Blogs from Vietnam, Asia - page 6

Hey! Just an update as to what we have been up too! When mum left from Cambodia I flew to Hanoi! Here I met the others, they were on my connecting flight which was a good coincidence!! Me and Adam stayed in a seperate place and met Darren :) by this time it was late and we went out for a few drinks in this really cool quiet pub! The beer is so cheap in Vietnam! The next day we explored, however the city is so crazy cars and bikes everywhere and to cross a road you just have to walk! Darren wasych a tourist taking photos and gettin pulled into every shop to buy things! Was sofunny! We literally got lost all the time and basically walked the whole city!!! We eventually found the others ... read more

Friday, 20th April 2012 After 6 days in Saigon and Vientiane, it was time for me to call it a day and head back to Singapore. My brand new work week would convene from 23rd April 2012. Effectively, I had only 2 days over the weekend to recuperate and prepare myself for the new challenges ahead. I'm thankful for this week-long holiday since it was considered "extravagant" at my previous job given the unreasonable demands at work. 13th May 2012 - I'm now 3 weeks into my new company where work life balance is celebrated rather than frowned upon. Happy that I made a correct decision to move on. Anyway, on my final day in Vientiane, I finished breakfast by 9am where I had enough time to hang around in my room before being transfered to ... read more

As we set off in the bus the next morning 'Hairybody ready? Phat boy slim group, let's go! Cool Banana! Yes!' we reflected on how quickly the two weeks had flown by, this being our last full day together before we all headed off in different directions, some carrying on into Cambodia, me and a couple of others off home, one going on a farm stay for a few days and a couple going for some rest and relaxation on a lovely Island. For our last trip we were heading off to the Mekong Delta region, very humid, hot and jungley. We heard some fascinating snippets about the region from Phat, who had grown up in the area before moving to Ho Chi Minh City (where he said he couldn't sleep at first it was so ... read more

Vietnam, one country, so skinny....but sooooo long!! I feel like my time spent here has mostly been on buses. To get to my next destination it takes 11 hours, me sitting next to an elderly Vietnamese man who, I suspect, is trying to block out my existence by holding up his newspaper like a wall between us. Our bus driver is anything but considerate and I believe he might be mistaking the sound of the horn for a catchy tune because he leans on it about every three minutes, even when the road ahead is clear. We drive through Saigon city limits and buildings get closer and closer to the ground until there are only two room shacks lining the road, and hammock stops where motorists can escape the sun for a few hours and take ... read more

Monday, 16th April 2012 (Day 02) Despite the obvious flaws in Saigon Mini Hotel 5, there was a certain level of quality in the overall breakfast experience. The morning break was served in the Breakfast Room at level 10 of the property with a view of the Saigon skyline. The night before, I had pre-selected my breakfast items on the menu and the nice ladies would cook it right in front of me. Worth mentioning were the flavourful omelettes done almost to perfection - rich and creamy. After breakfast, it was time for me to head to the Ho Chi Minh City Museum about 25 minutes from where I stayed. The 35 degrees temperatures wasn't too inviting given the lack of shade even though navigating through the well sign-posted streets in District 1 was straightforward. Most ... read more

16.4.2012 Started our 2 night/3day tournof the Mekong Delta, visiting My Tho, Can Tho, Chau Doc and finishing in Phnom Penh (Cambodia). We had a bus journey to My Tho dock were we boarded a boat to visit Pheonix Island on the river. It is much bigger here from when we were last on it in Laos. On the Island we were shown life on the Mekong Delta. All the fruits they grow, how they make the honey for their tea. The tea was very nice with lemon, honey and water. We then got into 4's and got onto a tiny long boat on one of the small canals that ran through the island. 2 women with conical hats on rowed us down the bamboo banked canal until we ended up back at the main river ... read more