VIETNAM & HONG KONG - Asia ancient and modern

HOW TO GET THERE

We flew into Hong Kong. This is a destination in its own right that we visited properly on the return journey from Vietnam. We stayed overnight at a hotel at the airport and took an early morning flight to Ho Chi Minh City the day following our early evening arrival.

ROUTE

HONG KONG

The flight from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City takes about 2.5 hours.

HO CHI MINH CITY

We stayed in a hotel facing the Saigon River, which was very central and allowed for easy walking around the core of the city. The local buses were easy and cheap to use for destinations further afield. The only problem with transportation is the volume - crossing the main roads on foot between the blizzard of motorbikes called for steely nerves and usually the protection of some locals who just stepped off the pavement without a second thought.

HO CHI MINH CITY - TEMPLE

The city has attractions throughout, and we set about each of our days out by grouping what we wanted to see in the central, south, north and west districts. Apart from visiting the numerous and fabulous Buddhist pagodas, we also enjoyed the massive market, the botanic gardens, the bustling street life of Chinatown and for a refreshing change - the Hindu temple.

HO CHI MINH CITY - CHINATOWN

We also liked the World of Heineken for its 60th floor views of the city, and of course the beer!

The protracted wars for Vietnamese independence began straight after the Second World War, and were only concluded in 1975. The facts and figures of all this strife are recorded alongside the very sobering presentations of photographs and installations at the War Remnants Museum.

HO CHI MINH CITY - OPERA HOUSE

We spent a very pleasant evening at the very French 'fin de siecle' Opera House watching a music and movement production representing Vietnamese rural life.

HUE

The flight up to Hue takes an hour and a half. We stayed in a small hotel in the main tourist accommodation and restaurant locale on the opposite side of the river to the Imperial Citadel. This area is the venue for the lively weekend ‘walking streets’ market and food stalls. Most of the main sights are within the Citadel’s walls and there is more than enough here to occupy you on a full day’s outing.

HUE - Imperial Citadel: Hien Lam Pavilion & 9 Dynastic Urns

Although many of the buildings were destroyed or damaged during the wars of independence, restoration of the site has been successful in giving a sense of the magnificence of the ancient city.

HUE, PERFUME RIVER - Dragon Boat Tour to Royal Tombs

A trip on the Perfume River in a dragon boat will take you to the Royal Tombs to the south of the city. This is a full day trip with a return journey by bus. You will see several outstanding sites as well as the surrounding countryside and riverside life.

A little further out of the city is the village of Phuoc Tich with its pretty covered bridge.

PHUOC TICH - Thanh Toan covered bridge

HOI AN

You can do the journey down to Hoi An by rail, but we decided to take a bus tour option as the weather was poor on the mountainous section so the promised views would not be possible. This tour was a good deal as it took us door to door between hotels and included a visit to the Thanh Toan covered bridge, and nearer to Da Nang, a stop at the Marble Mountains. This made the journey into a full day trip.

We stayed in a riverside hotel just outside the centre. Hoi An is well provided with shops, nice riverside walking and historic buildings. This is a designated UNESCO Heritage area, with conservation programmes keeping the core of the town looking much as it would have been centuries ago.

HOI AN - Duc An merchant's house

The main 18 historic sites - ancestral halls and houses - are included in a single ticket entry. A beautiful covered bridge links the Japanese and Chinese parts of the town. At the full moon the town is completely shut down to traffic and the streets are adorned with lanterns, which are also on the boats and floated out onto the river. The river banks are decorated with illuminated sculptures.

HOI AN - Lantern decorations

We took a day trip out to the My Son temple complex, an ancient site of the Hindu Cham dynasty(2nd-15th centuries). This was the scene of heavy fighting and bombing during the independence struggles and although heavy damage was incurred across the site the remains are still impressive.

MY SON - Cham Dynasty temple ruins

DA NANG

Da Nang is a three quarter of an hour taxi or minibus ride away. We stayed at a hotel with nice river views and good facilities. The centre with its large interesting market was a short walk away.

DA NANG - Han River & Dragon Bridge

Right on the door step is the river with its fabulous dragon bridge which is illuminated with light-changing patterns at night. Also nearby is the Museum of Cham Dynasty Sculpture that houses most of the best preserved carvings still around.

DA NANG - Cham Dynasty sculpture

The Marble Mountains are a short bus/taxi ride out of the city. These contain natural caves housing Buddhist and Hindu temples, and there are other temples, gardens and viewpoints on the slopes.

DA NANG -Marble Mountains

Taken together, these features of Da Nang make for a worthwhile and interesting couple of nights stay, even though you are primarily here to get the return flight to Hong Kong and the city has no outstanding merit as a tourist location.

HONG KONG

Its a couple of hours flight back to Hong Kong. We took the very handy and cheap tourist express bus into the centre, which stops close to the hotels grouped at the south end of Kowloon. Our hotel was well placed for the restaurants, shops and museums in the area. Travelling around on the metro and buses was easy and cheap.

HONG KONG - View from Victoria Peak

We organised several days to see the highlights in different parts of the city: New Kowloon temples, Chi Lin nunnery and Nan Linn gardens; Hong Kong island - ferry, Victoria Peak, Causeway Bay shopping; Bus out to Aberdeen fishing village and ferry to Ap Lei Chau for Horizon market; New Territories - Ping Shan heritage trail round clan ancestral halls.

HONG KONG - New Kowloon: Nan Linn gardens

In the Kowloon area we visited: the shops including the impressive Jade Market; Kowloon Park including Sunday ‘Kung Fu corner’ martial arts and dance; and the impressive Hong Kong museum.

HONG KONG - Kowloon Park: Kung Fu corner

There will still be plenty to see on a return visit!

Have a Safe journey home!

UZBEKISTAN - Central Asia’s Silk Road

Travelling along the Central Asian section of the ancient trading routes between China and Europe. Visiting the cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. There are a large number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites on this trip, covering religious buildings, fortifications, bazaars and the scientific and cultural aspects of the country. (Picture shows Bibi Khanym Mosque, Samarkand ) HOW TO GET THERE We travelled as a couple with a personalised itinerary provided by the tour company Avantour ( based in Tashkent), who booked our hotels, rail tickets, guides and drivers for our journey. We flew from Manchester (U.K.) with a connecting flight from Istanbul to Tashkent. ROUTE Headed out from Tashkent we went to Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva then flew out from Urgench to Istanbul and then back to Manchester. TASHKENT Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and the biggest city in Central Asia. Most of the old buildings in the city were destroyed by the earthquake of 1966, a...

NORWAY - Fjords & Northern Lights

Travelling on the Coastal Ferry - headed all the way up through the Norwegian Fjords, crossing the Arctic Circle to the far North Eastern corner of Norway, close to the border with Russia. This is a 12 day round trip, catching sight of the Northern Lights(Aurora Borealis). Route of Havila Cruise with stops from/to Bergen How to get there There are plenty of options to get to the starting point at Bergen. However there is only really one way of seeing the fjords, which is by boat. Various cruise companies operate part of the main routes but only 2 run the route of the old ‘mailboat’ connecting the cities,towns and villages along the coast. Before 2021 only Hurtigruten ran this service, but there is now a major rival - the Havila Krysruten line. Havila built a brand new fleet of 4 ferry/small cruise ships which are excellently equipped to high hotel standards. These ships are powered by low emission engines. These are very quiet with no smelly fumes. The engine includes a...

JAPAN - Central Cities train trip

Japan is a wonderful blend of the ancient and ultra-modern. There are a large number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites on this trip - fabulous gardens, temples and cultural highlights linked by super smooth fast bullet trains. Visiting the major cities of Central Japan - Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Okayama and Kanazawa - together with trips out to the Nikko National Park and Naoshima Island. (Picture shows Garden at Nishio Yatsuhashi-no-Sato restaurant , Kyoto) HOW TO GET THERE We arrived at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport. For this trip we used the services of a travel company - for a number of reasons. As you may know from other posts we have usually made all our own travel arrangements because we enjoy tailoring trips to our own tastes. The Japan trip took us outside our usual comfort zone because we have no language skills at all in Japanese. We also wanted to make the most of our time on the trip rather than having to navigate all the connections and bookings befo...

GUATEMALA - Mayan and Spanish Colonial heritage.

HOW TO GET THERE We flew into Guatemala City, and then made the journey to and from Flores by plane. All other journeys were by minibus or taxi, apart from boating on Lake Atitlan. As an alternative arrival you could take a Pullman Coach Bus to Antigua out of Copan Ruinas in Honduras that takes about 7 hours if you want to make this part of a longer Central American trip. (See the separate post on Nicaragua and Copan Ruinas.) You will need to check for the current health restrictions that may be in place for your arrival in Guatemala. ROUTE WHERE TO GO SAFELY Guatemala does not have a clear rating for safety/security, so you will need to check your own Government's travel advisory page for the latest updates. Most criminal activity is not aimed at tourists but attacks have happened. Although this should not put you off, you need to be aware and take precautions. There are issues about where and when you shouldn't go to particular places, but you will...

SINGAPORE & BORNEO short break/stopover

SINGAPORE - MacRitchie Reservoir Park WHERE TO? HOW LONG? You may be on your way somewhere else, or need to make the most of your precious time with a short break. Many travellers spend just one night in Singapore, but if you plan to stay a little longer you will have a great opportunity to savour what this part of the world has to offer. That’s why the suggestion here is for a lengthier stay, including a short break on the nearby larger island of Borneo. SINGAPORE Singapore is built on trade and is now the 2nd busiest port in the world. Singapore is where many of the world’s civilisations meet up in a jungle setting. SINGAPORE DOWNTOWN The Downtown area is concentrated around the mouth of the Singapore River. Few cities offer as many cultural influences in such a tight space - Little India, Chinatown, the Arab Quarter and the British Colonial District. All of these areas are easily accessible on foot. Not to be missed: The Arab Quarter’s fine clot...

ANCIENT THAILAND - A slow rail trip

THAILAND - A slow rail trip through Ancient Cities. Rail travel - what’s not to like? Take it nice and slow with overnight stops and linger in some fantastic ancient cities on the journey from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Pictured SUKHOTHAI - Historical Park HOW TO GET THERE Coming from outside Thailand you'll need to fly into Bangkok unless you're coming overland from elsewhere in Asia, in which case you could start in Chiang Mai and just do the rail trip. There is also an overnight sleeper train that does the journey between Bangkok and Chiang Mai in 15 hours if you prefer to do that rather than the domestic flight. ROUTE This is mainly a rail trip, with a flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai at the beginning. Both of these cities feature heavily in the itinerary for the trip and are properly destinations in their own right. The additional main features of the trip are on the rail journey between the two major cities, visiting the towns of Phitsanulok and Lop Buri...

CHILE- Central Cities and Lake District tour

VALPARAISO HOW TO GET THERE We flew into Santiago via Miami on an overnight flight. We managed to get a good deal on our flights with Latam , the Chilean carrier, for all the domestic stops and the international journey by selecting the multi-city option when booking on their internet site. Much of this trip is by plane, with bus/taxi transfers on the short journey legs. You'll need about 3 weeks to do this trip at the leisurely pace we chose, although you could do it in 2 weeks if you cut down the number of nights in some of the locations. ROUTE: SANTIAGO We opted to stay in the Providencia area, with metro links into the centre, good accommodation and dining facilities nearby. This is a short walk from the Sculpture Park which is set on the banks of the Mapocho river. On the way back you’ll pass by or pop in to the Costanera Center - the largest shopping mall in South America with large food halls. SANTIAGO - Providencia Sculpture Park Early on in our stay we t...

PORTUGAL (North) - Historic towns ,cities and the green (verde) region

Take the trip heading out of Northern Spain to the remote mountainous Verde (Green) region of Portugal, and travel back via the historic towns and cities of Braganza, Guimares, Braga, Santiago de Compostela and Gijon. Photo shows Braganza - the Citadel HOW TO GET THERE We completed this trip with a car and towed caravan*. The main loop of the trip inside Spain and then into Portugal could just as easily start anywhere within it, and you could do it in a car staying in hotels or other accommodation. Headed to Portugal from the UK or Northern Europe you have plenty of options on land routes and stops on the way across France. Alternatively there are ferries into Santander and Bilbao from the UK. We took three weeks to complete the main trip loop, and a further week in total on the outward and return journeys across France taking the ferry from Newhaven(UK) to Dieppe(F). * please see notes on travelling with a caravan or motorhome underneath the header 'Caravanning' next ...

MEXICO - Spanish colonial heritage

GUANAJUATO - night view HOW TO GET THERE We flew into Mexico City. We travelled around on buses or took local taxis/other transport options. The inter-city buses are the Pullman/Executivo type with massive legroom and reclining seats. As we had pre-booked all our accommodation and knew our departure dates we bought our onward coach tickets at each arrival point after leaving Mexico City. ROUTE This is a tour focused on the Spanish colonial cities to the north and west of the capital. WHERE TO GO SAFELY We were fortunate to have a contact in Mexico who offered to have a look at our itinerary before we finalised our plans and booked accommodation. We were advised not to go to destinations in our original plan that were further north and on the west coast as they were not deemed to be so safe. All the places on our route were safe, and the people were very friendly and helpful. Parts of Mexico do not have a clear rating for safety/security, so you will need to check...

CROATIA/SLOVENIA - city, countryside and coast tour

A road trip starting out from the Northern coast of Europe and travelling down through Holland. Germany and Austria into Slovenia and then Croatia. Including visits to Lake Bled, the Istria peninsula, Split, Zagreb, Ljubljana and the Plitvice Lakes. Photo shows: ROVINJ, CROATIA HOW TO GET THERE We started on our journey to Slovenia/Croatia from the ferry terminal at the Hook of Holland, because we were travelling with our caravan* (towed) from the UK. The main loop of the trip inside Slovenia/Croatia could just as easily start anywhere within it, and you could do it in a car staying in hotels or other accommodation. If you're not intending to travel across Holland, Germany & Austria please see the Route 2. map below and then jump forward in the itinerary to the section on the Slovenia/Croatia loop starting at Lake Bled. If you do the whole trip this will take you about 6 weeks, with 3 weeks just for the loop inside Slovenia/Croatia which is 960 miles plus mileage for side trip...

Search This Blog