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Dalama Adventures Tale of two corporate types ditching their jobs and traveling the world for 14 months... check out all photos, blogs & interesting tid bits at http://www.dalama.net

Pig Disease: Do I Need a Doctor?

VIETNAM | Thursday, 26 Jul 2007 | Views [1179]

We began hearing from some restaurants around Hoi An, that "pig is finished."  We were told it was "bad"... "pig is sick, like chickens used to be," they tell us.  We wondered, however, why some restaurants still serve pork ... Read more >

Tags: Doctors, hospitals & health


Hotel Receptionist Cum Personal Groomer

VIETNAM | Wednesday, 25 Jul 2007 | Views [1827]

The Asian fascination with our hairy western bodies continues to amuse us.  It's not just here in Vietnam, we've experienced it Laos on the local boat, the man rubbing Darrin's hairy leg, then exposing his smooth sleek leg to draw the comparison. Children ... Read more >

Tags: Laughter


Swimming with the Locals

VIETNAM | Tuesday, 24 Jul 2007 | Views [887]

Our travels take us on board a motorbike that Darrin has hired for half day and we carefully make our way to the beach of Cu Dai, where we kick it under umbrellas in beach chairs sipping down beers and fruit smoothies.  The beach extends all the way north ... Read more >

Tags: Culture


Clothing 2-Go

VIETNAM | Tuesday, 24 Jul 2007 | Views [1035]

Hoi An is the custom clothing factory of Vietnam.  People come from all over the world with pictures and catalogs displaying the articles of designer clothing they want to have duplicated and tailor fit to their bodies.  Silk and fabric shops line the ... Read more >

Tags: Shopping


Sights & Scenes of Hoi An

VIETNAM | Monday, 23 Jul 2007 | Views [1095]

Hoi An is a quaint, colorful town, full of character, culture and atmosphere.  Walking through the streets we find ourselves in a swirl of brilliant colors.  Vietnamese silk lanterns hang from shop windows and decorate the exterior of buildings.  Their ... Read more >

Tags: Sightseeing


Back Pack Commentary

VIETNAM | Sunday, 22 Jul 2007 | Views [1043]

Every trip, on or off a bus, train, plane, or car is an ordeal.  We assemble our back pack straps, pulling them out of their big protective sacs for bus/plane ride protection, and load p for our usual peruse through town to find a spot to sleep.  Our ... Read more >

Tags: Packing & gadgets


Did Our Bus Driver Just Beat Up That Biker?

VIETNAM | Sunday, 22 Jul 2007 | Views [1292]

We hop aboard our An Phu (pronounced by us as An "POO" for their quality of service and bus) to Hoi An.  It's a 12 hour overnight bus, and is supposed to be a nice, big, A/C coach with reclining seats.  What picks us up, instead, is similar ... Read more >

Tags: planes trains & automobiles


Decadent Dining: Lobster on the Beach

VIETNAM | Saturday, 21 Jul 2007 | Views [1194]

By 6:30 a.m. the sun is ablaze and I'm finding it difficult to breath on my early morning run.  We decide to kick it on the beach under the palapalas for the day, until we catch our overnight bus to Hoi An.  If you love seafood, Nha Trang is the place ... Read more >

Tags: Food & eating


We Could Be Their Parents

VIETNAM | Friday, 20 Jul 2007 | Views [968]

Travelers along the way have told us, while in Nha Trang, the thing to do is take Mama Lin's Boat Cruise... the best value $5 USD will get you in all of Vietnam. We boarded our usual mode of transportation, a bus, at 8:00 a.m. and were happy to see ... Read more >

Tags: Party time


Miami, Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, or Vietnam?

VIETNAM | Thursday, 19 Jul 2007 | Views [1188]

We arrive Nha Trang mid-morning. Stepping off the bus, we could be in any major ocean resort town in the US. Big hotels and tall skinny mini-hotels line the streets. Beach huts, palapalas neatly line the beach front. Every third shop is a scuba ... Read more >

Tags: Beaches & sunshine


Hanging with the Locals

VIETNAM | Wednesday, 18 Jul 2007 | Views [1178]

The Peace Cafe is the hip spot in Dalat to socialize with the locals.  it's also a main meeting point for the Easy Riders.  We sped hours at the cafe over many beers, learning about how these Southern Vietnamese guys feel about the war, and how they feel ... Read more >

Tags: People


A Rope & Harness, 27M Waterfall, We Feel So Alive!

VIETNAM | Tuesday, 17 Jul 2007 | Views [3888]

Dalat is an outdoor adventure sport enthusiasts dream.  The climate, the mountains, rugged landscape and spirit of the people have all come together to develop a great outdoor sporting infrastructure... so many cool things to do, so little time.  We chose ... Read more >

Tags: Adrenaline


Cruisin' With the Easy Riders

VIETNAM | Monday, 16 Jul 2007 | Views [1136]

Our extended stay in Mui Ne from three to six days, to catch the wind for Darrin's kite boarding, sadly has come to an end without enough wind to get him onto the board.  But it has been well worth our time, we really have decompressed months of crazy ... Read more >

Tags: Adventures


The Capitalist Dream

VIETNAM | Sunday, 15 Jul 2007 | Views [823]

The most common question we get from locals is "where are you from."  When we say the "United States," they look a bit baffled, and then we say "America," their expressions acknowledge comprehension, and when we say "... Read more >

Tags: Culture


Saturday Night Out with Mr. Lee

VIETNAM | Saturday, 14 Jul 2007 | Views [1232]

After three days on the beach with Mr. Lee, Darrin’s kite boarding instructor, we developed a friendship and he offered to take us out to some special local places that he reserves for adventurous western friends.  First stop was for "Bia" Vietnamese ... Read more >

Tags: Party time


Yes Virginia, There is Surf in Vietnam!

VIETNAM | Friday, 13 Jul 2007 | Views [1321]

I couldn't believe my ears... the sound of surf pounding the beach had woken me up.  As I so often do, I wake up, not completely remembering where we are - what country, what city, and oh, we're in a hotel?  I could have sworn I was waking up in the camper-... Read more >

Tags: The Great Outdoors


Keep the Skin White at All Expense

VIETNAM | Thursday, 12 Jul 2007 | Views [2898]

You certainly won't find us suiting up in jeans, socks with flip-flops, long-sleeve shirts, arms length gloves, jacket, rice hat and face mask in the extreme heat and humidity here in Vietnam.  This is a common outfit, among local women that we've seen ... Read more >

Tags: Culture


"You Slide?"

VIETNAM | Wednesday, 11 Jul 2007 | Views [856]

"You slide, sir, miss?" yell the little voices of girls and boys all running to us and surrounding our motor bike as Darrin slams on the breaks to avoid hitting the mob of children holding blue sheets of plastic. We are at the famous white sand ... Read more >

Tags: The Great Outdoors


Mui Ne - Vietnam's Seaside Paradise

VIETNAM | Tuesday, 10 Jul 2007 | Views [1942]

Mui Ne is an idyllic little beach community strung along a coast of fine white sand and turquoise waters. It reminds us a bit of Baja, Mexico. As we cruise the stretch of coastline, there are rolling hills, sand dunes, low lying shrubbery, palm trees ... Read more >

Tags: Budgets & money


Caveat Emptor: An Phu Travel Company

VIETNAM | Monday, 9 Jul 2007 | Views [3059]

With so many open tour bus companies to choose from here, it would figure we booked our trip with the worst one.  Even after reading reviews and searching the internet, it must just be our luck with local transportation, to select the dud.  You get what ... Read more >

Tags: planes trains & automobiles


One Giant Mega Shopping-Plex

VIETNAM | Sunday, 8 Jul 2007 | Views [1110]

You can seemingly get anything you need here in HCMC, for a cheap price, and in bulk.  It's like a giant Costco, Mervyns, Barnes and Noble, Home Depot, pharmacy and illicit drug market all in one city block.  Young girls cruise in and out of cafes and ... Read more >

Tags: Markets


America through Vietnamese Lenses

VIETNAM | Saturday, 7 Jul 2007 | Views [969]

One of the main reasons we wanted to come to Vietnam was to educate ourselves on the history that the US has had here, since we were just small babies when the war was going on.  We've felt a bit ignorant on the facts surrounding the war, and are here ... Read more >

Tags: Culture


Good Morning Vietnam!

VIETNAM | Friday, 6 Jul 2007 | Views [1283]

Saigon, renamed Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) after the fall of South Vietnam to North Vietnam in 1975, was named after "Uncle Ho" (Ho Chi Minh) as the locals refer to him.  HCMC is a big city, compared to many we've recently visited.  It's surprisingly ... Read more >

Tags: Sightseeing


Road to Vietnam

VIETNAM | Thursday, 5 Jul 2007 | Views [997]

Deciding which route to take through Cambodia and into Vietnam was a challenge.  We wanted the adventure of crossing at the newly rumored open border of Ha Tien, the far southeast corner of Cambodia, and then making our way through the Mekong Delta through ... Read more >

Tags: On the Road


Burgers, Fries and Visa to Go

CAMBODIA | Tuesday, 3 Jul 2007 | Views [925]

One of our primary reasons for coming to Sihanoukville was to get our Vietnamese visa. Apparently this is one of the two places in Cambodia, and one of the two places in the world, where you can get your visa at the low cost of $35 USD, in a record ... Read more >

Tags: Travel Tips


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