http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/dmcoe1975/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from dmcoe1975 en-us Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:11:28 +0000 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:11:28 +0000 I decided I wanted to spend Christmas on the beach so I journeyed to Nha Trang on the East coast of Vietnam sitting on the South China Sea. Having not been completely put off by bus travel I again decided to travel by Phuong Trang tourist bus. It was a nine hour journey but through the night and I managed to get plenty of sleep along the way. Arriving in Nha Trang at 730am it gave us the whol http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/South-Central-Coast/Nha-Trang/blog-464303.html I took a trip up to Hanoi for a long weekend. Although Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam Saigon is still seen as the big city being the commercial centre. Hanoi is the complete opposite to Saigon at this time of year it is 20 degrees cooler I even had to wear a jacket it is a lot quieter and much of it could be considered ancient in comparison. The people are more groomed and although ther http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-463267.html It was time for a weekend away continuing my travels around Vietnam. The destination this time Hoi An. I had been wanting to go there for some time mostly for access to My Son. Last time I had tried to go I had to cancel due to flooding. This time though the weather looked good and there were no obstacles in my way so I booked the flights booked the hotel and set course for Central Vietnam.We http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/South-Central-Coast/Hoi-An/blog-459861.html I arrived back in Ho Chi Minh City after a four week visit in the UK. I had just started to get used to the flights I have done it a few times now but then they threw me a curve ball. Having got used to a selection of movies to watch on the interactive entertainment system well it stops me getting bored I then found myself on an old Air France 747 which only had a central screen. I knew there http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-455515.html Floating markets used to be a way of life along Thai canals the only way to deliver goods was by boat and several floating lsquoshopsrsquo would be set up for selling any produce. The locals would travel by canoe to the market make their purchase and then row back home. Now with increased roads and people moving away from the canals floating markets are just tourist attractions. There are a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-450969.html Ayuthaya is the former Thai capital and was the seat of power for the Siamese kingdom for over 400 years. The city was destroyed in 1767 by the Burmese and the surviving Thai army fled to form a new capital in Thonburi and later Bangkok. The attack of the Burmese hit the city hard but many of the ruins of the temples remain today. Visiting Ayuthaya is like playing a game of Tomb Raider as you wand http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Ayuthaya/blog-450968.html After four weeks working in Ho Chi Minh City I decided it was time for a holiday and a change of scenery. I had been intending on travelling to the North of Vietnam but with typhoons and flooding recently decided to head to Bangkok instead. Arriving at the airport is an efficient experience. Immigration flowed nicely buggage reclaim was quick and when it came to getting a taxi it was one of the m http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-449698.html Dai Nam Park is situated about 40km away from Ho Chi Minh City. Opened in September 2008 it aims to be the leading tourist attraction by 2010. An optimistic dream but even now even when it is still not quite complete you can see the potential. It is a huge complex with a hotel shopping mall open zoo theme park beach area and temple. Some say it looks cheap but I found it to be a beautiful re http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Dai-Nam/blog-443259.html I decided to go for a trip to the Mekong Delta. Having been unimpressed with Saigon Tourist previously I decided to go with Sinh Cafe this time.The Mekong Delta is one of the biggest rice regions in Vietnam. Growing enough rice there to feed the whole country and more. It is not just about rice farms though. There is a lot of local produce with many fruits coming from here. The river itself flow http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/My-Tho/blog-441924.html I have been to a few bars in Ho Chi Minh City during my visits. Usually I end up in the tourist bars simply because I need the air con and simplicity of ordering beer. I did have two very different experiences recently though.For the first I had been invited to a fashion show. A friend of a friend was the designer so we got complimentary tickets. I arrived straight from work with my large laptop http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-441921.html After 6 weeks back in the UK I am now in Vietnam again. Being practically local now the transition to being back was far easier this time. No problems with jet lag or the culture shock of the noise and traffic. This time it was like arriving at a second home comfortable and familiar. Spent most of the first week catching up with people in the office and reestablishing the routine I had set pre http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-440026.html The Demilitarized Zone stands 4km wide and stretches the across the whole border between North and South Korea. The Joint Security Area is the only part of the DMZ that allows visitors. It is here that negotiations are carried out between the two sides and where the armistice is seen up close. Armed soldiers from both North and South Korea stand metres away from each other monitoring the ceasefire http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/DMZ/blog-427664.html After 6 weeks in Ho Chi Minh City it was time to bid a tearful farewell and head to Seoul don't worry I will be back in Vietnam very soon.The Korean Air flight across was good I slept most of the way and got a free upgrade to business class. I was met at the airport by the hotel transfer and quickly taken to my apartment in Fraser Place my home for the week ahead.The things I quickly noticed http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Seoul/blog-426433.html Having heard from various people that 'you must go to Dalat' I decided to venture to Central Vietnam and visit this quiet jewel of a city.I booked the night bus for the journey leaving at 1115pm. It can take anything from 5 to 7 hours to reach Dalat from Ho Chi Minh City depending on traffic so this seemed to be the best way to go actually flying was probably the best way to go it only takes 5 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Central-Highlands/Da-Lat/blog-422571.html Hello again and welcome to part two of my Saigon Tourist tour.After the beauty and peace of Tay Ninh temple it was time to head to Cu Chi Tunnels. The journey took about 1 hour and 15 minutes but the roads were a lot worse. Bouncing along the road I was glad once we arrived at our destination.Construction of the tunnels begain in the 1940's as a response by the peasants to the superior military http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/Cu-Chi/blog-419919.html So I finally decided to book one of the tours I had been planning on doing not bad for 4 weeks in to my trip. I have enjoyed seeing the sites of Ho Chi Minh City but it was time to venture a little further away starting with Tay Ninh. My hotel had been very helpful in organising the excursion through Saigon Tourist for me. Although there are many other good tour groups Sinh Cafe being one of th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southwest/Tay-Ninh/blog-419909.html I spent the weekend visiting various parks and temples. The weather was warm and sunny but as is always the case with the risk of sudden and heavy rain. I find myself constantly remembering where the nearest shelter is just in case the sky opens up.The first park I went to was very pretty. Open and green with a temple dedicated to the Huong King in the middle. The temple itself was quite small http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-418736.html What a busy week it has been this is the first chance I have had to update the blog. So without further delay I will tell you about Sunday.Had a lazy start to the day before heading out to Dam Sen Park. This is kind of the Disneyland of Vietnam although without the gloss but with fake Mickey Mouses and Donald Ducks everything has a cheap immitation in Vietnam. It has idyllic surrounding and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-416772.html Decided to go to the zoo yesterday. The day started quite sunny but as the afternoon drew in the clouds started to form and it was clear rain was not far away. So the visit was broken up by spells of hiding under shelters to avoid the down pour.The zoo itself was very good but very easy to get lost in. All the usual suspects were there lions tigers monkeys etc. The surroundings were beautiful http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-415252.html The people here love sport. Whether it is the people that get up before 5 to do aerobics in the park or the football crazy kids it seems if you can find a enough space to swing a cat you can easily play with a ball except for those playing that popular pastime swing the cat.Almost any park or beach you go to there will be multiple games of football going on. It is amusing to see how boys footb http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-414086.html