tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post7634959852755861531..comments2024-02-11T19:28:27.997+11:00Comments on Personal Reflections: A frightening experienceJim Belshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-91474253111581364392010-02-16T18:45:39.727+11:002010-02-16T18:45:39.727+11:00You are probably right there, M.You are probably right there, M.Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-20099390722957155352010-02-16T17:51:44.340+11:002010-02-16T17:51:44.340+11:00It certainly seems odd. You would expect professi...It certainly seems odd. You would expect professionals in such a situation to be able to handle complaints in a more business-like fashion (to put it mildly). My comment about the first of the remaining nights still holds, though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-52893351342844424722010-02-16T11:50:06.140+11:002010-02-16T11:50:06.140+11:00Hi M. I was cautious in what I said because I didn...Hi M. I was cautious in what I said because I didn't know the facts and had only the phone calls to go on initially. Just going by Facebook/blog comments:<br /><br />JG: "We finally arrived back at 4:30pm quite disappointed with our cruise. T. L. and I approached our hotel manager who immediately blew up at us. The argument continued until we just gave up since we weren't getting anywhere. Supremely pissed off and very uncomfortable with being in the hotel the group decided to check out. Another unfortunate event happened where we were physically assaulted and threatened with words of "I like to eat meat for New years" and "i kill you". He was not kidding. Charging us for the extra 2 nights accommodation we had not used and the original price of the tour less the agreed discount we hurried out of there thankful we could even leave."<br /><br />Eldest: "aka kelly aka helga was physically threatened in Hanoi. Not much fun really!"<br /><br />Youngest: "we had a problem at our hotel and thus wanted to leav two days early, we came forward with the money and the man threw it on the floor, physically assulted two of the group and repeatedly said he would kill us all one by one, after trying to first lock us in the building... ps all good now, out of the hotel and waiting for our flight tomorrow"<br /><br />Youngest a little later: "we all didn't feel we could trust the vietnamese police enough but called the consulet to see what was best to do... he threw he hands in my face and it took EVERYTHING I had not to knock the shit out of that 5ft 5 prick"<br /><br />Just as well she didn't. She is very strong!<br /><br />From this distance, I can't say exactly what happened. I certainly can't say that the group didn't in some way provoke the indcident.<br /><br />Regardless of the facts of the matter, what I can say with certainty is that it terrified the living day lights out of them.Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-45032422704763914652010-02-16T11:17:25.850+11:002010-02-16T11:17:25.850+11:00Surely H wasn't seriously concerned about beco...Surely H wasn't seriously concerned about becoming a victim of cannibalism?<br /><br />It sounds from your account that the hotelier got the message from the complaint about the H Bay tour that that your daughters' group was not going to pay for it. Presumably the hotelier would still have to pay the tour operator. That's the sort of 3-way problem that, in my experience, often leads to quick escalation of conflict.<br /><br />Add group dynamics, language difficulties, etc, and I'm sure it was a frightening experience for them. Even so, deciding to leave the <em>country</em> forthwith seems an over-reaction.<br /><br />(But surely, by the time of this dispute, your daughters, having had their room/s held for them, were liable on ordinary principles for at least the first of the 2 nights' remaining accommodation at the hotel?)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-14665026850412628352010-02-14T13:10:01.000+11:002010-02-14T13:10:01.000+11:00Hi Jamie
I am sure that you are right at one leve...Hi Jamie<br /><br />I am sure that you are right at one level. Without the communications the whole thingg would have been over without us knowing. Still, this was a little more than a storm in a tea cup. The kids, I think H in particular, were really scared.<br /><br />Having people stand right in your face and say things like "I like to eat meat for New years" and "i kill you" when you believe every word they say is terrifying.<br /><br />I suspect that there is an issue about over protection and also about expectations of behaviour. But that's a separate question.<br /><br />KVD, everything is fine now. I don't worry about my daughters in a general sense although I have been concerned for them from birth. My mum once siad to me when I was in my early forties: "Dear, I am still your mother!"Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-53959813475880198822010-02-14T12:54:45.294+11:002010-02-14T12:54:45.294+11:00I started worrying about my daughter from the firs...I started worrying about my daughter from the first night she slept beside our bed in her crib.<br /><br />She's 34 now. I still worry about her.<br /><br />Here's hoping it sorts itself out for your daughters, Jim.<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-28426051199883896062010-02-14T12:35:34.916+11:002010-02-14T12:35:34.916+11:00Jim, half the fun of traveling in a third world co...Jim, half the fun of traveling in a third world country is getting ripped off or more accurately seeing how many times you can avoid it because you leave home knowing full well that everyone is out to get you. That's just the way it is! The problem here as I see it is that modern technology has allowed a lot of people to do a lot of worrying over a storm in a tea cup. JamieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-15973938595233724502010-02-14T11:08:54.577+11:002010-02-14T11:08:54.577+11:00Thanks, Neil. It was indeed.Thanks, Neil. It was indeed.Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-36625137214690188522010-02-14T11:07:06.875+11:002010-02-14T11:07:06.875+11:00How horrible for you all.How horrible for you all.Neilhttp://neil2decade.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com