TravelStream™ news feed for member lisavw on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/lisavw en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:13:39 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1182265260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1182265260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1182265260/tpod.html Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:13:39 -0400 Exploring Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bali, Australia & New Zealand. Meeting up with old friends & making new ones!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Da Lat, Vietnam

.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1181908800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1181908800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1181908800/tpod.html Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:09:40 -0400 Exploring Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bali, Australia & New Zealand. Meeting up with old friends & making new ones!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I did a few organized tours while in Ho Chi Minh City.

There was a lot of history to learn about. I went to the War Remnants Museum which had displays about the Vietnam War. It was a very imoving experience. I also booked a tour to see the Mekong Delta. The tour included a stop at a laquerware factory. Once at the Mekong Delta we saw how coconut candy is made. I was amazed at how they used every bit of the coconut and tree. The building was made of coconut wood, they burned coconut shells for the fire to cook the coconut and turn it into syrup.

My other tour took me to the Cu Chi Tunnels, which were amazing. They were first built in the 1940's and dug by hand with just a small shovel and bucket. They were used mostly for communication between villages in the area, while hiding from French troups. In the 1960's they were expanded, again by hand and the villagers actually lived inside them for years. It was really one of the most interesting places.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1181563200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1181563200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1181563200/tpod.html Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:05:00 -0400 Exploring Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bali, Australia & New Zealand. Meeting up with old friends & making new ones!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

It is very popular to go trekking in the area around Chiang Mai, especially to visit some of the local villages and hill tribes.

I signed up for a two day trek and also did a mountain bike ride, both were great experiences.

I hope you enjoy the photos.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1181655000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1181655000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1181655000/tpod.html Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:00:28 -0400 Exploring Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bali, Australia & New Zealand. Meeting up with old friends & making new ones!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

After my bus ride back from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, which had lovely scenery along the way, I stayed one night and then flew to Vietnam.

I realized upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh City that I did not know one thing about Vietnam! I decided to stay there for a few days to sort myself out and plan my itinerary for the rest of the country. There were also some interesting things to see within the city and surrounding area.

I did not stay in the main area, district one as I thought it would be a bit overwhelming this early in my trip. I chose a very nice hotel in district three, Amaral Hotel. The hotel offered free shuttle service several times per day to other parts of the city. I did go into district one every day to explore the streets, markets, waterfront and people watch. I also ate local food at the night market.

At my very comfortable hotel, I spent some time on the internet researching where to go next. Since Vietnam is a long, fairly narrow country, most travellers follow basically the same route, south to north or vice versa. I luckily had a whole month scheduled for Vietnam, which is pretty sufficient time.

The first thing I learned was that Ho Chi Minh City is the name of the city. However, it is also known by it's former name Saigon, which these days refers to the main central section of Ho Chi Minh City.

I was glad I stayed a full week there, if I had stayed only a few days the only thing I would have remembered is the traffic. It is really crazy. I took my guide book's advice and walked across the street SLOWLY. If you scurry across quickly, you are likely to be struck. When you walk slowly, the bikes and cars won't slow down, but they can judge the distance before they get to you and will swerve around you. A bit nerve racking at first, like a real life version of the old Frogger video game, but it works! Best thing is to look for a gap in the traffic before steppping off the curb. If all else fails, latch onto a local and cross with them.

I selected Dalat as my next stop in Vietnam.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1181026800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1181026800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1181026800/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jul 2007 04:09:53 -0400 Exploring Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bali, Australia & New Zealand. Meeting up with old friends & making new ones!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

My next stop in Thailand was Chiang Mai. I arrived in the late afternoon on Tuesday, 5th June and set off to explore the city. The old city of Chiang Mai is a square section surrounded by moats and remnants of a brick wall. Some of the brick wall is no longer standing, since it is many centuries old. There are four gates which enter into this old section of the city.

I found a tour office the next day and booked a trekking tour into countryside. It is popular to do treks to see the hilltribes in the area. I decided to go on a two day / one night trek which would take me north into the hills and allow me to sleep one night at a homestay in a village. The trek also included an elephant ride, whitewater rafting and bamboo rafting.

Another activity I signed up for was mountain biking. The big joke amongst my friends in Bermuda is my beautiful Cannondale - made to measure road bike which I have never used, due to my fear of Bermuda's roads and traffic. Despite my lack of recent biking experience I decided that intermediate level was best for me. Hmmm, maybe I was a bit over confident in my abilities.

Although Chiang Mai is much smaller in size than Bangkok, it has even more temples, more than 300! I spent some time wandering around visiting as many of them as possible (not all 300). They were all unique and beautiful. At first I was quite intimidated by the monks and not sure what to do when I saw one but I learned that most are friendly and smile and say hello when I make eye contact.

Had I been in the area longer I would have liked to sign up for a cooking class, which is a popular activity.

My guest house was okay, nothing special but comfortable enough. It was on Ratchadamnoen Road in the center of the old city. The street is closed on Sunday for a market. I encountered my first stomache problems on my last night there, after eating at the street market. I bought a shredded papaya salad and after the first bite saw some squid in it so threw it away. Later that night I was sick every half hour for five hours but I was actually grateful since the next day I had booked a ten hour bus ride back to Bangkok, so I was glad to be sick that night and fully recovered by the next morning, in time for my bus trip.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1180615500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1180615500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1180615500/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jul 2007 03:36:43 -0400 Exploring Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bali, Australia & New Zealand. Meeting up with old friends & making new ones!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Bangkok, Thailand

What a city! Even with reading quite a bit in my guide books and several friend's travel blogs, it is impossible to understand what Bangkok is really like until you experience it first hand.

Very modern aspects, big buildings, shopping malls, the Skytrain. Then interspersed in every nook and cranny on the sidewalks and lane ways are street vendors, markets, little shops, a million things for sale, from the artistic to the absurd.

The Ambassador Hotel was recommended to me by a friend and I was pleased to have a nice hotel arranged ahead of time. It was clean and comfortable, with a pool, restaurant and friendly staff. I don't think my limited travel experience could have prepared me for the backpacker guest houses on Kho San Road at this stage of my trip.

I arrived mid day on Thursday, 31st May and was terribly jet lagged from the long flight from the UK. It was going to take a few days to adjust to the twelve hour time difference from Canada, where I had just been a few days ago.

I did manage to get out of the hotel my first evening for a little wander around the Sukhumvit Road area where I was staying. There were lots of vendors stalls set up for the night market selling t-shirts, silk and other souvenirs. I also noticed a bit of the sex trade business going on in the little alleys leading off the main road.

Friday I explored the city on foot and quickly learned that six inches on the map is equivalent of about six hours of walking in the heat! While I love walking, it was very tiring and I realized pretty quickly that I had walked a great distance but hadn't really 'seen' anything in particular. I decided that my future activities should be more structured, with a plan of where to go, what to see and how to get there. During my rambling walk I did cross through China Town and decided to go back for a specific visit there later.

On Saturday I tried to take a boat across the river - Mae Nam Chao Phraya. I paid my 13 Bhat (40 cents) and boarded the designated boat. I wanted to get to Wat Arun on the other side. Well, the boat kept going and going, it never did go to the other side. It finally stopped way up the river. I paid another 13 Bhat for the return journey and then just hopped off at the stop I predicted to be closest to Wat Arun a taxi and a tuk tuk ride later, I found the place. Guess I must have boarded the wrong boat! It didn't matter though, as I enjoyed my impromptu site seeing trip up and down the river.

After Wat Arun I headed to China Town by tuk tuk. My timing couldn't have been better. China Town in Bangkok on a Saturday night is a happening place! It was so energetic, eclectic and exciting. Everything was for sale and I mean everything! Underwear, socks, big shiny gold piggy banks, electronics, tools, toys, watches, kittens! I wandered around for ages looking at all of the vendor displays and ate cheap food from the street stalls and just soaked up all of the culture & energy. It was so incredible. Unfortunately no photos to share with you, as my camera battery was dead.

I decided to stay in the hotel on the Sunday as I was still suffering from jet lag. I read my guide book by the pool and ate at the hotel restaurant, my first meal in Thailand that was not from a street vendor. It is so great just to eat from the street, I especially liked all of the little skewers with meat which are cooked while you wait. It is much better to see what you will be eating while it is being cooked in front of you, rather in the back kitchen of a restaurant. I did learn one lesson though, I bought a few skewers of meat which end up being very tough and chewy, not sure exactly what it was so I threw it away. Sixty cents wasted! Now I buy only one, if I like it I buy another.

There was also lots of fruit for sale, pineapple and watermelon cut up into pieces and sold in plastic bag. For just a few cents I could have a nice little snack whenever I wanted instead of spending lots of money at a sit down restaurant.

On Monday I went to The Grand Palace, Vinamik Mansion and the Zoo. Some photos are attached with further explanation of these amazing places.

I had about five days in Bangkok, just enough time to experience it, however I didn't get to see everything that I would have liked to, specifically the floating markets and Wat Pho (home of the famous reclining Buddha). I also think that due to my jet lag and limited travelling experience I did waste quite a bit of my time in Bangkok. As I gain more experience travelling, I will learn how to fit more activities into my time.

Top things I enjoyed in Bangkok:
1. China Town. - it has to be seen to be believed.
2. The Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha - so interesting and beautiful.
3. The Thai people of course! They are so warm and friendly - the motto 'land of smiles' is well deserved.
4. The contrasts of Bangkok, fast paced and exciting and modern, balanced with traditional.
5. Eating from the street vendors.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1184266800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1184266800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1184266800/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jul 2007 03:11:54 -0400 Exploring Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bali, Australia & New Zealand. Meeting up with old friends & making new ones!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Luang Prabang, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1183120260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1183120260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1183120260/tpod.html Sat, 28 Jul 2007 09:41:15 -0400 Exploring Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bali, Australia & New Zealand. Meeting up with old friends & making new ones!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Hue, Vietnam

.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1183120200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1183120200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1183120200/tpod.html Sat, 28 Jul 2007 08:58:33 -0400 Exploring Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bali, Australia & New Zealand. Meeting up with old friends & making new ones!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Hue, Vietnam

.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1182680100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1182680100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lisavw/rtw_2007/1182680100/tpod.html Sat, 28 Jul 2007 08:49:58 -0400 Exploring Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bali, Australia & New Zealand. Meeting up with old friends & making new ones!

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Hoi An, Vietnam

.
]]>