Blogs from Da Nang , South Central Coast, Vietnam, Asia - page 7

Heel Zuidoost-Azië draagt vandaag de dag herinneringen aan de oorlogen tijdens Koude Oorlog. De sex-industrie in Thailand floreerde door Amerikanen en companen die vanuit daar met B-52 toestellen de lucht in gingen om Vietnam letterlijk onder vuur te nemen. Dat in Laos bloembakken staan, gemaakt uit niet-ontplofte bommen is niet verrassend. Laos draagt de titel van meest gebombardeerde land per capita. De piloten kregen opdracht op de terugweg hun overgebleven bommen over Laos te legen. Cambodia is de treurige nummer 1 van landen met geamputeerde ledematen per 1000 inwoners, veroorzaakt door mijnen in een alles vernietigende burgeroorlog, gevolg van instabiliteit in de regio. In Ho Chi Minh zijn we in het oorlogsmuseum geweest, geschiedkundig niet heel informatief, maar de foto's wonden er geen doekjes om: pure ellende. Ook was daar de oud gediende Amerikaan Ryan, die ... read more

Da Nang was for us more a transit stop, as we wanted to take the train from here to Hué. The ride along the coast according to many is worth it. Even though Da Nang is not the most attractive and exciting city, Da Nang will definitely stay in our mind for a couple of reasons. The first is that we drove for the first time a motorbike through this motorbike crowded country! We really felt like vietnamese ladies "crossing" around the city! The way this happend is as following, our hotel was located four kilometers from the city centre and we needed to go to the train station before it closes to buy a ticket to Hue, as it was already three o'clock we had to hurry up. Moreover, the rent of the bicycles were ... read more

Ho Chi Minh City was toxic! The air was thick with the smell of two stroke and the humidity. We all struggled to breathe a bit.. However we had a good time, Lop showed us around and took us to Pho 2000. A noodle fast food restaurant where Bill Clinton had visited about 20 years ago. We started on the beer. After lunch we went back to the hotel for a nap. Everyone else went to the markets. We then got up to make ourselves look glam to go to the skybar in a really tall building overlooking the whole of the city. We went with Fran, Emma and Wendy. We aimed to get there for sunset. Unfortunately the smog was so bad you could barely see the sun!! But the cocktails were good.. Then we ... read more

nous sommes partis de Hue Lundi matin dans un bus couchette. Les vietnamiens mesurant 1.60 en moyenne, on etait donc SUPER a l'aise! Hểuúemẻnt que ca ne durait que 4Hêures Sans aucune rểservation d'hotel en poche, nous arrivons sous le soleil et trouvons un petit hotel chic et pas cher (merci Lonely!) Nous avons ete bluffe par la beautee du port et de la Vieille Ville. Sirotant un petit cocktail a 1.60 Euros, nous nous faisons accoste par un gentil monsieur qui nous propose d'aller visiter son village, faire une partie de pẹche, decouvrir un artisan de poterie et d'apprẹndre a cuisiner quelques plats locaux. allez! Le Lendemain rendez vous a 8.30 pour une demi journee. Apres midi: Nous avons eu envie de voir la cote pas loin. Nous avons embarquẻ sur notre velo et Hop! ... read more

Today marks one week into our trip. Back home, it's Remembrance Day and we think about how this particular occasion holds special significance in light of recent events. After breakfast at the hotel, we check out, board the bus and bide farewell to Hue. We are returning to the Danang area, but this time we are taking the Hai Van Pass through the Truong Son Mountains rather than the tunnel we took on the outbound trip. After negotiating some fairly steep climbs, we split off from the main highway. For the first time in Vietnam, we are briefly on a road with no traffic. Then we get into some serious climbing. The road is narrow, twisty and steep. Before the tunnel through the mountain was opened, this was the only road between South and North Vietnam ... read more