Blogs from Vietnam, Asia - page 76
August 27th 2011
I'm laying crunched up on a bed, on a bus, from Hanoi to Hué. What the hell. How did I end up here?! 5 months ago today I was sat on the sofa sharing a moment with a well made bacon sandwich. 2 years ago I was contemplating returning to my job at Sainsbury's having lost faith with the career my degree had set me up for. Being 10,000 miles away from home was 10,000 miles from my mind. I'm staring out the window at the blackness flying by my eyes, interrupted by the occasional headlight glare of a freight truck. There's nothing important on my mind anymore. All I have to think about each day is what sight I'm visiting, or which beach/cafe/park I'm gonna relax in, and what's for dinner. The rest of my ... read more
August 27th 2011
Just a word to say that we have enjoyed Vietnam and Thailand greatly and have now safely arrived in Japan, our last stop! We will be catching up with the writing as soon as possible. So much to say! We are returning on the 12th September. Do not forget to add your comments! it is great to see you are checking our blog. There are always several pages of photos so do not forget to look for page 2, 3 etc. See you very soon! Delphine and Matt... read more
The Start of A New Adventure- Ho Chi Minh
Published: August 27th 2011Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City
August 27th 2011
The first few weeks in HCMC have been great. It is hot and tropical...how can you go wrong with palm trees everywhere?! It took me about a week to find an apartment, after looking at about 20 different places. I finally found one on the top floor of the building. It has a nice outdoor terrace, 2 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, living area, dining area, laundry area and is uniquely decorated. It has some nice touches like 11 feet ceilings, brick and stained glass. As well as 2 floors, the upper floor being my bedroom. I definitely lucked out! The people are friendly and willing to help out where possible. The cost of living is pretty affordable, especially when a beer is about $1.00 US. I am a fan of the Tiger beer and Fosters. When ... read more
August 26th 2011
Nu ar Carro och jag pa plats i Hanoi, Vietnam. Just nu pa ett backpackers med bra wifi, fa se hur bra det ar i Uong Bi, det stalle dar vi ska gora vart projekt..ar inte med pa kartan sa vi vet inte riktigt hur stort det ar=) Vi kom hit tisdag em, tankte ta oss till ett hostel men en kille pa flygbussen jagade oss pa sin moped over hela stan for att vi skulle bo pa hans hotell, sa till slut gav vi med oss..1 hotellrum med AC, dusch och kylskap for 20 USD. Igar bytte vi till ett hostel, skont att vara pa ett stalle med lite andra resenarer anda! Hanoi ar en trevlig stad, fullt med liv, aldrig tyst! trafiken ar som jag forestallde mig HELT galen! folk cyklar, kor moped/motorcykel overallt, ... read more
August 24th 2011
We used the same tour company that we did Cu Chi with to do a day tour to the Mekong Delta. We stopped along the way to handicapped handicrafts warehouse and was pleased to contribute to the welfare of these workers, who had suffered from Agent Orange and other war related causes. We watched as they made beautiful handicrafts and purchased a three piece artwork with duck eggshell. (Note to Australians, customs will seize duck egg shell products for treatment at a cost of about $160! There is a slight yellow tinge on them now - we also bought a vase with no shell and it's just as beautiful and memorable with no dramas involved. Stay away from the shell, despite what the sales staff tell you). Our day along the Mekong was lovely but not ... read more
August 23rd 2011
Nothing can prepare you for Ho Chi Minh city in my opinion! I am nuts about travel research before going on holidays and knew Ho Chi Minh was known for it's motorbikes, but jumping in our cab at the airport we were gobsmacked at the bikes riding inches away. Hundreds of them! As I write this the beeping noises are still stuck in my head. Ho Chi Minh traffic is CRAZY! I dreaded the idea of crossing a road. We spent the day resting and then went out to book a tour for CuChi the next day. We were dreading the first intersection and sure enough, the moment came pretty quickly. Just as we were about to cross, a local told us to follow him. With hearts beating out of our chest and quiet prayers to ... read more
Sood arrives in Saigon
Published: August 23rd 2011Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City » District 1
August 23rd 2011
3 months after sending Ian off to new Asian pastures, I finally came to join him. Woohoooo!! The summer was great though, spending time with family and friends without the usual mad crazy rush, getting to know my beautiful twinkles who I’m going to miss heaps :( visiting old haunts in Leeds, finding new ones in London, working for a month on my terms, meeting Leo (congrats again Alex and Martin!) and enjoying a few home comforts – thanks Ma and Pa for putting up with me for what I am sure was longer than expected! And while it had been 3 months I’d been home, I still spent the last few days rushing about trying to get my life in order, ready to leave. But I got there in the end, thanks to Mama Sood ... read more
Mui ne, mean jelly fish and silly tailors
Published: September 3rd 2011Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Mui Ne
August 23rd 2011
From Cambodia Brad and I hopped on a bus to Saigon. We wandered about the town a for a few hours until it was time to get on our second leg of travel to Mui Ne. Mui Ne was an amazing beach town with many water sports at our disposal. Brad and I kite-surfed and SUP boarded while we were there. During out SUP boarding adventure I had my legs in the water just for a few minutes and I was stung by a jelly fish. Aparently it was really unlucky as they aren't really suposed to be around right now. That resulted in my going to Dr. Wong to get 7 anti-toxin shots in the leg by 6 nurses that didn't speak english, crowding all around me. It was not a plesant expeience. Now good ... read more
Vietnam highlights, HaLong Bay
Published: August 22nd 2011Asia » Vietnam » Mekong River Delta » Chau Doc
August 22nd 2011
I know it has been a while and i have flown through Vietnam, everyday there was something to do and then once we were done with the days activities it was back on a night bus. I have now become 1 of 6 we all met up on the overnight bus from Kunming to the border and we have just stuck together ever since. So I will keep all this very brief, first stop was Hanoi and HaLong Bay, we ended up on a 3 day two night stay, 1 night on Cat Ba Island & the second night on the boat in the bay , with a few caves and some Kyaking as well and of course the floating villages. I will be totally honest it all looks fantastic on the pictures but at least ... read more
August 22nd 2011
So, once our feet were back on dry land we were on that overnight bus to Hoi An. We are melting with the heat and anywhere air conditioned is a welcome shelter. So, here is Vivieen Westwards dream town, with dress makers galore and shoe makers all touting for busines and all telling you how beautiful you are and what great taste you have when you are designing that custom made ball gown. I of course went for something completely tastless (no leopard print) and a pair of shoes. When you are not getting suits or dresses made up it is a great place just to hang out by the river and drink a beer or two or three. The one thing about travel is that you always end up doing something completely unexpected and here ... read more
