Blogs from Northeast, Vietnam, Asia - page 4

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Asia » Vietnam » Northeast September 25th 2016

Setting off for the airport in good time as always everything was running very smoothly, bus and trains all on time and arrived at the airport nice and early. Fortunately, we were actually able to check in for the flight (not like last year to Malaysia when we were so keen that they made us wait around an hour and then still had not actually organised us seats for the second leg of the flight... But that's another story). Cheeky Nandos in the airport then boarded the plan to Istanbul and were pleased to find it had individual screens despite only being a 4 hour flight. After a few episodes of Big Bang and a mediocre pasta dish we were just about ready to land. There's nothing special about Istanbul airport (let's face it, it's hard ... read more
Halong
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Halong

Asia » Vietnam » Northeast » Ha Giang June 8th 2016

Deux mois après la décision de commencer une aventure en solitaire au coeur de ce grand et beau voyage, le plaisir de se retrouver est immense. La tête remplit de souvenirs, nous ne savons même pas par quel bout commencer pour ce le raconter. Du paysage, on en a vu! Des kilomètres, on en a avalé! Des expériences, on en a vécu! Des souvenirs pour la vie, on s'en ai fait, c'est certain. Au coeur de notre voyage, nous sommes parti nous perdre - ou nous retrouver - dans les montagnes remplis d'Histoire de la fameuse route d'Hô Chi-Minh. Puis nous nous sommes plongé dans la fourmilière géante qu'est la capitale, Hanoi. De la baie d'HaLong aux mystérieuses montagnes du Nord, dans les familles, avec les enfants, nous avons dévoré le Vietnam! Dans un pays qui ... read more
Ultime Moto Tour
Louca's Favorite
Happy Water

Asia » Vietnam » Northeast » Bac Giang May 31st 2016

31/05 around 55k to Chai Bay (part of) Halong city via a ferry from the east side of hai phong, lounge about in happy hostel and join a Halong bay boat tour the next day 01/06, very busy at the start but not as overcrowded as I feared, Halong bay still has some magic. A wicked evening with the dormitory gang in a power cut struck pizza joint; owned by a lively guy Joe from Kentucky who dished us out free alcohol and songs on his guitar, thumbs up! 02/06 after a lazy morning I head off on my first leg towards Hanoi. Heading north to include some mountain views I miss my turn off nether the less continue into the mountain valley up some hard hills but some knockout scenery that I had not expected. ... read more
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Asia » Vietnam » Northeast » Thai Nguyen April 28th 2016

Long day but so worth it! Photos attached do not do it justice but when we are back in the UK will download our camera photos taken. Halong Bay is a must if you ever visit Vietnam - big tick!... read more
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Asia » Vietnam » Northeast April 26th 2016

updated blog to follow......... read more
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Asia » Vietnam » Northeast » Quang Ninh » Halong Bay April 19th 2016

It was our spring break at KAS, so we decided to visit the Northern and Central areas of Vietnam. We arrived Saturday morning at the Vietnam Airlines counter and discovered that we had been upgraded to First Class. What a great way to start a holiday! We were greeted in at the airport in Hanoi by a representative of Galaxy Cruise Lines and whisked to our hotel, The Silk Palace, in the old quarter of Hanoi. We quickly settled into our room and made arrangements with the front desk to take an afternoon walking tour of Old Hanoi. We chose to take the Hidden Hanoi Walking Tour and learn about Hanoi's 1000 year old history. Our man arrived at 1:30, loaded us into cyclos and took us through the busy streets to see the lay of ... read more
Narrow Streets and Traffic!!!!
Markets and Vendors Everywhere
Old Quarter Tricycles

Asia » Vietnam » Northeast » Quang Ninh » Halong Bay March 9th 2016

I woke to the dulcet tones of distant diesel engines on other boats and the scrapes of hard chairs on the hardwood floor above my head. I braved the shower, which was the entire bathroom. The water only came out in a trickle, so only the toilet lid and the floor got wet. On Elizabeth’s advice, I threw a towel on the tile floor to avoid slipping. The water was hot enough, varying from warm to cold but not startlingly so. After going up onto the deck, I rushed down again for my camera. The sun was shining! Or at least, it was bright amongst the clouds and threw lovely shadows across the water from the mountains. In fact, when we glimpsed the actual sun, it seemed to have a bite out of it. A solar ... read more
Up close view possible in small boats
Another world!
Tour boats

Asia » Vietnam » Northeast » Quang Ninh » Halong Bay March 8th 2016

I am stretched out on a lounge chair on the top deck of our private little cruise boat, the Ocean Pearl, in Ha Long Bay, with the other members of our group. The weather and the light have improved, although the fog and mist shadow the distance. In the foreground are raw sandstone cliffs framed by clinging green trees. Worn mountain tops form islands and islets. We have sailed (motored) away from the press of tour boats that filled the harbour where we and everyone else embarked. Since our boat is a larger, overnight vessel, we needed a small tender, which is now being pulled behind us. The main level has the dining room, where our table was set for a much-anticipated lunch. First we explored the little foredeck and then our charming rooms. All the ... read more
Motorcycle traffic jam
Rice paddies
Embroiderers

Asia » Vietnam » Northeast March 6th 2016

I guess the antibiotics are working. I slept through the night with no coughing fits. Very quiet, much like home. A western breakfast at the resort and we were on our way under a fine drizzle. The trip was to last two and a half hours, but as anyone who has travelled with a guide knows, they exaggerate. After the allotted time, my butt was getting sore. I asked that we stop for a few minutes to stretch. Ten minutes later we had not stopped yet. Claudette reminded the guide. We turned around and backtracked a few klics to a restaurant. Lunch time he says. It was 11 am. He had said we were going to stop for lunch at the AutoRoute. Now the story was that this was a better place to eat. We continued ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Northeast » Mèo Vạc March 5th 2016

Breakfast was Vietnamese style, a thin broth with vegetables, fried rice and a meat dish. We were then hustled down the slippery, mist-sprayed dirt path to the end of the road where our guide and driver awaited. He seemed to know where we were going. He mentioned a few place names I had written down as possibly interesting. We had a 7.5 hour drive ahead of us to get near the Chinese border. He would have to take our passports to register with the authorities. Sa Pa was larger than I thought. It took us about 15 minutes to get through the centre of town. It was then miles and miles of barely two lane roads, working our way up the valley we had descended the day before. The driver skilfully worked around slow moving vehicles ... read more
Guide's Homestay
Guide's Family
Driver and Father-in-law




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