Suzhou is known as the Eastern Venice (Water City of the East). There is no train service in the city and people have to take the buses and occasionally the boats. The bus fare is 20 cents per trip. I have no problem traveling alone in Suzhou as I am able to read the signs and take the buses to those places I wanted to visit. I stayed 3 days and 2 nights in Suzhou but I do not mind visiting the place again as it is really worth visiting twice.
From Shanghai Hongqiao railway station I took the train to Suzhou. It is just 2 stops and the journey is about 30 minutes. The ticket costs S$8.
When I was in Hanoi, I took a 3 days and 2 nights tour package to Ho Long Bay. This is a interesting trip only if you do not mind having long waiting time for almost everything.
Guess more co-ordination is needed to be done.
After hours of waiting, we finally onboarded the ship. We had the first night stay in a hotel in Cat Ba island.
The next morning, we continued with the sailing on the ship.
Lunch was served on the ship. Boat people also approached us trying to sell their items
The ship continued to sail slowly and we had a good view of the bay
My 1st trip to Hat Yai was by the coach from Golden Mile. The 2nd trip was by plane from Changi Airport. The 3rd trip was by bus from Johor Larkin Bus Terminal. I will say Hat Yai is a place to eat and shop. A stay for 2 to 4 days is enough.
I took the van from Hat Yai bus terminal 2 to Karbi.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
