http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/familyWest/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from familyWest en-us Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:04:15 +0000 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:04:15 +0000 Our synopsis of the last day in Cambodia is as follows late breakfast swim tuk tuk to the shops a good lunch at the Blue Pumpkin final shopping 2.00pm room checkout kicking game at the hotel front for the boys 3.00pm pickup flight to Ho Chi Min Vietnam at 5.20 and took one hour 9.25pm flight to Melbourne....that's it....all over and it was fantastic. Note Tony the tailor of Hoi An Vie http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-332170.html A day of rest in Siem Reap in fantastic Cambodia. The morning went like this. bull Keagan slept until 12bull Kerri readbull Declan swam and watched TVbull I bloggedLunch was spent at the Butterfly Garden Caf. Encased by a large net the caf is in a beautiful garden setting with butterflies in abundance. The owner pays local children to catch butterflies which is nice. Shopping follow http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-331264.html HCM to Siem Reap. Pickup time from the hotel was 8.30. We wake here at 6.00 each day so no trouble packing before leaving. The plan departed on time which maybe is the norm as there is not a lot of aircraft traffic here. In 40 minutes barely enough time to complete official travel documentation we landed in Cambodia. Quickly though immigration itrsquos only 7km from the new small airport http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-330609.html Top of the agenda today is a day trip to the Mekong River delta. We had booked a trip in the back packerrsquos area. An 8.00 am departure ended up being an 8.30 start. A normal level of confusion for the Vietnamese was present in a bustling area. For 2 hours we traveled across flat country with the only hills being bridges over numerous rivers. We boarded a small boat and there were eleven http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-330601.html Here are a few photos of the people we have seen in this great country. Some are posed and others are captured from afar so as not to be intrusive. They show emotions such as happiness sadness and calm. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-329214.html Hoi An Ho Chin Min CityOur last few hours in Hoi An was spent walking the streets dodging intermittent showers left over from the storms from the previous night. Hoi An is a busy place and has great character well worth spending a few days here. The predominantly yellow colour of buildings and water makes it a visually interesting place. Whilst there are many shops you are never hassled to http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-328550.html Day 10 11 Hoi An Central VietnamWe had learnt of a good tailor from Paul and Rachael nice English couple and Kerri and I went off in search of them straight after breakfast. There are hundreds of tailors here so a recommendation made choice easier. We were given directions and it was still hard to find as Vietnamese map making skills are still developing. Measurements were taken for two su http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/South-Central-Coast/Hoi-An/blog-328010.html Hue Hoi AnOur last full day in Hue was a relaxing one. A slow start to enjoy the buffet breakfast overlooking the perfume river at our hotel. The later morning was spent in cyclorsquos touring a small part of the city. Sitting up front of a rider on a small seat was fun. We used the cyclorsquos for two hours which cost us 2 each. First stop was the local market which bustled with many http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Hue/blog-327085.html Hanoi HueAre last day in Hanoi. The morning was spent at the water puppets show followed by milkshakes by the lake. I had woken at 6.00 to walk around the lake to watch people slap each other again but alas it was raining. Back to bed for awhile then we were off to the ldquoculturalrdquo show. It was a good experience with Vietnamese artistry executed in a very different way. With four http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Hue/blog-326348.html Note Photos were taken at various times since arriving.Day 5HanoiKerri and I were up at 6.00 for our morning exercise to walk around the lake with many of Hanoi's older folk. Activities included aerobics body slapping Tai Chi wheel chair races pajama fashion parades dancing with fans body building badminton combined fan and ball thingy sitting praying and just straight walking. Kerri http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-325502.html Day 34 Halong Bay Northern VietnamUpdate we worked out why we were lost 2 days ago on the streets of Hanoi. I was referencing north from seeing the sun in that direction. We finally worked out that we are in the Northern Hemisphere so the sun is in the south. Navigation will be simpler now.Wednesday morning at 6.30 Graeme walked by the nearby central lake to see the early morning activities http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Halong-Bay/blog-325271.html Day 1Melbourne Ho Chi Min HanoiPower interruptions at the Melbourne airport delayed our departure but it did not dampen our excitement. Traveling Vietnam airlines was better than expected. Food was 710 service was 610 a little officious and inflight entertainment was 510. Importantly the plane flew safely. We landed in Ho Chi Minh at 5.00pm and missed our connection to Hanoi. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-324762.html It's not long to go now as we land in Hanoi on the 16th of September. Our itinerary is roughly 5 days in hanoi with a side trip to Halong Bay. train overnight to Hue for a couple of days down by bus to Hoi An for a few more days fly down to Siagon city for 5 days fly to cambodia for 5 days to see Angkor WatIt will be 3 fabulous weeks of great family time. Great food culture warmth re http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-316651.html