Day 123: Tuesday, March 30th, 2010. Hoi An City to Hue, Vietnam. Per Intrepid Notes, "Days 5-6 Hue. Returning to the road, a bus trip takes us on our journey north. We ascend the dramatic Hai Van Pass, passing through rural countryside and the picturesque fishing village of Lang Co, to Hue.

Arriving in Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam, we have this afternoon and almost all of the following day to enjoy the the many sights and relatively slow pace of this tranquil city. We have the opportunity to visit the Imperial Citadel, one of the Nguyen emperors' tombs and also enjoy a dragonboat cruise on the Perfume River. Hue, known as the centre of Buddhism and education in Vietnam, also has a wealth of pagodas and monasteries to discover. If you would like to ... read more

Day 121: Sunday, March 28th, 2010. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to Hoi An, Vietnam. Days 3-4 Hoi An Leaving Ho Chi Minh City, we fly to Danang (about 1 hour) before continuing our journey to Hoi An by bus (about 40 minutes). On arrival, we take an orientation tour of the ancient town. Once a thriving river port, Hoi An's distinctive architecture has been preserved and restored, making it a favourite with Intrepid travellers and leaders alike. Wandering the streets and narrow alleyways here brings hours of pleasure and discovery and you'll still be able to get a taste of the town's affinity with trade at the many great little shops selling ceramics, woodware, handicrafts and tailored clothing. There is something for everyone in Hoi An and it is the perfect place to pick up ... read more

Day 119:Friday, March 26th, 2010. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. Per Intrepid notes: Days 1-2 Ho Chi Minh City Xin cho! Welcome to Vietnam.
You can arrive at any time on day 1 as there are no activities planned until the important welcome meeting. Your leader will leave a note at reception telling you where and when this important meeting will take place. Please ask a member of reception for this information. The meeting will be followed by an optional group dinner. On day 2, we travel out of the city to visit the former Viet Minh underground stronghold at Cu Chi. The extensive tunnel system here provides great insight into the tenacity and resourcefulness of the Vietnamese people. We return to Ho Chi Minh City in time for lunch and in ... read more

Hello one and all! So, sorry about the million of "Amanda has posted a travel blog" updates you got yesterday, but damn is it nice to be up to date with the blog! Australia was fun- the East Coast was great and I look forward to future trips when I can see the rest. Today I am off to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (after a long flight and very long layover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia- don't know what I was thinking with that booking.) So, stay tuned! Last leg of my journey comin' up! :) Amanda... read more

Day 114: Sunday, March 21st, 2010. Sydney, Australia Today, Becky and myself visited the Chinese Garden: Garden of Friendship and the Sydney Aquarium. The garden was gorgeous and peaceful- except for the city sounds and buildings everywhere. It's like their Central Park. The aquarium was pretty cool with the best part being the Dugong tank and the Shark tank. Both tanks had tubes that you could walk thru to get a "underwater" visual of the critters. Amazing (and some were scary) animals. I especially liked the Shark Ray (front half looks like a stingray and back end looks like a shark). The Dulong's were pretty cool... read more