Hayesworld

Hi everyone. We are on the move again, this time to Catherine Creek State Park which is about 10 miles outside of Union in eastern Oregon and it’s been interesting. Catherine Creek is very pretty with a small campground of only 20 spots for camping. They are all classed as “primitive”, which means no RV hookups, except at the Camp Host site, giving us all the conveniences including a phone line which means we have access to dialup internet but no cell phone access. We do have 2 buildings with flush toilets and some water faucets scattered around the grounds though. A mix of beautiful evergreen and broadleaf trees surrounds a picturesque creek which runs alongside the campground with a foot bridge over the water leading to some easy hiking trails. The only downside is the ... read more

Switching Countries Getting from Vietnam to Cambodia was an easy 2 hour flight from Hanoi to Siem Reap. The airport at Siem Reap is very nice, clean and modern. Apparently, it is run by a French company; this is what we were told by our Cambodian driver. Regardless, it is a great small airport with a quick, easy, stress-free flow to it. You purchase your visa on the spot, before processing through Immigration and then grab your bags and go… easy. Our hotel driver was waiting for us just outside and 15 minutes later we were at our temporary home for the next 7 days. We stayed at the Golden Banana, a complex divided up into 3 separate levels of comfort. The most basic is the B&B for $25 a night, next to that is the ... read more

Once the DMZ for the North & South 16 April 2009 Hue It was a 4 hour bus ride from Hoi An to our next destination, the city of Hue. Pronounced “Way”, it was the DMZ for the North & South border, back when the country was divided. We were told by many to expect cooler weather, for it was at a slightly higher elevation. Wrong! It was just as hot and sticky as our last location with a tiny breeze in the evening. Once off the bus (cramped with sad A/C) we made our way to our hotel, and our choice turned out to be a good one. The Amigo Hotel is located near the center of everything and getting around was quite easy. Everyone at the hotel was very polite and all smiles. They ... read more

A Few Days in the Highlands 6 April 09 - DA LAT We decided to fly to Da Lat, instead of an 8 hour bus ride. The flight from Saigon to Da Lat was very easy and again we were surprised at how empty the airport was; both the international side when we arrived and the domestic when we left. It took us all of about 20 minutes to get checked in, zip through security and get to our gate. They had a nice café at the gate area so we staked out a table and had some iced coffee and a hearty meal. For once the airport food was not a total rip-off. We spent less than $10 USD for plenty of food and drink. It has been difficult to spend more than $10 ... read more

The Ins and Outs of Koh Lanta Getting to the small island of Koh Lanta is not easy, but not too difficult either; just more steps involved. We flew from Bangkok to Krabi the day prior, due to their not being a flight early enough for us to catch the ferry. So, one night in Krabi and first thing the next morning we were on the ferry for our 2 hour trip to Koh Lanta. The ferry was not much of a ferry, but more like a long basic boat with plastic seats loosely bolted to the floor and a roof over-head. The ferry cost about 350 baht each; you can also take a van service if you don’t mind the trip taking a bit longer. If we had looked into this closer, we could have ... read more