Blogs from Ho Chi Minh City, Southeast, Vietnam, Asia - page 7

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Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City July 25th 2017

It's just under two weeks until we leave for Japan, and I thought I should find a website that I can use for my blog which will then become a book/photo album. I'll give this one a try. I hope someone will read it... The preparations so far: I have bought a new suitcase. A nice hard one, that rolls on four wheels. We have an old soft one that has two wheels, but I think it's been repaired once already, and I don't trust it any more. (Stephen can use that one!) Also, we have put pieces of paper on the wall to remind ourselves of a) things to get done before we go; b) things we must do in the final week; c) things to remember to take, d) things to do over there; ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City July 14th 2017

Our 9am bus ride from Phom Penh to Ho Chi Minh was a relatively straight forward and well organised one for a change! Apart from turfing our rucksacks out at the border, being shouted at to collect them, and then put them back in the same luggage compartment they were turfed out from, we arrived safe and sound. We wondered from the bus drop off point into an area that seemed to have the most hotels in search for a cheap place to stay and found a little hotel called Madame Cuc. Once we'd checked in and showered we popped out for food and headed for the highly recommended on trip advisor "NonlaGuys". The reviews conjured up fond memories of Sheffields "street food chef" and so drooling and excited for some Mexican street food we placed ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City July 8th 2017

Geo: 10.7592, 106.662... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City June 15th 2017

As usual, it was at the last minute. This time, the last minute was when I remembered I might need an onward journey to present at the check-in desk - but this time, the last minute was too late. Too late to doctor the Word document I keep specifically for this purpose; to fool a check-in clerk that I had an outward journey from the country I was flying into. Now, I would have to take my chances. Thankfully the check-in clerk merely asks me if I have a visa, for which I produce my British passport which gets me fifteen days in Vietnam visa-free. Handy, having two passports. So I had gotten away with it again. Or so I thought. The immigration officer at Ho Chi Minh City's (HCMC) Tan Son Nhat International Airport did ... read more
Notre Dame Cathedral
Tank & 'Copter
Modern HCMC

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City » District 1 April 11th 2017

Once my Visa became valid to enter Vietnam I made a beeline for the border at the Ha Tien border crossing. The journey was about an hour and a half away from Kampot and cost me $7 for the pleasure. Once at the border the immigration was painless as my Visa was already in my passport. Stamp out, stamp in - easy. So in Ha Tien I had to make a decision of where to go next. I wanted to spend a couple of days in the Mekong Delta (the fertile plain of numerous islands, rice fields, and waterways before the mighty river spills into the South China Sea) and decided to hop another bus bound for Can Tho ($10). This journey took about six hours. Slow going here in The Nam. In Can Tho I ... read more
market
market2
rowboat

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City March 27th 2017

Geo: 10.7592, 106.662Woke up to celebrate our wedding anniversary! How lucky are we.Breakfast AGAIN but definitely toned down to the bare essentials of cereal and fruit. It seems like a marathon of gluttony and it is not so much "at the table" that hurts it's the aftermath of continually feeling bloated.We tried to walk it off with our APT tour guide Twee. But really didn't get into stride. It was a bus tour with stopovers and inspections of some of the architectural highlights of District 1 followed by a walk of a couple of blocks back to the hotel. Took in the Notre Dame Cathedral (people were refused entry because of bare shoulders), the Post Office and the Independence Palace.And this is for @Fiona and @Andrea,: the tiles on the floor of the Post Office were ... read more
Cheers to breakfast celebrations.
Taking it easy at breakfast.
Can you spot it - cause now it's a thing!

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City March 26th 2017

Geo: 10.7592, 106.662The loud speaker was blaring. The shrill voice barked instructions. The marching music was bouncing off the high rise buildings. It was a rude awakening to Day 4. I seriously thought I had woken up in the opening chapters of Marsden's "Tomorrow when the war began!" The streets were blocked off and from our 12th floor window we could see yellow shirts, red shirts and green shirts moving down Uncle Ho's avenue. And it was only 5.30 am!Forget level 1 and breakfast, we made our way instead towards Uncle Ho to get a closer look. There were groups everywhere all being organised into lines and ranks by extremely bossy women! One lady near us whacked the bottom of a grown man to get him in line! There were swords and machetes, martial arts, bands ... read more
A bit of a gathering - 5.30 am.
Vegemite special.
Settle in for 2 hour trip.

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City March 25th 2017

Geo: 10.7592, 106.662Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. That was so much better. 8 hours straight. Slept so deeply in a room perfectly chilled, didn't even miss the water bed. And without putting the jinx on ourselves, the stomachs were rock solid!Breakfast recounts are going to get boring! The options are amazing. Suffice to say that the Ying and Yang selections are obvious. Mac and Richard think they are dining Brazilian and Loraine and I opt for the more cholesterol friendly fruit and grains choice.Today was walking and gawking. Just two days into the trip and we are tackling the every which way pattern of the traffic like a local. The secret is to move forward with confidence. The first attempt was a failure - we baulked at the crossing despite the encouragement of a very bony, wizened local who volunteered ... read more
Getting the day off to a great start.
slippery little breakfast sucker.
So many school groups on a Saturday.

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City March 24th 2017

Geo: 10.7592, 106.662Well good morning Vietnam. We woke to wet streets in Ho Chi Minh and overcast skies. But this was just the teaser to a scorcher at 35 degrees with 80% humidity.The alarm sounded at 6 am to ensure a 6.45 reconnaissance with the Sheraton Breakfast Buffet. What a spread. If you can imagine a particular food item - it was somewhere to be found. Ethnicity and culture and culinary preferences were no barrier in this setup. Acres of tables ladened with food and all manned and "womanned" by the most accommodating and friendly crew. Mixed up the cereals with fruits and yogurt, found the hot veggies and noodles, cracked the omelette bar and added lashings of bacon. Not content with the 16 spread offerings, Richard managed to produce a squeeze tube of Vegemite for ... read more
Breakfast at the Sheraton.
Road trip to Cu Chi.
Bruce telling it like it was!

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City March 14th 2017

Due to the flight cock up i actually arrived an hour earlier than i was supposed to but still no public transport so had to use my haggling skills on the taxis. Driving through the city i started to realise how much im fed up of huge cities their all crazy with traffic and the prices are all higher staying in Hoi An really changed my idea of places i want to spend my time over the next few months. Although my hostel is nice and clean bug free.... its pretty close to everything as well so i think ill survive haha. I spent my first day adjusting to the heat and nursing my bug ridden poor body i went for a short walk but felt so exhausted that i came back and had an afternoon ... read more
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