Saturday - 04 April
We decided to take the turbo ferry to Macua, an administrative region of China.
This was a BIG MISTAKE!!! It was a Saturday, we did not have advance tickets and it seemed that all of Hong Kong was also going to Macau. We purchased premier tickets in order to get on a ferry within 2 hours. Luckily we purchased the return tickets at the same time.
After a 1 hour ferry ride, we arrived in the customs hall of Macau where we were all crushed in the ensuing crowded hall waiting to get through customs as it is separate from Hong Kong. We stood in line for about 1 1/2 hours to get through the chaos.
We were so disheartened after that that all we wanted to do was get to the center of town to walk around and look at the sights. We were accosted left and right with guys trying to sell us taxi tours of the area.
All in all - we left at 9:00a in the morning and returned back to Hong Kong at 7:00p in the evening and only really spent 2 hours in Macau. We visited some church ruins and then decided to walk down a little street that wasn't so crowded. We found a little restaurant to have a quick lunch before we headed back to board the ferry.
We found the center of Macau to be packed with the Chinese people on holiday. It was insane.
We came back to Hong Kong and decided to have a nice dinner. We found a little French restaurant that had good food.
Sunday - 04 April
Happy Easter!!
We decided to try our luck on another ferry trip today. This time we went to Lamma Island. This is the 3rd largest island which also has a very large power plant that provides all of the power for Hong Kong.
There were nice walking paths from one end of the island to the other and we decided to walk to the other end. It was nice weather on the island as it was cloudy and misty in Hong Kong.
We were going to have lunch but decided that we wanted to have afternoon high tea at the Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon. As if we didn't get enough ferry rides, we took the ferry from Lamma Island to Hong Kong Central Pier - hopped off the boat and then headed to another pier to catch another boat to Kowloon.
We made it to the Peninsula to find a long line waiting for tables. We decided to go to the Sheraton Hotel next door and had a nice lunch there.
We are now back at our hotel in Hong Kong waiting for Mike & Nina to get freshened up as they get ready for their flight back to London later this evening.
This is our last night in Hong Kong, so Karel and I will go out for a nice meal somewhere. We catch our flight back to Chicago around 12:30p tomorrow afternoon and should be landing around 2:00p the same afternoon.
We hoped you enjoyed this blog as much as we have enjoyed our trip and keeping you all up to date.
TTFN,
Deb & Karel
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Saigon to Can Tho via the backwaters
01 April:
Well it's been awhile since we last posted.
We left Saigon early on Thursday and headed south towards the Mekong Delta town of Cai Be. We transferred to a small boat to visit a floating market, visited a small house that made puffed rice - cakes and candy. I had a touch of traveller's stomach and didn't feel like trying anything. It smelled good and sweet.
We then crossed the Mekong River to Binh Hoa Phuoc Island for a lunch of 'Elephant Ear Fish'. We will have to post a picture of this ugly fish when we get home. I didn't eat any of it, but the others said it was good. We then floated down the river some more and ended up at a brick making company where they heat the bricks in old-fashioned, very large kilns.
We then met up with our van driver and drove to Can Tho where we stayed the night in a very beautiful resort.
Friday - 02 April
We arose early for a breakfast cruise on a traditional junk. The 4 of us were the only ones on the ship. It was a beautiful sunrise and good breakfast.
We cruised along the river for about 45 minutes when we were met by our guide as he came along side our ship with a little boat which we were transferred to for further sailing.
We cruised down little canals and stopped at a small farm where we walked around looking at the guava, mango and banana orchards. We then had some tea and a taste of all the fresh fruit.
We cruised back to our hotel where we packed up and headed back to Saigon airport for our flight to Hong Kong. It was a four hour trip with a stop in the middle for lunch at a nice rest stop.
We reached Hong Kong after midnight.
Deb & Karel
Well it's been awhile since we last posted.
We left Saigon early on Thursday and headed south towards the Mekong Delta town of Cai Be. We transferred to a small boat to visit a floating market, visited a small house that made puffed rice - cakes and candy. I had a touch of traveller's stomach and didn't feel like trying anything. It smelled good and sweet.
We then crossed the Mekong River to Binh Hoa Phuoc Island for a lunch of 'Elephant Ear Fish'. We will have to post a picture of this ugly fish when we get home. I didn't eat any of it, but the others said it was good. We then floated down the river some more and ended up at a brick making company where they heat the bricks in old-fashioned, very large kilns.
We then met up with our van driver and drove to Can Tho where we stayed the night in a very beautiful resort.
Friday - 02 April
We arose early for a breakfast cruise on a traditional junk. The 4 of us were the only ones on the ship. It was a beautiful sunrise and good breakfast.
We cruised along the river for about 45 minutes when we were met by our guide as he came along side our ship with a little boat which we were transferred to for further sailing.
We cruised down little canals and stopped at a small farm where we walked around looking at the guava, mango and banana orchards. We then had some tea and a taste of all the fresh fruit.
We cruised back to our hotel where we packed up and headed back to Saigon airport for our flight to Hong Kong. It was a four hour trip with a stop in the middle for lunch at a nice rest stop.
We reached Hong Kong after midnight.
Deb & Karel
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Saigon
Yesterday - 30 March
We made it to Saigon without any problems and were met at the airport by our new guide and driver.
We drove to the northwest of the city to visit the Cu Chi tunnels. These tunnels were part of the hidden underground network of Viet Cong tunnels, bunkers and field hospitals. These tunnels were dug as part of the French Indochina wars back in the early 1950's. They were expanded during later conflicts and proved to be a constant thorn in the side of the Saigon regime. Karel, Mike & Nina crawled through one of the tunnels - about 150 feet with only a flashlight used by the guide to light their way.
After that we were taken to the city and our hotel. By this time it was early afternoon when we checked into our hotel. After a quick lunch and shower, we decided to explore the city by foot. We walked around one of the main market places, which was right down the street from our hotel. We then walked all the way to the Saigon river. We then walked to the Caravelle Hotel and went up to the 9th floor - outdoor bar for a drink and a view of the city at sunset. This hotel was used by a lot of the foreign journalists during the Vietnam War.
We followed the suggestion of our guide for dinner and went to a Vietnamese BBQ restaurant mostly frequented by locals. We were in the upstairs outdoor garden and were able to BBQ right at our table. We ordered a selection from the Beef, Wild Boar, Fish and Shrimp menus and cooked the food right there. It was very delicious.
Today - 31 March
Today we had a guided city tour taking in the main sites of Saigon, including the Post Office. We saw the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Reunification Palace and the Museum of War Remnants.
We then took a drive to Chinatown. Interestingly enough - even the Vietnamese cannot tell the Chinese apart from themselves except for the family name which is quite different.
Walking through the marketplace was again quite interesting. We saw a lot of imitation products from Versace, Gucci, Polo, etc.
We then walked to the Thien Hau Pagoda which honored the sea.
We were taken back to our hotel, where we went for a typical Vietnamese lunch of Pho (pronounced fur). We went to Pho 2000 which is a famous little restaurant because Bill Clinton ate there! It has also been written up in some local and international food magazines.
Karel found some micro breweries in Saigon and we decided to take a walk and try to find them. We were successful on both tries. The first one brewed Czech-style beer and the other one brewed German-style beer.
Tonight we are going to have dinner at the Mandarin Restaurant. This is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Saigon.
Tomorrow we leave early for a 2 hour drive to the Mekong River and take a 4 hour boat ride to get to our next hotel.
Until tomorrow!!
Deb & Karel
We made it to Saigon without any problems and were met at the airport by our new guide and driver.
We drove to the northwest of the city to visit the Cu Chi tunnels. These tunnels were part of the hidden underground network of Viet Cong tunnels, bunkers and field hospitals. These tunnels were dug as part of the French Indochina wars back in the early 1950's. They were expanded during later conflicts and proved to be a constant thorn in the side of the Saigon regime. Karel, Mike & Nina crawled through one of the tunnels - about 150 feet with only a flashlight used by the guide to light their way.
After that we were taken to the city and our hotel. By this time it was early afternoon when we checked into our hotel. After a quick lunch and shower, we decided to explore the city by foot. We walked around one of the main market places, which was right down the street from our hotel. We then walked all the way to the Saigon river. We then walked to the Caravelle Hotel and went up to the 9th floor - outdoor bar for a drink and a view of the city at sunset. This hotel was used by a lot of the foreign journalists during the Vietnam War.
We followed the suggestion of our guide for dinner and went to a Vietnamese BBQ restaurant mostly frequented by locals. We were in the upstairs outdoor garden and were able to BBQ right at our table. We ordered a selection from the Beef, Wild Boar, Fish and Shrimp menus and cooked the food right there. It was very delicious.
Today - 31 March
Today we had a guided city tour taking in the main sites of Saigon, including the Post Office. We saw the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Reunification Palace and the Museum of War Remnants.
We then took a drive to Chinatown. Interestingly enough - even the Vietnamese cannot tell the Chinese apart from themselves except for the family name which is quite different.
Walking through the marketplace was again quite interesting. We saw a lot of imitation products from Versace, Gucci, Polo, etc.
We then walked to the Thien Hau Pagoda which honored the sea.
We were taken back to our hotel, where we went for a typical Vietnamese lunch of Pho (pronounced fur). We went to Pho 2000 which is a famous little restaurant because Bill Clinton ate there! It has also been written up in some local and international food magazines.
Karel found some micro breweries in Saigon and we decided to take a walk and try to find them. We were successful on both tries. The first one brewed Czech-style beer and the other one brewed German-style beer.
Tonight we are going to have dinner at the Mandarin Restaurant. This is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Saigon.
Tomorrow we leave early for a 2 hour drive to the Mekong River and take a 4 hour boat ride to get to our next hotel.
Until tomorrow!!
Deb & Karel
Monday, March 29, 2010
Cycling Tour of Hoi An countryside
Today - 29 March
Last evening we did not make it into town. It started pouring rain and we decided to stay at the hotel and have our dinner. The restaurant had Indian buffet which was good.
Today we started out at 9:00a with a quick ride into Hoi An and we started walking through the fresh food and fish market. This was quite a scene for our senses as there was every type of fruit, vegetable, eggs and fresh meat. When I say fresh meat, the vendors had just killed the chickens or ducks this morning. There were live ducks for sale as well.
There were also a lot of fresh flowers for sale. Mostly chyrsanthemums and marigolds.
We walked towards the pier where we picked up a small boat for a short trip along the river to the village of Kim Bong. We picked up our bikes and another guide for a leisurely ride through the countryside stopping for visits to different homes where they make straw mats, bamboo boats, rice noodles. I got to make the rice noodles, which takes some coordination as they have two steamers going at the same time and it all has to be timed.
We then continued on our bikes and ended up at a home where there was what they call an anniversary celebration of the dead. Each household celebrates once per year the death of ancestors - all of them at a time. This household was of the master carpenter of the village so it was quite special.
There were several generations of the family and they were honoring the death of the grandfather and grandmother of the father of the house. We were invited to stay for a meal and we declined as the flies were all over the food even though they tried to keep them away.
Instead we opted to have some tea so that we would not appear to be rude. We had tea and then the mother of the house and other grandmother started bringing all sorts of treats. We ate a little of everything - hoping that we won't get ill from it!!
We then returned to where we picked up the bikes and were taken to some shops behind the building and felt that we had to buy something. We each bought a little wooden box and then were taken to about 4 more shops where the bike guide was trying to get us to buy something from each shop. We declined after the first purchase.
Karel and I just came back from a special foot and hand massage which was quite nice and relaxing.
It is still cloudy and humid and a bit gloomy. We will meet up with Mike and Nina at 6:00p to catch the hotel shuttle into Hoi An for the lunar festivities and for dinner.
We will be getting up early tomorrow to catch the 8:00a flight to Saigon. We will be picked up at the airport, taken to our hotel and then we have an excursion to the Cu Chi Tunnels.
We'll report back to you tomorrow!
Deb & Karel
Last evening we did not make it into town. It started pouring rain and we decided to stay at the hotel and have our dinner. The restaurant had Indian buffet which was good.
Today we started out at 9:00a with a quick ride into Hoi An and we started walking through the fresh food and fish market. This was quite a scene for our senses as there was every type of fruit, vegetable, eggs and fresh meat. When I say fresh meat, the vendors had just killed the chickens or ducks this morning. There were live ducks for sale as well.
There were also a lot of fresh flowers for sale. Mostly chyrsanthemums and marigolds.
We walked towards the pier where we picked up a small boat for a short trip along the river to the village of Kim Bong. We picked up our bikes and another guide for a leisurely ride through the countryside stopping for visits to different homes where they make straw mats, bamboo boats, rice noodles. I got to make the rice noodles, which takes some coordination as they have two steamers going at the same time and it all has to be timed.
We then continued on our bikes and ended up at a home where there was what they call an anniversary celebration of the dead. Each household celebrates once per year the death of ancestors - all of them at a time. This household was of the master carpenter of the village so it was quite special.
There were several generations of the family and they were honoring the death of the grandfather and grandmother of the father of the house. We were invited to stay for a meal and we declined as the flies were all over the food even though they tried to keep them away.
Instead we opted to have some tea so that we would not appear to be rude. We had tea and then the mother of the house and other grandmother started bringing all sorts of treats. We ate a little of everything - hoping that we won't get ill from it!!
We then returned to where we picked up the bikes and were taken to some shops behind the building and felt that we had to buy something. We each bought a little wooden box and then were taken to about 4 more shops where the bike guide was trying to get us to buy something from each shop. We declined after the first purchase.
Karel and I just came back from a special foot and hand massage which was quite nice and relaxing.
It is still cloudy and humid and a bit gloomy. We will meet up with Mike and Nina at 6:00p to catch the hotel shuttle into Hoi An for the lunar festivities and for dinner.
We will be getting up early tomorrow to catch the 8:00a flight to Saigon. We will be picked up at the airport, taken to our hotel and then we have an excursion to the Cu Chi Tunnels.
We'll report back to you tomorrow!
Deb & Karel
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Hoi An
Today - 28 March
We arrived last night after a slight delay with the flight. We are staying at the Victoria Hoi An Spa and Hotel and it is right on the beach. Today it has lightly rained on and off.
We took a drive to the My Son (pronounced Me Sun) ruins. This is one of Vietnam's most important heritage sites of the Cham civilization. The buildings and ruins date back to the 9th and 10th centuries and some of them are being restored as most of them were destroyed by the war.
We then came back to the old quarter of the city of Hoi An. We visited one of the oldest houses in the city and walked through the winding streets. A lot of the houses and town have been flooded several times throughout the years with the worst flood happening in 1964 when the waters reached the roof lines of some of the buildings. But the people look at it as good luck and great fortune will happen to you if your house gets flooded. Quite an optimistic view on life and appears to be true.
We are getting ready to go back into town to find dinner and observe the festivities as they are celebrating 35 years of independence and the full moon! We will report what happens tomorrow!!
Deb & Karel
We arrived last night after a slight delay with the flight. We are staying at the Victoria Hoi An Spa and Hotel and it is right on the beach. Today it has lightly rained on and off.
We took a drive to the My Son (pronounced Me Sun) ruins. This is one of Vietnam's most important heritage sites of the Cham civilization. The buildings and ruins date back to the 9th and 10th centuries and some of them are being restored as most of them were destroyed by the war.
We then came back to the old quarter of the city of Hoi An. We visited one of the oldest houses in the city and walked through the winding streets. A lot of the houses and town have been flooded several times throughout the years with the worst flood happening in 1964 when the waters reached the roof lines of some of the buildings. But the people look at it as good luck and great fortune will happen to you if your house gets flooded. Quite an optimistic view on life and appears to be true.
We are getting ready to go back into town to find dinner and observe the festivities as they are celebrating 35 years of independence and the full moon! We will report what happens tomorrow!!
Deb & Karel
Halong Bay Junk Trip
26 March
We arrived back in Hanoi around 4:00a and our guide and driver were waiting for us. They took us back to the hotel we stayed at before and we had to wake up the staff to let us in.
We were able to rest for an hour or so, get showered and have breakfast before we get back on the road again.
This time we had a 3.5 hour drive to Halong Bay. Along the way we stopped at the Center for Humanities which supports disabled and disadvantaged people from the area through vocational training. Basically a souvenir shop. By noon we arrived at the Bay and were taken by small boat to the Indochina Sails Junk.
Halong Bay consists of over 2000 mysterious limestone 'islands' that arise from the sea. The name Halong translates to 'where the dragon descends into the sea'.
The boat that we were on was one of the newer Junks and was very nice. We were given the best rooms on the ship and they were very luxurious. We had a separate bath and shower. The bath was a jacuzzi tub!
The whole ship had a very luxurious 1930's art deco feel to it. The food was very good and after the over night train ride we were all very tired and slept very well.
We sailed around the bay after lunch and visited an island that had a lookout point that had about 400 stairs that Karel and Mike climbed. It was very crowded with tourists. We then sailed to a floating fishing village that was quite interesting. The people of the village, including the children would paddle their little boats over to ours and try to climb up the side to sell us shells, food and other trinkets. We took some good pictures of these little urchins.
After that we watched the sunset over the bay. We returned back to the ship for dinner and a good night's sleep.
The next morning we got up early for Tai Chi at 7:00a on the top deck. It felt good to exercise and get ready for our next stop which was 'Surprise Cave' where we had to hike up 100 steps to get to the mouth of the cave.
The cave had 3 chambers, each bigger than the previous. After that we went back to the boat and had a big breakfast while the boat sailed back to the harbor and our flight to Danang.
Deb & Karel
We arrived back in Hanoi around 4:00a and our guide and driver were waiting for us. They took us back to the hotel we stayed at before and we had to wake up the staff to let us in.
We were able to rest for an hour or so, get showered and have breakfast before we get back on the road again.
This time we had a 3.5 hour drive to Halong Bay. Along the way we stopped at the Center for Humanities which supports disabled and disadvantaged people from the area through vocational training. Basically a souvenir shop. By noon we arrived at the Bay and were taken by small boat to the Indochina Sails Junk.
Halong Bay consists of over 2000 mysterious limestone 'islands' that arise from the sea. The name Halong translates to 'where the dragon descends into the sea'.
The boat that we were on was one of the newer Junks and was very nice. We were given the best rooms on the ship and they were very luxurious. We had a separate bath and shower. The bath was a jacuzzi tub!
The whole ship had a very luxurious 1930's art deco feel to it. The food was very good and after the over night train ride we were all very tired and slept very well.
We sailed around the bay after lunch and visited an island that had a lookout point that had about 400 stairs that Karel and Mike climbed. It was very crowded with tourists. We then sailed to a floating fishing village that was quite interesting. The people of the village, including the children would paddle their little boats over to ours and try to climb up the side to sell us shells, food and other trinkets. We took some good pictures of these little urchins.
After that we watched the sunset over the bay. We returned back to the ship for dinner and a good night's sleep.
The next morning we got up early for Tai Chi at 7:00a on the top deck. It felt good to exercise and get ready for our next stop which was 'Surprise Cave' where we had to hike up 100 steps to get to the mouth of the cave.
The cave had 3 chambers, each bigger than the previous. After that we went back to the boat and had a big breakfast while the boat sailed back to the harbor and our flight to Danang.
Deb & Karel
Sapa to Lao Cai
25 March:
We checked out of our hotel in Sapa and said goodbye. We drove back to Lao Cai where we had arrived by train a couple of days ago.
We are very near the China border and can see China across the river as we drove north to our next adventure. As a matter of fact we were so close to China that Karel received a text message on his cell phone from China Unicom network. The message says "Welcome to China". It was a bit creepy that they knew we were near!!!
After driving up winding roads around the mountains we arrived at the Lung Khau Nhin Market which was a very small local market but visited by many of the local people as it is their once a week opportunity to visit and acquire the necessities. We saw people from the Flower Hmong, Black Dao, Tu Di, Nung and Giay minorities. All of the women were dressed up in their traditional costumes and it was quite colorful.
After this we continued onward up the mountain where we had a lunch of local Vietnamese dishes in a roadside single room lodge. The food was good and we sampled some of the local corn wine (we call it moonshine!!)
After lunch, we continued driving along the Flowing River where we stopped near the hydro dam that was being built. We had to climb down the hill to the river where a long-tail boat was waiting for us. It was kind of strange because there was all of this construction going on and out of nowhere a boat is waiting.
We took the boat ride down the river through a beautiful gorge with interesting rock formations. The river was quite shallow and we got stuck a couple of times, but each time the boat driver managed to get us going.
We passed by another village that led a very simple life - without electricity and other modern means of living - that we have become used to!
We pulled over further down the river to another village - of the Thai minority. This was a very nice and beautiful village. We walked around and then came upon a very ornate temple that had a fancy courtyard and building. It felt quite out of place.
From there we continued on the boat further down the river where the driver and van were waiting for us.
The last stretch of the drive through the mountains took us back to Lao Cai and a quick dinner before getting back on the overnight train to Hanoi.
Deb & Karel
We checked out of our hotel in Sapa and said goodbye. We drove back to Lao Cai where we had arrived by train a couple of days ago.
We are very near the China border and can see China across the river as we drove north to our next adventure. As a matter of fact we were so close to China that Karel received a text message on his cell phone from China Unicom network. The message says "Welcome to China". It was a bit creepy that they knew we were near!!!
After driving up winding roads around the mountains we arrived at the Lung Khau Nhin Market which was a very small local market but visited by many of the local people as it is their once a week opportunity to visit and acquire the necessities. We saw people from the Flower Hmong, Black Dao, Tu Di, Nung and Giay minorities. All of the women were dressed up in their traditional costumes and it was quite colorful.
After this we continued onward up the mountain where we had a lunch of local Vietnamese dishes in a roadside single room lodge. The food was good and we sampled some of the local corn wine (we call it moonshine!!)
After lunch, we continued driving along the Flowing River where we stopped near the hydro dam that was being built. We had to climb down the hill to the river where a long-tail boat was waiting for us. It was kind of strange because there was all of this construction going on and out of nowhere a boat is waiting.
We took the boat ride down the river through a beautiful gorge with interesting rock formations. The river was quite shallow and we got stuck a couple of times, but each time the boat driver managed to get us going.
We passed by another village that led a very simple life - without electricity and other modern means of living - that we have become used to!
We pulled over further down the river to another village - of the Thai minority. This was a very nice and beautiful village. We walked around and then came upon a very ornate temple that had a fancy courtyard and building. It felt quite out of place.
From there we continued on the boat further down the river where the driver and van were waiting for us.
The last stretch of the drive through the mountains took us back to Lao Cai and a quick dinner before getting back on the overnight train to Hanoi.
Deb & Karel
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