Geo: 45.5184, -73.5566We took transit from home to Vancouver airport. Works well. because we also have Nexus the security was a breeze.Time from Tsawwassen bus stop to the departure gate was a little over 40 minutes.Flight (Air Canada) was about 5 hours. Packed flight.Our loft (Air BnB) is well located near Old Montreal and in the midst of the Gay Village. The building is the Biltmore circa 1905 and used to be a department store. The express 747 bus from the airport- $10 - took us within a 7 minute walk of the loft.We settled in and headed out for a light dinner. Tomorrow we start exploring.... read more

Geo: 10.7679, 106.697We read on the internet about a local who does free walking tours 2 days a week from a location close by. The meeting point was a small coffee bar a few blocks away. We walked there and we were about 30 minutes early. Watching the locals is always interesting. I took a bunch of pictures of scooters being ridden. While waiting a few other people turned up but no guide. We started to look around (coffee bar wasn't open yet) and found a picture frame advertising the walking tours. Affixed to the frame was a note indicating the tour was cancelled for today.In conversation with a local (many young people want to have English conversations) it was recommended that we visit the Chinese market.To get there we walked to one of the bus ... read more

Geo: 11.9678, 108.43Last night we tried the local wine which is made from grapes and mulberries. Can't say it was very good compared to what we are used to.Today we were fortunate to have the same guide for the countryside tour. If you are traveling here we would certainly recommend him: havanbay43@gmail.com. As we drove into the country we were amazed at all the greenhouses and terraced hillsides. The soil is very red and in this area there are only 2 seasons with similar temperatures. The difference relates more to the amount of precipitation.Our first stop was in the Flower Village area. Large greenhouses producing a wide variety of flowers which are exported by truck to Ho Ch Minh city and further abroad. Apparently the flower stems are pulled from the plant - not cut. They ... read more

Geo: 11.9678, 108.43The airport shuttle arrived promptly for the 45 minute trip to the Danang airport. Along the way we were surprised to see how modern the city is. Lots of unusual architectural buildings, bridges and sports facilities. The airport was also quite new.The flight lasted about 90 minutes to Da Lat which is known historically as being a vacation city for the French. It is known for its temperate climate.The airport is 30-45 minutes from town and our hotel - the Villa Terrasse des Rose is located 3K from the town centre.We walked into town and did a bit of exploring. It seems they have recently built a new underground shopping centre with the exterior providing a very large public performance area overlooking the lake.We had an early dinner and took a cab back to ... read more

Geo: 15.8764, 108.323We ventured out a couple of times equipped with umbrellas in hand. Lots of rain and big puddles. Best bet for footwear is open sandals so the water can flow through. Flip-flops are traditional wear by the locals even when riding scooters. It is interesting that they can drive holding an umbrella.We walked a few of the city streets and I found a little place for a haircut - $6.Went back to the hotel for a while and then ventured out for a late lunch. We went to a place called Vy's which was like a food court with various "stalls" but it was a single restaurant. We decided to just have Pho which is a noodle soup with stuff added. The restaurant did offer some other more "exotic" offerings. The restaurant also offers ... read more