Blogs from Vietnam, Asia - page 1324

Trekking Many people have their own idea as to what a trek is, as opposed to a stroll. To my travel agent 2 hours at a slow pace was a day long trek. To me it was a brief stroll. Nonetheless our guide was very fun and informative, and although the path down to the Cat Cat H'Mong minority village was busy and very well trodden the surroundings were beautiful and the people very friendly. When they weren't trying to sell you things that is! H'Mong The H'Mong people are one of a number of minority groups within the area. They are Vietnamese citizens, but do not consider themselves Vietnamese (although most speak the language). They wear distinctly different clothing from the traditional vietnamese dress. All other local minorities are in the same category, and the ... read more

Water puppets Water puppets are a traditional vietnamese art formed which stem from the flooding encountered in the rainy season. The puppets are wooden, buoyant and articuated and they are controlled from behind a screen which hides the puppeteers from the audience. A mix of humour, pyrotechnics and live orchestra made for a very enjoyable excursion. smoothie recipes Custard apple and avocado - try it and you won't look back! Music while you eat I went for dinner with Khay and Quinn (her room mate) to a fantastic lakeside restaurant. The food was great albeit extortionate by Vietnamese standards (although still cheaper than a harvester... so bargain by home standards) but the accompanying traditional Vietnamese music really made the whole experience... as did the prettyness of some of the performers. Nightrain I took an overnight train ... read more

After a row with my hotel stemming from basically their lack of desire to provide any sort of service I changed hotels. So never stay at Classic 2 hotel in hanoi, and perhaps throw a brick through the window if you get a chance. Wankers. Actually it seems to be quite a common occurence in South East Asia. Establishments are rarely concerned about repeat business - once your money has changed hands you no longer matter anymore. Perhaps because many tourists here are 'passing through' - the majority seem to be backpackers who may not return, and therefore who cares about repeat business? After this I let Khay guide me to the west side of the city. The narrow congested streets of the old quarter were replaced by wide, (relatively)quiet streets lined with the large pristine ... read more

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City late at night after about 24 hours of straight travel. We were immediately overwhelmed by the intensity of the city. Motorcycles, bicycles, and cars everywhere. Every street filled with shops selling everything from hats and t-shirts to flat-screen televisions. We stayed in HCMC for the night and then quickly left for Mui Ne in the morning. Mui Ne is a relatively quite beach resort northeast of HCMC. We found a beautiful resort right on the beach, where we stayed for three nights at only 12 USD per night! That even included breakfast!! Hmmm... breakfast. We got our first introduction to pho, which is noodle soup served with beef or pork. What a hardy breakfast! We mostly chilled on the gorgeous beach. There were very few beach vendors (in sharp ... read more

3 hours in a cramped bus. With bum asleep, legs in pain and generally in a bad mood, I was not happy to hear the tour guide say "All boats cancelled because of storm, and no more boats for 3 days". It was just what I didnt want to hear about my trip to Halong Bay, the famous bay filled with imposing rocky islands - certainly a must see in Vietnam. So all we did then was head back to Hanoi. Another 3 hours, same cramped seat. Grrrr. I met up with Khay again in the evening and grabbed some dinner and a few bia hois (fresh beer). Its very interesting to experience a vietnamese city with a vietnamese speaker, as you don't feel like a complete tourist speaking loudly and slowly all the time. However ... read more