Onto the Next Adventure: Vietnam!

I had an incredible time in South America exploring Machu Piccu. This week I will be heading over 6,000 miles across the world to the stunning, exotic country of Vietnam and Cambodia.

I'll be traveling and can't wait for this adventure to begin... Luckily I leave in just two days. More updates to come!

Cheers,

Joan

Good morning VIetnam

Well I made it after about 20 hours of traveling. I left My house around 645P on Thursday night as I finished packing by flashlight. Scripps ranch had a power outage no electricity so was glad to leave. I flew to LAX, then to Hong Kong which took about 15 hours on Cathay Pacific then dragon air to Hanoi. Got a little sleep, read, ate and watched movies. Finally arrived in Vietnam at 915A on Saturday. We skipped Friday and that means I am now 14hrs ahead of you.
 I had to pay $50 and get my visa (2entries).
 I was met and then taken to this awesome hotel The Metropole. This is an award winning French colonial style hotel right in the middle of Hanoi-- a wonderful location.  They have both the historical wing (which we stayed in) and also a modern wing.  Also they have 3 wonderful restaurants and excellent service-- first class all the way!!!



My Welcome Drink as I was waiting for my room!

Cheers

Joan

M and M's Motorbikes and Massages

What an interesting city.  There a 6 million people and 1 million, 500 motorbikes.  This is their means of transportation whether it be to the take the kids, their groceries,big boxes all strapped to motorbikes and much more.  Most wear designer masks and it is required for the adults to wear helmets-- not the kids.  It is definitely a survivor of the fittest as these motorbikes go thru intersections without looking or caring.  They would not last long in San Diego. 

Then we were taken to a restaurant where we had a wonderful lunch consisting of the egg drop soup, wonderful spring rolls, vegetables and beef stir fried, pork, really fresh food.  Here is where I met some of the others and this proves to be a great group.

  

Then the best part of all!!  To relieve our jet lag we were given a 1 hour heavenly massage.  Soft music, tender hands and so amazing-- it took away all the aches and pains and got us ready to start our jouney. Our lovely massage place was Santal Spa 

where they were waiting to spoil and they sure did!!  A great way to start our journey!

Cheers

Joan

Rise and Shine in Vietnam

WOW what a morning!!  We went out about 6A and we saw the most amazing things!!!  Everybody was playing badmittion on the streets, doing aerobics and Tai chi in the park and at the lake.  Everybody was so nice to us and were happy to include us in their exercise.  It was young and old all doing some form of exercise or even doing some mediatation and prayers. It was like Pacific Beach on the 4th of July-- everybody was out!!!

Off to Halong Bay!!!!


Cheers

Joan

Interesting morning as we visited Ho Chi Minh Masoleum and the Ho Lo Prison also known as the Hanoi Hilton.
This actually was quite depressing as we saw the cells where the prisoners were kept and learned all about John McCain who was prisoner there with many American pilots.

 We walked around the park area which is right down from our hotel and probably saw at least 15 brides who were gettting their pictures taken professionally.
This is a very popular month for brides and being a Sunday the perfect day to do this.  Weather is very nice, a little humid but quite pleasant.

Again a great lunch buffet (probably one of the best in Hanoi right in our hotel at  Spices restaurant  We had all varieties of Vietnamese food-- one of the best lunches on the whole trip.



 and then if that wasnt enough around 5P we went back for their famous chocolate buffet!!



I LOVE CHOCOLATE

 We saw a few hotels -- the InterContinental is beautiful on a lake and now to dinner  at the Seasons of Hanoi. This is an old French House that has been converted to a restaurant.   Here we also met our lovely hosts, Vu Huy who is the CEO of Exotic Voyages.
Tomorrow we are going to board a private junk and sail  Ha Long Bay. We will be visiting a floating fishing village and maybe doing some kayaking.  Then we will be having a Gala dinner and  overnighting on board.  So probably wont get my blog tomorrow as no internet.
Stay tuned for this.

Cheers

Joan

Halong Bay

Hi,

Wanted to tell you how great Halong Bay was and what a great day we had on Monday. We drove from Hanoi to Halong Bay which took about 3 1/2 hours but worth every minute. We were shuttled to our wooden junk which is a beautiful ship that has balconies, all teak wood a beautiful sundeck and great bathrooms with hot showers. Here is where we spent the night!

NOT BAD FOR A JUNK??

Indochina Sails.  We arrived around 1P and had a lovely lunch.  We enjoyed the cruise and about 1 1/2 hr later we we taken to a private beach were we hiked to a beautiful vantage point and then came down for a refreshing dip.

  We then went back to ship and got ready to kayak to the floating villages.  It was so much fun doing this and seeing all the people on the water.  They came right up to you to sell their shells and pearls.

 Then for the very special Gala Dinner in a grotto -- a dinner in a cave all with over 200 candles-- a magical evening, a delicious dinner!!!  And a great way to end a perfect day!!!

Have many more days of this journey-- can hardly wait for tomorrow!!!

Cheers

Joan

Indochina Sails

Hello

Spent a great day in Halong Bay sailing our private junk   Indochina Sails  Now at Pilgrimage Village-- awesome property in Hue
Overwater bungalow tonight

Off for cooking class

Cheers

Joan

Halong Bay to Hoi An

Hi,

Lots going on and much to share-- please enjoy these lovely days!!!

After leaving Halong Bay we drove about 3 hours to a quaint little village called Ninh Giang village where we were treated to a water puppet show which they are very famous for and the chance to walk thru the village and see the people.

After leaving the puppet show we walked thru the village and here is where I met my favorite lady, working hard in the fields.  I knelt down next to her and become one of the hard working women.

We then went to the airport and flew to the imperial city of Hue (prounced whey) which is a UNESCO World heritage site in central Vietnam.  It used to be the capital until 1945. Here we spent the night at the lovely Pilgrimage Village Resort where we had our 1 bedroom bungalow complete with outdoor pool.  Unfortunately we were not there very long to enjoy the beauty which is very tropical and green.

The amazing pool at the Pilgrimage Village

Well I may come home and really be able to cook some Vietnamese food. We were invited into a private home where we prepared some traditional Vietnamese dishes and then ate our creations and much more.

After lunch we visited the Tu Duc mausoleum which is one the most beautiful imperial tombs in Hue.
Then that evening we were treated to a brand new property that has just opened right on a lagoon called Vedana Lagoon Resort.

Yesterday we drove from Hue to Hoi An going thru Danang. We had a really nice lunch at the Brothers Cafe.

  Here is where we tried another beer other than the Tiger beer called
Biere Larue-- which is really pretty good.

  Hoi An is an ancient little town recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site because of it unusually well-preserved ancient streets and homes. This is just a great place to enjoy the culture and yes SHOP!!!  At this time we went to a silk factory where some of the people had clothes made in 24 hours-- jackets, suits, blouses in silk or cashmere.  They were very happy with their purchases and prices were very good.

Sharon and Michael getting measured!

After the silk factory we had a small guided tour of the Japanese Bridge and Chinese Temple by our favorite guide, Tum who was with us always in Vietnam.She was wonderful and very knowledgeable.  Her English was excellent and she had a great sense of humor. As we walked thru the streets we were warned that we could not shop today-- have to save that for later!!!  But what a quaint little town with their more than two-century Chinese houses. We really enjoyed this visit.

                                                                                                                                            
We came home to our beautiful one bedroom villa with our oceanview, outdoor shower, and gorgeous accommodations at the Nam Hai, a property you dont want to miss!! Talk about being spoiled!!!  Had a lovely dinner with the group and was able to sit next to the wonderful General Manager, Mr Ed Linsley, who had recently come from the Four Seasons in Bali.  Alberto is our sales rep and also attended the dinner.  Two very talented gentlemen that will take care of all your requests.
Got to go to bed so I can get up and enjoy this amazing view and visit Tra Que Vegetable village.
Cheers

Joan

Hoi An-- an awesome day!

Hello again,

Great day yesterday with the bike ride thru the countryside which was one of the highlights of the trip.  We were biking along and saw many homes and some of the residents biking or walking.  It was so quiet and nice.

After the bike ride we reached the village of Tra Que which is known for its special aromatic herbs, mint and basil; leaves of those plants are smaller than usual, however they have a very particular aroma because of the special farming practices they have used for centuries.  Everything is fresh right off the farm and before we toured the gardens we were treated to a foot massage-- you see our feet were hurting after our bike ride and we needed this before our tour of the gardens!

After our wonderful foot massage we were given hats and smocks to go out into the gardens and pick some things for lunch.

Then we were treated to a great lunch some of which we helped to prepare-- something that looked like a pancake.  That is Tum, our sweet guide in the background with her never ending smile!!!

After our lovely lunch we did some site inspections-- great hotels in Hoi An, and then got to shop-- but of course just about the time we went out-- guess what??? Yes it rained but never fear Patti and I got our rain ponchos-- 2 for $3!!!  Of course it quit about the time we got them  Hoi An is the BEST place to shop-- everything is inexpensive!!!! But is all the same!!!

Went home and cracked a bottle of wine and Patti and I just sat and enjoyed the sounds of the ocean from our room.  What a great day-- another WOW!

Cheers

Joan

Cambodia

Here we are in Cambodia now. What a difference from Vietnam. People are great here and really want to know about you. We are staying in a great hotel right in the heart of town called hotel de lax palaix. Took a tuk tuk to a place yesterday where we got an hour long massage for $3. It was great. Hope to go again today. But today is one of our highlights as we visit the temples of Angkor Wat with an archeologist.

Cheers

Joan

Cambodia's Night Market

What a great time we had at the night market in Siem Reap.  One of our reps walked us to the night market which was only a couple of blocks from our hotel and we had so much fun.  Everybody was out and about and as they say you could be walking the streets at 2AM and never feel threatened.  The people are so nice and things are so inexpensive.  I found a wonderful couple that sold me some nice silk bags whose son's 1 year old birthday was the next day and was so happy to have the sales.  You really can talk to these people and learn all about them.

   
After shopping of course our feet were tired again so we need another foot massage.
$1 for 15 minutes. 

Now if we would have really been brave we could have had the $2 Dr. Foot Massage (as you see them doing in the background) for an hour whereby they had fish eat your dead skin and it also comes with a beer.  Needless to say Patti and I wanted no part of this!!!  Here is as we left the night market.

He is waiting to take us home in his  tuk tuk!!!

What fun we had enjoying all the excitement!

Cheers,

Joan

Picnic at the Temple

I had to save these last two days until I came back so I could show you the most WOW days of the trip!!  As you know you always like to have a program end with lots of WO
W's and we sure did!!

After visiting the Angkor Wat temple were were then taken to a place where we were transported by ox carts to an area where we enjoyed our picnic lunch at another temple site.

Then we went onto to see another temple which was

Angkor Thom which was fascinating.

Here is our happy group.

Cheers,

Joan

The Kompong Floating Village

Another exciting day and OUR LAST!!  Here we got on a boat where we went out and saw all of these houses built on stilts but the sad thing about it was that most of the stilts we couldn't even see because of the recent rains.  Most of these we submerged into the waters.  Boats right now are their only means of transportation which mean that the children go to school by boat.  It was so interesting but really sad to see people live this way.  However they don't know anything different.

Their living conditions



This is the shrimp that they caught and now it is out drying.

How about the pigs they are raising?

Kids coming back for lunch

We sure need to appreciate what we have!!!!

Cheers,

Joan

Lunch in the Buddhist Temple

After visiting the floating villages our boat pulled up to a Buddhist Village where we walked around to see how they live and then had our lunch inside their temple. Again we had our lovely lunch paks all wrapped up for us with chicken, spring rolls, rice, fruit, etc.

Then afterwards we had an unexpected surprise!  One of the monks gave us the special blessing.  We took up a collection and gave it to him-- then all arranged for this special blessing which was really neat.  We had to sit there with hands folded and head down as we received this. It was really cool.

After we left this village, as if we were hungry again, we were treated to a small village that prepared on their small stoves a complete meal cooking with bananas and coconuts that were only a few feet away from them.  They had pancakes, waffles, fruit, even coconuts that they cracked open to eat inside.  They cooked so much food that of course we ate but also all of the village was eating after us and were so excited.

Khmer Pastries cooked in a local village

We left here and then took a short ride to where some of us had to go back to the hotel to get ready for our flights home (we were going to Hanoi for the night) and then on to the states and guess what we missed -- another bike ride thru the countryside!

Well off to Hanoi!!!

Cheers,

Joan