A Mad Dash from Saigon to China

Asia » Vietnam
September 10th 2008

Published: September 11th 2008

. Unexpected experiences make travelling without a fixed schedule a delight because of the unexpected experiences. Sometimes the unexpected means missing rather than gaining experiences. Fact: Prior to the Olympic Games, the Chinese Government tightened the visa application process. Applicants were required to apply from their home country or country of protracted residence. It was necessary... Read Full Entry

Photos are below

Photos: 43, Displayed: 21

Central Vietnam

... coastal ...

Central Vietnam

... affluent ...

Central Vietnam

... less affluent life.

Hanoi

Our train pulled in at 6:30am after the second night.

Hanoi

We headed straight to , where we had both stayed previously, Nha Chung street ...

Hanoi

... near the cathedral ...

Hanoi

... and a Buddhist temple ...

Hanoi

... and near to friend Hui's new Spring 2 Hotel.

Hanoi

The tomb of Ho Chi Minh looked in good repair ...

Hanoi

... West Lake has developed a lot ...

Hanoi

... and the Temple of Literature has had a facelift.

Hanoi

The turtles that hold the stellae in the Temple of Literature are still there ...

Hanoi

... and Graham looked like he could stay for ever.

Hanoi

When we saw the Opera House before it was closed down and shabby ...

Hanoi

... now it has been fully renovated.

Hanoi

Here the audience arrives to watch a performance by the Hanoi ballet.

Hanoi

This is one restaurant in the old town which has not spruced up.

Hanoi

Twelve years ago we did not see travellers sitting in the streets like this.

Hanoi

We left Hanoi on another Vietnamese sleeper train ...

Nanning

... and changed to a luxurious Chinese sleeper train at the border.

Nanning

We detrained at the modern station at Nanning ...

11th September 2008

Azam
non-member comment

My blog
Hi Gillian! Enjoyed your recent post- exciting! Apparently Wordpress is banned from China, so you can't access it at all from there. But here's my address: august13th.wordpress.com. Take care GP, look fwd to more stories from you!

12th September 2008

Morag
non-member comment

So impressive!
I can't believe you are managing to make notes (I presume) and take photos in order to post a coherent blog, in the midst of all this chaos! A lesser person (me) would have given up now :)

Tot: 0.054s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 10; qc: 20; dbt: 0.024s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1mb

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A Mad Dash from Saigon to China

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