Back in October at a cooking class in Hanoi we had the good fortune of meeting a young couple from Scotland. They suggested that a bookend to our five month holiday in SE Asia might be a stay at the Samui Reef View Resort in Koh Samui.Beginnings and endings are important and in view of the fact that we had not planned every minute of our trip. We were open to this idea from fellow travelers. We were not disappointed and we had a wonderful time. Our hosts, Angus and Hom, went out of their way to make sure we had a fabulous time. Their resort was the perfect venue perched on the hillside offering lovely vistas of landscape and sea. They even offered free drives to Lamai Beach as well as giving us insiders tips on how to enjoy the Island. Against our better judgement we rented a motorbike and toured the Island and thankfully avoided any accidents. Following our jaunt we were informed later that one person a day is killed on the Island. This is not in the newspapers.
Driving on the wrong side of the road and without caution are two reasons for this statistic. That said we had a successful trip and avoided the usual tourist traps. Our experience in Chiang Maiat the Elephant Nature Park taut us to be sensitive to how animals are being abused in the tourist industry. We did visit Phuket on the way to Koh Samui and we enjoyed it but would not recommend it for a long stay. The highlight of our Koh Samui was a tour ($120 for two)to the Anthong National Parkwhere we hiked, kayaked and swam. These kinds of offerings can round out your experience and take you to places you would not normally see. It has been true wherever we have gone and stayed the icing on the cake has always been the people you meet. Here we met folks from Ireland, Austria, New Bruswick and even one of Doug's running buddies from the Semiahmoo Sunrunners. The eleven days we spent in Koh Samui were memorable and should you come to this part of the world make sure you get in touch with Angus and Hom at Samui Reef View Resort.
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Financial Summary for 4 months
Accommodation - we have stayed in 33 hotels and guesthouses up to Feb. 6 with 3 more to go. The average per night cost is $ 41.00. Our lowest was $18 a night and our highest was $ 110. The $41 figure may come down slightly by the end of our trip.
Restaurants - most breakfasts were included in the accommodation price. Meals per day for two of us are approximately $30.
We will give a transportation estimate at the end of our trip.
Average cost per day with everything in is $134.40 for four months.
Restaurants - most breakfasts were included in the accommodation price. Meals per day for two of us are approximately $30.
We will give a transportation estimate at the end of our trip.
Average cost per day with everything in is $134.40 for four months.
Chiang Mai - the Star of Northern Thailand
You would be making a big mistake if you were making a trip to Thailand and did not include Chiang Mai. We spent 8 days in this charming city and we used the Chang Thai House as our base for exploring the area and it's surroundings. It makes good sense to have a comfortable hotel when you are staying in a place for a period of time. The time was filled with activity. Here are the things we did: Thai massages, night bazaar, Sunday Market, Walking Street, the Doi Inthanon National Park, Mountain Villages, Doi Sthep Temple and the most exciting of all zip lining through the jungle on the jungle Flight. The morning of our departure we had the good fortune of viewing the Flower Parade opening the Flower Festival. We also enjoyed a dinner cruise on the Ping River and many fine eateries. A week in Chiang Mai is well worth your time.
An Unforgetable Week with the Elephants
Kudos to Michele, Alexis and Mike for recommending this experience!
It has turned out to be one of the most memorable weeks of our journey. We had no idea what was in store for us when we signed up for the program. To briefly summarize we joined 30 other volunteers from 9 to 71 (Doug) and the large group was divided into 4 smaller groups. Each group had a turn at all of the following: cleaning up elephant poo, preparing elephant food, cutting grass and corn with machetes for the elephants,organizing the mud pit, bathing, feeding, working with the Vet Program, collecting wood for fires and generally getting to know the magnificent elephants. Every elephant has been rescued from logging camps, circuses, elephant camps for tourists or begging on the streets of Bangkok. Two of the elephants were blinded by their mahouts. One of the first things you notice at the park is that no one rides on these elephants. The mahouts here use love and caring rather than violent methods to control the elephants. Unfortunately while we were there RC, one of the older elephants died. This gave us the rare opportunity to see an elephant funeral officiated by a Buddhist Monk. It was a solemn occasion and very respectfully done.
Volunteers are vitally important to the success of the Park. It is hard to imagine the park operating without them. We paid $400 each but this provided us with good accommodation and excellent Thai cuisine. You would spend far more and gain much less doing the normal tourist things in Thailand. We could go on and on about this but suffice it to say that we left the Elephant Nature Park with a deepened awareness of the challenges facing the elephants, the important work being done by Lek, Derek and their staff and the real need for dedicated volunteers to support them in their work. The new friendships we made were icing on the cake and we hope to see many of them in Vancouver over the next few years.
It has turned out to be one of the most memorable weeks of our journey. We had no idea what was in store for us when we signed up for the program. To briefly summarize we joined 30 other volunteers from 9 to 71 (Doug) and the large group was divided into 4 smaller groups. Each group had a turn at all of the following: cleaning up elephant poo, preparing elephant food, cutting grass and corn with machetes for the elephants,organizing the mud pit, bathing, feeding, working with the Vet Program, collecting wood for fires and generally getting to know the magnificent elephants. Every elephant has been rescued from logging camps, circuses, elephant camps for tourists or begging on the streets of Bangkok. Two of the elephants were blinded by their mahouts. One of the first things you notice at the park is that no one rides on these elephants. The mahouts here use love and caring rather than violent methods to control the elephants. Unfortunately while we were there RC, one of the older elephants died. This gave us the rare opportunity to see an elephant funeral officiated by a Buddhist Monk. It was a solemn occasion and very respectfully done.
Volunteers are vitally important to the success of the Park. It is hard to imagine the park operating without them. We paid $400 each but this provided us with good accommodation and excellent Thai cuisine. You would spend far more and gain much less doing the normal tourist things in Thailand. We could go on and on about this but suffice it to say that we left the Elephant Nature Park with a deepened awareness of the challenges facing the elephants, the important work being done by Lek, Derek and their staff and the real need for dedicated volunteers to support them in their work. The new friendships we made were icing on the cake and we hope to see many of them in Vancouver over the next few years.
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Our Farewell to Vietnam - Wow!
Traveling in SE Asia has been an exciting and uplifting experience and we would highly recommend it to our readers. We have had the luxury of time so that we were able to be more spontaneous with our plans. This has allowed us to spend more time in places that appeal to us: Hanoi - 11 nights, Luang Prabang,Laos - 10 nights, Siem Reap, Cambodia - 8 nights and Ho Chi Minh City - 9 nights. This creates of feeling of stability and avoids the tedium of hopping from one place to another. Spontaneity came to our rescue on our visit to Hoi An, Vietnam recently when it became clear that the 2 days we had allotted to it was not enough.
Hoi An
This UNESCO World Heritage Site stands out as our number one choice of all the places we have visited so far. What makes it so appealing is its small town charm. We selected a hotel that turned out to be a real gem and offered us the luxury of being close to the market, the historic sites, river walks, excellent restaurants and great cycling opportunities.Hoi An is a good base to do excursions which are very affordable. Perhaps the main reason why people come here is for its reputation as the tailoring capital of the world. We met one lady from Australia who comes here once a year to update her wardrobe. The money she saves on clothes pays for her trip. The city has grown so much since Doug visited in 1998 when the city had a population of 10,000. Now the population is 100,000 and growing.
Nha Trang
We made a bus connection from Hoi An to Nha Trang and 16 hours later we finally arrived at Nha Trang. It was a poorly maintained sleeper bus with questionable standard of cleanliness. That is now behind us. Nha Trang is a beach community with a reputation as party central. We both had colds so the partying did not happen for us and that is our excuse. We loved the beach and we enjoyed some good meals for two days.You could spend more time if you wanted a beach experience. It does not have the same cultural aspects as many other places in Vietnam.
Dalat
The next bus ride - not as onerous and even enjoyable for only 5 hours - took us to the Paris of Vietnam, Dalat. We stayed here for 3 nights and this allowed us ample opportunity to explore this area of outstanding beauty. The high altitude gives travelers a break from the tropical heat. It was so comfortable that we did a 20 km hike. We chose a hotel recommended to us by a fellow traveler in October and he said be sure to stay at the Pink House and we did.
The hotel offers a motorbike tour that is only available to its clients. Needless to say I did not ride on the back of Doug's bike and yes it was not without incident. The leader's instructions were not too clear and guess what happened. Doug motored off all by himself and within 20 minutes ran out of gas. Meanwhile 3 people went looking for him and he was nowhere to be found. Three hours later Doug found the group and we continued on to have an amazing tour. We explored coffee plantations, a silk centre, a market, a cricket farm and the centerpiece of the tour was a visit to our leader's mountain village where we met some extraordinary people. Returning was a scary experience since the roads were poorly lit and people were burning garbage along the way which made visibility difficult. There was no buddy system so people did not ride together. There was a sign of relief when Doug got in last because the traffic on the narrow streets was heavy and made it easy to get lost. All said it was a great day and a great adventure. We found out at the end that the previous day there had been an accident and one person was injured. We left Dalat with good memories and after an 8 hour bus ride we arrived for the last hurrah in Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City. Tomorrow we leave for Chiang Mai, Thailand and a week with the elephants. More on that in a week's time.
Hoi An
This UNESCO World Heritage Site stands out as our number one choice of all the places we have visited so far. What makes it so appealing is its small town charm. We selected a hotel that turned out to be a real gem and offered us the luxury of being close to the market, the historic sites, river walks, excellent restaurants and great cycling opportunities.Hoi An is a good base to do excursions which are very affordable. Perhaps the main reason why people come here is for its reputation as the tailoring capital of the world. We met one lady from Australia who comes here once a year to update her wardrobe. The money she saves on clothes pays for her trip. The city has grown so much since Doug visited in 1998 when the city had a population of 10,000. Now the population is 100,000 and growing.
Nha Trang
We made a bus connection from Hoi An to Nha Trang and 16 hours later we finally arrived at Nha Trang. It was a poorly maintained sleeper bus with questionable standard of cleanliness. That is now behind us. Nha Trang is a beach community with a reputation as party central. We both had colds so the partying did not happen for us and that is our excuse. We loved the beach and we enjoyed some good meals for two days.You could spend more time if you wanted a beach experience. It does not have the same cultural aspects as many other places in Vietnam.
Dalat
The next bus ride - not as onerous and even enjoyable for only 5 hours - took us to the Paris of Vietnam, Dalat. We stayed here for 3 nights and this allowed us ample opportunity to explore this area of outstanding beauty. The high altitude gives travelers a break from the tropical heat. It was so comfortable that we did a 20 km hike. We chose a hotel recommended to us by a fellow traveler in October and he said be sure to stay at the Pink House and we did.
The hotel offers a motorbike tour that is only available to its clients. Needless to say I did not ride on the back of Doug's bike and yes it was not without incident. The leader's instructions were not too clear and guess what happened. Doug motored off all by himself and within 20 minutes ran out of gas. Meanwhile 3 people went looking for him and he was nowhere to be found. Three hours later Doug found the group and we continued on to have an amazing tour. We explored coffee plantations, a silk centre, a market, a cricket farm and the centerpiece of the tour was a visit to our leader's mountain village where we met some extraordinary people. Returning was a scary experience since the roads were poorly lit and people were burning garbage along the way which made visibility difficult. There was no buddy system so people did not ride together. There was a sign of relief when Doug got in last because the traffic on the narrow streets was heavy and made it easy to get lost. All said it was a great day and a great adventure. We found out at the end that the previous day there had been an accident and one person was injured. We left Dalat with good memories and after an 8 hour bus ride we arrived for the last hurrah in Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City. Tomorrow we leave for Chiang Mai, Thailand and a week with the elephants. More on that in a week's time.
Friday, 6 January 2012
Motorcycle Diary - Hue to Hoi An - January 3 and 4, 2012
So often on our trip we have come in contact with people who have influenced our decisions and such is the case with this motorbike trip from Hue to Hoi An. Last October we met a young woman who told us about her upcoming trip and this is where the idea camr from for our trip. It has turned out to be a trip highlight. Although it must be said it was not Club Med experience. After all you are sitting on a motorbike for 6-8 hours a day for two days.
Day One
I was nervous and concerned about safety when I saw the small 125cc Motorbikes pull up next to our luggage. Doug had assured me that these were large motorcycles so much for his credibility. However, after meeting the two upbeat, charming and funny drivers we were off and what turned out to be an incredible excursion. Luckily the sun shone dor most of our first day which made a favorable impression on the countryside. Our first stop was on the outskirts of Hue at one of the elaborate burial tombs of the last king of Vietnam. Most of the day and indeed the trip wa spent on the Ho Chi Minh Trail that is really a roadway not a dirt trail. You are either climbing or descending and it is dangerous with many rock and land slides along the way. Since it is a remote area we had the road to ourselves. The bookend of the day was a wonderful stop at a mountain village and school. We purchased some pencils and books that we gave to the children. Day one ended at a very basic hotel in another small mountain village. We ate with the family who prepared a very tasty meal.
Day Two
Unlike day one it began with a heavy overcast that soon became a steady rain that printed our drivers with many challenges and for us an exhilarating, exciting and for me a scary scenario. You can well imagine how dirt roads can quickly become a quagmire but the drivers were skilled at manouvering through the mud. Throughout the trip our safety was their priority. In spite of the weather especially when it stopped raining we were able to ride out into the rice paddies and backroads to witness rural Vietnam as it really is. It was an exceptional education for us. One of the outstanding tourist destinations in central Vietnam is the World UNESCO Site - My Son; it is often compared to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia but My Son is on a much smaller scale. This site is located in the jungle and the misty rain added to the enjoyment of the day. Our trip ended late afternoon when we arrived in historis Hoi An where we will be for the next nine days. Next blog - Hoi An
Trip at a glance
Weather - last 7 days only one day of sun -mix of rain and clouds - average 22 Celsius
Easy Rider Tour costs - 2 days/2people - $240 including overnight accommodation - meals extra
Day One
I was nervous and concerned about safety when I saw the small 125cc Motorbikes pull up next to our luggage. Doug had assured me that these were large motorcycles so much for his credibility. However, after meeting the two upbeat, charming and funny drivers we were off and what turned out to be an incredible excursion. Luckily the sun shone dor most of our first day which made a favorable impression on the countryside. Our first stop was on the outskirts of Hue at one of the elaborate burial tombs of the last king of Vietnam. Most of the day and indeed the trip wa spent on the Ho Chi Minh Trail that is really a roadway not a dirt trail. You are either climbing or descending and it is dangerous with many rock and land slides along the way. Since it is a remote area we had the road to ourselves. The bookend of the day was a wonderful stop at a mountain village and school. We purchased some pencils and books that we gave to the children. Day one ended at a very basic hotel in another small mountain village. We ate with the family who prepared a very tasty meal.
Day Two
Unlike day one it began with a heavy overcast that soon became a steady rain that printed our drivers with many challenges and for us an exhilarating, exciting and for me a scary scenario. You can well imagine how dirt roads can quickly become a quagmire but the drivers were skilled at manouvering through the mud. Throughout the trip our safety was their priority. In spite of the weather especially when it stopped raining we were able to ride out into the rice paddies and backroads to witness rural Vietnam as it really is. It was an exceptional education for us. One of the outstanding tourist destinations in central Vietnam is the World UNESCO Site - My Son; it is often compared to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia but My Son is on a much smaller scale. This site is located in the jungle and the misty rain added to the enjoyment of the day. Our trip ended late afternoon when we arrived in historis Hoi An where we will be for the next nine days. Next blog - Hoi An
Trip at a glance
Weather - last 7 days only one day of sun -mix of rain and clouds - average 22 Celsius
Easy Rider Tour costs - 2 days/2people - $240 including overnight accommodation - meals extra
Monday, 2 January 2012
Hue - The Imperial City
Hue lived up to it's reputation as one of the must dos on a trip to Vietnam. For us the climatic change was dramatic and most welcome from daytime highs of mid 30s to the high teens and low 20s with a misty rain. This allowed us to put in 2 - 5 hour walking days in this pedestrian oriented city. It is a city with lots of atmosphere reflected in its buildings which are mostly low rise. The highlight of our time here was a tour of the Citadel and Imperial Palace which we did on our own without a guide and it worked well for us. Sometimes guides are important but not always. The palace covers acres of land where architecturally stunning buildings were created to blend with the landscape. We will never forget Hue if for no other reason than that we arrived just prior to midnight New Years Eve and had the good fortune to find a lively French Restaurant where we tipped our glasses to the New Year. Hue is noted for it's excellent cuisine and we will never argue with that claim. Our hotel was great and it was here that we had a meeting with our motorcycle guide representing Easy Riders. We will have more to say about our trip with them in our next blog.
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