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Trip: Whirlwind tour through Vietnam

There are [13] stories from my trip: Whirlwind tour through Vietnam


The whirlwind is dying down

VIETNAM | Tuesday, 20 Apr 2010 | Views [441]

My small indulgence for today was to get a massage. I didn’t go for the full body massage, but instead I chose the head, neck, hands and foot massage which comes with a medicinal foot soak that has been used by the Red Dao tribe since Jesus was a baby.... Read more >


Why go trekking? They all come to Sapa

VIETNAM | Monday, 19 Apr 2010 | Views [497]

I’m in Sapa and I find that I am not the least bit interested in taking a tour into the surrounding mountains. I priced several tours and I can afford it if I stick to eating out of food carts and mini-marts, but I don’t want to. God forgive me, I have ... Read more >


Sunday by the lake....in Hanoi

VIETNAM | Sunday, 18 Apr 2010 | Views [366]

I spent my Sunday morning in Hanoi visiting Hoan Kiem Lake for walking, practicing my T’ai Chi form and just observing the locals in their morning activities. I saw a lot of Chi Gong, a little bit of jogging and one man pooping in the bushes. The temperature ... Read more >


A series of small triumphs

VIETNAM | Saturday, 17 Apr 2010 | Views [419]

There is no freeway in Vietnam. The buses and trucks have to drive along two-lane blacktops. Sometimes the bus driver will accelerate to get around a truck or another bus and if there is oncoming traffic, he will have to slam on the brakes and pull ... Read more >


Retirement in Thailand, afterlife in Hue, Vietnam

VIETNAM | Friday, 16 Apr 2010 | Views [540]

I beat the tourist crowds to the Purple Forbidden City in the Citadel today. I didn’t know that Vietnam had a Forbidden City. I thought that was distinctly Chinese, but, then again, Vietnam had a rough time not being assimilated by the Chinese. The ... Read more >


Photos: Vietnam pics

VIETNAM | Friday, 16 Apr 2010 | Photo Gallery


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And yet another tour...

VIETNAM | Thursday, 15 Apr 2010 | Views [331]

I really like Hue. I really like my hotel room, even though I have a hard time remembering the name of the place where I am staying. (Binh Duong) This high-speed tour of Vietnam is breaking my heart. I wish I had more time to savor my visit. I haven’t ... Read more >


Early morning tour to My Son

VIETNAM | Tuesday, 13 Apr 2010 | Views [874]

When I crept downstairs at 4:40 this morning I saw that several motorbikes had been brought in the lobby and there was a man sleeping on the floor under a pop-up mosquito screen. I was wondering if the tour that I booked to My Son for 5:00am was really ... Read more >


I can't wait for the Tran Family mini-mall

VIETNAM | Monday, 12 Apr 2010 | Views [401]

The overnight bus trip to Hoi An was much better than the one to Nha Trang. No movies, no music, no card games. They turned all of the lights out and told us that they would wake us when we got there. There wasn’t much that I had wanted to see in Nha ... Read more >


Gear woes and peace signs

VIETNAM | Sunday, 11 Apr 2010 | Views [346]

I enjoyed my walk along the beach this morning. I was surprised to see how busy it was at 7:00am. When I took a closer look, I saw that the majority of the beachgoers were Vietnamese. I was one of only a few westerners out there, but they didn’t seem ... Read more >


Proofreading love letters

VIETNAM | Saturday, 10 Apr 2010 | Views [493]

The overnight bus trip from HCMC left me very weary. The bus was set up in three rows of bunks and I got a small “bed” towards the back. I was feeling under the weather with a sore throat and all I wanted to do was sleep, but a group of Vietnamese guys ... Read more >


Visit to the tunnels of Cu Chi

VIETNAM | Friday, 9 Apr 2010 | Views [353]

Some people come to Vietnam for the warm weather and beaches. Others come for the hand-tailored clothes that can be purchased for very little money. As a history buff, I was most excited about my trip to the tunnels of Cu Chi. A coworker at Gateway ... Read more >


Would you have gotten in that cab?

VIETNAM | Thursday, 8 Apr 2010 | Views [434]

I was so disappointed to find out that overnight train travel in Vietnam is out of my price range. Even a short stretch overnight runs about $24. I have only been in Ho Chi Minh City for 15 hours, but I can’t afford to stay too long. I got up early ... Read more >