July 12 Turbulent Flight to Hue Vietnam

We won’t soon forget our flight from Hanoi to Hue this morning. Although it started out just fine, a half-hour in (on our one-hour flight), we experienced significant turbulence. It was the worse that we (Deb and Joe) had ever experienced. My heart was in my mouth and the adrendaline kicked in. Ryan grabbed me and asked whether we were going to be OK. I reassured him that this was quite normal (although I was already saying my prayers!). I looked over at Brendan who was at the window. His eyes were as wide as saucers. Joe was sitting in front of us and pretended that there was nothing unusual about the roller-coaster ride. Our fellow passengers let our loud ‘Ahhs!’ when ever the plane took a dip. Ryan asked whether he could hang on to me. He didn’t know that I was equally in need of comforting and we held each other close. Fifteen minutes later the plane stabilized and we started our descent. I was never so happy to get my feet on solid ground!

We’re staying at the Morin Saigon, a colonial hotel built by the French in 1901. It’s a beauty with courtyard, a pool, and spacious rooms with hardwood floors/high ceilings. Thank goodness for the pool! It is absolutely sweltering. The 38 degree heat makes it so hard to get around. We opted for the pool and only went out for a late dinner once it was cooler. At the restaurant, Missy Roo, the staff were so taken with Brendan that they engaged him in conversation at a separate table with questions like, Where are you from? What grade? How do deal with the allergies? What sports? How is Vietnam? And on and on. I eventually got the video going and recorded a few minutes of it. Bren is definitely in his element among the people!