Lunch, Qua An Ngan, Hanoi.
War Remnants Museum, HCMC, Vietnam.
Communists tend to be a straightforward lot - their communications tend to swing between aggressive on one hand, didactic on the other. So it was a surprise to see irony in full display at the War Remnants Museum in Saigon.
Vietnam Day 1: Good Morning Saigon.
Image © Jake Robillo. Used with permission.
Our first few moments in Saigon, Vietnam weren't exactly auspicious - the taxi driver at the airport seemed not to understand the concept of "change", and assumed he could pocket the $50 we had on hand for payment.
The hotel we'd reserved at, Saigon Mini Hotel 5 in the backpacker mecca of District 1, had a sensible lad at the front desk, who gladly broke our $50 bill and helped translate between the frustrated driver and his equally frustrated passengers (yours truly and Jake, my cousin, who found a few days off to tag along for the ride). We ended up paying the driver $10, no tip (serves him right).
The lad then explained that they'd overbooked - there was no room in Saigon Mini Hotel 5 despite our reservation, but they would gladly put us up at Saigon Mini Hotel 1 a few minutes' walk away.
That was 1am this morning. The next few hours were a significant improvement over the first one.
Read more...Next Stop, Saigon.
Images of Ho Chi Minh City and Hoi An © Photodisc / Getty Images.
Travel to Vietnam takes about three hours from where I live (a fraction of the time it would take if you're flying from Los Angeles LAX or New York JFK), but I still needed to do some groundwork before I flew off.
Our flight departs on Monday, November 2, and arrives at Ho Chi Minh City (still colloquially known as Saigon) at about 1 in the morning.
What to Do in Saigon. We only have one day to spend in Saigon, so my cousin and I are going to have to make it count. Luckily the Sinh Tourist offers a number of Saigon tours, one of which was perfect for one-day wonders like us: we're taking the Cu Chi Tunnels/Ho Chi Minh City tour, which takes us to the Cu Chi warren of Viet Cong tunnels outside Saigon in the morning, then takes us sightseeing around the city in the afternoon.
I emailed the Sinh Tourist and they graciously reserved two slots for us in the tour. They actually made an exception in my case - they have a policy of requiring payment at least a day before the tour, but owing to our quirky schedule they made an exception for us. I'm grateful to Mr. Thai, our Sinh Tourist point man, for bending the rules in our favor.
Guess Teddy Bear Numbers, Win Two Nights' Stay at the Conrad Centennial.
Simple, isn't it? Singapore hotel Conrad Centennial invites you to guess the number of teddy bears on its famous 16-foot Conrad Christmas tree (SGD 5 to join in) in their Conrad Teddy Bear Christmas Tree charity drive, from November 29 to December 31.
The final draw will be conducted on January 4, 2010; winners will be notified by mail.
The top five closest entries get a chance to win a number of cool prizes, including two nights' weekend stay in Conrad Bali and one night weekend stay at Conrad Centennial Singapore!
Participants also get a free Conrad teddy bear to remember them by. All contest proceeds will be donated to the Singapore Red Cross Society. Purchase your tickets from the Conrad Centennial concierge at the lobby.
Image © Conrad Centennial Singapore.
Julia Roberts In Bali: Eat, Pray, Love, Picket.
UBUD, BALI, INDONESIA - Actress Julia Roberts films her new movie 'Eat, Pray, Love' at the Ubud market on October 20, 2009 in Bali, Indonesia. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)
Julia Roberts has come to Bali for the making of the movie Eat, Pray, Love, based on the novel by Elizabeth Gilbert. It will be interesting to see how the movie portrays both Gilbert's external and internal voyages - it's my deepest hope that Bali doesn't become a caricature of itself in the movie, a secondary character to "Gilbert"'s awakening as a person.
Some Bali residents are fearful, too, that filming will interrupt regular life for so many residents - a dozen protesters have picketed the first day of filming in Central Bali's Ubud.
Singapore Hotels: Don’t-Miss Discounts and Promos.
Image © Getty Images.
Royal Plaza Scotts - Twitter promo. I do hate to go on about Twitter, but here goes: Twitter-follow the Royal Plaza on Scotts, and you might win a 2 nights' stay at their executive suite! Just follow the Royal Plaza's twitter account, then tweet the following message from your Twitter account:
Follow and retweet @royalplazatweet in Twitter to win thousands of dollars worth of prizes! Find out how: http://ow.ly/sjtW
You're allowed to tweet more than once - just try not to piss off your Twitter followers. Email tweet@royalplaza.com.sg for more information.
Novotel Clarke Quay - Discounted Rooms. Stay near Clarke Quay's attractions for as low as SGD 178 a room! Book your stay under the Great Singapore Promotion, and you'll receive free buffet breakfast and broadband internet throughout your stay. Click on the link above, or visit www.novotelclarkequay.com.sg for more details.
Top Southeast Asia Travel Tweets of the Week.
Image © Jeff Turner / Creative Commons.
Twitter is a great source for Southeast Asia travel tips and promotions. I set up Tweetdeck on my PC to monitor the Twitterverse for particularly juicy items. Here are a few interesting bits I picked up over the past few days - follow these guys if you like what they have to say, and while you're at it, why don't you follow me as well?
Santel Phin (KhmerBird) tweets "Will you follow this Cambodia Water Festival Security and Safety Reminders", linking to the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia's advisory on the upcoming Water Festival from November 10 to 13. The advisory gives you an idea of how big the festival's going to be:
My Vietnam Tour This November.
So it begins!
I'll be flying to Vietnam on November 2, arriving at Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon), then flying to Hanoi 2 days later.
The only thing sure after that is my departure on November 12; I'll have several days to plan my return voyage from Hanoi, most likely a train ride down the length of Vietnam with stopovers at Hue and Hoi An. (More info on traveling within Vietnam: Vietnam Travel Information.)
For our domestic travel arrangements, I've bought tickets for my cousin and myself from Jetstar Airways, the Australian budget carrier that operates within Vietnam. I purchased the tickets online, received the itineraries in the mail, and will print them out later this week. (More on requirements for entering Vietnam: Vietnam Visa.)
I'll let my cousin handle finding our digs in Saigon; luckily for the both of us, our aunt in Hanoi will take care of our accommodations up North. (Some info on hotels within Vietnam: Hotels near the Old Quarter, Hanoi, and Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City.)
I'll be blogging the trip all the way, barring any major catastrophe with my laptop; hope you follow our adventures!
Image © Lori Baltazar.
Bali Ayana's Rock Bar Plain Rocks.
Image © Ayana Resort & Spa.
A martini on the rocks takes on a breathtaking new meaning at Bali's Ayana Resort and Spa. Its open-topped Rock Bar overlooks the Indian Ocean, 14 meters up on a rocky outcrop of Jimbaran Bay.
(Read about more resorts and hotels along Jimbaran Bay here: Bali Hotel Picks - Jimbaran Hotels.)
The Rock Bar was designed by Yasuhiro Koichi of Japan's Design Studio SPIN, whose works include Nobu in Tokyo and Hong Kong. The Rock Bar offers uninterrupted, 360-degree views from every single vantage point.
Koichi's minimalist design is intended to emphasize the natural beauty and layout of the rocky outcrop on Ayana's Kisik Beach. "The magic of the Rock Bar is to feel the sea close to you and enjoy the coastal scenery and the surf," says Koichi. "Therefore, we designed only enough to enhance these natural elements in a relaxed setting."
Read more...