Monthly Archives: August 2019

When I was planning this trip to Vietnam, I knew I wanted to go to Halong Bay. I found the riverboat cruise company that offered a two day package out on the bay and we were set. Many of you have seen the iconic shots of pillars of rocks shooting out of the water surroundedContinue reading “Breathtakingly Beautiful – Halong Bay”

We arrived in Hanoi in the early evening and greeted by our new tour guide Ang. As we drove to our hotel he pointed out various sites including the neon lighted bridge. It changed colors as we drove over it giving a feel of Las Vegas rather than Hanoi. He also told us that HanoiContinue reading “Hanoi – A Vibrant Historical City”

Out the window of our cabin, we could see the gathering of the ox carts for our morning excursion. The ox carts were set up for two people and they put a pad across the wooden bottom to make it more comfortable for us. It was a lot of fun but it would have beenContinue reading “An Ox Cart Ride Through the Cambodian Countryside”

Our morning excursion began with a bus ride up the mountain to Wat Hanchey, a hilltop temple overlooking the river. Some of our fellow travelers chose to hike up but Bruce and I decided to take a nice air-conditioned bus. We feel at our age we don’t have anything to prove and I know weContinue reading “Water Blessings from a Buddhist Monk”

As was the day we visited the Vietnam War Museum in Ho Ch Min City, this too was a somber day looking back on the genocide that took place in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. The Pol pot reign of terror began when the people thought he would bring Cambodia into an enlightened age. InsteadContinue reading “Into Cambodia’s Dark History”

Vietnam was the land of conical hats and vibrant colored clothing with small Sampan boats floating along the Mekong. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into Cambodia but I wasn’t disappointed. Although the garb wasn’t quite as colorful as Vietnam, the buildings and Temples more than made up for it. We made our entranceContinue reading “The Land of Royal Palaces and Temples – Cambodia”

We left our beautiful hotel at the Reverie Saigon and boarded our home away from home for the next 7 days, the Avalon Saigon. Our cabin is lovely with floor to ceiling windows that open to let in air if we don’t want to have the a/c on. Our cabin also had a beautiful liveContinue reading “Cruising the Mekong”

The Cu Chi Tunnels always sounded so forbidding. Strangely linked tunnels carved mostly by hand networking underground where US military were constantly at risk of Vietcong rising out of them to make a quick attack and then disappear as rapidly as they appeared. I wasn’t sure what to expect on this trip to the infamousContinue reading “The Infamous Tunnels in Vietnam”

It’s a grueling journey to Southeast Asia but I have to admit, flying premium economy on EVA Airlines was a real joy.  The leg space was as much as we had on first class on Delta going to California.  A bottle of water, a pillow and a furry blanket were waiting for us in ourContinue reading “Across the Pond to Vietnam”

It was time to say goodbye to the kids knowing next time we see little Lily, she will be a whole year older and a whole year wiser too. I had made reservations at another Embassy Suites near the airport and we were scheduled to meet up with our travel companions near Pier 39 atContinue reading “A Quick Visit in San Francisco”