Blogs from Vietnam, Asia - page 1329

Well we got here in one peice, pretty average flight 9 hours and no sleep. Man what a shock I have never seen anything like this, you read and learn all you can but ỉt dosnt prepare you for what is to come. Motor bikes everywhere, utter madness and kaos. The hotel is great, have done a couple of tours already city tour and cu chi tunnels. I will put up some pics when i can. Got to go people waiting see ya soon... read more

Karaoke I met up with Mi and her cousin Han for a noodle breakfast, before they dragged me kicking and screaming to a Karaoke bar. Im not sure whether my attempts at singing Vietnamese songs were as funny as their (or my for that matter!) attempt to sing English songs, but there was laughter all round. I was actually awarded 86% for my rendition of Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love' proving that the Karaoke machine understood me about as well as the two girls. I think I was in danger of offending the two girls innocence at the raunchier parts of the song... 'Alex, what does "I wanna be your back door man" mean?'. Buying and Boozing I spent the afternoon trying and failing to resist buying lots of things at the great craft market, including ... read more

Backtracking just a bit...we've actually been in Cambodia since the 21st or so! And apologies for no photos...I wrote this ages ago, and I've been trying to download pics for the past week, each time with no luck--bummer. We'll try to get some on once we get to Thailand mid-July! Saigon was a cool city for the 3 days we spent there. It didn't have the quaint feeling of the Old Quarter in Hanoi, but the people were lovely, the street food as tasty, and the cyclos and motos still asking us if we wanted a ride. People always asking "where you from?" and wanting to know your name, etc. After spending nearly 3 weeks in Vietnam, I learned so much more about the Vietnam War (or American War as it's called here) in the few ... read more

Feeling much better the past couple of days. Although it feels like you can never get adjusted to the heat, it has cooled down quite a bit today. RELIEF!!! Yesterday, Mytam and I walked around the old quarter for a while. Our hotel is in the area. It seemed like we walked for a long time, but really we only went about a mile or two. The noises and smells don't bother me anymore. I am so grateful to be here with a large group of people, and most importantly with Mytam. It is exciting to see the trip through her eyes, as she is returning to Vietnam after being away for some time. Also, her language ability is a huge help. I imagine the experience is quite different from mine, but I think we both ... read more

Another early start, another poor and unwelcome attempt at a western breakfast. Soon we were out of the hotel and on to a bus to the boat that would take us around the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta and show us what treats it has on offer. Cai Rang: A Bouyant Market Farmers and other traders travel from miles around the Mekong to sell their wares at the Cai Rang (and other) floating markets. They often travel weekly, only returning home when they have sold all of their stock. Their boats are large and contain all they need to survive - after all they may not leave them for the whole time they are here! These larger boats are buzzed by smaller boats belonging to sellers, and the occasional mobile coffee boat. Can't tell ... read more