Wanderlust

Monday, 29 June 2015

Urban Adventure Tour Hoi An

Posted by Marilyn

After breakfast we headed into town to do some more exploring. We headed in new directions and on the way found shirts and shorts for Gordy, a ring for me and a great new tailor - YALY - they have the best selection of fabrics and I was told by our local tour guide later that they have a very good reputation. I did weaken and order another dress.

We walked through the markets, which were abuzz with people selling all sorts of trinkets, fruit and vegetables, poultry, fish .... you name it! I turned around at one stage to see Gordy being led away by a local woman. I literally had to run after them to catch up only to see him being ferreted away down a small alley ..... when I finally arrived he was sitting with his shirt off being "threaded"! All stray ear hairs and eyebrows have now been eliminated, hair cut and a massage into the bargain! I couldn't stop laughing :)

It was getting quite hot so we returned to the hotel for a swim to cool off. We had to be back at Intrepid Travel agency by 3pm for our afternoon tour ..... a bike ride! I was suddenly panic stricken!! I haven't ridden a bike for 50 years, and even then it was only once while staying with my cousins :(
Amidst quite a bit of initial wobbling I soon got the hang of it and from then on simply hung on and concentrated for dear life! After making our way out of town we headed through the rice fields where local women were working surrounded by water buffalo lolling in mud baths and beef cattle grazing in the distance. We stopped at a local house to visit but they weren't home so we pushed on meeting up with another local farmer and his water buffalo which he insisted we ride!

Every time I climbed back on that bike it felt like I was sitting on a brick! Not the most comfortable I've ever been and it was sooo hot! We finally arrived at the boat and after chugging along the river for a while we moored on the embankment where the skipper cooked us a bbq. Back on the boat we witnessed the most magnificent sunset. I've never seen the sun so huge and so orange. The skipper dropped us off on the edge of the town and we had one more short ride to complete our journey ..... ouch! After the cab ride back - the poor driver was so confused as I tried to give him 35,000VND when it should have been VND35 (A$2 for a cab ride!), we headed straight for the pool then up to our room. We have a 7.30am pick up tomorrow for our private tour to My Son.

Sunday, 28 June 2015

Hoi An

Posted by Marilyn

I'm glad I'm not the electrical worker who has to sort this lot out :(

We dined at the 'Morning Glory' last night after walking through the Old Town for some time. Gordy has to learn to say know to "everyone"! We were followed continuously as he would became engaged in the trader's conversations and they were then relentless!

The Red Bridge Restaurant

Sunday we spent most of the day by the pool after breakfast. We then caught the 'free' bus into the middle of town to pick up the clothes we had ordered the day before. Two suits with extra pants for GC plus two dresses and a pantsuit.... all finished within 24 hours!!

I have ordered a couple of more outfits ..... can't resist a bargain!

Dining tonight at the "Red Bridge". Great food and soooo cheap! Cocktails $5, entrees $5, mains $7 ...the most expensive part of the meal was the wine! An Aussie chardy at $35!!!

Views around Hoi An Sunday evening

Saturday, 27 June 2015

Vietnam June 2015

Posted by Marilyn

Friday morning, 26th June, Regan has dropped us to the airport and we head down to Sydney where we board a Singapore Airlines flight to Singapore. Taittinger champagne, good food, three movies and we finally arrive. We have an early flight to Da Nang in the morning so I have booked into the Crowne Plaza.... perfect! You walk out of Terminal 3 straight into the hotel. Easy check-in, extremely large room, just what the doctor ordered!

Crowne Plaza

Singapore Airport

I was whipped through the shopping area sooo quickly! Will have to wait till the return journey.

Flying into Da Nang. It's quite an undulating landscape verging on mountainous. Can't imagine what it would have been like to traverse this terrain years ago through the forests as well.

A 2 1/2 flight to Da Nang where we were picked up by 'Tu" from the hotel. Hoi An is about 30 kms from the airport and he very kindly stopped at the beach for a quick photo op and kindly pointed out a number of other points along the way - including the giant Buddha.

Gordy and Tu

Workers in the field

Marble Mountain

When we arrived at the Essence Hotel & Spa we were sat down and treated to cold towels and drinks. All the features of the hotel were explained before we were taken to our room.

Our room at the Essence Hotel.

A view from our room over the pool where we spent the afternoon......it's a tough life, but somebody's gotta do it!

Sunday, 18 January 2015

Au revoir Paris!

Posted by Marilyn

The end of another fabulous journey. I've "nicked" all the toiletries, eaten far too much sugar and let's not even talk about the alcohol intake! We repacked our bags last night and have a car organised to pick us up at 8.00am.

I think this is our seventh visit to Paris and we manage to find something new every time. This time we revisited a lot of the iconic sights of Paris but a visit to Musee d'Orsay is always on the list.

Warning - When we arrived we were caught by one of the taxi drivers who wait for you as you retrieve your luggage - he was a maniac driver and charged us 110 euros. This morning I booked Blacklane Service online and had a Mercedes 6-seater for 75 euros.

The Scribe Hotel was lovely and very well positioned. I think Paris seemed a little more expensive this time. A coffee was anything between 4.80 - 8.50euros! Cheaper to drink wine :)

About to board our plane for the last leg home from Singapore. Hope you've enjoyed my ravings - (it actually enables me to go back over everything we did and 'relive' the moment.)

Love to all - see you soon xx

Huge walkways at CDG

The wing of our A380

Taittinger anyone?

Saturday, 17 January 2015

Last day in Paris ....sob :(

Posted by Marilyn

Today is the last full day of our holiday :( We have decided to take in the Louvre, which I think is very fitting for our last day in Paris. Coffee at the Lindt shop first then a stroll through the Palais Royal, which is a beautiful place of tranquility behind high stone walls. People are walking their dogs, practising Tai-chi, taking in the peace and quiet. We continue down to the iconic gallery. There is a queue but it does clear quite quickly. These days you purchase tickets and your audio guide at an automated machine. Check our coats and we are finally ready to explore. We've barely managed to see the "Mona Lisa" when Gordy has decided he's unwell, so he leaves and I continue around the gallery. So much to see but it's such a huge place you would need far more time than I have to really appreciate it all. I manage to gloss through Louis XIV - XVI rooms, Napoleon's chambers, some of the Italian, French and Flemish artists and Venus de Milo!

I have decided I must visit "Angelina's" before I leave Paris, so after standing in line for about 15 - 20 minutes I finally get a table - I don't even have to look at the menu - chocolate chaud and Mont Blanc. Unbelievably rich but hey! ..... I'm on holidays! I do a bit of sneaky shopping on the way home....sneaky because GC is going to whinge and whine about the extra weight - c'est le vie!
There is also a high spirited march on my way home demonstrating, I think, about women'a rights that concludes on the steps of the Opera with lots of shouting and cheering.

I sneak my parcel in (Gordy is in bed), and after a shower and tidy up, I'm ready to hit the town! GC is bedridden :( Not to be deterred, I head downstairs to champagne and dinner on my own. Not quite the last night I had pictured but all is good.

Upstairs now and about to start 'reshuffling' the bags before Gordy has a coronary!