Feb 22, 2013 - Da Nang Vietnam

The Central Region of Vietnam near Da Nang is visually stunning! The combination of the South China Sea, the lush mountains and the many islands and monoliths that rise straight up from the sea is hard to describe. In addition to the natural beauty of the land, we visited incredible Pagodas, the Imperial Citadel that surrounds and protects the Royal Palace in the city of Hue, and the Royal Palace itself were beautiful on their own. The people of this region are warm and welcoming adding to the enjoyment of the trip. The second day here we...

Oct 29, 2012 - China Beach at Da Nang

Day 4 & 5 Oct. 29 & 30 (Mon. & Tue.) China Beach at Da Nang After the long night, out guide relented and did not ask us to get up at the crack of dawn. After a quick visit to the beach after breakfast, we drove to Hoi An where we visited a fabric/clothing shop where a silkworm demonstration took place. Baskets of silkworms and cocoons as well as the machine that unwinds the silk and looms for weaving were on the floor of the shop. It was amazing to see the cocoons floating on water and the immensely long silk thread being pulled from them....

Oct 28, 2012 - Saigon additional due to typhoon Son-Tinh

Day 3 Oct. 28 (Sun) Saigon additional due to typhoon Son-Tinh Our flight to Danang was cancelled due to an impending typhoon. This is a disappointment since China Beach is eliminated from our tour. Now we have another day in Saigon at the Park Hyatt and Classic Journeys came up with a "Plan B" which included an early morning visit to the market where we saw local vendors with their vegetables and other produce including live frogs and other exotics. Then, many of us headed off for an authentic cooking class were we made spring rolls,...

Sep 5, 2012 - En route to Hoi An

Most of the tour group went on a three-hour motorbike tour of Hue in the morning, but I wasn't feeling so ambitious. Instead, I slept in, had a leisurely breakfast, and then headed out with a friend to take a boat ride up the Perfume River to see a small fishing village. I got some nice pictures out of that excursion, but the boat wasn't air conditioned, so when I got back on land I headed straight for the hotel pool. We left Hue around noon, boarding a bus for the four-hour trip to the small coastal city of Hoi An. To get there, we had to...

Apr 19, 2012 - Vietnam - Day 18 - Coastal Train Ride

We boarded a train bound for Danang around 1:30pm. We met two foreigners at the train station who were teaching English in small villages around Vietnam, they were heading to a town two hours away from Nha Trang, they helped us with ordering our supper on the train before they exited at their stop. Train was packed full of locals, we were the only tourists headed for Danang in our cab. A lot of them were sick from the motion and we had one guy who would come into our cabin, light up a smoke constantly during our trip. There is no smoking on...

Feb 23, 2012 - "hotellista" hotelliin

tutut rutiinit aamulla, patongit ja juotavaa evääksi, sitten odottamaan bussia, suuntana da nang rannikolla. melkein heti tuli kyyti, joka ois menny ohi ellei paikalliset ois meitä siihen opastanut. ei muuta kuin taas vuoristotielle mutkittelemaan ja kuuntelemaan jatkuvaa bussin tööttäilyä. töötillä saadaan mopot ynnä muut väistämään ihan tien reunaan ja sillä myöskin ilmoitetaan sokeiden mutkien taakse, että täältä tulee iso auto, kannattaa väistää :) maisemat oli tosi upeat: kokonaan vihreän peitossa olevia kukkuloita joka puolella,...

Jan 11, 2012 - Furama Resort Da Nang

A visit to a neighboring farming village, nestled amid endless rice paddies. We passed the ornate entrance gate and traditional banyan tree. Hoa Chau, a prosperous community, no longer uses a water wheel, now gets its water from a reservoir. We did a walking tour past modest homes, gardens of vegetables and fruit, the village temple and a restaurant where a goat was cooking on the spit, a modern elementary, middle and high school. Even a disaster relief center, a place to go when the area is flooded. There was a shop/house were pho was...

Jan 9, 2012 - Furama Resort Da Nang

Warmer and damp. A hour's flight to Da Nang, Vietnam's 3rd largest city, situated on the south central coast. We visited the Cham Museum which celebrates the Cham peoples Hindu legacy with artifacts and sculptures from the 7th to the 15th century. Not my cup of tea except for one gorgeous goddess with a slender waist and must have been botox enhanced breasts! The Furama Resort is on the South China Sea. The churning waters and crashing waves are visible as soon as you enter the expansive lobby. This is a beautiful oasis but we felt sorry...

Oct 11, 2011 - Not quite down and out in Da Nang

After all the drama of last night we are all tired and a bit frazzled. Nevertheless we need to be on the move early because if we can get to Hanoi this morning and arrange transport, there is a chance that we can meet up with the rest of the group this afternoon at Ninh Binh. We get to the airport at around 8.30 and immediately approach the staff on the Vietnam Airlines counter. There are 3 flights to Hanoi today, the next leaving at 10.15. Unfortunately the flight is full and we'll have to go on the standby list. We can only wait. The...

Oct 10, 2011 - Train tango in Da Nang

Our last day in Hoi An. Tonight we are due to board a train in Da Nang heading for Ninh Binh, but more about that later. Given the inconvenience that we experienced when we checked into the Hoi An Pacific, we have negotiated a late check out at 5pm. That leaves us with another full day here. Great! Before I finish with my Hoi An commentary, I must mention the staff at the hotel. They are all friendly and the kids have befriended a number of them, in particular the bellman, Duc. In fact on his facebook page Duc refers to himself as 'Duc...

Jul 23, 2011 - My last, last day in Da Nang

I’m sorry readers, I lied to you. Yesterday was not my last day in Da Nang, today was. Our plane was delayed almost 9 hours, probably the biggest delay I have ever been apart of. I was pretty bummed when Eric and I heard this, but it was actually a great last day. We spent it doing what any two guys would do, getting our hair shampooed and drinking smoothies. You may laugh but this ladies hands are made of gold, which…wouldn’t really make for a great head massage, Sorry what a terrible analogy, wasn’t my first bad one and it certainly...

Jul 22, 2011 - The Last Day in Da Nang

It was our last day and night in Da Nang, We spent it going to all the different schools and giving gifts, and watching kids dance, sing, and listen to the teachers, principals, and superintendant speak. The kids were so cute, you would have thought we gave them an Xbox or something, we had little goody bags with chocolate, beanie babies, a tooth brush, and tooth paste. We spent a lot of time doing dances with them in their classrooms, and going through their bags with them. It was great to see how patient, and grateful these kids were....