The AmaDara stopped in Phnom Penh - a very modern city with construction everywhere! It bears witness as to how far Vietnam has recovered since the war. Phnom Penh is home to many ex-pats from Australia, England, Europe and North America due to the low cost of living here. Lots of modern high rise condos are doting the 4 river intersection (the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers merge and split into the Basak and Mekong Rivers flowing south) that converges in this capital city! Home to the Parliament and the Royal Palace, there is so much to see and do here! We started with a visit to Wat Phnom Historical Site which is where the city gained its name. A wealthy woman (Lady Penh) in 1372, build a buddhist temple and a Pagoda on a man-made ... read more

We are so glad that we added Hoi An to our itinerary! What a treat just walking around the streets! No wonder it is a protected UNESCO site - it is maintained in all its historical glory! You can buy a pass and visit up to 5 of their historical sites sprinkled all through the old town. We visited temples, assembly halls and a theatre that featured local musicians and showcased traditional Vietnamese dance. I am sure the dancers that got to be dragons and roosters loved performing those roles as much as we loved playing Disney characters and Storm troopers in our earlier dance Days!!! Darold joined his fellow monkey (statue) at one end of the famous Japanese Covered Bridge (the other end was a dog) - the 2 Chinese animals signs bookended the bridge. ... read more

We arrived in Hanoi after a gruelling 23 hours of travel time. We left Vancouver at 10 am and arrived in Hanoi at 11:05 pm but the time we spent on planes and sitting in Tokyo airport amounted to the 23 hours! Yikes! We slept well that night and got accustomed to the new time zone quickly. In 3 short days we tried to capture the highlights of Hanoi; the Ethnology Museum, Tran Quoc Pagoda in West Lake, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum, the One Pillar Pagoda, and the Temple of Literature. Unfortunately we missed seeing the Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton). The Ethnology Museum captured the history and ethnic background (54 recognized distinct ethnic groups in Vietnam) of this lovely country. The people we met were all so friendly and helpful. It was ... read more

What a surprise! I never expected such a modern city filled with skyscrapers and air conditioned mega malls! Thankfully it is juxtaposed against the narrow winding streets populated with little shops, tiny houses and street food markets everywhere. It has a big city feel with wonderful modern and old architecture sitting side by side, with many featuring viewpoints of the city from the higher levels of the towers. The Menara Kuala Lumpur and the Petronas Towers being 2 of the most famous and iconic. The subway is very modern and extensive. Easy to navigate and connecting with some of the older train lines and destinations. A highlight for us was taking the subway from the Petronas towers (we were staying nearby in a lovely high rise apartment building that only took us 3 hours to check ... read more

We arrived in Australia in time for their approaching summer which made both Darold and I very happy. The prospect of sun and beaches was finally looming! Darwin on the North coast of Australia had developed considerably since our last visit in 1987. A new mall with free Wifi was the main destination of everyone on board. Darold and I found a long haired Aussie from the Outback who ran an old fashioned barber shop complete with the striped pole and sleeping dog. Getting our hair cut while exchanging stories of our world travels, was a much more positive experience from the last time we visited Darwin where we just cooked slowly in the 40+ degree heat! A cool beer at the oldest pub in town rounded off our visit here. Another surprise was the incredible ... read more