General – Page 15 – Creative Meanderings

Vietnam – Travel from Hanoi to Hue: Day 8

General, Meanderings Abroad No Responses »

Aug 052009

A full day of traveling to our next destination was spent for our half-way mark of our travels through Vietnam.

There was a bit of waiting around as our boat made its way back to the port and we were shuttled back to land. In some ways it was a relief to return to a more comfortable form of life on land after being away in the quiet and watery-world. In others, I immediately missed the breeze and peacefulness of the boat bobbing along the waves.

We boarded our bus heading back to Hanoi where we were to catch our night train down to Hue. The bus was slightly delayed in traffic due to an accident with a taxi and tourist bus, but after a bit of honking, people-watching and swerving in and out of traffic, we were on our speedy way. The bus driver was on the short-tempered side in his driving as he sped by other trucks, cars, and motorbikes driving the bus at a bouncy clip so that we could have been on a trotting horse rather than in the back of a bus. With an interesting “shortcut” that took us down a bumpy dirt road and lost time from the regular road, we made it in good time to Hanoi back to our original hotel where we had a couple of hours to spend before heading for the train station.

Craig and I went for a quick Pho dinner while Roman caught up on his internet. Then, we took a quick taxi ride to the station. Now, our hope had been to get the Livitran for our 13-hour night journey to Hue. However, when we asked at the hotel, they told us it was all sold out. The next best option was for a soft-sleeper bed, with four bunks and a bit more space. Sadly, also sold out. So, our personal trip to the station to get tickets resulted in the three of us getting very cheap tickets for the 6-bunk hard-sleeper bed train. This website shows the different options pretty well.

When we arrived at our car, there were already three or rather four (two women were sharing one of the bottom bunks) people settled in. I took the top bunk and the boys got the two middle bunks. It was an experience… no-smoking cars that allowed smoke, so that it traveled through the air conditioning system right above my head, very little head space and a precarious decline to the ground were a couple of the adjustments needed to be made. Still, I have to say it was not as bad as it could have been and I felt like I got to see how the locals would travel, which is better in a way than using my wealth for comfort. One night of less comfortable environs was worth being able to write about.

In the morning, most people were in the hallway looking out the window and trying to take in some “fresh” air as the scenery flew by. We arrived in Hue without incident and were greeted by our pickup for the hotel.

More to come…

-T

Vietnam – Halong Bay: Days 6 – 7

General, Meanderings Abroad No Responses »

Aug 042009

In the morning, Columbus Cruise came to pick us up from our hotel. After a few stops to pick up more of our travel companions, we were on our three-hour bus ride to Halong Bay for our two night/three day tour.

At first, our tour guide, Hai, was a bit too talkative and happy for me. After Egypt, I’ve become a bit less patient and more skeptical of tour guides and their babble. However, everything got better despite a hot rest stop and some waiting for our shuttle boat to arrive to take us to our ship – the Pinta Gold. Once we settled in to our tight, but lovely cabin quarters, had some lunch and adjusted to a few days on the water, I felt a bit better.

Our first event after lunch was to take a smaller boat to the “Amazing Caves”. The event didn’t start too well as my sunglasses dropped into the sea forever since they were on my head and not my face….If only they had been $10 ones instead of what they really were…oh well, just things, right???

The Amazing Caves turned out to be pretty cool. Though, after seeing the caves of Nerja, they were perhaps less amazing than they could have been. Still, it was a nice little tour to start off our trip. Afterward, we returned to our ship to anchor in the night spot and have a bit of a swim. At last! With a slight hesitation to jump off the boat, I felt happy to be back in the water since it had been a bit of time since I last had a good swim and was starting to miss it. We all enjoyed the refreshing water until a jellyfish scare and someone getting stung took some of the joy out of it and we all got out of the water for the evening.

The next day was an early start with breakfast at 7am and off on an “adventure” kayaking trip at 745. The kayaking was a bit tough, but Craig did most of the work, so I didn’t feel too sore afterwards…, but the weather was absolutely perfect and we got to see some great views of the islands and water. Too bad I didn’t get any photos of the kayaking trip, but I was afraid of the water ruining my camera.

After the kayaking we returned to the ship to prepare for our day trip out. We took a smaller boat out towards the Cat Ba islands and found a private beach to have lunch on the sand and a good safe swim in the sea. Some of us stayed to enjoy the water and others (Craig and Roman) went off on an “adventure” trek. Apparently the trek was good exercise and worth it the effort. I enjoyed the water immensely and spent most of the afternoon floating and swimming around. Considering I have spent a great deal of my life hating water, I’m a bit shocked at how much I really am enjoying and almost needing to swim these days!

In the evening, we headed back to the boat and had a quiet one.

Our last day in the bay started like the previous one and we did a short kayaking trip around the floating fishing village. It was cool to see how people live in houses on the water. It’s a lifestyle totally impossible to me!

After some waiting around and such, we finally made it back to land and had an interesting bus ride back to the city noises of Hanoi.

More to come,

Vietnam – Hanoi: Day 5

General, Meanderings Abroad No Responses »

Aug 032009

Cities used to be my favorite places to be, but now I’m reconsidering if I’m a city-girl or not. Walking down the streets of Hanoi is so stressful to me with the incessant and mostly-unnecessary horn-honking. The sidewalks are full of motorbikes or squatting people having a chat, so pedestrians are mostly forced to walk on the street. So, it’s not really fun to walk the city – though it is still infinitely better than Ho Chi Minh.

We set off to see “Hanoi Hilton” or Hoa Lo Prison in the morning. In my junior high gym class, my teacher – an Army reserve person – would make us do obstacle courses and called it Hanoi Hilton. So, for some reason I imagined some sort of obstacle course for the real place…of course, it wasn’t quite the same. The prison was pretty interesting. The pictures showed soldiers having a “good” time during their captivity and made it seem less terrible as a prison should seem. Makes you wonder about the truth as is true with all historical places. In any case, it was nice to read some descriptions that didn’t include the evil Americans, but rather the evil French! ha ha.

From the prison, we made a short rest stop and then headed out to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. This was definitely worth the trip out. The inside of the museum was pretty good with representation and explanations of the various tribes and ethnic groups in Vietnam throughout history. There were exhibits of the usual cultural artefacts and such. However, the best part, I thought, was the outside exhibits showing the life-size houses/dwellings and replication of the lifestyles. We also saw a water puppet show that can “only be seen in Vietnam”. It was humorous, but overall not so interesting to watch. I think seeing how the puppet-masters worked would have been more worth it, but what can you do? 🙂

All this was done pre-lunch, though we ended up having a fairly late lunch and thus a ridiculous amount of food at the Hanoi Garden. The food was excellent and tided us over for the rest of the night. So, we found a pub from the Lonely Planet called “Polite Pub”, which was quiet and nice. Then, we decided to wander to another venue and found “Avalon” overlooking the lake. It was a middle-class bar for the young Vietnamese folk, which made it a bit more interesting.

Overall, our last day and night in Hanoi was pretty good despite originally thinking it would be too much time in the noise-polluted city! Our trip to Halong Bay is going to be soooo good with some peace and quiet!

More to come,

Vietnam – Hanoi: Day 4

General, Meanderings Abroad 1 Response »

Aug 022009

Realizing that we had a day longer than we thought in Hanoi, we decided to have a fairly lazy day starting with a bit of a lie in (aka 7ish).

After a breakfast downstairs we settled on a plan to head to the train station to get our tickets down to Hue after we return from HaLong Bay.

The train station was pretty easy to find and though slightly chaotic, it was quick to get our tickets. The more comfortable night train cabins were all booked up so we are in a hard sleeper car with six bunks. Should be interesting!

From the station we parted ways with Roman and headed up to the Ho Chi Minh masoleum complex. Neither of us needed to wait in the long line to get up close to the ashes of the great leader but we did head in to the museum. That was mind-boggling. Perhaps modern/contemporary artists would appreciate it more than I did with an abstract setup and non-linear layout. I appreciated that it was different but am not sure I learned anything about the man or country.

From there we visited the Presidential Palace grounds where HCM had a couple of different houses. The lines were nothing like those seen in Japan but the site was moderately interesting to me. At least I got some history in, right?

It began to rain when we finished so we caught a taxi back to the hotel where we pretty much relaxed for most of the afternoon. We did go out for a really good lunch at the Ladybird restaurant, another LP listed place.

In the evening, we met up with Roman again for dinner. We went nearby to Baan Thai, which was good but paled to our lunch. After dinner Craig and I went in search of somewhere to grab a drink. We found Hair of the Dog, which had an eclectic mix of 80’s music, entertaining drink explanations and very well-mixed drinks.

It was a lovely end to our day with one more to go in Hanoi. What adventures will we find tomorrow?

-T
Sent from my iPhone

Vietnam – Hanoi: Day 3

General, Meanderings Abroad No Responses »

Aug 012009

I had a terrible night’s sleep with backpacker’s alley being a busy locale until 3am and restless dreams the rest of the night. However, we were up bright and early to head out for our flight to Hanoi.
We took Vietnam Airlines up. It’s just two short hours and the flight seemed alright though I was half awake for most of it. 🙂

Our airport pickup for Hanoi Boutique hotel was there to greet us for the hour journey in to the city. It was quite nice to see the mountains and countryside on the drive in.

I was struck by the orange or red roofs everywhere. I’m not sure why, but it seems somehow strange to see them. I wasn’t withit enough to take photos but maybe later pictures will reveal what I am talking about.

The city is smaller, thus fewer motorbikes but still a ton! Most buildings are tall and narrow which I haven’t quite come to understand because space doesn’t seem to be that much of a problem. Perhaps it is money….

Our new hotel is lovely and the staff is very friendly. We are located in the Old Quarter which is pretty convenient for seeing most things.

So after settling in, we headed out to explore. The streets are filled with stores/vendors and the honking of horns. The cyclo riders made frequent attempts to get us as customers but we walked on. After a bit of meandering we found the Hoan Kiem Lake and had a walk around that.

In search for lunch we took a very long detour and somehow ended up in the northwest along the shores of Ho Tay (West Lake). Thankfully, the boats had food so we ate on the Potomac. Though the food was pretty average we watched our first downpour.

Once refreshed, we took a bit of a wander along the lake shore which seemed to be the backside of the South American embassies. There wasn’t much to see other than a few crazies swimming in the water getting their next meal perhaps.

So, as the next downpour began we caught a taxi back to our hotel.

In the evening we went to a popular place recommeneded by Lonely Planet called 69 for drinks and dinner. It was pretty good and thus was our first afternoon in Hanoi!

More to come,

-T
Sent from my iPhone

Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City: Day 1 & 2

General, Meanderings Abroad No Responses »

Jul 312009

The last stop on my around the globe travels during this summer holiday is Vietnam. Craig and I have a two-week adventure planned with a friend, Roman, joining for most of it.

We started with our flight from Narita to HCMC. This is Day 1 technically but nothing to report. The flight is about 7 hours and there is a two-hour time difference between the two countries. That should orientate you. 😉

Our day in HCMC began with a Vietnamese breakfast of Pho and coffee. I am reminded of our favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Salem when I drink the coffee here.

Once fueled we were off to see the sights. Not being too into planning we wandered the streets taking in the city. We walked through the Ben Thanh Market, which was like most covered market areas. One difference I really noticed was that people were very touchy and eager to sell us something. Sadly for them we weren’t really interesting shoppers.

Our next stop was to have a quick drink to hydrate in the heat and decide our next plan of action. We sat near the intersection of Le Loi and Pastuer which gave us an amazing view of the seemingly thousands of motorbikes pass through amidst the cars. Motorbikes are the mode of
choice here and they are crazy!!!!

We headed to see the Reunification Palace from the outside on our way to the War Remnants Museum. The museum was fairly interesting with lots of gruesome photos and “bad” America explanations but in general it was ok. I am wondering what the tone in the north will be.

In the evening, we went for a sunset/night view of the Saigon River from the Majestic Hotel’s Skybar. It was a nice way to relax and have a few drinks away from the city. I continued to be awed by the ferry boats going from shore to shore chock full of motorbikes in both directions.

After a scenic evening walk around the ritzy part of town we had dinner at the much talked about Quan An Ngon restaurant. The food was good but I’m not convinced it is worth the hype.

At last we made it back exhausted at the very mediocre and over-priced Bi Saigon. The room was ok but no double beds and odd decor. Plus the six flights of stairs to the room wasn’t so desireable after a long day of walking around. But for a couple of nights one can survive.

Thus ends our visit in HCMC. We are both looking forward to Hanoi.

More to come,

-T
Sent from my iPhone

Short Oregon Visit

General, Meanderings Abroad No Responses »

Jul 292009

Due my somewhat crazy travel schedule this summer, I was only home in Oregon from July 18 – 24. My main purpose was to just hang with my family and to relax.

Somehow I still ended up seeing many friends, which was great. I made a visit to the Old Spaghetti Factory, one of my favorite childhood restaurants; met my Dad’s softball team; visited more friends; shopped (yes more!) and in general just felt good to be home for a few days.

So, not much to report here. Photos are on the way as always. I will post links later to pics.

Next stop – Japan!

-T

Spain – Goodbye for now

General, Meanderings Abroad No Responses »

Jul 272009

My last day in Spain was spent in transit. My aunt kindly got up early with me to take me to the train station in Malaga. Since we were told it was hard to find due to construction in the area we left early.
The 30-minute drive led us almost directly to the station. We only had to ask one person on the way. I picked up my pre-reserved ticket through renfe at a ticket machine and went to wait to get on the train.

The train reminded me of the bullet trains in Japan with nice seats and refreshment cars. My sunrise in Spain was seen from the train window as it sped through the country towards Madrid.

We arrived on time and I caught a cab to the airport without any troubles at all. As we drove through the city I thought how we should have spent more time there and that I need to come back soon. How have I not been to Europe before?

So I’ve fallen in love with a country. There’s more to see so I will be back!!

Thus ends my adventure through Spain. More from my travels to come.

-T
Sent from my iPhone

Spain – Torremolinos: Days 10 – 11

General, Meanderings Abroad No Responses »

Jul 232009

After a bit of a stressful day in Morocco, we decided to take it easy the last couple of days that we had left in the Costa del Sol.

One town that my cousin had heard was good for the beach and shopping was Torremolinos. So, we decided to check it out. When we arrived, we decided to pay 4euros for the day to have beach chairs and a sun umbrella to ensure comfort and peace. It was so worth it!

We spent the day having sangria, swimming in the very “refreshing” sea, eating helados and relaxing. Thankfully, not much shopping was done that day.

In the evening, we stopped in Fuengirola for the Catholic Festival of the Sea where the people drag a statue of the Virgin del Carmen from the church to the Sea in hopes of blessing the fish harvest for the year. It was an interesting procession and a good cultural moment to experience.

Afterwards, we found some dinner and then managed to make it to a night club. My cousin and I did some tequila shots and danced a bit, but overall it was a very quiet place to party. Good fun and pictures coming later.

The last day was spent much in the same way. I was quite tired for some reason and so I just hung out at the beach and went for a swim. The other ladies did a bit of shopping and overall we just relaxed the rest of the day.

One more entry to come on Espana!

Until then,

Spain – Morocco: Day 9

General, Meanderings Abroad No Responses »

Jul 212009

One of the places I wanted to be sure to see while I was in the southern part of Spain, was Morocco. All of the travel books recommend taking a tour or hiring a guide to ensure ease of border crossing and avoidance of hassling from the peddlers. As we were unable to get a hold of any of the recommended guides from our books, we booked through a travel agency in Gibraltar.

We were told to be at the port by 8am to ensure we caught our ferry on time. We understood that to mean the ferry was leaving at 8, so we all rose long before the sun to make the just over an hour drive to Algericas.

Unfortunately, nothing is open at that time of the day for grabbing food on the way, but we arrived with plenty of extra time and were able to find some morsels at the cafe in the port station. When we checked-in, they told us to meet at the information booth at 8am.

8am came and went – no one arrived. I assumed that Spanish time was perhaps like Peruvian time – fluid. So, I suggested we wait until 8:40.

8:40 came and went – no one arrived. Where was Miguel?? The name of a person we were told to wait for.

I went back to the ticket counter and was informed that our ferry wasn’t leaving until 10, so we should meet at the ticket counter at 9 to meet up with Miguel. WTF?!

We went for more coffee as our patience was wearing and irritation increasing. At 9, we walked to the ticket counter. They walked us back to the information booth. ha ha. We met someone, presumably Miguel, who took our information, gave us a sticker and told us to wait until almost 10 when our ferry would leave.

After a bit more trial of our patience, we managed to get on the boat to Ceuta. It was almost 1.5 hours (not exactly as fast as we had thought it would be), but upon arriving in Ceuta (Spanish owned on Moroccan soil), we met up with a larger tour group and got on a bus. Our guide for the day was Ahmed and he took us through the borders of Spain and Morocco heading first towards a local town – Tetuoan.

Tetuoan was a small town where they showed us the local market. We walked through the walled market streets, had a Moroccan meal – yum! -, were taken to some different shops including carpets and trinkets.

Ahmed had a colleague join us to help with the tour who followed up at the back of the group to ensure that everyone made it safely. Mohammed decided that my mom was an easy target to ask her to tip for his services to which she said No. He kept asking her and I noticed that he was patting her on the back, making her very uncomfortable. At one point, she stopped and shook her head -NO- and then he moved on to my aunt. I asked what happened and once she told me, I went up to Mohammed and explained under no circumstances was he allowed to touch my mother and he was not getting any money from us. He tried to pretend like all was well, but we had arrived at the bus and I again explained not to touch my mother and said NO looking him in the eye. I also looked straight at Ahmed to ensure that he was aware there was a problem. Later, on the bus, Ahmed asked what had happened and apologized saying this had never happened before – a running theme throughout our tour.

Our next stop was Tangier. It was about 1.5 hour drive through the country, which was interesting to see. I always enjoy seeing the land.

Tangier reminded me greatly of Abu Dhabi, but dirtier and sketchier. The city was quite small really, but there were more local streets and people to take in. We were still asked for tips by the local guide there, but at least it was a better situation. No one really seemed interested in buying anything though we had thought it would be a good shopping place. I sat at a cafe and had some cafe con leche waiting for the others to shop. It was there that I got the sense that I would like to go back and see some other parts of the country that would probably be a better sample of the culture and people.

The ferry ride back was fairly uneventful, but only 45-minutes, which was much better. Our long day ended with some frustrations in trying to find food at midnight and all of us being tired. So, perhaps not our best day, but I was happy to have made the day-trip.

Just a couple more days to go!

-T

Older Entries Newer Entries

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)