Active Travel Asia co-operate with Indochina Sails Halong Bay supports free Vietnam Visa services for travelers who book Indochina Sails Saving summer promotion – Halong Bay cruise, Vietnam until September 30, 2009.

Active Travel Shop (ATS), one of Active Travel Asia (ATA) sister sites is a first class online travel shop for international independent travelers. ATS offers all travel related services including travel packages, flight, car rental, hotel reservations and tour operations to independent travelers to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. ATS guarantees to offer travelers the competitive rates at the premium service quality level in the market.

Indochina Sails is the biggest company to offer a new standard for luxury cruising Halong Bay and now widely known as the number one choice for discerning travellers, operating a fleet of four newly built wooden junks designed in time-honoured traditional style, with contemporary and luxurious cabins and facilities.

ATS offers free Vietnam tourist Visa services which travelers can choose to apply Visa on Arrival Vietnam, or just take the Visa Approval Letter sent by ATA and apply at Vietnamese Embassies and Consulates in traveler’s country. Please refer to Vietnam Embassies at http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/traveltips/vietnam_embassies_consulates_ab...

To apply Vietnam tourist Visa, please download the guideline and follow step by step at http://www.activetravelshop.com/index.php?name=download&product=TouristVisaAp...

Travelers refer to Special Summer Promotion on Halong bay on Indochina Sails websites at http://www.indochinasails.com/en/promotion.html for more information.

In this summer promotion, travelers will enjoy the gastronomic BBQ Seafood and summer wines in the most luxury cruises as well as kayaking and swimming in Halong bay, Natural World Heritage of Vietnam with special promotion rates. This promotion is valided from 1st May- 30 Sept 2009 for 02 days or 03 days package tours in Halong Bay.

INCLUDED

- Superior Double/Twin (Twin shared)

- Shuttle bus returns Hanoi - Halong Bay – Hanoi

- International Wine Tasting - A select list of wines from around the world

- 01 hour free Kayaking on Halong Bay

- Candlelight Buffet Dinner with many dishes from the BBQ including a large selection of local seafood

- Welcome Drink

- Entrance and Sightseeing Fees.

- Luxury en-suite air-conditioned Cabins

- Vietnamese Set Lunch Menu

- International Breakfast Buffet

- Onboard Insurance

- Tax and Service Charges

EXCLUDED

Visa Arrangements

Massage Service

Beverages

Tips and Personal Expenses

All other services not clearly mentioned above

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Cruise rates based on group of two adults

Advance reservation required

Supplement cabins for normal walk-in rate without extras

Other terms and conditions apply

Available on Indochina Sails I and II only

Contact ATS at: shop@activetravelshop.com or Indochina Sails: info@indochinasails.com

Note:

- Active Travel Asia only offers free Vietnam tourist visa services for travelers who book Indochina Sails Summer Promotion

- This offer is exclusive of Visa Stamp fee at Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam International Airport.

- This offer is valid until September 30, 2009 and applied only to new bookings.

- This promotion is not combined with any other promotions.

Other Special Promotions on ATA’s sister sites:
Active Travel Asia (ATA): http://www.activetravel.asia/special_offer/

Active Travel Vietnam (ATV): http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php

Active Travel Cambodia (ATC): http://www.activetravelcambodia.com/tour.php

Following the cheaper options campaign, Active Travel Asia supports free Vietnam Visa services on Active Travel Shop (www.activetravelshop.com) for travelers who plan to travel Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and book hotels & excursions in Vietnam until September 30, 2009.

Active Travel Shop (ATS), one of Active Travel Asia (ATA) sister sites is a first class online travel shop for international independent travelers. ATS offers all travel related services including travel packages, flight, car rental, hotel reservations and tour operations to independent travelers to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. ATS guarantees to offer travelers the competitive rates at the premium service quality level in the market.

ATS offers free Vietnam tourist Visa services which travelers can choose to apply Visa on Arrival Vietnam, or just take the Visa Approval Letter sent by ATA and apply at Vietnamese Embassies and Consulates in traveler’s country. Please refer to Vietnam Embassies at http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/traveltips/vietnam_embassies_consulates_ab...

To apply Vietnam tourist Visa, please download the guideline and follow step by step at http://www.activetravelshop.com/index.php?name=download&product=TouristVisaAp...

Travelers have more options to choose many hotels and excursions on Activetravelshop.com from budget to luxury accommodation as well as find the suitable excursions in Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa, Hoi An, Nha Trang or Mekong delta. More info at: http://www.activetravelshop.com/index.php?name=product&op=listSubcategories&c...

Note:

- Active Travel Asia only offers free Vietnam tourist visa services for travelers book hotels and excursions on Active Travel Shop.
- This offer is exclusive of Visa Stamp fee at Vietnam Embassy or Vietnam International Airport.
- This offer is valid until September 30, 2009 and applied only to new bookings from Activetravelshop.com.
- This promotion is not combined with any other promotions from ATA

Other Special Promotions on ATA’s sister sites:

Active Travel Asia (ATA):http://activetravel.asia/special_offer/
Active Travel Vietnam (ATV): http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php
Active Travel Cambodia (ATC): http://www.activetravelcambodia.com/tour.php

Providing a fleeting insight into the traditional lives, friendly tribes and exotic landscapes of north-travelers and north-east Vietnam, the trip also delivers surprisingly good riding across the mountainous area of northern Vietnam. There are technical sections, easy hills, huge flowing descents and some glorious single tracks.

The day for biking from Sapa to Ban Ho Village, Travelers will begin the ride around 8.30am, directly from Sapa and straight away travelers are flying along on a 38km stretch involving a challenging climb at first and then a spectacular, fast flowing downhill to join a remote jeep track. Travelers will meet up for picnic lunch at the downhill. The jeep track climbs at first then provide a fast descent before travelers hit a short section of paved road that leads to Lao Cai Town. This is a long and challenging day with one short section where travelers might have to carry the bikes.

The day for biking in Bac Ha, Lao Cai, The ridding begins on a good hard pack track along the side of a quiet road. Climbing gently then descending steeply to the small village of Coc Ly. Take a boat trip on Chay River, a beautiful river with stunning mountain gorge. The boat trip is followed by a ride on riverbank single-track and an alpine road climb to the quiet town of Bac Ha.

The day for biking from Bac Ha to Hoang Su Phi, Travelers drive 10 km west to Lung Phin where travelers start climbing toward Xin Man. This day, travelers will bike across one of the most remote parts of northern Vietnam. At first travelers tackle a steady climb for 1 hr and then hitting the tarmac for a fast descent into the quiet town of Xin Man. The riding in the afternoon takes travelers down to a bridge over the upstream of Chay River and for the next 40 km traveler’s cycle along a quiet road that gently climbs and follows the river to the town of Hoang Su Phi.

The day for biking in Ha Giang, travelers leave Hoang Su Phi early morning; there are 6 km downhill before travelers turn off onto a remote track leading though mountains. On this part the support vehicle will not be able to follow the group and continue on the main mountain road to Viet Lam, where travelers will meet up later this day. The ride highlight today is a long descent punctuated with waterfall and switchbacks, which flows seamlessly into some sinuous riverside single track making for fantastic riding. Eventually travelers emerge onto rough tarmac and climb before finally dropping down again to the hot springs of Viet Lam, where travelers can ease the aching muscles. Refreshed, travelers transfer the final 20 miles along Highway 2 to the busy district capital of Ha Giang.

At first day for biking from Ha Giang to Bac Me, travelers tackle 12 km gentle climbs and then it is an undulating, idyllic route through friendly villages and paddy fields, surrounded by jagged limestone hills. Light lunch en route and travelers will reach the small town of Bac Me early afternoon. The rest of the day, travelers can explore this litter town and its surroundings or relax with a cold beer in local bars.

The day for biking from Bac Me to Ba Be Lake, travelers cross the Gam River and leave the main road to follow a small track cross-country off-road all the way to Ba Be. The support vehicle will not be able to follow the group on this route and travel along way to meet travelers in Ba Be National Park. Depending to the condition of the track travelers will have an emergency jeep or motorbike for water, food and first-aid. The ride involves three climbs, crossing a succession of river valleys, but is rideable all the way. At the village of Dan Dong, travelers will be transferred into traditional long boats for a relaxing 1.5-hour ride along the beautiful Nang River and cross the lake into the stunning Ba Be National Park. The park is centered on the country's largest natural lake which is surrounded by limestone cliffs, waterfalls, and caves and abundant of wildlife.

The day for Boat trip on Ba Be Lake, travelers will board a long boat for a fantastic boat trip on the stunning Ba Be Lake.

Summer Promotion Valid from Apr 01, 2009 to Jul 31, 2009 at www.activetravelvietnam.com

Spending a couple of days floating on the waters of Halong Bay is always an unforgettable experience for Duc Hanh (timeout)

I arrive in Halong at noon. The sun is high in the sky and burning bright. On the pier countless wooden junks, sailboats, speedboats and tiny bamboo boats bob in the water expectantly as tourists arrive from Hanoi in vans, cars and buses. Personally after a four-hour-stint on the road, I’m dying to get out the water and feel the sea breeze running through my air. I presume as normal with Halong tours we’ll be left “sitting on the dock of the bay” for the best part of an hour, but almost instantly a speed-boat arrives with a flourish and as soon as we pile on board we’re zooming towards our large and handsome junk, the Indochina Sails, which the captain proudly announces is 44m long and 8.5m wide – and indeed it seems a fine, seaworthy vessel to me!

In my time I’ve been on board a few of the bay’s shabbier junks. It is one point worth making: when it comes to visiting Halong Bay don’t go for the budget trips! Thankfully there are more than a few classy junks to choose from these days that are also reasonably priced.

On board the Indochina Sails, there’s a restaurant, a bar, a massage room, a gift shop and even a library. Guests can also avail of binoculars, snorkelling equipment or top-of-the-line Canadian made kayaks. As we set off into the bay, I make use of the binoculars and survey the glorious setting all around us.

A trip to Halong is first and foremost about relaxing so within minutes every single passenger arrives on deck to sip drinks in the sunshine while basking at the brilliance of bay. Sun-shy, I stretch out on a lie-low on the more shaded lower deck and listen to the the sound of the boat chopping through the waves. As time slowly passes, I happily doze off in the salty air.

Eventually a call for lunch stirs me from my light slumber. A Vietnamese five-course lunch is devoured by the hungry guests even though we’ve hardly worked up an appetite. Afterwards, we drop anchor by Ti Top Island. The tiny island takes its name from the cosmonaut Ghermann Titop of the former Soviet Union, who came here on a trip with President Ho Chi Minh in 1962.

To mark the significance of their visit, Uncle Ho named it Ti Top Island. Thirty-five years later, in 1997, Ti Top returned. Deeply moved, he wrote in the souvenir book of the Management Board of Halong Bay: “My deepest thanks to destiny, which has allowed me to come back to this tiny island.”

It’s a small island, but certainly one to be proud of. It is quiet and airy atmosphere as well as its clean white sand and clear waters. The beach is ideal for swimming nearly all year round. The island’s main attraction is possibly the pagoda-styled lookout point at its peak.

After climbing the 427 stone steps that wind up to the summit, one is treated to a most incredible 360-degree view of Halong Bay. Heading back to my cabin to shower and change for dinner, I discover a card inviting me to a wine tasting. So when we’re ready, we head back to the deck to sample the offerings of Chilean, South African and American grapes.

We sip and savour the taste on our palettes as the sun slowly drops behind the surrounding islands and the twilight dwindles – just another perfect Halong moment. Slightly tipsy after a sampling the wine, I’m happy to head for the restaurant and fill my stomach.

Sweet melodies of a traditional Vietnamese dan bau (a monochord instrument) fill the air as we feast on an international buffet with Vietnamese sweet-and-sour salad, crab and corn soup, fried rice, BBQ crab, shrimp, oysters and cuttlefish as well as seasonal fruit and green-bean and lotus seed cake for dessert.

With a canopy of glittering stars above us, a refreshing coolness in the air and flashes of fluorescent lamps from the cuttlefish boats in the distance, at night the bay is truly magical. It is pure bliss just to sit around with the other travellers, your friends or partner.

Some may be tempted to try an adventurous night activity and join fishermen casting out nets for cuttlefish before heading for bed but I’m perfectly happy to sit and quietly contemplate life with a nightcap. After a deep and dreamless slumber, the voices of vendors who have rowed up to our junk to sell snacks, seafood, souvenirs and cigarettes wakes me up.

Once roused, I head up to the deck where I’m informed we are heading to Ngoc Vung Island before kayaking around Cong Do fishing-village. Aye, aye Captain. We disembark the Indochina Sails and clamber onto a smaller wooden boat to dock on the shores of Ngoc Vung island where we are presented with mountain bikes for a cycling trip across this ruggedly beautiful island, which sits amongst the awe inspiring Halong archipelago.

Ngoc Vung (Mother Pearl) island is 50km from Halong City’s Wharf. Once – or so it is said – all around the island you could plunge below and find a plethora of pearls, hence the name Mother Pearl island. You can also find the most incredible deserted beaches!

From the wharf, we cycle along a coastal road that skirts the island’s hilly terrain while near the shore fishermen caulk their bamboo boats with tar. The road from the wharf to beach is rather short, just 5km. When we arrive the white sandy beach sparkles and glistens under the sunshine.

There is not a soul bathing on the beach – truly for tourists looking for a remote hidden getaway spot this fits the bill. The island is 12sqm in area with over 1,000 inhabitants living mainly off fishing, farming, aquaculture and afforesting.

But there are no bars or restaurants, no showers or toilets. But that’s why we’re here: to escape the crowds! After swimming, sun-bathing and walking along the beach, we head back to the boat where our tour guide introduces us to our kayaks. Again, taking a leisurely pace, we paddle around Cong Do, a floating fishing village in Bai Tu Long bay, 25km southeast of Halong wharf.

Here you can find shrimp, crab, fish, squid and aquatic plants. If you’re not shopping for dinner, it’s fun just to soak in the incredible atmosphere of a true Halong fishing village. Personally, it just reminds me that I’ve been promised a seafood dinner tonight back on board the Indochina Sails!

Full steam ahead captain! The Indochina Sails is currently offering a Sensational Summer Savings promotion package for a three day and two night cruise. Check out www.indochinasails.com

Three days and two nights floating on Halong Bay can bring you the unforgettable moment in your life. Duc Hanh explores.

I come to Halong at noon; the sun is high in the sky and burning bright. At the pier countless wooden junks, sailboats, speedboats and tiny bamboo boats bob around. After a four hour stint in the van from Hanoi, everybody is understandably itching to kick back and feel the sea breeze on board.
Just then a speed-boat arrives with a flourish and we pile on board before zooming off to the Indochina Sail, a large, handsome junk that the captain proudly announces is 44 meters long and 8.5 meters wide – and indeed it seems a fine, seaworthy vessel to me.

On board the Indochina Sail, we have a restaurant, the Indochina Sail Bar, a gift shop and even a library. Guests can also avail of binoculars, snorkeling equipment or top-of-the-line Canadian made kayaks. As we set off into the bay, I tentatively start with the binoculars.

Most of my fellow travelers are content to flop around the deck, sipping drinks, surveying the impressive view or catching a bit of sun. A trip to Halong is first and foremost about relaxing! Sun-shy, I stretch out on a lie-low on the more shaded lower deck and listen to the buffeting breeze and the sound of the boat chopping through the waves. Time passes and I happily doze off in the salty air.

A call for lunch stirs me out of my light slumber. A five-course lunch is devoured by the hungry guests. We hadn’t even worked up an appetite.

Afterwards, we drop anchor at Ti Top Island.

Heading back to my cabin to shower and change for dinner, I discover a card reads: “Wine Tasting is waiting for you now.” We clamber up the deck for a special feast with Chile, South African and American wine all round. The sun drops behind the surrounding islands as we sit in the dwindling twilight.

Slightly tipsy, I step down the restaurant for dinner in the sweet melodies of traditional Vietnamese Dan Bau (Monochord music instrument). At night the bay is magical.

The voices of vendors who have rowed up to our junk to sell snacks, seafood, souvenirs and cigarettes make me wake up. “Today is a hard but very interesting day for us. We are coming to Ngoc Vung Island and kayaking around Cong Do fishing-village,” the crew informs us of our itinerary for the second day.

After disembarking the Indochina Sails Junk onto a smaller wooden boat, we sail towards the shore of Ngoc Vung Island along with my fellow travelers and a bunch of mountain bikes. We are off for a cycling tip across this mysterious island which sits amongst the awe inspiring Halong archipelago.

From the wharf, we cycle along a coastal road that skirts the island’s hilly terrain. The road is spectacular. There is never a chance to get bored with stunning views of land and sea.

Off the shoreline fishermen are caulking their bamboo boat with tar or scrapping worms off the panels of their wooden boats. Along the road several women are mending fishing nets or drying peanuts. Up the hilly slopes, children blithely tend to oxen or geese. On the verdant paddy fields farmers pull up weeds or busy themselves with fresh water ponds of fish and shrimp.

For those worried about cycling on country roads on remote islands, Ngoc Vung boasts fairly smooth infrastructure all round. There is very little traffic. Just the odd three-wheeled vehicle or motorbike passes by. Life on the island is simple. If you’re after tranquility, you will find it in spades.

The road from the wharf to beach is rather short, just 5km, so even if you’re not a keen cyclist you should find it easy enough. There is no need to rush, no need to stress out. We stop frequently and bask in the island’s natural beauty. Away from the sea, you can find luxuriant fields of rice and pine trees.

When we finally arrive at the white sandy beach, it sparkles and glistens under the sunshine. There is not a soul bathing on the beach. For tourists looking for a remote hidden getaway spot this fits the bill.

The island is 12square kilometers in area with over 1,000 inhabitants living mainly off fishing, farming, aquaculture and afforesting. But there are no bars or restaurants, no showers or toilets. But that’s why we’re here: To escape the crowds and bask in our own little private paradise.

After swimming, sun-bathing and walking along the beach, with heavy hearts we cycle back towards the boat. But just when we think the fun is over our tour guide introduces us to the kayaks.

Sailing way from Ngoc Vung Island, we clamber into the kayaks and paddle off to Cong Do, a floating fishing village in Bai Tu Long bay, 25km southeast of Halong wharf.

You can find shrimp, crab, fish, squid and aquatic plants. We paddle around soaking up the atmosphere and dreaming of a seafood dinner that we will have back in Indochina Sails again tonight. Our second day passes with adventurous and passionate activities and we think of the last day with more unforgettable moments.
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Promotion: The Indochina Sails offers a special promotion for Last minutes booking with free kayaking and Free Room upgrade for all booking around 24h. And to see its Sensational Summer Savings promotion package for the 3day 2 night cruise, access website: www.indochinasails.com.

(Sheena and Chelsea told their wonderful experiences on motorcycling trip in Vietnam)

We booked a motorcycle trip, which is sure to be the main trip highlight for us. Cruising around, no cares in the world! We used a company called Active Travel Vietnam. It included three days on bikes touring the country side with home-stays throughout. The site we used is listed here: http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php?op=detail&tourId=34

We woke up early then we were picked up by our mini bus and driven to the Ho Chi Minh Museum just on the outskirts of Hanoi. It’s a great place for us to start and showed us lots of cool facts about Ho Chi Minh and gave us time to discuss the upcoming trail ride and its significance to Vietnam.

The museum was built in the 1990's and is dedicated to Ho Chi Minh. He was s great Vietnamese leader who lead the communist movement and defeated the French in 1954. Ruling until 1969, he was considered very influential and was best known for leading Vietnam through its revolution and its declaration of independence. Everything on display is pretty much a dedication to his achievements in life. His life is depicted in a number of photos and artifacts about speeches he made and the influence he had. We kept seeing things around town that affectionately refer to him as Uncle Ho. Pretty neat if I do say so myself.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail was the link between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and was used in the American War as a supply line for ammunition and supplies. The problem is that the trail leads through the jungle and created many hardships. Now the trail is used for tourism and is a peaceful, beautiful route where you can reflect on the countries past.


After the museum we had some time to play around on the bikes and get used to the way they felt. Chelsea and I had gone for motorcycle lessons in Canada before the trip because we knew that this was one of the highlights we were not willing to miss. I keep making fun of Chelsea for getting her motorcycle license for a trip when she still doesn’t have her regular license. Ha-ha. Needless to say, the training at home seemed to really help our confidence on these bikes. The guides were great too, VERY patient.

We spent the afternoon riding along the highway in the peaceful rice patty areas and surrounding limestone rocks. It was really a beautiful experience and made me feel pretty lucky to have been a part of it. The air smelled clean and the wind was warm, just what a perfect vacation day should be.

Our guides stopped in Hoa Binh for lunch, about 75 km away from Hanoi. We had some kind of meat served on cooked bamboo. It was a very pretty area and we wished we had a little more time to check out the river. They called it Da or Song Da which I think means, Black River.

After we left Hoa Binh we headed through some beautiful valleys and mountainous terrain to a village 60km away called Mai Chau. We had a bit of free time and hiked Cun Mountain for some great picture opportunities of the valley. We both really enjoyed the overnight stay in the stilt house. It had bamboo floors and the roof seemed to be made of palm leaves. I was feeling a bit queasy from riding all day and eating street meat the night before so I wasn’t so sure about the stability of a stilt house, but I worried for nothing. Chelsea seemed to make friends right away although we still barley understand what people (other than our guide) are saying. I think that might be why people like us. Just smiling and nodding... smile and nod... and they just laugh. We had a great night sleep, which may have been because of being so tired from all the excitement today.

Mai Chau

We woke up fairly early this morning and had breakfast with the villagers before we said goodbye. We drove for a few hours along the banks of the Ma River when we stopped at a cool stream. It held a number of big fish and Chelsea wanted to swim but was scared of the fish biting or sucking on her toes, plus we weren’t sure if we were suppose to so we held off. Eventually after spending most of the day on the road we ended up at our next stop, Khanh Village. We had dinner with the locals who were pretty interesting and then headed to bed early. It was good to be immersed in the experience of the local people, but I’m sad to say we were so exhausted that we weren’t much for conversation.

The next morning we had a lot of fruit with our breakfast, which is popular because of the more than 20 kinds of fruit trees in the area. We rode through a few more villages on our way back to Hanoi, including Hoa Lu and Tam Coc. Hao Lu is an interesting historical site that includes temples dedicated to 10th century kings.

Tam Coc


The name Tam Coc means three caves: Hang Ca, Hang Hai, and Hang Ba. We got rowed in on little boats by local women. It was a very unique place to experience and we ended up buying a couple of little embroidered change purses from the women. That catch of them rowing you is you feel really bad for them doing all the physical labor and buy their goods. The scenery was great with postcard perfect water and limestone cliffs and it reminded us of the pictures and tour brochures we had seen of Ha Long Bay. It only makes sense that the locals call it Halong-Bay-On-Land. I guess we can compare the similarities ourselves as Ha Long Bay is the next stop on our journey. After lunch we headed back to the start (Hanoi) and the end of our motorcycle ride. From Hanoi we will book our Ha Long Bay tour.

Source: http://thegirlsinvietnam.travellerspoint.com/12/

My bike is sitting un-used in my room, waiting for a ride. I have not cycled since arrival in Hanoi as it looks to be quite a big challenge to navigate the horrible traffic congestion out on those streets. It is the worst I've ever seen, and I've been to quite a number of third world countries. It is a total free-for-all out there. Accidents are commonplace, much like bumper cars, except with bicycles, motor bikes, and pedestrians running into each other.

I was up early for an all day guided tour to Halong Bay. The cost was $29 and included lunch. I originally had planned on cycling out to Halong and then spending a couple of days exploring that area, but I'm already a couple of days behind my planned time for this trip and by taking a commercial tour, it will get me back on track. At 6:30am I took the elevator down to the lobby, it was pitch back inside and outside, no lighting in the lobby at all. The front doors were locked and closed shutters blocked the view to the street. As I got used to the darkness and looked around the lobby, I could make out people sleeping on cots and also that there were a number of motor bikes parked in the lobby too. I stood around wondering how I was going to get outside where I would be picked up by the tour company mini-van. Soon, a few of those sleeping bodies began to stir and awaken. Within a few minutes they were all getting off their cots, turning on the lights, folding the cots up along with their bedding, and preparing for the work day ahead. These people were all hotel employees, and I surmised that this hotel is also their home. What a way to exist! I'm sure many other employees live in the same manner at other businesses.

The tour van came by at exactly 7:30am and we headed east out of the city on our way to the Gulf of Tonkin, 115 miles away. We soon crossed over the Red River, named not for political reasons, but because of a mineral in the river that turns the water a red color. The trip to Halong would take 3 1/2 hours and part way our group of 8 tourists stopped at a small village for a tour of a cottage industry. This occurred I would guess, because the driver would get a commission on whatever we would purchase while shopping there. It seems that every village produces or manufactures a particular product or item, and in this case it was a village of silk weavers and embroiders. I must admit, these artists did amazing work. When given a small 6 inch photograph, they would embroider a duplicate scene to a size of 12 inches, or up to a three foot size reproduction in perfect detail, using about 100 stitches or more per inch. You could stand a foot away and not be able to tell that it was not an enlargement of the photo, or a very good oil reproduction. I was really impressed with the quality and would have loved to have purchased one, but such is my limitation when touring by bicycle. Space is always a big consideration and at a premium, with no extra room for non-necessities. When one of these masterpieces is finished, it is fairly weighty and quite stiff, so they cannot be rolled into a smaller package.

After that break, we continued on. I found myself sitting next to a young gal from Canada named Jennifer. She is working in Vietnam and was on a break, therefore taking today's tour. Her job description is something we would all probably love. She works for an international five star hotel chain and therefore travels world wide checking into the company's hotels, incognito, and spending five days at each one. She uses all the amenities the hotel offers in addition to eating in their restaurants, and then writes a report on her findings. After a five day stay, she flies on to the next one. All her expenses are paid, and she gets a salary in addition. I didn't know such a job existed! She told me she is due for a vacation soon, and I asked her where she will go on a vacation as it appeared to me that she is on a perpetual vacation. He favorite vacation spot... Thailand! Mine too! Then she told me that when she goes on a vacation, she never stays in a five star accommodation, even with a big discount, she prefers smaller, unique accommodations with a local atmosphere instead of the same-same accommodations of the big chain hotels. She asked me for some suggestions on places to go and places to stay in Thailand, and I offered her some advice on great locations like Koh Samui, and Phuket which are a couple of my favorite places to visit.

After our little shopping spree, we continued on. This mini-van driver was much more sane than the insane driver I had from the airport. At one point we passed a truck load of ducks, each one was placed in a white sack with a slit for the duck's head. There must have been at least a thousand birds packed on that truck and all their heads were bobbing up and down and darting in every which direction. We were all amused at that sight. Legend says that a huge dragon ran down from the highest mountains and into the sea at Halong Bay. On it's way down the mountainside, the dragon's immense tail was swaying to and fro and thereby digging very deep valleys and raising the soil to form higher mountains. These deep valleys were then filled with sea water and that action created the 3,000 islands that make up Halong Bay.

When we arrived at the pier on the bay shore, we were divided into 3 groups, so each group had it's own guide/translator. Each group also had it's own boat. The group I was in boarded a 40 foot long converted junk that was actually pretty nice with a lower deck that served as a dinning room, and an open air upper deck which was for lounging. Our guide's name was Tom. Tom was a girl. Of course I teased her about the name, and she would just look at me with a 'I don't understand look'. I didn't think she knew anything about teasing, so I explained that I was just having fun with her name. She told me she loved Americans!

We were served a great meal in the dinning room of the boat. There were 6 large plates of food, served family style, plus rice and drinks. The boat trip took us through a number of islands and we all relaxed on the teak lounges on the top deck. The trip took a couple of hours, the scenery was magnificent and the sea was calm and clear. We docked at one of the islands and then climbed a long staircase up the side of a mountain and entered some huge caverns. The caves were illuminated and had nice tiled pathways and stairs. The caverns were immense, so large that it was hard to realize their actual size. Tom gave us a running commentary, but her English was difficult to understand, so we didn't learn much. This trip to Halong Bay is considered the number one tourist destination in all of Vietnam. In 1994 this area was designated a World Heritage Site and became protected, that shows the importance of this beautiful spot.

We got back to Hanoi late in the day, about 8:30pm, and the driver unloaded all of us at a central location, not at each of our hotels. I was ravished by hunger by this time of day. Our drop-off location was near the lake so there were numerous restaurants to choose from. I chose "Mama Romas", a great choice, if I say so myself. The Ambiance was very nice, right out of Italy. There was a solo violinist playing soft romantic music right across from my table. The meal I ate was better than meals I got when visiting Italy! The only thing I missed was my sweetie who could be sitting in the vacant chair at my table. By the time I walked back to my hotel, the street sweepers, with brooms and shovels were out in force. It's a big job picking up all the trash that is deposited in the gutters and on the streets in this city. During the daytime, people toss all kinds of trash and garbage into the streets and there are piles of stinking garbage everywhere by nightfall. By morning, everything has been cleaned up.

Recommended vessels on Halong bay, Vietnam:

Overnight luxury cruise on Halong Bay: Indochinasails

info@indochinasails.com; www.indochinasails.com

More cruises on Halong Bay: Vietnam Cruise or Huong Hai Junk

Northern Vietnam’s climate is tropical. The dry season is cool, and lasts from October to April, while the wet season, from May to September, is warmer. The average temperature is 23°C.

Hanoi is not only the country’s capital but also the cultural centre of Vietnam. A modern city, it is home to over 600 pagodas and temples and offers visitors a chance to experience the culture and history within a constantly bustling urban setting.

From Hanoi, visitors can embark on an overnight train heading further north into the mountains of Sapa. Trekking through the breathtaking scenery over natural waterfalls, rice paddy fields and wild bamboo forests, you can also stay overnight in a traditional Vietnamese long house hosted by one of the many hill tribe families.

If you head east for three hours from Hanoi, you will reach Halong City, your gateway to the awe-inspiring Halong Bay, the treasure piece of Vietnam. Listed with UNESCO, this pristine turquoise bay comprises of almost 2,000 islands, and it is picturesque from every angle.

There are many hotels and tourist companies offering their services here, but be warned – you do get what you pay for. For those looking for a little luxury, Indo China Sails operate the newest junks in Halong Bay, offering one- and two-night stays. The extra night is highly recommended, as it allows you to enjoy the full range of activities on offer including kayaking, cave exploring, squid fishing, and a visit to the fishing communities.

RECOMMENDED CRUISE

INDOCHINA SAILS

Offers various packages for the Halong Bay experience. All prices include transfers to and from Hanoi.

www.indochinasails.com, info@indochinasails.com.

TRAVEL TIP

If you are travelling overnight on a train, don’t forget a pillowcase and a sheet.

Source: http://www.gurusexplore.tv/

Our company – Active Travel Asia (ATA) – is offering Great Summer Promotion 2009 in Vietnam and Cambodia. These promotions are guaranteed by luxurious adventure tours, add-on values and good prices with 15-20% discount.

All the tours chosen are the unique and special one with lot kinds of adventure travel activities such as biking, trekking, motorcycling, kayaking or hiking tours.

We always put your rights and the values of the trip at the first place. As the result, you can get more benefits from offered tours by our company, five tours in Vietnam and three ones in Cambodia. If you are the persons who love adventure tours in Vietnam and Cambodia, contact with Active Travel Asia for your savings!

Summer promotion with ATA

You have five special choices in Vietnam: Biking tour in the North West of Vietnam, trekking tour in Sapa, Motorcycling tour on Ho Chi Minh Trails, Kayaking tours in Halong Bay, World Natural Heritage of Vietnam

First of all, Biking tour in the North West of Vietnam named West to East Biking Exploration in the North West of Vietnam. This tour is a real challenging for any cyclist. Good pacing that allow cyclist to get recovered after long rides. Stunning scenery, great culture experience with exploration of ethnic minorities. The single trail from Sapa to Lao Cai is the most beautiful one in Vietnam. Babe Lake is perfect to round off the trip.

Secondly, trekking tour in Sapa named Sapa Long Trails which is another perfect choice for trekkers. Because, there is no doubt that Sapa is the best trek site in Indochina. This trek gets you to popular villages by longer and different trails. Graded at Moderate but lots of trekkers feel it easier since the trails and the scenery is so stunning. Homestay in villages of different ethnic minorities makes it a good combination of trek and culture exploration.

Taste of Ho Chi Minh Trails

Besides, we offer you Ho Chi Minh Trails – Motorcycling tour. Short ride but you will taste every minute with adventure and excitement. The riding route is smooth and varied. You will ride the historic trail, homestay in villages, visit to emperor lands, enjoy boat trip in great karst scenery,… So much to discover for a short trip

Moreover, joining in Kayaking Halong Bay 3 days tours which is serious adventure kayaking, you will paddle to the furthest and most beautiful corners of Halong Bay and Lan Ha Bay, where you discover dark cave with your kayak and relax on beautiful hidden beaches. As paddling you will see a few or no other adventure kayaker around since this padding route is not popular and not for novice kayaker.

The fifth tour in Vietnam is Northern Highlights. With this trip your family will together do some soft adventures since it is designed for family with kids. This trip offers you the bests Northern Vietnam has to offer. The trip can also be adjusted for more active travelers who seek for higher adventure grade.

Leaving Vietnam, we offer three tours in Cambodia with Special Promotion

The first choice for you is Trek Ratanakiri in Cambodia. Whenever mentioning Cambodia, we often think of the great Angkor Wat. However, this trip will bring you to another world that you have never known before in Cambodia. Only a few active traveler has traveled to this remote area due to bad roads and lacking of information. You will experience another world, another culture beside the great Angkor Wat that Cambodia has long been famous for. This is not only a big adventure but also a big discovery.

Angkor Wat

Another choice for you is taking part in Angkor Wat Discovery tour which is known as one of the most beautiful and fascinating places in the world. Coming there you will visit many must-see famous temples such as Angkok Wat temple, Angkok Thom, and Banteay Srei and have a boat trip on the Tonle Sap.

The last tour we offer is motorbiking adventure tours in Cambodia. This is the perfect choice for real riders. This trip offers mostly village road and dirt trails and it runs through back country, thus you will see real Cambodia, real Khmer culture. This is not a stuff for anyone but only for experienced riders who seek for serious riding. We all know Angkor Wat is a gem of this country. On this trip you will see some other gems that no other tourist can see.

Active Travel Asia assures to provide the luxury services from the local guide’s knowledge and attitude, accommodation, entertainment…to other supplement services. Don’t miss an excellent chance with ATA!

Let’s check out the tours:

Active Travel Vietnam

1. West to East Biking Exploration - the North West of Vietnam

2. Sapa Long Trails – trekking tour – Sapa, Vietnam

3. Taste of Ho Chi Minh Trails – Motorcycling tour - Vietnam

4. Kayaking Halong Bay 3 days – Halong Bay, Vietnam

5. Northern Highlights – Family adventure tour – Vietnam

Active Travel Cambodia

6. Trek Rattanakiri – Cambodia

7. Angkor Wat Discovery

8. Motorbiking Adventure tour – Cambodia

Mary Jeane told her kayak tour in Halong bay with her Vietnamese foster-child.

Halong Bay is the natural wonder in Vietnam. There are over 3000 limestone islands is this bay and it is absolutely spectacular. It doesn’t seem to matter where we go on this earth . . . I am always amazed at the splendor and diversity of what God has created for us to enjoy!

During the 3 hour bus ride from Hanoi we stopped at a craft workshop where they employ handicraft people to make jewelry, embroidery, lacquer ware, stone carvings, etc. We were most impressed by the embroidery these young people were doing. They sat at rows and rows of tables with a picture to copy. You can see in the pictures their incredible work.

Shortly after arriving at the harbor we were taken to our boat - I don’t know that paying $70 for our overnight cruise got us any better of a boat than the $48 we were going to pay - but our crew and our guide were fantastic and I can’t even begin to describe the food we were served - it just kept coming and coming and coming! There were 2 crew in particular who simply could not get enough of Emma - they kept holding her and playing with her - she has quite an engaging personality!

Michaela was able to go in both of the caves we stopped at but Emma was sleeping for the first stop so I only made it into the second one. I will let the pictures speak for themselves rather than bore you with my lack of descriptive writing.

Shortly after bedding down for the night we were hit with an incredible thunder and lightening storm. We were anchored safely in a sheltered cover but the thought did cross my mind that Ken would not be very happy with me if we were struck by lightening while cruising the South China Sea with two of his daughters. We got drenched before we closed our windows, but it did make our adventure all that more memorable!!!

Right after breakfast we were given the choice to kayak or go by small boat to a little museum dedicated to the small fishing village we anchored in. Michaela opted for the kayak and Emma and I for the small boat. 600 people live in these 120 floating houses (shacks) where they fish for a living.

We then headed back to the harbor while being served one more lunch on the way back. As soon as we drove off it started pouring rain - perfect timing!

Today is our last full day in Hanoi so we plan to finish up some shopping and take some more pictures out on the street.

Ken, Breann, Jalena, Alysha and Becca - we are counting the hours till we get on that plane to come home to you . . . we can’t wait for you to meet Emma and I can’t wait to hold my girls close - we have missed you so much!!!

A Word About This Entry - I hope everyone has enjoyed reading this . . . it’s hard to write for such a diverse audience . . . . I have gotten emails asking for more about Emma, I have gotten emails asking for more about Vietnam . . . I have tried to do both. Part of the frustration comes with the internet connection and my fatigue - we go all day long and wh en I sit down to write I can barely put 2 words together let alone 2 sentences so I know my writing has probably been rather boring. At times the internet connection is so slow it takes 4 minutes to upload each of the pictures I put on here. Last night there was no connection at all so I could not even access the blog to write about Halong Bay. This morning the connection is fast so I have been able to upload a lot of pictures.

Posted by Mary Jeane from Every Tribe, Every Nation… ‘s Blog

Supported by Huong Hai Junk and Indochinasails

Halong Bay cruise biking tours are conducted by various tour operators and these biking sessions provide the travelers time to bond with the nature and observe the beautiful sights there.



Halong Bay, located in the Tonkin Gulf, includes around 1600 islets and islands forming spectacular seascapes of limestone pillars. Due to the precipitous nature of the islands, most of them are unaffected and uninhabited by human presence. The outstanding scenic natural beauty of the site is further complemented by places of great biological interests.

One of the ideal ways of exploring the place is through Halong Bay cruise biking as it brings the travelers face to face with many of the varied aspects of the bay. There are various tour operators who conduct biking trips along with the cruises, which includes cycling, boating and visits to fruit gardens, cottage industries, locals’ homes and floating markets. Biking offers the travelers a great opportunity to explore the place in an entirely different way.

Types of Halong Bay cruise biking tours:
If you are the kind who want to experience a diverse adventurous sensation along with fascinating trails of the bay, you can choose a cruise biking program offered by the various tour operators out there. The different terrains and varied topography of the place offer one of the greatest opportunities to practice biking here. The programs are offered in different difficulty levels so that everyone can take part in it, regardless of his or her previous experience or physical condition.

There are different types of biking tour programs which include those designed for observing mystic forest vegetation and the interesting bird life in these, those for highlighting beautiful landscapes of the place and those for observing impressive coral reefs, caves, grottos and hidden ponds. Some of the tours are also conducted for exploring the beautiful sandy beaches along the Halong Bay.

The biking sessions can be conducted during day or night for a duration of about 2-5 hours, depending upon the interests and physical condition of the guests. Cruise biking is an exciting and different kind of adventure, which provides an opportunity to enjoy unseen corners of the bay and to bond with the nature.

The travelers can choose to cruise their favorite destinations in a distinctive manner and get to enjoy the moments from off beaten tourist tracks with these guided biking excursions. The experienced guides provided by these tour operators will lead the tourists and show them some of the most interesting and sought after sights and places of the area.

These tour operators offer biking tours with varied difficulty levels so that whether you are a passionate biker or a novice, there is surely something waiting for you to explore.

Whether looking for relaxation or for adventure, you are welcomed at these biking excursions so that you can have a memorable holiday experience. You will be accompanied by qualified guides who will give you valuable tips and interesting information about different destination coming your way. These tours will provide you more time for sightseeing and relax on beaches or in cafes along the coast.

These biking tours also provide sufficient breaks so that you can click pictures, relax, enjoy the picturesque views and explore the points and sights of interest. Before going on a biking excursion, make sure that you have a well-maintained bike, a helmet, rucksack, fitness bar and a bike bottle.

Recommended tours for biking on Halong bay: Indochinasails and Active Travel Vietnam

The scenery is breathtaking as you come to the shore of Halong Bay. Huge rocky monoliths jut out from the Gulf of Tonkin like rugged fingers, changing color constantly in the sunlight. There are literally thousands of limestone figures of all shapes and sizes. It is easy to understand why this is Vietnam’s most visited natural attraction.

Located along the northern coastline in the Quang Ninh province, the islands and rocks seem to come out of nowhere, offering a maze of inlets and coves to explore. UNESCO has labeled it one of its World Heritage sites. It is also in the running to be named to the future listing of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

The best and almost only way to visit Halong Bay is to hire a junk and work your way among the passageways. The figures all but beckon to you from as you make your way from the port at Halong City on the mainland. The docks are filled with junks of all shapes and sizes, each having the prerequisite dragon’s head on their bow.

The appearance is appropriate because Halong Bay means “bay of descending dragons.” A centuries old legend tells of a massive dragon which appeared and spat out pearls to block the invading ships. The pearls became the islands, which shield Halong Bay from the rest of the Gulf of Tonkin and beyond that, the South China Sea.

We hoisted our sails on our junk and headed out on the water, straight in to a photograph. Each island was more spectacular than the next with trees hanging off the rocky cliffs and dark shadows of the caves that permeate the formations.

Steep walls assure than almost all of the islands are uninhabited, but hidden within some of the coves entire villages floating on the water. Residents fish in the area surrounding their village and then pass their catch on to larger boats that take the fish to the mainland to sell. Sampans moved back and forth between the homes, which seemed to have their own “property” in various parts of the cove.

We moved through the limestone figures, playing hide and seek around the rocks with the sun. We finally lost it behind the jagged hills of one of the larger islands, signaling our need to return to port. As we meandered back onto Halong Bay, the islands turned to dark shades of purple. By the time we neared the twinkling lights on shore, the islands themselves looked like a huge, dark dragon slumbering on the horizon behind us.

Futher more details about Halong tours, please contact Indochinasails: info@indochinasails.com or click www.indochinasails.com

(A French tourist told his wonderful trip in Da Lat and gave useful suggestion to others)

I climbed a mountain today. Probably the oldest, fattest American ever to climb it, and I can hardly believe I did, but I did. We have pictures to prove it.

We signed up for the "easy" trek with Groovy Gekko, an outdoor tour company right next to our hotel here in Da Lat. Mercy. We went straight up the side of a mountain. No steps, no walkway, just tree roots and dead pine needles to give you traction. Our ever cheerful and encouraging guide Thanh and my companion Joseph both supplied a helping hand or shoulder for balance at times, but I actually made it all the way up on my own legs.


On the way up, a local Vietnamese mountain climber passed us as if he did the climb every day (I suspect he just about does). Later he came back down holding a bright yellow yard-long poisonous snake over his head. He let us "pet it" all the while Thanh was explaining to us how deadly it was.

At the top we took in the view, had our picture taken by one of the Buddhist monks camping at the top of the mountain who graciously broke from his meditation to come take pictures of the three of us at the summit, and then we each ate a couple of bananas. Okay, time to go down the other side. I was hoping for a more leisurely way down. After all, this was the "easy" trek. But, alas, no. If anything, the way down was steeper than the way up. After timidly progressing 20 yards or so down, I was ready to accept that I may just hae to stay there, and depend on passing Vietnamese to give me something to eat and drink now and then, and perhaps bring me a change of clothes now and then.

Luckily, our guide had a better idea. He was carrying a plastic tarp for us to sit on for our lunch later in the day. Instead, I used the tarp as a sled, and SLID on my butt DOWN THE MOUNTAIN. Thanh said he thinks he may have hit on a new sport–butt mountain sledding–for his company to promote. Needless to say, once we hit on the trick, going down was much faster than going up, and my rear end is only a little sore from the couple of times I completely lost control and shot out into mid air for a few seconds before coming down to earth again.

A bit about our guide: Thanh is a recent college graduate. He's been leading these tours for about two years. He told me he's lived in Da Lat all his life, and went to college there, but that his parents are from the north. Other than English, he also speaks Russian, which he said he studied in college primarily because his grandfather, who studied in Moscow, told him not to take it because it was too hard. I suspect grandfather was perhaps applying a little reverse psychology there.

The whole trip today was truly incredible. Before the real mountain began, we went through a small family-run pineapple and coffee farm where I had my first taste of berries from a coffee tree. And after our descent we had lunch next to Paradise Lake in a lovely park filled with an amazing collection of flowering trees and shrubs, and with hundreds of butterflies, with seemingly no two butterflies alike.

After lunch, we shared a boat with a passel of drunken fishermen to cross Paradise Lake. They kept trying to convince us to share their wine, and two of them couldn't resist the urge to rub the fat foreigner's belly. I told Joseph my tummy should be pretty shiny by the time we get back if people keep rubbing it at this rate. One drunken fishermen stumbled and almost overturned the boat at one point, my reaction to which they all found very amusing.

Once across the lake, I faced the last challenge of the day, a 222-step climb to the largest Buddhist temple in the southern part of Vietnam (another way of saying it's the second largest Buddhist temple in Vietnam). The place was just crawling with monks and nuns. If I remember right, about 250 live there. We got to listen in on a class taught by the head monk, an 84-year-old who lectured with a very VERY tranquil voice, which was nice to hear after our challenging day. It was only after our climb up the steps, and a tour of the place, that I discovered the aerial tram that takes most tourists from Da Lat on an easy ride right up to the temple - no steps required. Sigh.


After the temple, we jumped in the tourist company van and headed back to the hotel for a shower and to drop off my dirty clothes at the front desk for the evening laundry service. Then a stop at the bakery, and then finally here for beverages and a little Internet time.

Today was a truly amazing day. The last time I did a rough mountain climbs like this was in northern China, again a long climb up a mountain to visit a temple. I have friends who actually do things like rock climbing on purpose, but for me, walking up a mountain is almost always something I find myself surprised to be doing, not something I do by choice.) For that mountain in China, I was much younger, lighter, and more vigorous then - maybe 18 years ago or so. I'm not sure how long it will be before I try this again. Right now, though, I feel GREAT. We'll see how I feel in the morning.

Tomorrow's outing is sightseeing - mostly by car. I understand that a couple of the stops feature a lot of steps, like the temple today, but after today's mountain, that will be like a cakewalk.

In general, I'd not recommend heading to Da Lat for these "sights." But the surrounding countryside is beautiful, and if you're into hiking, biking, or motorcycling, this is really a great place to visit, and the weather's a real break from the sweltering humidity of most of Vietnam. A number of outfits here will rent you motorcycles or bikes so you can go exploring the surrounding mountainous terrain or your own, or even cycle or motorbike all the way back to Saigon. I have searched on internet and found an attractive website about adventure www.activetravelvietnam.com. So cool! I like Kayaking tour, I should come to Ha Long bay soon, I can't wait anymore.

If we have time tomorrow, we'll head for a southern district of Saigon that's supposedly just crawling with monkeys. Who can pass up hanging out a few hours with a bunch of monkeys? Not me!

More information about Adventure tours, please view at:

www.activetravelvietnam.com
www.bikedalat.com

The first thing that I wanted to do when I got to Hanoi was leave. I ran into my man Stewart, who I had met previously in Hoi An. He had just booked a trip to Halong Bay with Active Travel Vietnam company. I ran and grabbed Oskar so we could book the trip to go along.

Halong bay is a UNESCO protected area in the East China Sea. It’s famous for the rock outcroppings that poke out of the sea and for the one hundred or so tourist junks (ours is in the middle somewhere) that float around the area.

We booked a two-day, one night tour that included meals on the boat (which were excellent), and a nice shared double room on the boat with soft beds, a hot shower and a sea view. The trip promised a hike to the top of one of the rocks, a tour of the local caves and some sea kayaking. We got all of that for $32 per person, not including drinks, but Tiger beer was only $1. I’m generally pessimistic about organized tours, but this one delivered.

Indochina Sails on Halong Bay

I sat on a lounge chair with my book as the boat left the shore. After ten minutes in the water, the auxiliary engine turned off. For the first time in a week, I noticed an interesting phenomenon. It was quiet. Nobody tried to sell me anything, there was no annoying music blaring in my ears and there were definitely no motorbike horns. It felt amazing.

We ate lunch on the boat and then arrived at the caves. They were huge and well-lit (thanks UNESCO). As we came around one corner, a red light shined on one of the rocks. “If you want, you can close your eyes, but if you look at it, you will see a penis and testicles,” said our guide, Han. He had a shy sense of humor about him that I really enjoyed.

Han was such a great guy. He seemed genuinely interested in our enjoyment but also in us as people. After dinner on the boat, the professionalism went down the drain. I had a long talk with him that night, which resulted in him inviting me to go spent a night with his family about 120km west of Hanoi. I had to turn it down simply because of timing issues. As I type this, I’m regretting that decision.

After the caves, we all took some stairs to the top of one of the largest rock formations. I’d post some pictures, but then it wouldn’t be as nice for you when you go, right?

At night, the eleven of us on the boat ate, drank and told jokes while enjoying whatever scenery we could see. Stewart asked Han if he had whiskey to drink, but he didn’t have any on the boat. Han got on his phone and had a quick Vietnamese conversation. “It’ll be here in 5 minutes,” he said. A row boat arrived later with a large bottle of Vietnamese whiskey and a twenty four pack of Coca-Cola. What happened after that, Nathan? I’ll tell you later.

Seafood flavour on Indochina Sails

I woke in the morning to Han knocking on the door, yelling, “Nathan, Oskar, time to get on your kayak!” Everybody else had already awoken and gotten in the boats. We quickly changed into some water clothes and jumped in the our shared boat, still a bit groggy. I was having a great time, as was Oskar as we paddled through water caves and into an untouched bay. Up on the cliffs, we could see monkeys jumping between the branches. Oskar got a kick out of trying to go as fast as possible, even with all kinds of other boats drifting slowly near us. I played along and occasionally ruddered from the back, knowing that he would have killed some old couple had he been alone. It was one of those manic mornings that I just love. When we got back to our junk, Han said it was time for breakfast. On the second floor of the boat, I saw pancakes with fruit and chocolate sauce. Yum. But I’m still feeling manic. Can’t I do something crazy? As I sat on the bottom level of the boat, I looked at Han with a mischaevious look in my eye.
“How deep is this water?” I asked.
“Very, very deep,” he responded.
“So if I, uh, fell off the top of the boat, I wouldn’t hit a rock?”
“No, no, if you can swim, no problem.”
I smiled and ran away.

Wahooooooo!
Are you tired of seeing me jump off things yet? I just love doing that! After a few more jumps, I took a quick shower and ate breakfast as we returned back to the dock.
It amazes me how much a couple days away from loud cities can bring inspiration back so quickly. My manic mindset remained on the bus ride back. My mind and body were relaxed, but I was having all kinds of crazy ideas. This is what ended up in my journal, word for word.

03.04.05
April, that is…

There’s no word for it. It’s when the cogs that turn the gears in your brain are fully lubricated with synovial fluid. No quantity of pills, food, water, sex, beer or dong can bring it to you. It’s like somebody rang your doorbell and replaced the flaming bag of shit with a silver platter of shiny keys that open the locks on the doors you know you always had but were unable to open. Out of the doors come new thoughts that belong on paper, the pen serving as an immortal doorstop.

I just woke from a nap that I didn’t know I was taking. I wasn’t reading and I wasn’t looking out the window and I couldn’t have been doing anything else. This is a bus. I opened my eyes and came to that realization and congratulated myself. Sleep to me represents a game of 8 pin bowling. Having knocked down 7 pins last night, the past hour earned me a spare. A strike or a spare is a promise of a full day’s energy, both of body and mind while too many frames with pins left standing brings lethargy and failing health.

After I wrote the word, “health”, our driver honked incessantly at another rice paddy and I looked up. I began to focus on who taught these people to use their horns to grab the attention of nothing and nobody. I didn’t come to a conclusion. We had returned to the outer parts of Hanoi and I capped my pen. It had disappeared into the motorbikes, smog and smoke. It’ll be back and when it arrives, you’ll know.

Source: Nathan – bootsnAll Travelogues

Please come and experience with Indochinasails

To more information about tours in Vietnam: Active Travel Shop

Halong Bay is one of the most spectacular, and therefore heavily ‘touristed’ attractions in Vietnam. Stretching along the Northeast Vietnamese border with China it comprises thousands of limestone karst outcroppings and more than 750 islands of all sizes that dot the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.

Legend has it that the bay, ‘Descending Dragon’ in Vietnamese, was named after a family of dragons sent by the gods to help the Viet people repel Chinese invaders. Spitting emeralds and jade (the islands) into the waters of the bay they created a natural defensive area that helped protect what became Vietnam. After their success the dragons liked the area so much that they decided to stay. They weren’t alone in their high opinions of the landscape - the area was formally inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999, which of course led to an even greater influx of local and foreign visitors.

Sundeck on Indochinasails

Getting to Halong Bay from Hanoi couldn’t be simpler - the hard part is making a choice between the hundreds of hotel tours and local operators. We were very happy with the tour we arranged through our hotel, and after chatting to other travelers who had been to Halong it seems that we had one of the better trips. The vast majority of options center around either two days and one night or three days and two nights in Halong. We chose the longer option and were glad we did.

Our trip began with a mini-bus ride (of about 3 hours) from our Hanoi hotel (where we had left the bulk of our clothes and large backpacks) to Halong Bay town. Our local guide, Son, took great delight in explaining with a huge grin that we shouldn’t worry about the 3000+ Vietnamese who die each year in the crazy traffic here because “Viet women and men make many many babies!”. At the port we boarded our luxury junk (traditional Viet sailing vessel) with about ten other tourists. It was to be both our transport around the Bay and our lodging for the first night. One note here for future travelers - be advised that although the tour to Halong Bay tends to be very reasonably priced (including all meals), they try to make up for this by charging exorbitant prices for drinks on-board ($25+ for wine, $3+ for beers etc) - and for all drinks that you bring aboard or buy on outings and bring back you will be charged ‘corkage’ - ranging from $5 per bottle of wine or 5000 Dong per bottle of beer (this applies to all drinks except water - so bring plenty of that with you to avoid the outrageous prices).

Indochinasails Staffs

Our first day, which was the least enjoyable, was spent exploring “The Amazing Cave” - which although admittedly rather large was perhaps a little too developed (and therefore less amazing than it probably was ten years ago) - the best part of which was at the exit from which vantage we captured some of our best photos in Vietnam so far. Aboard the junk again we headed for a local swimming beach (on yet another island) - which was also a little less than we had expected in that the waters and beach were quite dirty - mainly oil from all the junks that moor there (Denise’s white bikini came out a dark shade of grey and we could write in the oil on our arms and legs). After the swim (and much-needed shower) the junk sailed to another picturesque spot and dropped anchor for the night (surrounded by about 7 other similar junks - we suspect that they are required to overnight in set spots). Dinner was very nice (mainly seafood) and it was super getting to know all our fellow travelers. We spent the rest of the evening playing cards with Phil and Kirsty (an Aussie couple from Cairns) and their brother Andy - welcome to the Blog guys!.

The second day was so much better - and the hazy weather had cleared into bright sunshine. After packing and a quick breakfast we all transferred from the junk to a smaller taxi boat (picking up some new travelers along the way - notably Lachy and Lisa, also from Aussie - welcome to the Blog guys!). Our next stop was the far side of Cat Ba island (the largest in the bay) where we each chose a bike and cycled about 7km inland passing some amazing scenery of local villages, rice paddies, mountains and forests. A short 3km walk into the jungle brought us to an abandoned ‘ancient village’ - which we had a few minutes to explore, before trekking back and riding back to the boat. We then took a short ride to the best beach we had seen in Halong - pristine white powdery sand, clean water, and sheer mountain cliffs rising out of the bay. It was here that we had some swimming/sunbathing time and that our guides set up our beach BBQ lunch! Great prawns, squid, fish, rice, veggies…ahh what a rough life!

Fantastic Kayaking

After lunch we headed to yet another spot where we moored alongside some floating huts to pick up our sea kayaks. Denise and I discovered that despite our pretty much perfect match in almost everything we are not good paddling partners! Still it was great fun to explore the bay and the myriad islands by kayak - and we all ended up in a truly magical place - where a ring of islands form a solid circle with only one opening (a low cave) that leads into a totally enclosed body of water - something right out of a movie. Throwing caution to the winds we jumped out of the kayak and swam for a while - it was perfect. We wished we could have spent more time kayaking but all too soon it was back to the boat and off to ‘Monkey Island’ - which was less enchanting - four or five monkeys scampering around a beach where we killed time by collecting shells and skipping stones. Our final port of call for the day was Cat Ba (’Women Island’) town where we caught a short bus ride to our hotel for the night - the Holiday View hotel.

Cycling in Halong Bay

The hotel was quite upmarket by Halong Bay standards - very modern if lacking some warmth - and it was comfortable. We spent the night at a local pool bar with the others from our group and had a fun evening - made even more so by the fact that the Springboks won the World Cup!! Yay South Africa!! The next day was a traveling one - bus to the boat, slow boat ride back to Halong Bay town, bus over land-bridge to the nearest island for a final lunch and then a 3 hour bus ride back to Hanoi.

Halong Bay definitely has its plus points and is definitely worth the visit - but you do need to be prepared to deal with its less exciting and more banal side - bearing in mind that you are one of several million visitors every year.

Author: Wandering Spaulls


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(Ryan shared his trip to Sapa with motorbike, where he went, what he saw in the magnificent landscape)

Sapa is a pretty town in the mountains of northwestern Vietnam near the Chinese boarder.

Originally built by the French as a medical outpost, the city is now full of minority people from the local mountains and one of the major tourist destinations of north Vietnam. On Friday, 19 September, Ben, his girlfriend Huyen, Ben’s college friend Paul, and I set out for Sapa. The first leg of the journey began on a night train to the boarder town of Lao Cai. We arrived in Lao Cai early Saturday morning and hired a shuttle to Sapa. Thanks to the infusion of tourist dollars and French planning, Sapa is a very pretty and well-designed town. The town sits on a saddle and overlooks two large valleys. Vietnam’s largest peaks surround the town, and these are rugged mountains with significant elevation changes. Vietnam’s tallest peak, Fansipan, is very close.

The first thing we did after checking into our hotel Sapa GoldSea was rent motorbikes. We rented three Honda Waves: one for me, one for Paul, and one for Ben and Huyen. Paul, who’s an actor from LA, had never ridden a motorbike before. We weren’t on the bikes for even two minutes before Paul drove his motorbike directly into the largest curb in Sapa. Apparently he was having difficulty turning and braking. Luckily Paul wasn’t hurt, even though I was convinced that he was going to fly over the handlebars, across the sidewalk, and into the bushes. Ben and Huyen were already back at the hotel wondering were Paul and I were as 12 or 15 Vietnamese men surrounded us and shook their heads, saying to Paul, “you no drive motorbike good.” The damage: the front tire was bent pretty badly. The total cost of the damage: 400,000 VND, roughly 25 USD. While his bike was at the shop, Paul hopped on the back of my bike and we left Sapa to visit some of the minority villages nearby. And Paul and I discussed how to drive a motorbike, which lead him to some success later in the trip.

The first village we came to was remarkable only because a sixty-foot section of the road through the village was comprised of one continuous rock. We parked our motorbikes and started walking through the town, but quickly realized that we weren’t going to see much because each of us had three minority (H’mong, I think) women surrounding us saying, “You buy from me? Very cheap for you—good price.” We retreated to our motorbikes and did a bit of shopping for hand woven textiles and silver jewelry, then took the road through town to the cave in the mountain.

Outside the cave stood six young boys carrying flashlights. After haggling with the boys, we rented four flashlights for 10,000 VND each and hired one of them to guide us through the cave. We had been hiking into the cave for 20 or 30 minutes when we made a startling discovery: This was a cave to China. Our guide told us that if you knew the way and had two or three days, the cave would dump you out in China. Needless to say, Ben, Paul, and I were ecstatic. A real tunnel to China? Amazing!


We left the cave and returned to our motorbikes to find them flocked with more minority women, again trying to sell us things. One of them lived a short distance from the cave’s entrance and she invited us back to her house. We accepted. The house was a barn, except that people lived there too.

She kept pigs just outside the back door. We asked to see them and she proceeded to feed them corn. There were 12 or 15 pigs, mostly piglets, a few medium sized pigs, and a few big mommas. I asked Huyen, our official interpreter, what a pig costs in the local market. A big pig, one used for breeding, cost 50,000 VND, or roughly 3 USD. A medium sized pig, the best for eating, cost 80,000 VND, or roughly 5 USD. I suggested we buy an eating pig and hire the women to cook us lunch, but between Paul’s protests and the realization that they wouldn’t cook for us, we headed back to Sapa pigless.

That afternoon we picked up Paul’s bike and headed into one of the valleys below Sapa. There we visited the ancient stone carvings. There not actually stone carvings, but some black rocks (basalt maybe) that poke up like sea monsters among the terraced rice fields. The scenery was beautiful. It was rice harvest time, so the rice field were light brown instead of rich green. To harvest rice, the locals cut the rice grass and lay it in bundles to dry. Once sufficiently dry, the bundles are beaten over bamboo baskets to knock the rice grains out. The rice grain is stuffed into huge sacks for transport to a machine that removes the husk from the grain. At this point the rice is ready for the market. The whole process relies heavily on manual labor, sickles, and water buffaloes.

We came back the hotel after an interesting trip day. Having dinner at The Golden Restaurant, we had a happy time to relax.

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The so-called Ho Chi Minh Trail is one of the most renowned legends of the Vietnam War. So far, there have been many people outside Vietnam who have only superficial knowledge on the road system winding along the Truong Son Range, that facilitated movement of soldiers and war supplies from North Vietnam to battlefields in South Vietnam. The Trail was playing the key role in the Communist victory over South Vietnam.

In the early 2000, the Communist government in Hanoi decided to construct a highway, the Ho Chi Minh Highway, along the Truong Son Range to connect North Vietnam with South Vietnam, parallel to the existing Highway 1 in the coastal areas of Central Vietnam. The construction is going on, and would be completed in four years if everything goes as planned.

Prompted by tales of the formidable Ho Chi Minh Trail, many journalists and observers outside Vietnam quickly adopt the false notion that the new highway is built on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, or the Trail is reborn and rebuilt as Ho Chi Minh Highway, without giving it a second thought.

In fact, the old trail and the new highway ARE NOT AT THE SAME LOCATION BUT MILES APART.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a complex of parallel truck routes and foot paths.

Most truck routes were dirt roads, some important portions were paved with rock and pebbles. All of them were in the territory of Laos and not a bit of it touched the Vietnamese soil except for the first part of about 50 kilometers from the starting points.

Most convoys departed at three major loading areas inside North Vietnam’s panhandle region and began their journey by heading to the Laotian borders, following the three paved highways built before 1945 by the French colonialist authorities in Indochina. All the three roads connect the Vietnam’s provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh with the Laotian road network across the common border.

On April 5, 2000, Hanoi government held the ground breaking ceremony at a ferry harbor in Quang Binh province, to launch the construction of the Ho Chi Minh Highway. The Xuan Son ferry harbor was one of the three starting points of the Ho Chi Minh Trail (the southernmost part of North Vietnam, close to the 17th Parallel - see the map below).

After a short distance into Laos, the trucks headed southward on the routes along the border. Most of the routes are a few kilometers away from the border. Far away to the south, the distance may be up to more than 100 kilometers, deep into Cambodia. The truck routes extended as far as to Sihanoukville, or Konpong Som, the Cambodian port city on the Gulf of Thailand. Military supplies also came from North Vietnam and China to this port to be forwarded to secret bases inside Cambodia, supporting VC units in South Vietnam. Therefore, the southern portion of the system was called Sihanouk Trail.

Footpaths made up another system that intertwined with truck routes. On those footpaths, North Vietnamese combat units moved on foot from many starting points in areas just north of the Demilitarized Zone into Laos before infiltrating South Vietnam. Supplies, especially during the first few years of the war, were also transported to the South by "dan cong" (civilian labors) on backpacks and mostly on bicycles led by porters' hands.

Footpaths also extended logistical lines from truck routes. Military supplies were unloaded from trucks at many sites along the truck routes and carried by porters on backpacks or on bicycles across border into South Vietnamese soil.

Like truck routes, footpaths run mostly on Laotian territory parallel with the border. Only segments of the paths were in South Vietnam no-man's borderland areas west of Kontum, Pleiku, Ban Me Thuot... down to Tay Ninh.

Footpath network branched off to the east at many places, leading supplies and troops to logistical bases set up inside South Vietnam. Some were located as far as 50 kilometers from the border, deep into the jungles of Central Vietnam provinces.

The under-construction highway, Ho Chi Minh Highway, is of a completely different story. It is built entirely inside Vietnam parallel to the border but not the smallest bit of it is on any segment of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, truck routes or footpaths. The new highway intersects with dozen of branched footpaths but runs far away from the Trail and the border.

The highway construction is not a brand new plan. The idea of the second north-south highway was nourished by the French colonialist authorities in the early 20th Century. Before 1954, Highway 14 was asphalted from its southern end at the Highway 13 (Saigon-Loc Ninh) to Ban Me Thuot. Its section from Ban Me Thuot up to Daksut, north of Kontum City, was not asphalted until 1963. The highway from Dak Sut to Kham Duc was still a 2-lane dirt road.

In 1959, South Vietnam President Ngo Dinh Diem ordered to widen and reinforce the dirt road to extend the highway from Dak Pek (north of Dak Sut) to Ben Giang, Quang Nam (70 km southwest of Da Nang). It would have gone further to A Shau valley and beyond, possibly to Khe Sanh area. But the outbreak of war in 1961 closed down the project.

The highway now under construction is made up with the existing Highway 14 that needs some repair after 25 years of poor maintenance; its extension where abandoned dirt roads require intensive reconstruction; existing dirt roads from Ben Giang, in A Shau Valley and other areas that need major upgrading; and the remaining portions that construction units must open up entirely new roads.

The new highway construction has been opposed by many officials in Hanoi and deputies of its National Assembly when the plan was introduced by former Hanoi Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet a few years ago. The plan would require a budget of nearly US$ 5 billion. In early 2000, Hanoi government decided to go on with the plan which had been simplified to lower the budget to 3.5 billion dollars. Such budget seems inadequate to the construction of a highway crossing areas of heavy rains which often cause floods and landslides.

The Truong Son Trail, or Ho Chi Minh Trail, was a great military success of the Communists. Massive firepower of the American and South Vietnamese armed forces failed to stem flows of materiel, supplies and troops into South Vietnam. Many South Vietnamese strategists contended that bombings, sporadic land operations or electronic barrier so-called "McNamara Line" would fail to interdict the enemy movement on the Trail. According to them, only a defense line of several infantry divisions across the border, reaching the Mekong River in Laos could have been effective.

The greatness of the Trail that benefits the Vietnam Communist Party, has been paid at an extreme high prices by the Vietnamese people. An estimate of tens of thousands of North Vietnamese young men and women civilian porters were killed on the Trail by bombing, sickness and exhaustion.

Many people wonder why Hanoi could exact so great contribution from North Vietnamese people. Tens of thousands porters at a time, one group after another, were transporting military supplies to the south in spite of danger and hardships. The answer is rather simple. They didn't feel fear as much as an American or South Vietnamese soldier did because on the Trail, a porter was fed 700 grams of rice a day and only rice, while back in their villages, each was rationed 450 grams of a mixture of 50 percent rice and 50 percent potato or corn. To a peasant at the time, the rice-only meal was as luxurious as a dinner in a 5-star hotel to an Westerner.

The extreme large quantity of rice from North Vietnam was transported on the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the hundreds of logistic bases in South Vietnam border areas to support North Vietnamese combat units. Much of it was kept in storage houses and quickly perished by humidity and bombing. More rice would replenish the stores. That was the reason why North Vietnamese peasants had to pay tax and fulfil many obligations that took away about 70 to 80 percent of their crops during the war.

Besides, sophisticated propaganda and intensive indoctrination along with tight control on food supply are effective tools to mobilize manpower and other resources to support war effort. In extreme poverty and under arbitrary powers, man has incredible ability to survive and can bear every hardship, pain, even death with little fear.

Today, Ho Chi Minh Trail is becoming one of the most exciting routes for adventure travellers in Vietnam. One can ride on the trail from Nothern to Danang (about 11 days) or go further, to Saigon (18 days). Details of the trip are available here.