We’re off on another adventure, this time to Asia, our first visit. Departing Vancouver International Airport at 2:00 Tuesday afternoon, we flew for 10 hours and landed at Tokyo’s Narita Airport at 5:00 Wednesday afternoon, gaining 7 hours by time zone, but losing 24 hours crossing the International Date Line. I think. Here’s what it … Continue reading
To get our bearings and learn how to use Tokyo’s public transit system, we decided to limit our travels on Friday to a simple ride on the Ginza Line to see the Tsukiji Fish Market and a Kabuki play. The Tokyo subway and train system can be a bit overwhelming, although they do a pretty … Continue reading
From our hotel, there’s a nice view of the Sensō-ji Temple, and off in the distance, the tallest free-standing tower in the world, the Tokyo Sky Tree. From the moment we checked in, getting to the top of the Sky Tree was on my list of things to do in Tokyo. The rain we had … Continue reading
Tokyo is a very high-tech and modern city. Technology and electronics are everywhere and in everything and no more so than in the Shinjuku ward near its highly-trafficked train station. We took the subway there Sunday morning and had breakfast at the Starbucks there, sitting next to a young couple from California here in Tokyo … Continue reading
I miss Robin Williams. I remember him for three things: the TV show, Mork & Mindy; being the stand-up comedian and entertainer at Gator Growl at the University of Florida’s Homecoming weekend in 1982; and, for his role in the movie, “Good Morning, Vietnam.” I hardly remember the plot, but I’ll never forget his character … Continue reading
On our second day in Vietnam, we left the big city and traveled 25 miles southeast to the Can Gio mangrove, a UNESCO recognized Biosphere Reserve at the confluence of the Saigon and two other rivers, the Soai Rap and the Vam Co, and their delta on the South China Sea. [NOTE: The full title … Continue reading
Our Vietnam trip has been planned by our longtime friend, Bill Dudziak, and a Vietnamese tour-guide, Nguyễn Loc. (Loc arranged for Trinh to take us on the Can Gio tour.) We will be traveling in Vietnam with Bill and his wife, Emily, and friends of theirs, Bob and Annie Cooper, with Loc as guide and … Continue reading
Friday morning, Loc took us on a tour of Cholon, Saigon’s busy China Town, starting with the Thien Hau Temple where we raised incense shrouded wishes for our family’s health and happiness. Next, we toured the Cholon market which is far too big to cover on foot, so Loc hired rickshaws for each of us. … Continue reading
Cars are a luxury in Vietnam. Everyone goes everywhere on a motorbike – scooter, motorcycle, moped, it doesn’t matter, as long as it only has two wheels. Moms use them to take their kids to school. Dads use them to commute to work. Families use them for general getting around and it’s not uncommon to … Continue reading
On Sunday, March 18, we left Saigon by van for an overnight trip to the Mekong delta. Our first stop was Cai Be (more appropriately, Cái Bè), a river town on one of many tributaries of the Mekong River, a two hour drive south of Saigon. This might be a good place for a few … Continue reading
After spending Sunday night in Cantho, we awoke early Monday morning in order to go by water taxi to the biggest floating market in the Mekong delta at Cai Rang on a tributary of the Mekong River. The sun had just risen,… … but the market was already bustling and every mooring was occupied. These … Continue reading
In Ho Chi Minh City, the Saigon River is joined by the Soai Rap River, known further upstream as the Dong Nai. Halfway between its source in the central highlands and Ho Chi Minh City, the Dong Nai River is joined by the La Nga and together they form Lake Tri An. At the confluence … Continue reading
Vietnam ranks 2nd in the world for production of coffee and 5th for production of tea. Most of the coffee and tea in Vietnam is grown in the central highlands and the highland city of Bao Loc was our destination. [Our guide, Loc, whose middle name is Bao, told us on the drive that he … Continue reading
On the drive from Bao Loc to Da Lat, I took a few photos of houses along the road that were typical of southern and central Vietnam. Road frontage property is obviously at a premium and the lots are all narrow and deep, so most road front buildings are multi-story with the extended family residing … Continue reading
Having made it across the Dragon Bridge, we met our van and drove out to the Son Tre Peninsula. We continued up appropriately named Monkey Mountain about 1,000 feet to an ancient, 800-year-old banyan tree and its commanding view of the South China Sea. We had heard there was a chance to see monkeys along … Continue reading
Due to the change in our flights, we were now going to have four nights and three full days in Hoi An. On our first day, Friday, we were up early to drive south to visit a local ocean-side fish market. Alas, the seas were too rough, so the market was canceled, but it was … Continue reading
The Vietnam War was a formative event for my generation. I remember watching the nightly Six O’Clock News war footage and body count as a teenager, wondering if I would end up being drafted to fight in far away Southeast Asia when I came of age – and what I would do if that happened. … Continue reading
Hoi An is a popular coastal tourist city, modern and fast growing. But it also has a beautiful old town and our hotel, Hoi An Silk Luxury Hotel, was directly at its western gate. Loc had arranged for a group of local 20-year-olds to shuttle us around the countryside south of town for the day. … Continue reading
Our last day in Hoi An was a “foodie day” at Tra Que Water Wheel. Our guide and chef was Ms. Thuong – she told us her first name, then after we botched its pronunciation, she said, “just call me Jessica.” To start, she took us on a tour of the garden, pointing out the … Continue reading
On Monday, we drove north from Hoi An to the city of Huế (pronounced: “Whey”). About fifteen miles north of Da Nang, we stopped at the Hai Van Pass where defensive embattlements have been built in turn over the years by the Chinese, French and Americans during their military excursions here. Here’s the view looking … Continue reading
We didn’t spend much time at all in the city of Hue, choosing instead to visit sites in the surrounding area. Our first destination was the old Thanh Toan bridge, but as we walked from the parking area, we crossed paths with a wedding party and they seemed happy to have us tag along (at … Continue reading
Our purpose for driving to this remote part of Vietnam was to go caving in one of the world’s most beautiful karst systems at Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our base was Chay Lap Farmstay for two nights, sandwiching one of our hikes, an overnight camping trek to Hang Én … Continue reading
The day after our Hang En expedition, we went caving again, this time at Paradise Cave. The first 1 km of Paradise is a tourist attraction like Mammoth Cave in Kentucky or Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico. But we were going to be doing much more than that. We were spending an entire day underground, … Continue reading
Sunday was April Fools’ Day and today the joke was on us. Once again, Vietnam Airlines unilaterally rescheduled our flight. But it was problematic this time because the rescheduled flight from Dong Hoi to Hanoi would have made it impossible for us to catch our upcoming cruise in Halong Bay, so Loc arranged for a … Continue reading
After a night in Hanoi, we caught a seaplane Monday morning for a 3-day, 2-night cruise in Halong Bay. The flight from Hanoi took us over bustling Haiphong harbor and out into the Gulf of Tonkin, then over the 2,000 islands peppering Halong Bay, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Halong harbor, we boarded … Continue reading
The Road Less Traveled 