TOM HERZFELD, AUSTRALIA, HALONG BAY AND THE RED RIVER, JUN 2018
Hello James,
I suspect that you are still enjoying the last of the passenger free time before the next exciting expedition down the river from Hoa Binh to Halong Bay. So before I get back to a more normal life back in Perth, I thought I should fulfill my promise to you to provide an alternative critique to the rather simplistic survey you asked us to complete before we disembarked. It offered 5 stars against each item. I would have wanted to allocate 6!
For me, the 10 days on board the RV Anchor Pandaw was by far the most enjoyable and educational of my prior three trips with Pandaw, yet they had been excellent too. Why this one? Because of the variety of shore excursions, the unspoiled nature of the locals we visited and therefore their friendliness. At times their friendliness was quite overwhelming. The villages we visited gave such a clear insight into life for people outside the cities. And the cultural performances both ashore and on deck arranged by the crew just added to our appreciation of the people.
Then of course, there was the crew who we got to know so well in the 10 days. So obliging, so skilled in their individual tasks and generous in their willingness to serve and be friendly. The menus provided by the Chef were quite outstanding. And each day, I marveled at the Captain’s ability to deliver us to the next shore excursion right on time.
Above all else, I enjoy traveling with Pandaw because I admire the owner for his ethics and for what he has achieved in building the company.
Health permitting, I hope to be able to do another trip in the not too distant future.
All the very best,
Tom Herzfeld