http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Vietnam , North Central Coast , Dong Hoi en-us Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:57:37 +0000 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:57:37 +0000 Tuesday morning rolls around and wersquore all packed and ready to country hop. The group of us sans the American girls who did something else hike down to the bus stop and pile on for the 78 hour journey to Hanoi. The ride was lovely. As soon as we got away from the cement sidewalks of Nanning fields are bursting with different shades of green. The farmland seems to extend for miles circli http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-424822.html Central Vietnam Tuesday 27 January 2009 At 630am a mini bus came to pick me up at my guest house in Lao B7843o town. As I was back in Vietnam via the Lao Viet border crossing too late the day before I decided to stay overnight in Lao B7843o border town and next day I would get a bus from Lao B7843o Khe Sanh 272ng H 2727891ng H7899i where I would fly back home http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-370203.html I have been working myself ragged which is maybe how I got sick. I went to the pharmacist and mocked some coughing and nose blowing and then rubbed my throat glad I didn't have any diarrhea to act out. So she gave me coldflu medicine that contained stuff I recognized and then four different meds that she indicated were for my throat. I didn't want to buy them all so I grabbed one and went ho http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-302975.html I had plans to work through the weekend in order to save up free days for a trip to Hoi An later but Greg and Evi invited me to Phong Nha to check out the EcoTrail and I couldn't resist. I can actually count a few hours of this as work since the EcoTrail will be part of the tour options we are developing. Before leaving I had coffee Saturday morning in Dong Hoi with my Counterpart colleague M http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-301294.html On Wednesday I visited Chay Lap Village the location of our pilot communitybased tourism project. A lot of progress has been made since I was last involved last summer. A CBT Village Management Board has been set up and they have been busy. As with everything in Vietnam there have been many bureaucratic hurdles to get past but now the focus is on constructing the homestay buildings and trai http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-301289.html I have returned to Vietnam this July to work on the same communitybased tourism project as last summer. The project is located in Quang Binh province in the buffer zone of the UNESCO World Heritage site Phong NhaKe Bang National Park. I am now working primarily on marketing and promotional material for the project. Last summer I was an intern but this summer I am all grown up with a Masters http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-296851.html I had my last real office day on Wednesday and my last day of work on Thursday was spent showing two Intrepid Indochina tour company guys around the villages and the park to get their feedback and advice on our project. Mark Australian and Hung Vietnamese are two chainsmoking heavy drinking extour leaders who are both brilliant when it comes to planning and doing tourism in Vietnam and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-207114.html So we held our successful Workshop CommunityBased Tourism Potential in the Phong Nha Ke Bang Buffer Zone on the 7th with representatives from the three communes and local and regional authorities. Wow. I'm still kind of giddy a week later. I'm somehow light years ahead professionally of where I thought I would be one year ago right before I started this Master's program. I was waiting tabl http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-192247.html It may not seem like it but I am actually working here in Vietnam. I just have the best job ever and you're all jealous. I've had fun and I've had plenty of rice wine and gotten a tan but I've also conducted a lot of interviews read a lot of reports written a lot of reports done a lot of public awareness raising and now I'm designing an all day workshop to be held on the 7th. I just retur http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-192237.html On Sunday I hiked to Da Ban waterfall one of the areas that we may develop as a communitybased tourism site. I took my cue from Chi Sen and the others as to what was appropriate hiking attire. I should really know by now that the Vietnamese are much more agile than me and the fact that Chi Sen was not in her usual dress heels should have set off warning lights in my brain not to wear flip flop http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-183319.html After a restless sleep on a wooden bed frame covered with a straw mat I went back to Mr. Su's and helped his wife cook some more rice wine Friday morning. The fermented rice smelled like vinegar but after cooking it with honey and mashed bananas it was a delicious breakfast pick me up. I left the village with Chi Sen and Mr. Vinh the Counterpart driver and renaissance man in Dong Hoi conduct http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-175709.html I finally got permission to visit the communities in the buffer zone on Thursday. I went from one interview to another with the commune officials to determine their goals for a communitybased tourism CBT business in their commune and to learn what they already know about tourism development. These places have tons of potential with breathtaking scenery and residents excited about hosting tour http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-175702.html Squid Faces and a WeddingAsia Vietnam Dong HoiJune 26th 2007Certain things are becoming familiar to me here and I have begun to develop small routines. I even have a bicycle for commuting to work. I have been in the office two days and the women there most of whom are around my age seem to have a blast intoducing me to Vietnamese culture. I had lunch with them yesterday where they tried to h http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-173645.html I met Chi Sen my boss and mother figure in Quang Binh at the train station at 1030pm Thursday night and then fell asleep in my crowded sleeper car to the rocking of the train on its way to Dong Hoi.Dong Hoi is the capital of Quang Binh province and my headquarters while working outside of Phong NhaKe Bang National Park. I feel conflicted about this small and somewhat rural city. It is a beach http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-172770.html Hello againArrived in Hanoi northern Vietnam 6 days ago...from there we have been on two 3 days tours...one to Ha Long Bay and the other to the highlands of Sapa. Both of these trips have been amazing....beautiful scenery...See you next time in Laos http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Dong-Hoi/blog-79831.html