Hoi An 会安

Posted on October 14, 2024 by The Traveller

I got the public bus 01 from Da Nang and it took me about 45 minutes to reach to Hoi An.

From the bus station, I took a slow 30 minutes walk, under the blue cloudy sky, to the hotel.

I stayed in a 4-bedded room but 2 of the beds were empty during the 2 nights stay.

The staff were are friendly. They provided directions for places to visit.

The hotel provides breakfast. There are also nearby restaurants providing alternative food.

There is a entrance fee to get into the Hoi An ancient town but I saw many people did not buy the entrance ticket. The entrance ticket allows you to get into certain places in the old town, You can also use the ticket to watch the water puppet show. I think it is worth paying for the ticket

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Inside the Hoi An ancient town

I took the half day tour to visit My Son Sanctuary (means beautiful mountain). This is a UNESCO Asia- Pacific World Heritage site. It is also known as the mini Angkor Wat.

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Hue 顺化

Posted on October 7, 2024 by The Traveller

Huế is a city in the central of Vietnam. It was the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors and Vietnam’s national capital from 1802 to 1945.

A major attraction of Hue is the Imperial City (皇城). This is a walled enclosure within the citadel (京城) of the city of Huế, the former imperial capital of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty.

The Imperial City was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. This historical site is still undergoing restoration when I was there.

When you walk out of the visiting site, you will be encountered by locals trying to sell anything they have on hand.

The Thien Mu Pagoda (Heaven Fairy Lady Pagoda) is one of the most fascinating ancient pagoda in the Hue city. It is situated on Ha Khe hill, north bank of the Perfume River, in Huong Long village. I walked for about 5 kilometers (about an hour) from the city to reach there. After been there for about 30 minutes, I walked back to the hotel; I could have taken the boat ride back instead.

The Hue Royal Antiquities Museum is a World Heritage but I found there is no nothing much to see.

The market is on the right hand side of the the bridge when I walked from the main road. Besides vegetables and meat, the market also sells food, drinks, household items, clothing, shoes, etc. I bought a pair of Adidas shoe and some roasted Vietnamese cashew nuts through a hard bargaining process.

The city area where I stayed.

I stayed in the Amona Hotel. The check-out time is at noon but I was allowed to stay till the late afternoon for the bus come and pick me up to Da Nang, I gave the hotel a 5 Star rating in Agoda.

Mui Ne 美奈

Posted on October 4, 2024 by The Traveller

Mui Ne is about four hours by bus from Ho Chi Minh City. Most of the hotels and resorts are situated along the road and the long distance bus will drop the passengers in front of their respective hotels while travelling from one end to the other of the road. This place is worth a stay for 2 to 3 days to relax and enjoy yourself.

I did not get into the muddy stream as I did not want to wet my socks and shoe. I should wear slipper or sandal instead.

Behind the hotels is the long stretch of white and sandy beach. Some resorts have their own personal beach reserved for the hotel guests.

This is a very impressive fishing village.

There are not many attractions in Mui Ne but the two sand dunes are worth the visit. In the white sand dunes, you could imagine that you are in the desert but you will not have any fear of getting lost or dying of thirst. There is no camel but you could take the jeep or motorbike to get into the sand dunes. But I would recommend that you take a slow walk to have the feeling of walking in the desert. Despite the striking color, the red sand dunes are much more less impressive than the white sand dunes.

Fuzhou 福州

Posted on September 27, 2024 by The Traveller

I took the bus from Xiamen (厦门) to Fuzhou (福州). I walked into a hotel but was rejected. The staff said according to the regulations and for safety, foreigners are to stay in at least a 3 Star hotel.

I asked the locals and found that the 3 Star hotels are not within my budget. Finally, I was directed to stay in an apartment (写字楼). The counter staff said that the regulations are only for hotels and apartments are excluded.

Went to the Panda Word and I only saw one sleeping Panda.

There is also a mini animal show.

Some of the food I had in during my 3 days in Fuzhou.

Chi Cu Tunnel 古芝地道

Posted on September 23, 2024 by The Traveller

I have heard about the Vietnam war. I have heard about the Cu Chi Tunnels. When I reached Ho Chi Minh City, I quickly booked a tour to visit this mystery place. The tour guide was a solider with the American army during the Vietnam war. Though the funny man joked and “smoked” about the war, hearing the history from a war veteran is really different from the someone who has not been to war.

Sapa 沙巴

Posted on September 7, 2024 by The Traveller

I took the 3pm Limousine van (S$21.90) from Hanoi and reached Sapa at about 8pm. I booked a hotel that is rated 5 Star from Agoda. This is a small family owned hotel that has 5 Star hospitality but no facilities.

I met up with the natives and took some of them for dinner instead of buying the souvenirs they were trying to sell me. I also bought biscuits for those children cruising around the amphitheater.

I saw a child sitting along the street. People passed by and gave him food and money. I gave the boy a bar of wafer biscuit. I was anxious to know what was happening and stand at a side to observe. A woman came from the other side of the road with a young girl, and took the boy with her. I am not sure was it her son!

The Sun Plaza is the great spot for tourists to take pictures. The lake is just a few minutes walk away from the city area

The Market Place is about 20 minutes walk from the Sun Plaza. It is at the top end of the lake. I discovered that there is a nigh market in front of the market building when I was on my way back to Hanoi. Maybe I should visit it in my next trip.

The Cat Cat Village is about 30 minutes walk from the Sun Plaza. The entrance fee is S$8 and I think this is a bit expensive. Motorists will approach you for a ride to the village but I think this is not necessary as you could see more by foot. This is a nice place and worth the visit. Remember to get sweet and biscuits for the children in the village.

Moanasapa is discovered by accident when I followed a group of tour walking towards to villages. The entrance is S$4.27 and comes with a botte of water. Although there are many man-made attractions for you to take pictures, the general appearance of the natural environment could easily take your breath away. I had to stop to admire the scenery. There is also a cafe or you to sit down and relax.

The cable car station is inside the Bell Plaza. The ticket to the Sunworld Fansipan Legend is S$52.26. The first cable car that will take you to the Sunworld garden for photo taking.

The 2nd cable car will take you up to the Fansipan cable car station. Upon arrival, you can either take the mountain train or continue to walk up the steps to the summit, which is 3,143m above sea level. It is very cold up in the mountain. Remember to bring along a jacket, umbrella, rain coat and even gloves.

Xiamen 厦门

Posted on August 5, 2024 by The Traveller

我从深圳坐火车到厦门.
途中，火车经过老房子和一些稻田
多么美丽的场景

厦门之旅难忘记
总共去了有两次
吃住行玩全不缺
还想再去大攻略

厦门故事讲不完
蜡像馆里见真人
上胡里山看炮台
还有那条步行街

鼓浪屿是好地方
自然鬼斧神工造
令人惊叹的景致
还有珍珠白沙滩

Guangzhou 广州

Posted on July 18, 2024 by The Traveller

我去过两次广州.两次都是从深圳坐火车到那里.

白云长在天
步上白云山
走进白云景
到达白云顶
遥望白云市
满足藏心底

美丽的爱情可以从风铃开始
但可要找到能够解风铃之谜的人

吃在广州. 这里的食物精致美味, 食之堪称人间一大享受.
吃不仅是一种生存的本能与需要, 更升华为一种技巧、一种艺术。
我在广州的时候, 吃的很多.
哦！我体重增加了.

Guilin 桂林

Posted on June 17, 2024 by The Traveller

听说桂林山水甲天下. 到达了桂林之后才領略到桂林的絕美風景. 山水可是天下一绝。

I stayed in the Sapphire Hotel. It is just along the walking street.

The night market

Simply local food I eat during the trip. Cheap and good.

I walked around freely and visited a few interesting places.

The traditional examination

An Aerial view of the city

While I was walking towards the main road to take the bus to my next destination on my last day in Guilin, I heard a loud sound of explosion behind me. I saw smoke went up higher than the five storey building. I walked back to see what has happened and found that it was a celebration of the opening of a new shop. Too many fire crackers were used.