Blogs from District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Southeast, Vietnam, Asia - page 14

Vietnam: Hoi An - Dalat Having bumped into Westerners left right and centre since touching down in Vietnam we decided to throw caution to the wind and get off the well trodden tourist trail to discover what was billed as the 'real' Vietnam. We were looking for a dose of adventure mixed with some authentic culture and a little adrenaline thrown in for good measure, so we decided to hit the road on motorbikes... We hooked up with the 'Easy Riders' who whisked us off on the back of their bikes into the stunning central highlands. We went all out with a 6 day trip covering dense jungle up winding roads, deforested hills and farmland with our fantastic guides Thanh and Kim. Easing us into this new experience from the start and calming our nerves, they ... read more

You've spent 17 hours in the air, excluding a stop at Doha, Qatar. Your legs are aching and you are completely shattered. After arriving at the HCM airport you've waited for 2 hours to finalise your visa and YES, you can finally get your stuff and leave! Now, imagine your frustration when you look for your bag on the conveyor belt, and it's not there. 'Welcome to Vietnam'. Yesterday evening was difficult. It was around 9.00 pm when I made my way to lost baggage, face palming on the way there. I was so annoyed that my first memory of this country was already tarnished with the stress of this situation, which was only magnified when 5 or so forms were dumped in front of me to fill in. This being said, my major worry that ... read more

Walked over to ILA, where Beth was finishing her afternoon session and she had a couple of trainees to talk to. Exited 4.50. Water Puppet show at 5, and at least a 10min taxi ride, and at 5 the roads are starting to get mega-busy. No taxi in sight! We staked out a corner and found a Vinasun - phew - but were thinking we wouldn't make it. So many scooters, and the taxi had to force across a stream of them about 5 wide (Beth and I, eyes closed....) and we got there with a minute to spare. Then waited for another 15 as a group from a tour company hadn't arrived. I was chanting a mantra - don't laugh, don't laugh - as apparently the singing and narrating was supposed to be a bit ... read more

Vietnam – eine beeindruckende Geschichte. Ein Land, welches sich innerhalb kürzester Zeit von enormem Leid erholt hat und dabei ist, eine wichtige Rolle in Asiens Wirtschaftsnationen zu übernehmen. Es bietet eine unglaubliche Vielfalt zu entdecken und hat den wohl zumindest für mich beeindruckensten geschichtlichen Hintergrund meiner bisherigen Reise. Aber knüpfen wir nun erst einmal am letzten Blog an. Von unseren kleinen Straßenüberquerungsproblemen in Hanoi und dem kleinen Ausflug in die Ha Long Bay habe ich euch bereits im letzten Blog berichtet. Als wir uns in der Hauptstadt am 11.02. gleich morgens früh bei 12 Grad und Regen auf zum Flughafen machten, wartete nicht nur die alte Haupt- und Kaiserstadt Hue auf uns, sondern auch ENDLICH eine Garantie an warmem Wetter – dies wurde nach nun 5 Monaten, weiß Gott wie vielen Klimazonen, Temperaturunterschieden von minus 15 ... read more

Feb 17 2013 Don’t want to go back to work and coldness! Today is the last day of my holiday and I couldn’t have had more fun… Well that’s not true because if I had the money I would have been able to indulge myself more. BUT with what I had, things turned out well. And for all this “hard work” I’m indulging myself today. Saigon takes credit card! = I had an amzing breakfast with Inida before she left for her morning flight back to Hanoi and now I’m sitting in a river side grass area soaking up the Saigon sun, reading and writing and reflecting. You for traveling alone for 2 weeks, I had very little time alone. I’ve met some really awesome people. There is this super tall skyscraper in Saigon that caught ... read more