Chau Doc, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, Cambodia
It is challenging (and rewarding) to book your own travel to previously unknown destinations. Many questions pop up and each decision totally affects the quality and pleasure of your journey. Part of why we were able to travel for 100 days was because we did our own research and made our own plan, usually staying away from expensive pre-packaged options. Sometimes we booked tours but stayed happier making our way on our own schedule. Everyone is different and will discover their own travelling style. We booked this three day trip with Handspan Travel and were glad of it. Our guide AJ was...
Read MoreVIETNAM, Mekong Delta
This three day journey took us south from Saigon into the Mekong Delta and east to the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. Our guide AJ, really was born in Saigon and told us they consider themselves Saigonese before Vietnamese. He was asked about the kinds of things that are eaten and he nonchalantly replied, ” we eat everything. Dogs, cats, snakes, crocodiles….” In North America, dogs and cats are usually pets. It is simply a different mindset. Dogs and cats in Asia are treated just like cows, chickens and pigs in North America, which we have no difficulty having on our...
Read MoreVIETNAM, Cu Chi Tunnels
The Cu Chi Tunnels were created when the villagers were attacked during the American War. They had shown strong support for the Viet Cong which put them in a vulnerable position. When the US began bombing with the intention of eliminating them, they simply went underground. By 1965 over 250 km of tunnels criss-crossed the Cu Chi area. Villagers became fierce adversaries once they came together to protect their lands. Cu Chi is 1.5 hours from Saigon, northeast towards Cambodia. We generally do not enjoy tours much as we find them too fast, too full of needless information. We like to see what...
Read MoreVIETNAM, Saigon
Xien Chao – Hello! Ho Chi Min City is the new name but most people still refer to the capital of Vietnam as Saigon. The locals even call themselves Saigonese instead of Vietnamese. I like the name Saigon and it felt right to use it instead, once we landed there. Carl has enjoyed a movie about Saigon called, “The Quiet American” during which the lead actor has his coffee and reads the morning paper in the Continental Hotel every day. How much fun to make a plan to do that too. In the end we made the great decision to stay there for our two nights in the city. It has such...
Read MoreVIETNAM, Nha Trang & Scuba Diving
Ahhh! Nha Trang. Truly the most spectacular beach that we visited in Vietnam. We were told not to spend more than two or three days there as the Russians have overtaken it with partying, drinking and smoking. It is true that there are quite a few Russians there but we went there for the heat, the beach and then decided to go scuba diving so it was a non-issue. It was amazing to see the local signs and menus written in Russian to cater to the large numbers. We rented a studio apartment that was so wonderful, inexpensive and just a few minutes walk to the beach in the south part of the city. We...
Read MoreVIETNAM, Hoi An
Spending one more night and day in Hanoi, we took the Reunification Express south to Danang (an overnight train)and ultimately made our way the short distance from there to Hoi An. This is about half way down the long and narrow country of Vietnam, more than 1800 miles. Because of Carl’s love affair with trains, we took five in India and had agreed to go the full distance from Hanoi to Saigon by rail. We shared a berth that night with a lovely Italian couple travelling with their 5 year old daughter. Marco is a professional photographer who shared a slideshow of his photos of Cuba set...
Read More