China 2015
Wednesday, March 11th, 2015A quick 3 week trip tp Sichuan to revisit the mountains. Arrive Chengdu Saturday March 14th.
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Yangshou
Sunday, March 2nd, 2008Due to not being able to access blog site and bad internet speeds have got behind with the blogs but am still alive.
After Haiphong returned to CatBa. The weather pretty awful, the freak weather from China also hit Vietnam. Given this and the Tet holidays continuing into a second week it was all very quiet on the island. However took up an invite of one of the staff from the hotel to go and visit her family for Tet. It involved a small boat, basically a motorised basket which they use for a taxi, thru’ the stunning scenery of the area. After about an hour probably, reached the other end where we got on motorbikes which took us to her village in the national park. Some wonderful scenery and a great little village. They put on a grand feast for us with a still wriggling huge fish, delightful stuff, the people incrdibly nice and after another boat trip around the karst peaks arrived back in CatBa town cold but an excellent day out.
Eventually left CatBa, took a boat to Haiphong and then after being given the type of run around the Vietnamese specialise in, got a bus to Langson near the Chinese border. Actually ended up past there at a small place called Dong Dung or something at the border, I think the bus driver thought I wanted to cross the border that evening so took me all the way – my Vietnamese on par with my Chinese !. A nice place anyway for overnight with friendly people who seemed surprised to see a foreigner, I guess most people take the direct train or bus from Hanoi.
Next morning in heavy rain crossed the border, took a taxi to the next town and then a bus to Nanning. Bus station there total chaos, even gave up trying to get to the toilet, then had to struggle across the city to another bus station. Eventually got a bus which went via Guilin and onward from here. No problem bar they forgot about me and we were out of Yangshou before they remembered. So after a long day and late at night had to make my own way back but eventually made it into a hotel.
Cat ba tet
Sunday, February 10th, 2008
Now in Haiphong for Tet. Largely a case of people going around and round on motorbikes paying social calls to families and friends which I seem to have participated in my fair share. But all good fun and ... [Continue reading this entry]
Cat ba new year
Tuesday, February 5th, 2008
Tomorrow Tet and new year but here all quiet as people finishing the spring cleaning and heading back to their families in the villages and Haiphong. The hotel now down to me and the owner but the girls sweet ... [Continue reading this entry]
Cat Ba
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
Back in Cat Ba, Vietnam. Not sure why as cold and as wet as England probably is - actually not that bad but to look at the way the locals are dressed and behaving we might as well ... [Continue reading this entry]
Haiphong
Monday, January 28th, 2008
Left the sunshine of Thailand for the cold damp weather of north Vietnam !. Flight over easy enough bar the 4.30 start. Quick stop in Hanoi to arrange a Chinese visa and now in Haiphong. Don't have any ... [Continue reading this entry]
Pattaya 2
Sunday, January 27th, 2008
Have survived another week in Pattaya and more importantly now have a new Vietnamese visa so can spend another month idling in Catba. Will be the week long Tet holidays so should be very quiet as everyone goes back ... [Continue reading this entry]
Pattaya
Thursday, January 17th, 2008
Arrived back here last night to find a very crowded city in full swing and a notable lack of rooms, certainly the days of cheap accommodation seem to be over at least in high season. So after a rather ... [Continue reading this entry]
Hanoi
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
So back in the real world where hopefully using the internet doesn't cause it to crash, a sad fate for the last month. The downside is that its also Hanoi, where crossing the road isn't as bad as Saigon ... [Continue reading this entry]
CatBa Vietnam
Wednesday, December 19th, 2007
Finally made it back to CatBa after a few months absence. The place has changed a lot since then, sadly there are exceptions, dire internet speeds being one.
Anyway arrived at the Chinese border crossing early to be ready for ... [Continue reading this entry]
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