TravelStream™ news feed for member srtessier on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/srtessier en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:22:07 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1228076160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1228076160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1228076160/tpod.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:22:07 -0500 Thanksgiving in AsiaII

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San Francisco, California, United States

We have returned to the US yesterday. We flew from Hong Kong to San Francisco and arrived Friday evening. The flight was 1 ½ hours quicker than scheduled because of tail winds over 200kph. I had three seats and Ginger had two so we were able to stretch out and sleep. We both slept most of the way across the Pacific. We arrived at SFO airport cleared immigration very quickly and then went right through customs. We took a shuttle to the hotel, had take-out for dinner and went back to bed and tried to catch back up from jetlag.
This morning we got up, had breakfast at the hotel and then took the train into San Francisco. The city was mobbed with people. I think Ginger and I forgot this was the big shopping and traveling weekend. We had lunch in downtown SF at an Irish pub and then got on a Cable Car and rode to Fisherman's Wharf and just mixed in with the crowd. Fisherman's Wharf now has a new character who sits behind a bush that he carries around and scares unsuspecting tourists. The funny thing is that he sits on the side walk next to a trash can and people don't notice that that is a strange place for shrubbery. It is a hoot. Of course this is done for tips. How much money do you suppose he makes each day?
After a nice long walk around the wharf area we took the cable cars back into the city. There was such a traffic tie up we walked the final three blocks to take the train back to the airport. Caught a sandwich at the airport and brought it back to the hotel for dinner. We are going to go to bed early tonite.
Our last two days in Hong Kong were lots of fun. The first day we walked from our hotel through Hong Kong Park to the Tram Terminal that takes you to what is called "The Peak" , the highest area overlooking the city and area surrounding Hong Kong. It was built 120 years ago if you can imagine something of that magnitude being built without the technology and equipment that we have today. The tram goes straight up the mountain at a very steep angle. At the top there is a building full of shops, restaurants, entertainment venues and of course the main draw is THE VIEW. The building is six stories so the height above the city is amazing. The view alone is worth the trip to Hong Kong.

We spent the rest of our time riding the ferries to and from Kowloon and traveling all over the city via the subway system and double-decker busses. Public transportation is so well done here and everyone uses it. At home it seems that we all feel that public transportation is for the use of everyone else.

We're afraid that due to the lack of internet access while we were in Hue, Vietnam we neglected telling you about another amazing part of our trip. So we'll give you the "Readers' Digest" version: Although we had a lot of rain while in Hue, we found it fascinating and one of our favorite stops. We visited several royal tombs (a zillion steps again) which were intact and opulently treasure filled. We visited the Citadel where we saw many more relics and treasures on a huge area of land where they are still doing archeological digs and finding more things each day. Our guide for Hue actually has her office in the Citadel and when she's not busy with tourists she helps with the digging and measuring. One thing we did while visiting the Citadel's theatre where the rulers were entertained was get dressed up in the costumes of a king and queen (and Ginger even had some of the kabuki-type makeup applied) and have our picture taken while sitting on the thrones. It was a great diversion from the seriousness of the rest of the activities of the area. And we supplied some photo ops for the rest of the tourists who were too cheap to do it themselves. Our pictures are now being passed around at post travel parties around the world! We also visited a museum that holds the history of the Champa people of Vietnam, an embattled group who were almost totally annihilated. Our guide for Hue was one of the most wonderful people we met on the trip and helped make it so memorable. Anh is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her country and its history as well as being a charming and genuine person that she should be cloned. She works full time for the government and has a husband and two daughters, so we were amazed at how much time she devoted to us during our stay. We have already exchanged a few emails and plan to keep in touch. Wouldn't it be great if someday she or her daughters could come to visit us?

I think that we are finally out of things to say, although I'm sure that for those of you who will spend any time with us in the next few weeks will hear more travel tales. We've seen so many places that we've read about for most of our lives and managed to have a little "crazy" fun. We've met some wonderful people along the way, from our Vietnamese tutor (before leaving) to guides and drivers who really made a difference in our experience. It's been a wonderful journey and although it will be good to be home (especially to spend some serious cuddle time with our dogs) we'll be working on planning the next trip soon.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227750240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227750240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227750240/tpod.html Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:11:52 -0500 Thanksgiving in AsiaII

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Hong Kong, China

We are on the 43rd floor of the Conrad Hotel in Hong Kong. The hotel is a flagship for the entire Hilton chain. Thanks to my Hilton Honors points Ginger and I are staying for free. We have a great view of downtown Hong Kong and the harbor. There is no way that we would ever pay for this hotel but this is my reward for working. It sounds like everything is perfect, and it is, except either Singapore Air or Silk Air have lost my luggage.

I have only the clothes that were on my back at the time of boarding the plane in Siem Reap. I look like a pauper at a royalty convention. It is appearing that as each hour passes the bag is more lost than misplaced. My c-pap breathing machine is also in the bag along with the clothes Ginger and I had made in Vietnam. We have been forced to wash clothes every night and dry them with hair dryers and irons. I do the washing and squeezing the water out and Ginger does drying. I was doing the drying until the hairdryer became so hot I burned my hand. Anyway enough about my problems.

Hong Kong is really a vibrant busy city. It equals or exceeds NYC in intensity except less horn blowing. The buildings are huge and beautiful. We took a ferry over to Kowloon yesterday and again last night. We went over yesterday morning to see the Nathan Road "Golden Mile" of eating and shopping. A lot of it was out of our price range. We went back again last night to see the light show that is put on a 8:00PM each night on the Hong Side of the harbor. The buildings on the HK side all light up and lasers flash etc. It was cool. We made it back to the hotel and then did our washing. Ginger and I were so tired last night that we ate fruit from our complimentary tray for dinner.

Today, Thaksgiving Day, we plan to visit the Giant Buddah, take the tram to "The Peak", ride on a Chinese Junk and have dinner in Kowloon. Tomorrow we leave for home. We will be spending two nights in San Francisco to catch up with ourselves after going through the reverse "time warp" thing before returning to Nashville.

Happy Thanksgiving.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227572880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227572880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227572880/tpod.html Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:31:03 -0500 Thanksgiving in AsiaII

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Siem Reap, Cambodia

We are leaving Cambodia today to travel to Hong Kong. Our time in Cambodia has been extremely busy with sightseeing from 8-12 and 3-dark every day. The hours in the middle of the day are brutally hot so we have spent them eating our lunch and swimming in the hotel pool. The hotel has been the best we've stayed at and the food has been great. The temples and sights are just spectacular and some are over 1,000 years old. Our driver Mr Bo and guide Mr Hak have been a lot of fun and very informative. We have been to Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and various other temples and ruins. We have climbed, clamored, scrambled, slipped and hiked through jungle areas and up and down a thousand stone steps. We rode in a hot air balloon to get an overview of the area and have seen monkeys and tourists sharing food. The people here have been friendly and warm and gracious hosts.

Speaking of our driver Mr Bo, he agreed to join us in a small boat yesterday when we visited the floating villages on the lake near Angkor Wat rather than sit in the car and wait for us. All was well until a water snake flew into the boat and slithered across the bottom of it. Ginger and I didn't see it at first but Mr Bo flew across the boat hollering "snake" in Khmer, the language spoken here, and neither Ginger or I knew what was going on. Our guide jumped up and then the Captain of the boat ran to the front of the boat with a big stick. At the time little did Ginger and I know that a snake was in the boat. We both saw it just as it slithered through a space between the floor boards and disappeared. I can assure you that all of us in the boat watched the floor boards for the rest of the trip.

One interesting thing about this lake is that the floating village on it was featured on the Amazing Race TV show earlier in the year. This was probably the worst poverty that Ginger and I have seen on this trip. It is, of course, 3rd world, so it is both interesting and heartbreaking. These floating villages have stores, restaurants, a doctor, and even a basketball court that all float on the water. We even saw a floating pig pen with three pigs in it and a floating crocodile farm to raise the crocs for leather. Some of the residents rarely set foot on land, choosing to spend their entire lives afloat.

On the way back to our hotel Ginger, Mr Hak, Mr Bo and I had a good laugh about the snake. Kinda like whistling through the grave yard. We would like to have a few more days here as there is still lots to see, but the schedule has been set so we will fly to Hong Kong later today.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227448560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227448560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227448560/tpod.html Sun, 23 Nov 2008 09:04:05 -0500 Thanksgiving in AsiaII

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Siem Reap, Cambodia

Ginger here: It is now Sunday and we have to apologize for our absence. We have been so busy touring around that by the time we got back to the hotel at night we were too tired to write anything. Imagine that, my being too tired to yak! Anyway, Steven got his attitude straightened out as we unpacked and then we walked around the Old French Quarter where our hotel was located. We were right on West Lake in the middle of Hanoi, the lake best known in the U.S. as the lake that John McCain was fished out of after his plane was shot down. The lake is now quite beautiful but I'm sure back then everything was a nightmare. We were also across the street from Bobby Chinn's restaurant. He's a friend of Anthony Bourdain (one of Steven's favorite people) whom we watch on the Travel Channel at home.

It's not often that one gets to use the word "cacophony", but I don't think that I've ever been anywhere else in this world where the word is more appropriate. There are bikes, motorbikes, pedi-cabs, taxi cabs, busses, private cars and pedestrians and they are all honking their horns or screeching on their brakes. It was so noisy to us that we could barely think. And crossing the street was a life-threatening experience! No one looks, no one yields,and no one stops. After a while we just got into the rythym, closed our eyes and stepped off the curb hoping for the best. So far so good. The helmet law is "flexible" if it exists at all. Some people wear actual helmets but most wear counterfeit versions in fake Burberry plaid or Louis Vuitton designs or polo helmets painted pink or mint green for the women. Each motorbike has at least 2 persons; usually an adult and an infant or child (helmetless). We were terrified that we would have to try to catch a flying baby, but luckily we were not called upon for that task. Our driver, Hung, told us that by the end of this month there would be a law in place that required people to wear REAL safety helmets so no more pots, pans or rice cookers would be allowed. I will be interested to see if it really makes a difference. Also, the police are quite "flexible" in carrying out the laws - Hung told us that if you have some ready cash to give the cop for his trouble you can usually go on your way unless you've committed something really horrendous or there were multiple witnesses. Steven and I took no chances; we behaved ourselves for once.

Another thing that was unbelievable about Hanoi is that electrical lines are everywhere. They hang on buildings like draperies and are low over the streets. Even the electricity in our hotel was a little scary; each time we plugged something in (like a shaver, the computer, the hairdryer, etc) we could literally hear the electricity coming through the wires. It was a little disconcerting. We always knew the escape route in case of a fire.

On our walkies we visited some book shops and of course, for me, a silk shop. It was a tiny little shop that was located in the owners' living area behind a small storefront. Three generations were working that day and between Vietnamese (thank you, Ngoc) and French we were able to make ourselves understood and negotiate for what I wanted. Every day that we were in Hanoi we passed by their shop and exchanged pleasantries although we didn't buy anything more from them. Of course we were tired after all that negotiating so we had to let Bobby Chinn's place do business without us and decided to grab a quick bite in our hotel bar/café. We met two of the sweetest, smartest and most adorable young women there who became our "pets" and we theirs for the duration of our stay. They are in their early 20's and learning English and eager to ask all about America. They are Bic and Chi and we promised to write or email them. Ngoc, thanks again for the M & M hint - they were crazy about them!

The next day we met our guide and driver at 7:45 AM to tour Hanoi. The first stop was Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, where he still lies in state after 40 years. We were lucky that we got to go in as his body is re-embalmed every October/November so he is not usually in residence until December. Hung said that they had re-opened two days before our arrival so we needed to get there early in the morning as lines are long and it closes at 10:30 AM. The next stop was the Ho Chi Minh Museum which was very well presented and quite beautiful; much more pleasing architecture than the Mausoleum. We also saw the Presidential Palace, the house where Ho Chi Minh really lived (rather than the palace) and the tiny stilt house where he lived out his final days. We saw the first university built in Vietnam and then had a wonderful Vietnamese lunch in a second floor restaurant. After lunch we went to the "Hanoi Hilton", the P.O.W. prison that we're all familiar with from the Vietnam War. There is a small portion of it left as most of it was destroyed after the war to make way for redevelopment. It is a chilling place and made me think of the silver P.O.W. bracelets that Steven and I wore for so many years until we heard the fates of "our" prisoners. Next was the oldest Temple in Vietnam and a little walk around and then we each rode in a pedi-cab or cyclo around the city. Imagine two skinny little men wearing tattered clothes and flip flops pedaling our lazy butts around! Yikes! At first it was a bit frightening because we were right in the midst of the chaos of traffic, but after a while it just seemed like that was the way to go. Steven was in charge of the camera in his cyclo but I got to "converse" some with my driver. He also was fond of the M & M candies. Still alive we met up with Hung and had some HAI BOI, which is homemade beer that is sold on the street for about .15 a glass - it was delicious - COLD and crisp and even though I had read that in order to fill your glass the server has to siphon it out of the tank it's brewed in....... I continued with my "when in Hanoi do as the Hanoins do" philosophy. I know that my dear friend Gwynn is shuddering as she reads this. Just remember, Gwynn, I'm taking doxyclycline as an antimalarial so all will be well. Refreshed once again we headed for the water puppet theatre. This a tradition that is thousands of years old in Vietnam. The puppeteers stand waist deep in water behind a curtain and operate the puppets so that they portray the lives of the Vietnamese people. There are fishermen trying to catch jumping fish, rice farmers working their oxen, water and fire spewing dragons and processions of royalty. All of this is contolled under the water. It is amazing to me that the strings and poles and all don't get tied up in a miserable mess. The show was just fascinating and accompanied by traditional Vietnamese musicians. It was a wonderful way to end a wonderful day. Tomorrow we go to the coast to Halong Bay.

Steve here. Breaking News!! Ginger just informed me that just because we are no longer in the US it makes no difference in my standing. She is still in charge "because her in-charge license is international." Thank God I now know that.
We visited Halong Bay this morning. It is a large body of water that empties into the Bay of Tonkin and the South China Sea. It is on the UNESCO list of World Geography because of the limestone peaks that rise out of the water. There are hundreds of these peaks and many have shapes that have led to many superstitions; Bears, Chickens, etc. We were lucky enough to have rented a two-story boat all to ourselves complete with Captain, Cook and ships hand. We had been told that we would have a"little lunch" on board so were expecting a sandwich and a beer. Instead we got plates full of Vietnamese specialties and because we are Americans we got French fries as well. Also at Halong Bay you can go into a cave that wasn't discovered until 1993. It is amazing how large it is and that it was just recently discovered. We will soon be downloading photos of both the cave and the bay.
In spite of the beauty of the area the best part for me was the car ride to Halong Bay (we will discuss the ride back later). On the ride up we travelled for three hours. In that three hours we saw thousands of acres of rice paddies. It had already been harvested at this time of the year and the new crop won't be planted till January. They have three crops per year in the Hanoi area and four in the south. The farmers were fattening up ducks in the paddies. The ducks eat the remaining rice stalks in the fields. We also saw cattle and water buffalo in the fields eating. A water buffalo looks basically like a city bus on steroids. They seem to have a desire for mud because they are always covered with it.
Vietnam is the second leading exporter of rice in the world behind Thailand. The quality of Thai rice is considered the best in the world but Vietnamese is still of good quality. The export of rice pays for numerous imports into Vietnam; it also puts Vietnam in a position above other developing nations because it can feed itself.
We also saw corn and other crops growing along the way to the Bay. About every 10 miles there was a small town. Every town had its own shops and markets. It becomes somewhat like déjà vu because each town covers the basics for its residents.
We also saw industry sprouting up close to both Halong Bay and Hanoi. Larger buildings with more employees close to the cities and smaller companies and investments in the small towns. The industry is still basic but it is new and growing quickly.
Now let's talk about the death drive from Halong bay to Hanoi. To put it bluntly the Vietnamese drive horribly. But when you add to that the factories and high schools were getting out and dark coming early this time of year you have the makings of Halloween 7. Ginger and I had gotten used to traffic and the disregard for traffic laws but we were not quite ready for the lack of visibility. On the same highways you have bicycles, homemade farm equipment, motorbikes, cars, trucks, buses and tractor trailers. When you add these all together it was horrifying. Everyone passes the bicycles and motorbikes, the cars pass the trucks and tractor trailers and the buses pass everyone. And sometimes this is all happening simultaneously. When you add darkness and a definite lack of working lights on most vehicles it is just too stressful for words. Ginger and I promised if we made it back alive we would never travel outside a city at night again in Vietnam. We did and we haven't.
We finally got back to our hotel and went straight to the lounge for a Tiger Beer and a hamburger with French fries to relieve the stress. Luckily our waitress friends Chi and Bic took good care of us. We ate, drank and went to bed to try to wake up from the driving nightmare.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227445200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227445200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227445200/tpod.html Sun, 23 Nov 2008 08:45:58 -0500 Thanksgiving in AsiaII

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Siem Reap, Cambodia

I was against adding Cambodia to our list of travels but Ginger insisted that we visit Angkor Wat and was she right. We are having an amazing time here. Other than the visa process which was very similar to Vietnam's and eating stir-fry morning glory stems four days in a row everything has been great. Morning glories maybe once but four straight days over two countries. Enough already. Back to Cambodia. Our guide Hak and driver Mr Bo are really great and informed. They are very proud of their country and exhibit it in the best light. We have had three wonderful guides, Hung in Hanoi, Anh in Hue and Hoi An and Hak here. Our typical comment about our guide in HCMC and Can Tho was "let's ditch the bitch". We got rid of her whenever we could.

Ginger here: Yes, we truly did not care for our HCMC/Mekong Delta guide, but we didn't let her ruin anything. We just let her think that her annoying habit of talking about herself and her clothes and her looks, etc etc were just what we came to Vietnam for! Luckily all the other guides/drivers we arranged for have been wonderful. I have always wanted to see Angkor Wat since I was a kid and first read something about it in National Geographic. The last few days have been nothing short of amazing. We have been clamoring/climbing/hiking and crawling around the jungle and the treasures that were hidden in it for hundreds of years. We have been lucky with the weather here, too, if you can call 32 degrees centigrade (about 91 Nashville degrees) lucky. I've never drunk so much water in my life (or sweat so much) - I have not felt very ladylike in the last few days. Every temple, every stupa, every palace, every structure is more interesting than the last. Every frieze, every carving, every Buddha is more spectacular to see. I should have a blister on my camera button finger very soon. Today I even surprised myself by going up in a balloon to see everything from the air! I'm just about worn out physically with all this activity in the heat, so the last leg of this trip in Hong Kong is looking more and more like R & R time. It probably won't work out that way but I am dreaming of time by the pool and sleeping late. I can't believe that we have just one more week to go. It seems as if we left home just a few days ago, but evidently that's not the case. I haven't really been homesick, but I do miss my "kids" and can't wait to snuggle with them. It's only about 8:45 PM here now but I really need to get to sleep. Another big day (our last in Cambodia) is coming up and I need to be ready for it. So far in our travels Cambodia seems to have the most reliable internet - go figure! Steven will probably try to send out the earlier things that we wrote but couldn't ever get on the blog. Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone. Eat some turkey for me.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227277980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227277980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227277980/tpod.html Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:15:29 -0500 Thanksgiving in AsiaII

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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Our technical problems continue. I need John G to help me. Today is our last full day in Vietnam. We leave for Siem Reap tomorrow. I have really loved Vietnam and I can't believe how much I have learned. The country is totally different from what I expected. It is much like China with a middle class in the urban areas and much more poverty in the coutry. Infrastructure is needed very desperately here and they are finding ways to get it. I hope to cover a little more on this later.
We left Can Tho this morning after seeing the floating market. Hundreds of boats performing the most basic economic function of creating a market. We saw hundreds of people who live on boats and perform all their most basic functions on the Mekong River. We hope to post photos asap. We had to get up at 5:15 this morning to be on the river at 6:00. It was a ride of about 7km to the market. We stayed about an hour and then went back to Can Tho for breakfast (bacon, eggs and toast, yum) and then drove back to HCMC.

Had lunch (6 courses, again) and finished the drive back. We got to our hotel mid-afternoon and then went shopping at a local market. We have too much weight in our luggage so we have been taking it easy. We are packing tonite and then leaving in the morning.

We had dinner and drinks at the roof bar at the Rex Hotel where the US Military gave press briefings in the early part of the Vietnam War. The briefings were generally so rosy that they became known as the 5:00 Follies and that is the name of the bar. It is absolutely beautiful with palm trees and plants on the roof and good food and drinks. Ginger and I prefer Tiger Beer to all else especially if you can get it on draft. Ginger had roast chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner and I had ribs and fries. Sometimes you just need a taste of home.

We fly out to Cambodia tomorrow. As they say "stay on the path so you don't step on a land mine." We will be flying Vietnam Airlines for the 3rd time. They have nice new jets. It makes me feel safe.

Addendeum from Ginger: I have liked HCMC the least of all the places that we have been, but I enjoyed the last few days spent in the Delta. I can't believe all the mileage that we have covered. Our one bit of excitement while travelling the Mekong was on our way to the market this morning in Can Tho - as Steve said it was only 6AM so barely light and a large boat sped by our small one almost swamping us with its wake. Luckily for us our hired boatman realized what was about to happen and turned our boat across the other boat's wake which gave us a kind of "bucking bronco" effect, but kept us from going over. The river is extremely muddy and heaven knows what's in it - actually we all know exactly what's in it - so I didn't want to be thrown into it. That was one travel adventure I didn't want to experience! The rooftop dinner was lovely and after we finished eating a salsa band played and lots of tourists from around the world danced. Imagine a completely Vietnamese salsa band with a Vietnamese singer who sang in English, Italian and Spanish! Boy, do I feel inadequate. We have gotten to use our basic Vietnamese, though. And that has been really fun and rewarding. On to Ankgor Wat tomorrow - a place that I have always wanted to see. I think that by the time we get to Hong Kong I'm going to be too tired to sightsee and lay by the pool and nap until it's time to fly home! Happy Thanksgiving to all in case we don't get another blog out. Electricity and computers here are not what they are at home!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227174240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227174240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227174240/tpod.html Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:58:10 -0500 Thanksgiving in AsiaII

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Can Tho, Vietnam

We me may be able to download more entries tonite. We appear to have licked part of our computer problem and are in a hotel with a wire connection as opposed to WiFi which has been killing us. Enough about that already.

We are in Can Tho in southern Vietnam, the largest city in the Mekong Delta area. We traveled by car (I did not drive) from Saigon (Hi Chi Minh City) this morning. The trip down took about 7 hours including our stops. Our route this morning was on the new Vietnam Route 1 which stretches throughout the country to China. The part we traveled on today is just over 1 year old. When the new part ended we started traveling on older parts of Route 1and some smaller highways. Our first stop was for a floating market located on the Mekong River. The area is quite wet and swampy but makes a wonderful area for rice production.We have seem rice paddies being worked by water buffalo and farmers all day. The floating market was quiet today as we arrived so late, however, we will be at the market at 6:00AM tomorrow and should be able to see some real action!

We visited a small riverside village where we saw locals producing candy and puffed rice (really cool) and doing cement work and fruit production. These industries along with fishing and rice employ the majority of the locals. The others work in tourism (piloting the boats or selling the above-mentioned items). We had lunch at an 18th century house that seemed to be the only restaurant in the area. We ate elephant earred fish, lotus root soup, clay pot pork, steamed shrimp, battered and fried pumpkin flowers stuffed with catfish and spring rolls. The lunches we have had have been so delicious and filling that our usual dinner has been a beer and a sandwich. Except for last nite when we went to a highly recommended ice cream shop in Ho Chi Mnh CIty and had coconut ice cream and a strawberry shake!

We also took a boat through the canals of the Mekong and crossed another branch of it by ferry to arrive in Can Tho late this afternoon. Just as we were checking into our hotel the rain started again so we were glad that the day's journey was over. We need to get a good sleep tonight for our early morning adventure at the floating market and our drive back to Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow afternoon.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227021060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227021060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1227021060/tpod.html Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:25:24 -0500 Thanksgiving in AsiaII

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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Technical problems continue on the Traveling Tessier Tour. However, we will continue to update as things happen and go backfill later. We arrive in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) tonight after a flight from Da Nang. The weather here was much better than we expected because the typhoon both weakened and changed direction. However, it absolutely poured this morning in Hoi An and we stayed in our room and packed and napped today. We finally feel rested because we have been traveling a mile a minute. Our guide whom we love brought us to a museum in Da Nang and we spoke to a couple there. Later in the day we ran into them at a coffee shop at the airport in Da Nang and they shared a table with us. Come to find out they were from the same town I was born in. We had a good time together.

It is getting late and we have to meet our guide at 8:00AM tomorrow. I will update more later.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1226927220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1226927220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1226927220/tpod.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:38:27 -0500 Thanksgiving in AsiaII

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Hoi An, Vietnam

We are experiencing technical difficulties in getting the blog transfered from our computer to the internet so we are behind. However, as soon as we can get our computer on line we will be updating the blog.

We are having a magnificent time. We had a wonderful time in Hanoi and Halong Bay then we traveled to Hue. Hue is a magnificent city and is on the UNESCO World Heritage site list. You will be getting a blog from both Hue and Halong Bay as soon as we are able.

Ginger and I both found Hoi An to be very rustic like maybe the seacoast of Maine. It is on both a river and the ocean. The town is filled with many small handicraft shops and 100's of tailor shops. Ginger and I both are having shirts made to be delivered tomorrow.
The town has been a trading center for about half a millenium so they are very good at handling people of different backgrounds. The area is also a resort and we are getting more rest than anytime before on the trip. We just finished dinner at the hotel and they put out about 200 floating candles on the river; they pass the outdoor dining room. Very pretty. It is a Vietnamese tradition to wish upon the candles.
Tomorrow we are a little concerned because we are to fly from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City (Siagon). The problem is over the next two days a typhoon is supposed to hit HCMC or just to the south. We hope to arrive before the storm. If the storm is severe we'll just have to lash ourselves to the bar and hope for the best!
Our big boy Don (our oldest Greyhound) is having surgery on a questionable growth on his foot today so we wish we could be with him. We are thankful that our house/dog sitter Emily found it and that Gwynn was there to take him to the Vet's.

To those of you who have replied to the blog it has been nice to hear from you.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1226413380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1226413380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/srtessier/1/1226413380/tpod.html Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:34:37 -0500 Thanksgiving in AsiaII

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Hanoi, Vietnam



Steve here. Yesterday at this time I was not that impressed with Hanoi. We had landed at the airport which was about 45 minutes outside of the city and it was not new and modern like the others we had been to in Asia; Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong. As a matter of fact it was definitely out of style and date. Then as we entered into the airport we had to go through Immigrations which was as pompous as US immigration with out the efficiencies. The Immigration people were all soldiers who appeared to be very young and on a power trip. They handled their jobs with the typical flair of bureaucrats trying to do as little as possible. Finally, Ginger and I cleared Immigrations and were given our visas and sent on our way. At least we weren't stopped at Customs to add to the aggravation. We walked into the waiting room and there was Hung, our guide for the four days that we will be in Hanoi, he brought us to our driver and we all climbed into the car and off we went to our hotel. By this time I was pretty aggravated and everything that Hung said sent me further into my gloom. As we were driven into the city we found that the traffic conditions were awful and no road rules seemed to be followed at all. Speed limits ignored, stop signs not there, red lights no way, yielding right of way, you got to be kidding me. Ginger and I had the rear seat brakes on constantly. Outside of the city of Hanoi the look of poverty ran rampant and as we crossed the Red River into City it did not improve. By the time we got to the Zephyr Hotel , where we were staying, I was very happy to arrive so that I would be out of the automobile and be pissed off on my own.
But alas as the night wore on and I found out more about the Vietnamese people and the City of Hanoi my attitude really improved. That and Ginger told me she was going to kick my butt if I didn't straighten out.

More positive vibes to come.
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