Articles from this Category
18 June 2011
Above: Tumuli Park (burial mounds) by night at Gyeongju. I flew to Daegu today at 1530, flying with Asiana Airlines again. Upon arrival an hour later, I took a taxi to its city centre for an hour-long bus ride to neighbouring Gyeongju. Gyeongju is referred to as a museum without walls because it is home […]
7 June 2011
Impressive Marina Sands We had a reasonably early start in Ho Chi Minh to make the 0910 Tiger Airways flight to Singapore. With an hour time difference, we landed just after midday and taxied to the Geylang red light district to check into our budget hotel, Hotel 81. Without much ado, we made our way […]
5 June 2011
Sightseeing with friends Today we caught up with Rodger and Liisa, our good friends from Auckland. We went to the Reunification Palace (which was the seat of the former South Vietnamese government) and the War Remnants Museum (which documents the atrocities of the American War). The latter proved rather grimmer than we remember from our […]
5 June 2011
Our scheduled departure from Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City was late tonight at 2150. We wanted a taste of the beach life but didn’t feel like snorkelling … we only wanted a few lazy dips in the water. So we didn’t do one of those boozy party-boat trips to the nearby islands. Instead […]
4 June 2011
Deciding to dive We hadn’t decided on diving in Nha Trang, but at only USD40 for two fun dives with Coco Dive Centre, it was too good to be true. This was slightly less than their website price as it may have been a slow period. It was a good way to keep current and […]
4 June 2011
Deciding to dive We hadn’t decided on diving in Nha Trang, but at only USD40 for two fun dives with Coco Dive Centre, it was too good to be true. This was slightly less than their website price as it may have been a slow period. It was a good way to keep current and […]
3 June 2011
Above: Pomelo salad for lunch. We flew with Vietnam Airlines on a propeller plane from Danang airport at 1020 to Nha Trang. Coming into land at 1145 at Nha Trang was very scenic. The sea was deep blue but turn turquoise closer to the coastline due to the golden sands. Close to the estuary it […]
2 June 2011
Above: At a portal of the Phuoc Sun Gold Mine. We had planned to to visit My Son today … hahaha! My Son are Angkor-like ruins reachable as a day-trip from Hoi An. But we had an interesting offer from friends of friends from New Zealand who operate a gold mine here. The […]
1 June 2011
Hoi An is an old trading port that has earned the Unesco World Heritage status. Cars are banned from the old town; likewise with motorcycles for most of the day. The shophouses are all protected from ghastly renovations … except that many have been tastefully converted into cafes, galleries, souvenir shops etc. Many Chinese settled […]
31 May 2011
From Hue to Hoi An, we took a tourist bus which picked up guests (Vietnamese and foreigners) from various hotels before heading on the journey south. We passed through Danang and having had more than a glimpse of the city now, I’m pleased we decided to bypass the city … apart from resorts and golfing, […]