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
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
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
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Sapa Excursion
Today - 24 March:
Today we went on another full day trek. This time, we opted to not follow the prescribed itinerary, instead we followed the suggestions from our guide. We went for a short drive down the mountain to start the trek.
We went to 3 different villages and it took us 5 1/2 hours to walk to them. We went to Lao Chai, Tavan and Xangtachai.
At the start of the trek we were followed by 3 Black Hmong women trying to sell us something. They spoke a little English and had standard questions I think they have picked up over the years:
What's your name, where are you from, how old are you, how many children do you have and is that your husband/wife.
We thought we could shake them quickly by telling them that we didn't want to buy anything, but nothing seemed to work. They decided that they wanted to follow us the entire way to all of the villages. And they did. One of them had a one-month old baby in a sling on her back and breast-fed her along the way. She did have an umbrella that she opened occasionally to protect her and the baby from the sun.
As we continued our walk we picked up another woman trying to sell us something and after we said no a couple of times, she just tagged along for the trek.
Now mind you, when we say trek, we really mean a hike up narrow, rocky paths through the mountains to get to the villages.
The final leg of our trek took us through the bamboo forest. It was very lush and provided us with some shade as it was sunny and quite warm.
When we reached the final village and took a couple of minutes to sit, the women took that moment to really try to sell us something. But Mike & Karel came up with a good idea to pay each of them a small amount and let us take their pictures. It took a bit of convincing, but they did it and once they were paid, they no longer followed us.
We think the trek was over 10 miles and none of it was in a straight line. The villages we visited this day were more modern with having shops and guest houses. The buildings were built with concrete and bricks and had electricity.
Tomorrow we get up early for a final trek that will include some more hiking and a couple more minority villages. After lunch we will be shown a special market and then we will take a short boat ride on one of the local rivers. We will then be taken to Lao Cai where we will be able to take a shower and change to get ready for another over night train ride back to Hanoi.
We will post again when we reach Hoi An on Sunday as we don't expect to have internet access on the train and subsequent overnight Junk ride through Halong Bay.
Until then,
Deb & Karel
Today we went on another full day trek. This time, we opted to not follow the prescribed itinerary, instead we followed the suggestions from our guide. We went for a short drive down the mountain to start the trek.
We went to 3 different villages and it took us 5 1/2 hours to walk to them. We went to Lao Chai, Tavan and Xangtachai.
At the start of the trek we were followed by 3 Black Hmong women trying to sell us something. They spoke a little English and had standard questions I think they have picked up over the years:
What's your name, where are you from, how old are you, how many children do you have and is that your husband/wife.
We thought we could shake them quickly by telling them that we didn't want to buy anything, but nothing seemed to work. They decided that they wanted to follow us the entire way to all of the villages. And they did. One of them had a one-month old baby in a sling on her back and breast-fed her along the way. She did have an umbrella that she opened occasionally to protect her and the baby from the sun.
As we continued our walk we picked up another woman trying to sell us something and after we said no a couple of times, she just tagged along for the trek.
Now mind you, when we say trek, we really mean a hike up narrow, rocky paths through the mountains to get to the villages.
The final leg of our trek took us through the bamboo forest. It was very lush and provided us with some shade as it was sunny and quite warm.
When we reached the final village and took a couple of minutes to sit, the women took that moment to really try to sell us something. But Mike & Karel came up with a good idea to pay each of them a small amount and let us take their pictures. It took a bit of convincing, but they did it and once they were paid, they no longer followed us.
We think the trek was over 10 miles and none of it was in a straight line. The villages we visited this day were more modern with having shops and guest houses. The buildings were built with concrete and bricks and had electricity.
Tomorrow we get up early for a final trek that will include some more hiking and a couple more minority villages. After lunch we will be shown a special market and then we will take a short boat ride on one of the local rivers. We will then be taken to Lao Cai where we will be able to take a shower and change to get ready for another over night train ride back to Hanoi.
We will post again when we reach Hoi An on Sunday as we don't expect to have internet access on the train and subsequent overnight Junk ride through Halong Bay.
Until then,
Deb & Karel
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Hanoi & Sa Pa
Yesterday - 22 March:
Last evening we went to the Seasons of Hanoi restaurant. This restaurant was in a colonial villa and the food was good.
On our own!! The four of us spent the entire day walking around the Old District and French Quarter parts of Hanoi. We got turned around and lost a couple of times down narrow and crowded streets, but Mike and Karel got us back to our hotel without a problem.
We walked past the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum again and continued through the French Quarter to West Lake. We also walked past some of the other sites that we had visited the day before, so we were really able to get a good grasp of the city.
There are a couple of big lakes in Hanoi that were a good rest for us away from the hustle and bustle and continuous stream of traffic on the streets and street markets.
After a quick meal at the hotel again, we got ready for our 8:30p train departure. The train was a narrow gauge railroad and we were unable to get any pictures. We will try on the return.
This was quite an adventure. This was an overnight train ride that felt right out of a cold was movie. It was dark and rainy the entire time and luckily we each had a cabin to ourselves while others had to share 4 to a cabin.
Today - 23 March:
We arrived in Lao Cai at 4:30a in the morning and it was still dark and rainy! We met up with our new guide and driver and proceeded to Sa Pa - a one hour drive up the mountains. It was quite foggy at the mid-level elevation and the driver seemed to have problems with the windshield wiper blades.
We arrived a bit too early to be able to get to our room so we walked around the center of town looking for a place to have breakfast. The restaurant we wanted to go to didn't open until 7:00a so we walked around the market and watched the different tribal women start setting up for the day.
After a yummy breakfast of croissants and coffee we went back to the hotel to see if we could take a shower. Yippee!! Our rooms were ready! We got cleaned up and headed out for our "easy half day trek" to Matra and Taphin.
Matra is one of the nearby minority Black Hmong villages that does not have electricity - even today! We walked through the rice paddies and beautiful mountain scenery. We had a picnic lunch in the middle of a field that looked out on the valley. As we were eating we seemed to be sitting near a walking path for the local people and they would stop and watch us. We now knew how they felt to have tourists staring at them!!
We then continued to the Red Dao village of Taphin. These ladies are a bit more aggressive in selling their tapestries and purses. They have been known to follow tourists the entire day if you give them any hint that you would purchase something from them. A couple of them started to follow us toward the end of our trek and thought I was a bit crabby! (Me?!)
The trek took a total of 5 hours and was very nice. The weather was not too hot nor too sunny and it was DRY!! It was at the lower elevations that it was rainy and foggy. We are about 5000 feet above sea level.
The hotel is a very nice resort. There is a pool in which I think we might try that tomorrow after our "full day" excursion.
We are now going to check out the restaurant and bar as we don't want to venture out too far today since we did not get a good night's sleep on the train.
Until tomorrow ~
Deb & Karel
Last evening we went to the Seasons of Hanoi restaurant. This restaurant was in a colonial villa and the food was good.
On our own!! The four of us spent the entire day walking around the Old District and French Quarter parts of Hanoi. We got turned around and lost a couple of times down narrow and crowded streets, but Mike and Karel got us back to our hotel without a problem.
We walked past the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum again and continued through the French Quarter to West Lake. We also walked past some of the other sites that we had visited the day before, so we were really able to get a good grasp of the city.
There are a couple of big lakes in Hanoi that were a good rest for us away from the hustle and bustle and continuous stream of traffic on the streets and street markets.
After a quick meal at the hotel again, we got ready for our 8:30p train departure. The train was a narrow gauge railroad and we were unable to get any pictures. We will try on the return.
This was quite an adventure. This was an overnight train ride that felt right out of a cold was movie. It was dark and rainy the entire time and luckily we each had a cabin to ourselves while others had to share 4 to a cabin.
Today - 23 March:
We arrived in Lao Cai at 4:30a in the morning and it was still dark and rainy! We met up with our new guide and driver and proceeded to Sa Pa - a one hour drive up the mountains. It was quite foggy at the mid-level elevation and the driver seemed to have problems with the windshield wiper blades.
We arrived a bit too early to be able to get to our room so we walked around the center of town looking for a place to have breakfast. The restaurant we wanted to go to didn't open until 7:00a so we walked around the market and watched the different tribal women start setting up for the day.
After a yummy breakfast of croissants and coffee we went back to the hotel to see if we could take a shower. Yippee!! Our rooms were ready! We got cleaned up and headed out for our "easy half day trek" to Matra and Taphin.
Matra is one of the nearby minority Black Hmong villages that does not have electricity - even today! We walked through the rice paddies and beautiful mountain scenery. We had a picnic lunch in the middle of a field that looked out on the valley. As we were eating we seemed to be sitting near a walking path for the local people and they would stop and watch us. We now knew how they felt to have tourists staring at them!!
We then continued to the Red Dao village of Taphin. These ladies are a bit more aggressive in selling their tapestries and purses. They have been known to follow tourists the entire day if you give them any hint that you would purchase something from them. A couple of them started to follow us toward the end of our trek and thought I was a bit crabby! (Me?!)
The trek took a total of 5 hours and was very nice. The weather was not too hot nor too sunny and it was DRY!! It was at the lower elevations that it was rainy and foggy. We are about 5000 feet above sea level.
The hotel is a very nice resort. There is a pool in which I think we might try that tomorrow after our "full day" excursion.
We are now going to check out the restaurant and bar as we don't want to venture out too far today since we did not get a good night's sleep on the train.
Until tomorrow ~
Deb & Karel
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Hanoi - Vietnam
Yesterday - 20 March
We arrived in Hanoi yesterday afternoon. After getting situated into our hotel, we went for a little walk around the hotel. Nearly everyone in the city rides a motorcycle/scooter! There was a constant stream of bikes across the roads had the pedestrians taking their lives in their hands when they attempt to cross a street.
The way to get across is to slowly start walking into the stream and letting them flow around you. Do not run and do not panic. If you are with a group walk side by side crossing slowly and you will be successful each time.
Today - 21 March
Today we started out at 8:30a to stand in line for Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. We stood in line in a light drizzle for about an hour waiting to walk past him in his tomb which took all of 5 minutes to view. The Vietnamese are very serious about Uncle Ho. There is a lot of French architecture around the square where the mausoleum is situated.
We then took a tour through the gardens and saw the 2 houses that he lived in and the cars that he drove. He is the 'father' of the nation as he helped bring the people their independence from the French.
Next we went to the Museum of Ethnology. This was very interesting in that it showed the different tribes that make up the Vietnamese people. It is a hands-on museum where we could walk into stick or mud houses and see how the people live even today.
We also got to see a performance of the ancient Vietnamese art of water puppetry. It is wooden puppets remotely controlled under water through the use of bamboo sticks by people hidden behind a curtain in the center of the water.
We then had lunch at a nice restaurant called Koto that is a non-profit restaurant that helps street and disadvantaged youth. The food was very good and the wait staff were friendly.
Today, Karel became a millionaire for the first time in his life. The Vietnamese dong is valued at 18,000 to $1.00 USD. So he took about $100 from the ATM and received 2,000,000 VDN!!!
After lunch we went to the infamous Hoa Lu prison (known as the 'Hanoi Hilton') which is now a small museum. As with all prison of war locations, you can imagine some of the conditions and facilities were not optimal.
We then took a walk through some of the Old Quarter streets which are aptly named for the items that they sell on these streets, such as luggage street, paper street, sunglasses street and shoes street. We then walked through the wholesale market where you could buy just about anything you could imagine - mostly fakes and knock offs of the real thing!!
And now a cold beer is calling us!! We are going to meet up with Mike and Nina and decide where to go for dinner.
Tomorrow, we are on our own and will do a bit more exploring of the city. In the evening we board the overnight train for the next part of our adventure.
TTFN,
Deb & Karel
We arrived in Hanoi yesterday afternoon. After getting situated into our hotel, we went for a little walk around the hotel. Nearly everyone in the city rides a motorcycle/scooter! There was a constant stream of bikes across the roads had the pedestrians taking their lives in their hands when they attempt to cross a street.
The way to get across is to slowly start walking into the stream and letting them flow around you. Do not run and do not panic. If you are with a group walk side by side crossing slowly and you will be successful each time.
Today - 21 March
Today we started out at 8:30a to stand in line for Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. We stood in line in a light drizzle for about an hour waiting to walk past him in his tomb which took all of 5 minutes to view. The Vietnamese are very serious about Uncle Ho. There is a lot of French architecture around the square where the mausoleum is situated.
We then took a tour through the gardens and saw the 2 houses that he lived in and the cars that he drove. He is the 'father' of the nation as he helped bring the people their independence from the French.
Next we went to the Museum of Ethnology. This was very interesting in that it showed the different tribes that make up the Vietnamese people. It is a hands-on museum where we could walk into stick or mud houses and see how the people live even today.
We also got to see a performance of the ancient Vietnamese art of water puppetry. It is wooden puppets remotely controlled under water through the use of bamboo sticks by people hidden behind a curtain in the center of the water.
We then had lunch at a nice restaurant called Koto that is a non-profit restaurant that helps street and disadvantaged youth. The food was very good and the wait staff were friendly.
Today, Karel became a millionaire for the first time in his life. The Vietnamese dong is valued at 18,000 to $1.00 USD. So he took about $100 from the ATM and received 2,000,000 VDN!!!
After lunch we went to the infamous Hoa Lu prison (known as the 'Hanoi Hilton') which is now a small museum. As with all prison of war locations, you can imagine some of the conditions and facilities were not optimal.
We then took a walk through some of the Old Quarter streets which are aptly named for the items that they sell on these streets, such as luggage street, paper street, sunglasses street and shoes street. We then walked through the wholesale market where you could buy just about anything you could imagine - mostly fakes and knock offs of the real thing!!
And now a cold beer is calling us!! We are going to meet up with Mike and Nina and decide where to go for dinner.
Tomorrow, we are on our own and will do a bit more exploring of the city. In the evening we board the overnight train for the next part of our adventure.
TTFN,
Deb & Karel
Friday, March 19, 2010
Hong Kong Intro!
Yesterday - 18 March:
Wow! What a nice city! We walked to one of the piers and walked around the shops to kill time before our massage. We needed to ease our 'airplane' body feeling! We then walked back to the hotel and each had a massage. Wonderful!
We then took a taxi to catch the Victoria Peak Tram - acutally a funicular railway. We took the tram up to Victoria Peak for a view of the whole of Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the weather was quite hazy so we couldn't see that much. We then took a walk around the Peak which was quite nice. The haze was more at the ground level and not at the higher level. We had lunch at the top and then took the tram back down the mountain.
Today - 19 March:
Today we went to the other pier and took the ferry over to Kowloon. It was still hazy so we couldn't get any good pictures of the harbor and skyline.
We went into the Hong Kong Museum of Art and then walked alon the Avenue of the Stars. This is a walkway along the water that pays tribute to the Chinese stars of the silver screen. There was a 2 meter tall statue of Bruce Lee along with a couple of Bruce Lee souvenir shops.
We then took a walking tour along Nathan Street with many more Rolex shops than 7-Eleven shops and that says quite a bit because there is a 7-Eleven on just about every corner!!
We then had lunch at the Peninsula Hotel - one of the oldest hotels in Hong Kong. It was very nice.
We then took the public subway to the northern part of the city and walked around the Flower Market. We then took a wrong turn looking for the Goldfish Market and ended up in a huge open air market. I kept looking under dishes and in clothes to see if they were "Made in China". It was all written in Chinese so I couldn't really tell.
We are now waiting for Mike & Nina to arrive so that we can go for dinner.
Tomorrow we are off to Vietnam!
Ciao,
Deb & Karel
Wow! What a nice city! We walked to one of the piers and walked around the shops to kill time before our massage. We needed to ease our 'airplane' body feeling! We then walked back to the hotel and each had a massage. Wonderful!
We then took a taxi to catch the Victoria Peak Tram - acutally a funicular railway. We took the tram up to Victoria Peak for a view of the whole of Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the weather was quite hazy so we couldn't see that much. We then took a walk around the Peak which was quite nice. The haze was more at the ground level and not at the higher level. We had lunch at the top and then took the tram back down the mountain.
Today - 19 March:
Today we went to the other pier and took the ferry over to Kowloon. It was still hazy so we couldn't get any good pictures of the harbor and skyline.
We went into the Hong Kong Museum of Art and then walked alon the Avenue of the Stars. This is a walkway along the water that pays tribute to the Chinese stars of the silver screen. There was a 2 meter tall statue of Bruce Lee along with a couple of Bruce Lee souvenir shops.
We then took a walking tour along Nathan Street with many more Rolex shops than 7-Eleven shops and that says quite a bit because there is a 7-Eleven on just about every corner!!
We then had lunch at the Peninsula Hotel - one of the oldest hotels in Hong Kong. It was very nice.
We then took the public subway to the northern part of the city and walked around the Flower Market. We then took a wrong turn looking for the Goldfish Market and ended up in a huge open air market. I kept looking under dishes and in clothes to see if they were "Made in China". It was all written in Chinese so I couldn't really tell.
We are now waiting for Mike & Nina to arrive so that we can go for dinner.
Tomorrow we are off to Vietnam!
Ciao,
Deb & Karel
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Hong Kong Safe & Sound!
We made it after 15 hours of flying!!
We got to see the North Pole from the plane. It was not what I expected. I guess I expected a view with some small hills or something. It was very flat and did look like we were looking at the top of a beach ball! Karel took a picture from the window. We'll see how it turns out.
Today, we are going to do a little exploring to get our bearings. The hotel is very nice and we had a light dinner in their terrace restaurant.
Deb & Karel
We got to see the North Pole from the plane. It was not what I expected. I guess I expected a view with some small hills or something. It was very flat and did look like we were looking at the top of a beach ball! Karel took a picture from the window. We'll see how it turns out.
Today, we are going to do a little exploring to get our bearings. The hotel is very nice and we had a light dinner in their terrace restaurant.
Deb & Karel
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Adventure Begins!
Hello Friends & Family,
We are at it again. We are off on another adventure. This time we are visiting Hong Kong and Vietnam.
We depart tomorrow - March 16th for Hong Kong. We will update this blog when we are in Hong Kong!!
Hugs,
Deb & Karel
We are at it again. We are off on another adventure. This time we are visiting Hong Kong and Vietnam.
We depart tomorrow - March 16th for Hong Kong. We will update this blog when we are in Hong Kong!!
Hugs,
Deb & Karel
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
