TravelStream™ news feed for member tonyandsara_rtw on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/tonyandsara_rtw en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:44:47 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1192618020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1192618020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1192618020/tpod.html Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:44:47 -0400 The year long honeymoon adventures of . . . two drifters, off to see the world, there's such a lot of world to see . . .

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Halong Bay, Vietnam

Up in good time and down to  Handspan Tours to get brekkie and get on our cruise.  Disaster!  We were told that the Dragon's Pearl, our luxury cruise junk, had run aground the day before and when they tried to pull it clear they ripped a hole in the hull!   We were so disapointed!  It was out of action for 3 months so they offered us the same cruise but on a less luxurious junk  at a discount so we managed to get our tour at least.It was a comfy and entertaining 4 hour bus journey to the dock at Ha Long City, along the way chatting with the guide and introducing ourselves to the rest of the group.  The junk itself was very nice and luckily, because of the accident, there were only 7 other people on the junk that can hold 16.  Also we shamelessly told them we were on our honeymoon during our introduction so we got the best and biggest cabin at the prow.  We were served a fancy and delish sea-food lunch before getting under way for a lovely afternoon cruise through the limestone karsts on the bright green waters of Ha Long Bay.Our cruise ended at Amazing Cave - a huge limestone cave carved out of the rock by the waves and the rain.   There were lots of beautiful and interesting rock formation, with lots of stories behind them of course, but it was marred somewhat by the easy flagstone path that had been laid down.  This really was a cruise for those who want to take it easy.  But still we enjoyed the cave and the history told to us by our guide and at the end we climbed a small rise to get a great view out over the bay and eat a well deserved ice-cream.  The junk then sailed to the anchorage for the night and we had the chance to swim before dinner but because all the junks have to over-night in that one small shelted area the water was a bit too dirty for our tastes.  So we settled for watching the sun go down on the sun deck and enjoying a fabulous 5 course dinner.   As a special treat the company had got Sara and I a beautiful honeymoon cake which we shared with everyone and had a mini celebration.The next day started with a short cruise to a secluded spot where the water was much clearer, the scenery more beautiful and where we got ourselves kitted out for some sea-kayaking.  It didn't take us long to get back into our rhythm and soon our guide led us to a huge karst with a tunnel in its side.  The ceiling of the tunnel was only about 2 foot above the water but it was the only way in so we lay back as far as we could and pushed ourselves through.  I t was a bit hairy at times but we were rewarded with a gorgeous secluded lagoon, closed in on all sides by the steep cliffs of the karst.  We paddled around for a while, listened to some history and stories from the guide then just relaxed in our kayaks listening to the sounds of nature all around us.  When we were ready we paddled to a small but picturesque beach where we got out of the kayaks for a dip in the water.  The water was very clear and warm and it was a great place to relax and play in the water.  Back aboard ship we decided to take it easy and spent the afternoon relaxing on our sun-loungers on the sun-deck, just looking around us and enjoying the peace you find here.  Later we cruised to our anchorage visiting, on the way, a floating village which is home to 400 people and includes a school, clinic and museum.  It was interesting to see everything being done on the water like a scene from Waterworld, only much better!The last day saw us climbing the highest karst in the bay for spectacular views.  It was only 300 or so steps but it gave us a wide view over the bay filled with karsts half hidden in the haze.  After getting down it was a relaxing lunch while cruising to the dock where we had to barge aside two other junks to get close.  We still had to climbs over 2 other junks to get to land though.So back to Ha Noi with us after a wonderful and relaxing cruise.  Just what we needed for a bit of a break and a special wee treat for the birthday girl.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1167315120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1167315120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1167315120/tpod.html Fri, 07 Dec 2007 07:32:00 -0500 The year long honeymoon adventures of . . . two drifters, off to see the world, there's such a lot of world to see . . .

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London, United Kingdom

Just catching our connecting flight...
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Hanoi, Vietnam

Our bus to Ha Noi wasn't until 2pm so after checking out we camped by the pool until it was time to go.  The bus wasn't too bad and, lucky for us, for the first 3 hours to Hue there was hardly anyone on it so we could spread out.  After that, however, things started to go wrong.  In Hue we took on all the people the bus could possibly hold and after cramming us in the bus sat there for about 1/2 hour before getting under way.  For a few hours the journey was boring and uncomfortable but at least uneventful.  We stopped at some restaurant for what could only be described as a refueling stop and then on into the night.  That's when it got eventful.  Around 11pm (as some people got comfortable on the gangway floor for some sleep) the bus developed a problem with one of it's back wheels.  For the next  1 1/2 hours we limped at 10kph to the nearest garage where we could wake someone up for repairs.  We stayed there for the next 4 hours as we waited for parts and for the repairers to take apart and rebuild the wheel assembly.  No-one told us what was going on of course - we had to work it out for ourselves.Anyway finally we got back on the road around 4 or 5 am and when T asked he was told we would be in Ha Noi by 10am.  We got in to the bus station around 1pm, but nothing new there.  At the bus station we were surrounded by hotel touts saying they worked for the bus company and would take us into town for free but being the seasoned travelers we are we didn't fall for that one, just took one of their taxis and told them to take us to a hotel we had booked or we wouldn't pay the fare.  That seemed to work.  We finally collapsed into our hotel beside the East Gate of the Old Quarter 23 hours after leaving on our 12 hour bus journey.Ha Noi is a mad place.  It's actually a nice city but the traffic, lack of rules and caring that you might kill someone the way you are driving make it annoying to get around.  We were constantly dodging motos going too fast or just trying to barge through and both of us were hit by one at some stage.  Of course we shouted blue murder at them but it's such a common occurrence no-one seems to think much of it.  But the number of deaths per year on the roads is awful.  In the last 4 weeks we've seen about 6 crashes.During our time there we had some business to attend to to get ready for going to Laos so we got to walk round a good part of the city.  We explored the Old Quarter which is where we were staying and if it wasn't for the traffic it would have been great.  As it was we found some lovely places to eat, checked out as many of the sights as we could and relaxed walking around the central lake.  It's quite a green city with lots of trees lining most streets and the Old Quarter has a lot of character to it.  One excellent thing we did was to go and see a water puppet show.  This is a thousand year old art form born in the rice fields and was a very impressive and entertaining thing to see.  The puppeteers are very skillful in making the puppets dance and skip across the water and it was accompanied by a band playing traditional music.  A bit loud and high-pitched for us but certainly made a good atmosphere.  It was fun to watch puppet people swimming as they were being chased by dragons spouting flames and giant fish.  At one stage two puppets were trying to catch the same fish with a bamboo basket, caught each other instead and ended up in a hilarious punch-up!  When the puppeteers came out from behind the screen for their bow they all looked completely drenched as they have to be in the water as well.As it was Sara's birthday recently and as she has such a good husband he decided to treat her to a 3 day cruise on a very fancy junk in Ha Long Bay, the most beautiful part of Vietnam. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1192095120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1192095120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1192095120/tpod.html Fri, 26 Oct 2007 05:33:27 -0400 The year long honeymoon adventures of . . . two drifters, off to see the world, there's such a lot of world to see . . .

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Where we broke down, Vietnam

This may be somwhere near where the bus broke down but really only doing this to keep us on the map!
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Hanoi, Vietnam

Just going back here after the cruise to get a flight to Vientiane
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Hoi An, Vietnam

After a long night bus journey we arrived in Hoi An around 7am.  We had decided to treat ourselves to a fancy hotel and made a reservation with Greenfields.  Unfortunately a little photoshopping had been carried out on their website pictures and it didn't look much like they had made it out to.  Ended up staying just for one night then we hoped on motorbike taxis (which Sara is starting to love) to move to a good old budget guesthouse, Thien Nga, which was much cheaper and far superior.  It even has a small swimming pool.So the town itself is supposed to be the most authentic Vietnamese town in the whole country.  It is the only place that wasn't bombed or attacked during the war and remains pretty much as it did back in the day.  It is a lovely wee place and has a pretty riverside area which is all lit up with beautiful paper lanterns at night.  It is also renowned for its specialty cuisine so we went to a little riverside restaurant one night and to try a 4 course meal designed to let the visitor experience the traditional food.  We had tasty dishes like white rose (shrimp wrapped in steamed rice paper with a range of delicious dips), Hoi An noodles, wanton, sweet and sour fried fish and fried bananas.  We loved it all.On the way back to our hotel we met Heidi who had been on the Mekong Delta trip with us and she told us she had got lots of clothes made at the local tailors - another thing Hoi An is famous for.  We decided to pop into one on the way and choose a very busy Impressions Boutique.  They had a professional no pressure approach and a emphasis on quality rather than cheap bargain prices so we ended up choosing a design and material for a suit and some shirts to be tailor made for Tony.  When we went back for the fitting they all looked good and we just had to ask for a few minor adjustments.  At the final fitting they looked good so as long as they make it safely back to Ireland we'll be happy.Unfortunately Sara's tailor made dress didn't turn out so well.  She tried on a gorgeous Thai silk dress in a tailors called Tin Tin and got measured for a copy for herself.  When we went there for the fitting they sent her into a very dark and dusty room to try it on.  They must have hoped that the darkness would prevent us from noticing that they had used a cheap plastic material instead of Thai silk and that the dress was way too big and obviously made for someone else entirely.  After asking for a sample and showing them that we knew it wasn't silk by how quickly it burnt and smelt we managed to get our deposit back.  They asked us to let them make another one with real silk but we had had enough of them and didn't want to waste any more time.  Still at least we had fun getting Tony's stuff.Apart from all the eating and dressmaking we spent the rest of our time wandering around the old town admiring the old wooden houses, shops, temples and an interesting covered Japanese bridge.  It was a fun few days and a relaxed and, with the exception of the dress incident, hassle free place to visit.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1191670260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1191670260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1191670260/tpod.html Sun, 21 Oct 2007 07:06:32 -0400 The year long honeymoon adventures of . . . two drifters, off to see the world, there's such a lot of world to see . . .

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Nha Trang, Vietnam

Onwards to the coastal town of Nha Trang and to our mutual horror we discovered that the bus to take us there was the same as the one we got to Dalat and, even worse, we had the same driver!  So we set off on another painfully slow, dangerous and nerve-racking journey but at least with so few people on the bus we could spread out a bit.  We decided that this would probably be the last of the cheapo local buses we would take for a while.  Anyway, the journey took us down out of the hills on a windy but picturesque road and at our stop at a road-side cafe for noodles we had the entertainment of watching 4 guys trying to cut down a tree that grew up through a shop and its roof with dangerous and unbelievable results.When we got to Nha Trang we got a comfy room and wandered around the town which is very nice.  It has a lovely, long, clean and quiet beach; the weather was hot and sunny and although it is very touristy there are lots of services, good food and everything is really laid back and easy.  We have been craving western food for a while now and in Nha Trang we got stuck into sating that craving.  As well as that we had a great time just walking along the beach and enjoying being beside the sea again.  But with the heat we couldn't stay out for much longer than 2 or 3 hrs at a time before seeking refuge under the air-con.So just a nice relaxing time by the sea.  It was good to have a wee break from all the fast-paced traveling lark but you know us, relaxing doesn't last long and after 2 days of it we were ready to hit the road again.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1191324420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1191324420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1191324420/tpod.html Sun, 21 Oct 2007 06:57:15 -0400 The year long honeymoon adventures of . . . two drifters, off to see the world, there's such a lot of world to see . . .

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Dalat, Vietnam

Departed from Saigon at 8am for our six and a half hour journey to a little town in the mountains called Dalat.  Well in true Asian style things didn't go according to plan and thanks to a dodgy bus that couldn't go over 35kph and had little in the way of brakes, too many rest stops (bus stops at restaurants or shops the company gets commission from) and the 'go slow so you are too tired to look for a hotel other than the one the bus company owns and drops you off at' policy we eventually arrived at 5pm.  As well as being slightly tired and fed up we also had splitting headaches as drivers here use their horns instead of indicating or looking behind them or any other normal rules of the road so that pretty much means constant horn beeping for the whole journey.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.  Got a taxi to the hotel but they didn't have a room for us despite us emailing them 3 days before and also getting a receptionist in our Saigon to check the reservation and instead the owner piled us and our bags onto motorbikes and sent us to her brothers hotel which was just that wee bit too far out of town but we were tired so we gave in and stayed there.  In the end it turned out to be a nice hotel and the people were very friendly but we were disappointed not to get the one we had booked.It was Sara's 30th birthday the next day so after exploring the town, dandering round the lake, checking out the markets etc we went to a nice restaurant by the lake for a celebratory dinner.  We thought it would be rude not to try the local wine so we ordered a bottle of it and although Dalat red tastes a little strange at first (a bit like strawberry jam) we soon acquired a taste for it and ended up drinking copious amounts.  It was a great nights craic and we managed to stumble into a taxi and back up to our room.  Alas the next day was not so pleasant as we had the hangovers from hell and poor Sara ended up spending most of the day in bed.  Not a very graceful, dignified or sophisticated start to her 30's but it was wile good craic!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1190981520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1190981520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1190981520/tpod.html Wed, 10 Oct 2007 05:42:00 -0400 The year long honeymoon adventures of . . . two drifters, off to see the world, there's such a lot of world to see . . .

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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The Lonely Planet has a walking tour of Saigon and over the next 3 days we dandered around the city seeing the sights and exploring this vibrant city.  Our first destination, as always, was the big central market which has hundreds of stalls selling everything you could want.  We visited a few shops on the way but you always have most fun in a market and you can get a better taste of the place you are in at a market.  Well if the market is anything to go by this city is mad!  People at every stall were calling to us to see what they have to sell and in the clothes section people were grabbing our arms and trying to drag us to their stalls!  So a few got a telling off from exasperated tay balos (that's us btw and means "Westerners with big rucksacks".  The best however was being constantly asked the very personal and eternal question of, "What are you looking for?"  Well if we knew that life would be a lot more simple!After the market we headed on to the Fine Arts Museum which is housed in an old French colonial building that is crumbling a bit.  But that just added to the atmosphere and we enjoyed many wonderful statues but weren't so fussed on the paintings - quite a lot of communist propaganda but interesting nonetheless.  There were also ancient artifacts dating back to the Oc Eo era around the 4th century CE (current era).  An easy introduction to the city that day we went back to the market for our first taste of the famous pho (Vietnamese noodle soup with chili and mint).  It was delicious, very fresh and healthy, and of all the S.E. Asian cuisine so far we like Vietnamese food best.  We also learned very quickly how to cross a road here.  With the millions of motos flying about and no-one stopping for anything or obeying any kind of road rules you just have to walk slowly out in front of the traffic and as you cross they all do their best not to hit you.  No guarantees but at least they try.The next few days sightseeing included a colourful street market, the best ice-cream shop in Saigon, visiting impressive old buildings like the Municipal Theatre, walking in the palace gardens (bit of green and peace in the city), the Reunification Palace (closed when we got there so we admired it from the outside and Notre Dame Cathedral.  There are also loads of museums in the city but we've lost our enthusiasm for that sort of thing over these 10 months of traveling so we just visited one - the Museum of Ho Chi Minh City.  It mostly focuses on the different stages of the communist struggle in Vietnam and was quite interesting.  All in all it was a good few days in a great hotel (Luan Vu) and we are really enjoying traveling again.  We're finding traveling in 'Nam a bit easier than the rest of S.E. Asia as it is less hot and humid so it's more comfortable for walking around and exploring, you get slightly less hassle on the streets, and most importantly the food is delicious.  It's also possible to get talking to Vietnamese people without any alterior motive (getting you to buy something) and we chatted to locals and kids who wanted to practice their English all over the city.  Looking forward to seeing more of this country.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1190808420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1190808420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tonyandsara_rtw/rtw2007/1190808420/tpod.html Sun, 07 Oct 2007 07:25:03 -0400 The year long honeymoon adventures of . . . two drifters, off to see the world, there's such a lot of world to see . . .

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Mekong Delta, Vietnam

We booked a 3 day trip around the Mekong delta with the lovely girl from Mekong Tours in Chau Doc and had a grand old time.  It kicked off at 7am when we met our guide and group and were all marched off to the dock to board a traditional wooden long tailed boat.  First stop was a Cham (minority people) village on the river where the people live in houses on stilts and where we saw women weaving brightly coloured garments.  The area is subjected to a lot of flooding and they told us that the stilts are often completely submerged.  We visited their Mosque which to be honest wasn't that exciting then cruised on to another family home on the river where they had a huge fish farm under their front veranda.  After a bus trip we arrived in Can Tho where we set off with Heidi (a friendly girl from Estonia who has been traveling for 2 years!) to stay with a local family for the night.  We took motorbike tuk tuks to the river then a very small boat down the beautiful winding canals deep into the countryside.  The Mekong is much nicer when you get out of the city and it was a really peaceful and pretty journey to the family home.  They were very friendly and welcoming and the mum made a huge lunch for us (best food we've had yet in 'Nam) then they directed us to hammocks where we spent the afternoon lazing and chatting.  The son spoke perfect English and in the afternoon he took us for a walk around the area and showed us various crops, rice fields and tiny villages where everyone we passed shouted "hello" at us.  We got absolutely filthy from the knees down in the mucky fields but it was great to be out in the country again and get a bit of proper exercise.  Back at the house the mum had prepared an even bigger delicious meal with rice wine (very strong stuff) and she fed us till we were ready to explode then we all sat chatting till bedtime. Alas we didn't sleep too well as there was a rat on the roof of our wee house and Sara was terrified it would get in.  Tony told her not to be so silly then admitted in the morning that it had actually made a little hole in the roof and poked its head in through it during the night!  We set off on an adventurous journey to meet up with the fancy people in the tour who stayed in rat free hotels.  We walked across a dodgy looking monkey bridge with all our bags then tramped across the muddy fields until we found 3 guys on motorbikes waiting to take us to town.  We had no choice but to jump on and try to balance ourselves with our huge rucksacks on our backs as we drove around wee country lanes and into the the busy little town.  Must admit it was a bit hard to stop yourself from falling off sometimes and we all felt a tad too heavy for the bikes but despite a minor incident where Tony's driver crashed into a bridge we were all miraculously delivered safely to the dock.  Had a wander around the market and checked out  local delicacies such as frogs and eels before hopping onto another boat with a new guide and new group who all looked very fresh and clean compared to us.  The day was spent sailing along the Mekong through a floating market and stopping off to see a rice noodle factory, a rice mill and bonsai gardens.  In the afternoon we got to the town of My Tho and the guide tried to send us off on motorbikes again but we managed to convince him to take us to our hotel on the bus.  Pissed a few people off but it was a much busier town and it was raining so we weren't taking any more chances that day.  After a small incident at the hotel where they tried to make the three of us sleep in the same room (Heidi ended up being sent to a hotel across the road) we had a restful evening before meeting up for dinner and beers.Last day of the tour and it didn't start well.  Our tour was supposed to begin at 10am and as we waited T managed to avoid being ripped off in our hotel for water.  However, we had been forgotten about and it wasn't until 11am someone turned up and in a bit of a panic led us to the dock to get our boat.  But of course we had missed the tour boat so we had our own boat for a lovely cruise along the river before catching up with our real boat at the coconut sweet factory.  They tried to put us in the real boat and go to the next stop (the rest of the group had already done the factory tour) but being our cheeky selves we demanded to see and taste the coconut sweets and we got a very quick tour of the place.  After that excitement everything went smoothly.  After a short cruise we transfered to smaller boats to head up a jungle river into the centre of a small island to visit a honey farm.  We had yummy honey tea and honey wine which must have gone to T's head as he ended up holding a bee hive swarming with bees!  He also held a snake but that's old hat to 2 seasoned travelers.  Off again for a free lunch on another island then we transfered to row boats to navigate a very narrow river to visit a place where we got fresh fruit while listening to local traditional music in what could have been the deep jungle with all the trees around us.  Past bottles of snake and scorpion wine we dandered back to our boat to connect with the bus to Saigon.  The 3 of us were crushed into the back of a mini-bus and when the guide tried to get one more person in we all shouted in unison, "No!".  But it wasn't too long a journey to the city although when we got there we saw that it had been flooded by the recent heavy rains so the traffic was murder.  We managed to find our way to our very nice hotel and all in all it was a good wee tour of the Mekong area and we got to see a lot.  Now time for city living again!
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