Blogs from Vietnam, Asia - page 1296

In my attempt to take "every form" of transportation possible I decided to take the slow way into Cambodia. This involved mini bus, air-con bus, slow boat, and ferry all in one trip. I was also hoping that I would meet some people I could travel with through Cambodia because I just finished a book called "Sex, Drugs, & Ganja: Off the Rails in Cambodia," which had me a little scared. The trip to Phenom Pen was to take three days with stops to the the candy factory, lunch at a village, a trip to a floating market, a visit to a crocodile farm, a trraditional rice factory, and a visit to a temple overlooking the Vietnam/Cambodia boarder. While on the trip I also tried snake springrolls, watched a family butcher a cat for dinner, and ... read more

Travel over the last few days has involved various extremes which has seen us leave the comfort and sun of Nha-Trang for the rain and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City. We stayed in Nha Trang for about 5 days of beach bumming fun, and thoroughly lived it up. After the effort it took to get there we settled into a nice routine of lie-ins, sunbathing, beach footy and fine dining. The best day there (and my personal favourite) involved a very leisurely morning on sun loungers, sipping beers, eating mangoes and developing melonomas. After an inexpensive and tasty lunch in a bar full of package tourists (who'd paid through the nose for their holidays; Idiots) I decided to have a go at Wakeboarding. It cost a fairly expensive 16quid but was worth every penny. Like ... read more

The last few days in Ho-Chi-Minh-City have been very educational and emotional. After visiting both the War Remnants Museum Reunification and the Cu Chi Tunnels I feel that I have a better understanding of the struggles faced by all men who fought in the Vietnam Conflict. The War Remnants Museum was filled with pictures and stories about what men and women faced on all sides of the conflict, and it was very moving to see the dedication that both the north and the south had for their cause. The Cu Chi Tunnels are where the Viet Cong lived for 5 years underground after the napalm campaign killed on the trees and plants. In addition to climbing through the tunnels, we ate a traditional meal of tapioca root and nuts (yuck!), saw the various kinds of traps ... read more

11/9 Sa Pa 12/9 Trek in bergen van Sa Pa en dorpen ethnische minderheden. Homestay 13/9 Vervolg. Overnight train naar Hanoi... read more

Monday 11th September 2006 It wasn’t a peaceful night’s sleep. The Vietnamese train almost sounded like it was falling to bits as it swayed to and fro. Eventually we arrived in Hue, as we exited the station there was ‘our’ man waiting for us, holding a big sign with our names written on it, so much more simple booking ahead than having to fight off all the touts saying “You wan room”. We dropped off our bags at the hotel and headed straight out for breakie. Just a few doors down from the hotel was Café on Thu Wheels, a place that we had read about in the Lonely Planet, this was almost like an Aussie outback pub, with graffiti, messages and trinkets covering every wall, including the ceiling. It was very friendly too. We headed ... read more