very confident about what we were doing. They made sure we were comfortable and helped us survive uncomfortable situations. For instance my sense of balance is awful and they very nicely helped me.

Tony and the driver met us at the airport. I was a bit surprised since we arrived so late. It was a great start to enjoying the trip. Tony gave us some excellent advice on the way to our hotel, one of which was how to cross the street. Without that tip I think we might not have gone out further than the entrance of our hotel.

I also enjoyed Mr. Lee, he was the most personable. There were some things we talked about that were not what I considered guide oriented and it was fun and interesting. Next was Nam. He laughed at my bad jokes and that was very nice of him. The bike ride through the rice paddies was wonderful and the farm lesson, massage and cooking lesson were the highlights of the week and one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Only one very minor criticism is Sunny, who took us to too many stores. But a huge plus for Sunny is his incredible knowledge of the area we were in and of Vietnam and he’s interesting to listen to. He started from the beginning telling us about some of the cultural features of the people of Vietnam.

Twee was amazing with his knowledge of the flora of the area we were hiking in. How some of the plants were used and the names of the plants. He knew the regional and political facts of the area. He called himself a mountain man and from my point of view, it certainly fit. Another highlight was the herb bath he took us to. I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it but it turned out to be completely different than I expected and was something I’ll not forget.

Again, thank you for setting up a wonderful trip for us. I hope you will help us again because I would truly like to see more of Vietnam and go back to some of the places we have been.