Blogs from Vietnam, Asia - page 1297

My eyes still bloodshot and cheeks stinging, I absently amble through the crowds of chattering travelers and weave my way to the bus. Nina has just passed through to the departure lounge at Hanoi international airport and will be making her long journey back to the UK. Our joint adventure is over and it will be another three and a half months before I see her again. My mind races, am I right to carry on traveling, will I be lonely, should I go home now! Only time will tell if I have made the right choice, but for one thing it is the beginning of a new chapter of travel and new adventures await.... Vietnam - oh wonderful, friendly, happy, manic Vietnam, you have truly showed us your wonders over the last few weeks. You ... read more

Back in Nam It occured to me today- that I can legitamately utter that phrase Sadly when entering Vietnam I had to depart with my tickle me elmo. He was keeping me company on my long journey from home- laughing at my stupid jokes- commiserating with me when I couldn't speak the native tongue- and elmo just laughed it off when I punched him, even took it well when I accidently ran him over. I will miss the soothing laugh. But as per my agreement on my Visa and entry into vietnam, along with my drugs and guns, I had to do away with "any children's toys that promoted unhealthy social development" Ah yes Vietnam. But alas, I have something to fill the void AS most cliche utterers will tell you (I'm no different) money doesn't ... read more

Our arrival into Vietnam was a fairly painless affair. After a straight-forward border crossing, we got on a Vietnamese bus to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) run by the tour company "Happy Tours". You couldn't ever forget they were called Happy Tours, as the $5 bus ticket included a quick lesson in Vietnamese and endless information on what Happy Tours could do for you, all provided by a smiling, singing Happy Tours employee. The bus dropped us off in the backpacker area, Pham Ngu Lao, where we had already arranged a hotel. We spent the next few days wandering around the area, and checking out some HCM sights such as the post office, the Notre Dame cathedral, the War Remnants Museum and the massively intimidating Ben Thanh Market. It was not for the faint-hearted, having ... read more

Hi everyone, This week has been a completely crazy one! To cut a rather long story short I have been offered a SUPER job in Hong Kong and after thinking about it for a few days I have decided to take it. Let's just say that I have annoyed a lot of people by doing this and those people know who they are and I am sorry! I love living in Vietnam and believe me when I tell you, I would not leave unless it was something BIG! I have had so much to do this week, visa forms, school forms, photocopying, hundreds of e-mails, passport photos and the list goes on! I am not even excited. I'm relly quite scared! I'm going to move to a new country, to a new job and I'll be ... read more

So after about an hour of meditation/napping I arrived safely in Hanoi, Vietnam. I was the only westerner on the flight so when I reached customs the official was sound asleep listening to his headphones. I couldn't help but laugh. Here I was in North Vietnam, a country the US was at war with only 40 years earlier, and know the customs officials are asleep on the job. The world changes rapidly. Anyway, I passed customs without incident and was on the sidewalk in Vietnam. My first mission was to get to the Old Quarter and find a hotel. The Lonely Planet "bible" said that that it should only cost me $2.00 on a minibus, so after turning down 20 offers for taxi at the "special" (read tourist) price of $10.00 I found the minibuses. Within ... read more