In which we depart for points east: Kudos to Asiana Airlines!

Asiana gets two big thumbs up from these travelers!

Travel day!  We flew on Asiana Airlines, which we had never heard of but soon learned is a major Korean carrier.  The first leg of our journey was from LAX to Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea.  We were lucky enough to be flying business class on a 747 and had leg room to spare!

Gotta love all that leg room!  Note also the nice wide windowsill area to my right!

Before we knew it, the bags had been loaded...

... and we were bidding Southern California a fond farewell!

 Because it was a very very long flight (13-plus hours), there were two meals and a snack, all of which were delicious and served on linen tablecloths with lovely china, silver, and glassware.  The flight attendants were friendly and efficient and the whole experience was delightful!

Seared ahi at 30,000 feet.  Gotta love it!

Spicy ramen noodles and kimchi.  Gary's new favorite in-flight snack!

After we landed at Incheon, we had time to take one very brief look around and buy a couple of refrigerator magnets for our collection before boarding a 777 for the 4-1/2 hour flight to Hanoi.   The airport was sparkling clean and modern and full of strange and wonderful Asian treats as well as familar sights, most notably Dunkin' Donuts!

Our first glimpse of model food, which we understand is ubiquitous in Asia!

Beautiful and bustling Incheon International Airport.

Hanoi, here we come!

Settled in for our flight to Hanoi.  I think we look reasonably good, 18-plus hours after leaving the house!

On this flight I chose the Korean dinner, rather than the Western option.  Great choice, as you can see from the gorgeous vegetable appetizer.  It's like a little flower garden!

Oy...

Driving to the airport this morning in the rain and heavy traffic, we suddenly realized with heart-sinking certainty that the JapanRail passes had been left behind!  Mercifully, our house-sitting BFF is a total genius at things like finding documents in file drawers and FedExing them to faraway places, so we are hopeful that this will be only a small glitch in the proceedings.

Thank goodness for cell phones, wi-fi in the airport lounge, FedEx,and true friends!

Things we wish we had known sooner

1.  Wells Fargo Bank requires one to use a new and different 4-digit PIN if one wishes to withdraw money from one's checking account at ATMs in Asia.  Such new and different PIN is available only from a Wells Fargo branch.  During business hours.  Which is of very little help given that we are leaving at 8 a.m. on Monday and it is now 3 p.m. on Sunday.

This would have been an extraordinarily helpful thing for somebody at Wells Fargo to have mentioned earlier.  Maybe on one of the two trips to the branch I made last week, in connection with ordering JAPANESE CURRENCY for my TRIP TO JAPAN.  Grrr.

2.  Item 1, above, is wrong.  One does NOT have to go into a branch to change one's PIN.  One can do it automatically on the phone.

This would have been an extraordinarily helpful thing for the first Wells Fargo customer service lady to have known.  Grrr.

3.  Oops!  Nope!  Item 2, above, is wrong.  When we tried to change the PIN per the second Wells Fargo customer service guy's directions, the automatic system hung up on us.  Twice.  And then a third customer service lady told us that the second customer service guy was wrong.  Grrr.

And...

Heh.

So the lesson here is this:  If you have had your bank account for a long time, like we have, and have a five-digit PIN for your debit card, like we do, go into your bank in advance of your international trip and have the PIN changed to four digits.

You're welcome!

Where we are going

We discovered cruising in 2008, when we did a one-week Mexican Riviera cruise for my 50th birthday.  We were unexpectedly hooked and have since done two more cruises, including a gala 60th-birthday cruise for Gary on the biggest ship afloat, the Oasis of the Seas. 

We decided, though, that while big-ship mass-market cruising is undeniably a boatload of fun, we wanted to be able to get more up close and personal with the ports of call.  After a little research, we discovered river cruising:  small ships, excursions included, and itineraries that take you right through the heart of whatever country you are visiting.  And when we discovered that AMA Waterways has a trip to Vietnam, of all places, we were hooked!

Our itinerary is here: Two weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia, including a week-long cruise down the Mekong river on the MS La Marguerite.

And because our son is a Marine stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan, we are going to take a little detour on the way home and spend a few days with him!

Can.

Not.

Wait.

Not that I am Type A or anything...

... but I have been making a career out of getting ready for this trip!  Fashion and style are my hobbies, so naturally I want to look as chic as possible on vacation!  On our last couple of trips that hasn't been a problem because we have been cruising in nice big suites and were able to either drive to the port or fly business class (love those frequent flyer miles!) and check lots of bags with no fee!

 

This time, though, when we get to Japan we will be taking the bullet train from Osaka to Hiroshima and back, and that means wrangling our own luggage!  Which means I can only take one big bag and one carry-on!  It's a pretty big challenge, especially since we will be in three different climates along the way.  Hanoi and environs should be pretty much like a Southern California winter, Cambodia and the Mekong will be hot and humid, and Japan will be colder than we are used to.  Oh, and to add another level of challenge, my research revealed that it's best to be reasonably covered up in Vietnam, both for reasons of modesty and to avoid mosquitos!  So no tanks and shorts, which is what I would normally wear in a tropical area!

After a lot of angst and trying things on and consulting with the wise ladies over at www.youlookfab.com, I have hit on a travel wardrobe I am happy with.  Basically, it's a uniform of pants and tops, with a few scarves and belts to keep me from getting too bored.  I also found a couple of nice lightweight knit black skirts, and I'm packing a few lightweight dresses for dinner on the riverboat.  And being the gigantic planner that I am, I took pictures of every. single. piece and planned out my outfits for every. single. day.  Big fun!!

The packing list for the whole trip.

Day 1 (long flight to Hanoi) through Day 5 (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

Day 5 (Siem Reap) through Day 8 (cruising the Mekong River)

Day 9 through Day 12 (cruising)

Day 13 through Day 16 (cruising, Ho Chi Minh City, flight to Osaka, train to Hiroshima)

Day 17 through Day 20 (Japan and flight home)

T-Minus 11 Days and Counting!

It's the night before Thanksgiving and this year we are thankful to be getting ready for what promises to be the trip of a lifetime!  In eleven short days we will embarking on a three-week adventure that will take us to Vietnam and Cambodia with a brief stop in Japan on the way home.  Big, big fun!!  Stay tuned...

Here's a photo of our last big trip to get us in the mood!