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Vientiane excellent coffee shops

April 18, 2019 by David Herd

Vientiane excellent coffee shops

Good restaurants Vientiane Laos

Vientiane excellent coffee shops were right around the corner from our hotel. They were every bit as good or better than I expected. The shot above is the cafe next door to Le Trio, I believe it is either part of the same business, or simply a shop who they sell their coffee to.

LE TRIO COFFEE

Vientiane excellent coffee shops The first ’boutique roaster’ in Vientiane, they source ethical beans from local Lao producers and use only Robusta and Arabica beans, using a magnificent German roasting machine to make their coffee.

There are only 2 stools to sit at here.

Vientiane excellent coffee shopsI guess that’s why they send you next door. 🙂

Vientiane excellent coffee shops

Vientiane excellent coffee shopsCoffee does not get any better than this.

Many other coffee shops in Laos buy coffee beans from Le Trio to make their own coffee, showing just how powerful their blend is.

JOMA BAKERY CAFÉ

Vientiane excellent coffee shops Joma is very popular among expats and travellers & has two locations in Vientiane. As well as their drinks, they serve great sandwiches, pastries, quiche, muesli, bagels and fruit shakes. It’s an excellent place to go to if you seek the taste of Western food. The mango pudding in the photo was absolutely magnificent.

Joma

Vientiane excellent coffee shops Joma was founded by Canadians in Laos and now has 12 stores in three countries, including Cambodia and Vietnam. I must say it was very similar to a Starbucks.

We stayed at the Bloom Boutique Hotel.

Bloom Boutique Hotel VientianeThese great coffee shops were only about 50 metres from our hotel. I would certainly recommend the Bloom Boutique Hotel, excellent rooms, friendly staff & a great breakfast. Use THIS LINK to book for a very good discount.

Sinouk Coffee Night Market

Vientiane excellent coffee shopsSmall restaurant/bar at the corner of the street, you can watch the crowds pass by at night on the way to the night market.

Thanks for visiting my Vientiane excellent coffee shops photo blog. We took a taxi for an hour ($10 USD) to check out the city, follow THIS LINK to see some of the sights.

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1g Duck

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Taxi tour discovering Vientiane

April 16, 2019 by David Herd

Taxi tour discovering Vientiane

Taxi tour discovering Vientiane

Taxi tour discovering Vientiane in Laos only cost us $10 USD for an hour of sightseeing. This is the capital city with a population of only 783,000 in a country of 6.858 million.

The photo above is Pha That Luang, a gold-covered large Buddhist stupa in the centre of the city of Vientiane. Initially established in the 3rd century, the stupa has undergone several reconstructions, as recently as the 1930s due to foreign invasions of the area. Wikipedia

Temple near our hotel

Taxi tour discovering VientianeIn fact it was virtually in the same street as the Bloom Boutique Hotel, we would walk through it to get to the riverside.

Lets take a closer view.

Taxi tour discovering Vientiane Like many cities in Thailand there seems to be temples everywhere.

We did not spend too much time in the temples.

Taxi tour discovering Vientiane Our focus was more on the bars & restaurants. 🙂

I would like to recommend the Bloom Boutique Hotel, excellent rooms, friendly staff & a great breakfast. Use THIS LINK to book for a very good discount.

Patuxai is a war monument

Taxi tour discovering Vientiane Built between 1957 and 1968. The Patuxai was dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France. In romanising the name from the Laotian language, it is variously translated as Patuxai, Patuxay, Patousai and Patusai. Wikipedia

Meet the jolly jumbo

Taxi tour discovering Vientiane Made out of porcelain plates, saucers, cups etc. I have no idea what it stands for. 🙂

Rather spectacular.

Taxi tour discovering Vientiane It really is a fantastic monument.

Thai bank in Vientiane

Taxi tour discovering Vientiane I actually have an account at Kasikorn Bank.

This is what you need for a road trip. 🙂

Taxi tour discovering Vientiane Gotta be the most famous bike in the world.

King Anouvong Statue

Taxi tour discovering Vientiane Chao Anouvong (1767-1829), or Chao Anou for short, was the last king of the former Lao kingdom of Lane Xang. He ruled from 1805 to 1828 in Vientiane and came to power after his brother’s death.  Chao Anouvong had long been an ally of the Thai monarchs against Burmese invaders but unfortunately his accomplishments and support of the Thai kingdom was not well recognized. From 1826 to 1828 Chao Anouvong rebelled against Siam in an attempt to gain independence from Siam.

Thanks for visiting my Taxi tour discovering Vientiane photo blog.

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That’s all folks

1g Duck

Lots more photo blogs here;

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Bloom Boutique Hotel Vientiane

April 16, 2019 by David Herd

Bloom Boutique Hotel Vientiane

Bloom Boutique Hotel Vientiane

Bloom Boutique Hotel Vientiane in Laos was a pleasure to visit.  I would happily recommend the Bloom Boutique Hotel, excellent rooms, friendly staff & a great breakfast. Use THIS LINK to book for a very good discount.

The restaurant

Bloom Boutique Hotel Vientiane The restaurant is on the 1st floor & reception is on the 2nd floor.

The bed was huge

Bloom Boutique Hotel Vientiane Please disregard the horrible sight in the mirror, although I realize it is very hard to un-see something. 🙂

Bathroom was excellent

Bloom Boutique Hotel VientianePlus the shower was perfect, which is often not the case in many hotels.

Lets talk about the breakfast.

Bloom Boutique Hotel Vientiane In my opinion the breakfast was one of the best I have had in any hotel. Forget the buffet style, the breakfast here is excellent. A choice of fried eggs or omelette, toast or baguette, salad or veggies, coffee or tea, yogurt or fruit.

Fried eggs for a change.

Bloom Boutique Hotel VientianeOut of the two the omelette was the best. 🙂 Plus the veggies were excellent.

Bloom Boutique Hotel Vientiane, very nice decor

Bloom Boutique Hotel Vientiane Their decorator should be congratulated. Those craft items on the table were for sale.

I would visit again just for the breakfast. 🙂

Bloom Boutique Hotel Vientiane Don’t forget to use THIS LINK to book for a very good discount.

Bloom Boutique Hotel Vientiane

Bloom Boutique Hotel VientianeHere is all the hotel staff enjoying a special lunch to celebrate Songkran, the Lao New Year celebration.

After lunch they all get wet.

Songkran celebration Vientiane They celebrated for hours at the Bloom Boutique Hotel Vientiane.

Vientiane is Laos’ national capital, it mixes French-colonial architecture with Buddhist temples such as the golden, 16th-century Pha That Luang, which is a national symbol. Along broad boulevards and tree-lined streets are many notable shrines including Wat Si Saket, which features thousands of Buddha images, and Wat Si Muang, built atop a Hindu shrine.

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1g Duck

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Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

October 24, 2017 by David Herd

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

Chiang Mai Province Sacred site

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep, this temple is often referred to as “Doi Suthep” although this is actually the name of the mountain where it’s located. Perched on top of the mountain 15 kms from the city. 

You have a choice

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

Climb the 300 steps to the top or take the tram. I compromised by taking the tram up & walking down. 🙂

At peace among the trees

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

Our driver told us there were 2,200 temples in Chiang Mai province. 

Lots of gold here.

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep 

Featuring a photo of the new King.

Lots of Thai people paying respect.

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

As well as Thai there seemed to be a lot of Chinese tourists.

 Lots of steps

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

Lots of steps & it was a very hot day, like most days in Thailand. 🙂

A view of Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep 

The view from the Temple.

Posing with the bell.

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

My friend Steven Bates & I taking a photo opportunity at the Chiang Mai Province Sacred site.

Naga decoration

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

Background on Thailand: A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally following the conflict. 

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

Steve has found a new friend.

More elephants

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

Magnificent animals, magnificent statues. 🙂

Shame about the advertising.

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

The signs do seem out of place here.

It’s a long way down.

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep 

As I said earlier I took the steps. 🙂

I really like this shot. 🙂

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

The children look great in their traditional clothes.

Coffee time before heading to our hotel.

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

The coffee here is quite famous, sadly I prefer Starbucks. 🙂

Asia’s best coffee

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

Is the claim, this nice lady ran the coffee shop.

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9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)

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1g Duck

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Four Aussies Chiang Mai

October 18, 2017 by David Herd

Our Hotel was in a great location

Four Aussies Chiang Mai 

Four Aussies Chiang MaiFour Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure, our hotel the Dusit Princess is the white building on the left. Without a doubt this is the very best location in Chiang Mai.

A terrific hotel in the very best location in Chiang Mai, book through THIS LINK for a discounted room rate.

 Across the road from our hotel

Five Aussies Chiang MaiBurger King & Hard Rock Cafe are there if you don’t want to eat Thai food. 🙂

Of course sometimes it rains.

Four Aussies Chiang MaiWhen it rains in Thailand it really rains. 🙂

 Opposite the Dusit Princess.

Four Aussies Chiang MaiOnly 50 meters up the road is the famous night market.

 Entrance to the night market

Four Aussies Chiang MaiNot just a night market but lot’s of bars & restaurants, many specializing in live seafood.

Forty winks

Four Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure

Relaxing at the night market.

LadyBoys everywhere. 🙂

Four Aussies Chiang MaiIt looks like Patrick has found some soul mates. 🙂

Of course if you want a massage

Four Aussies Chiang MaiThere are many available not as suspect as this one. 🙂

 Three Aussies

Four Aussies Chiang Mai AdventureHere are 3 of the 4 Aussies on this trip besides Patrick, Steven & Justin Bates & yours truly David Herd.

Patrick is around 200 cm tall. 🙂

Four Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure He returned to his home in Singapore for his 51st birthday on October 8.

 Le Meridien Hotel

Four Aussies Chiang Mai AdventureAnother great location, for a terrific room rate just book through THIS LINK.

Four Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure      Four Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure

The Meridien has an excellent Italian restaurant.

So many food outlets

Four Aussies Chiang Mai AdventureIn fact I’m doing a separate blog on some of the great Chiang Mai restaurants we found, including David’s Kitchen & Whole Earth which were both excellent. 

Four Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure

Four Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure We flew Nok Air return from Bangkok & I must say it was an absolute pleasure, the best budget airline I have flown with.

Dusit Princess good rooms & great location

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand

A terrific hotel in the very best location in Chiang Mai, book through THIS LINK for a discounted room rate.

Thanks for visiting my Four Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure photo blog.

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Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

October 18, 2017 by David Herd

You gotta love a pink elephant. 🙂

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai 

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand, Wat Ban Den is the most impressive I have ever seen. It was totally renovated in 1998 after the new Abbott Kru Ba Tuang raised huge amounts of money from people all over the country.

Work is still in progress

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

 As you can see from the first 2 photos work is still in progress. 🙂

Incredible works of art

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

The detail and the beauty really takes your breath away.

They could be twins. 🙂

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

Patrick Taylor is an Aussie living in Singapore, he loves having his photo taken & is fully certified selfie expert. 🙂

The Tigers are here.

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

 Everywhere you look there is another fabulous statue.

Totally spectacular

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand

As I said before Wat Ban Den is the most impressive Thai Temple I have ever seen. 

Absolutely brand new.

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

It’s a huge credit to Abbott Kru Ba Tuang & all the generous Buddhists who donated money to completely renovate the original structures as well as adding new.

Magnificent dragon

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

This would be a great location for an Asian version of “Game of Thrones.” 🙂

Renovated in 1804 & 1998.

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand

 In  1804, Kruba Thueang Natsilo, a former abbot, also had the temple renovated. It became far more exquisite with Lanna-style architecture. The abbot intended to turn it into a beautiful place of worship with religious teachings. He hoped this would attract more people to the temple so that they would have a chance to learn about the religion. 

Ring the bell folks. 🙂

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

 The temple stands prominently on top of a small hill and can be easily seen from afar.

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

As you can clearly see this Temple is a photographer’s dream.

Attention to detail…

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand

 Perfection is everywhere you look.

My favorite shot

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

 I think I captured a special moment here.

Reach for the sky

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand

Surely this has to inspire you? 🙂

Patrick & I enjoying Wat Van Den

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

As you can see Pat is a very tall happy character.

I have found a new friend.

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand

Many thanks for visiting my Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand photo blog.

The Dusit Princess

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

A terrific hotel in the very best location in Chiang Mai, book through THIS LINK for a discounted room rate.

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1g Duck

 

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Marina Bay Singapore

April 23, 2016 by David Herd

World’s most expensive building

Marina Bay Singapore

Fullerton Bay Hotel (24)

Marina Bay Singapore is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. Developed by Las Vegas Sands, it is the world’s most expensive building, at US$ 5.7 billion, including the cost of the prime land.

View from the Ritz Carlton

Marina Bay Singapore

Marina Bay Sands dominates much of the Singapore skyline, this view is from the front door of the Ritz Carlton.

Towards the end of construction

Marina Bay Singapore

One of the world’s most amazing developments in Singapore Asia’s Lion City.

Wonderful photo of Marina Bay

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

My friend Hamish Elton took this from the 70th floor at Equinox restaurant in April 2016. Equinox is rated 48th out of 7,819 by TripAdvisor.

Spectacular at night

Marina Bay Singapore

It’s difficult to decide what is more spectacular, night or day. The Equinox is on the 70th floor of the Swissotell The Stamford. Use this link to book a room and get a huge discount, you will probably pay around $215 usd.

Marina Bay Singapore Resort

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

The magnificent building is absolutely breathtaking.

Marina Bay Singapore Resort

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

Everything about Marina Bay Resort is on a grand scale.

 Marina Bay Singapore Resort from the roof.

Marina Bay Singapore

The view from the roof of Marina Bay Resort.

 From Marina Bay Sands Resort.

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

Singapore’s ever changing skyline.

Visit this magnificent building 

Fullerton Bay Hotel (13)

It really is special.

Marina Bay Singapore at night

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

Always spectacular and breathtaking, many thanks to my lovely friend Benjamina for this & the next photo.

A beautiful building

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

Another colour change to keep us entertained.

Time for a laser show.

Marina Bay Singapore

Many thanks to my friend Hamish Elton for these laser shots.

Is there a better pool anywhere in the world?

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

Wonderful by day and fabulous by night.

Marina Bay Sands rooftop infinity pool, Singapore.

 Thanks for visiting

Marina Bay Singapore

I hope you enjoyed my Marina Bay Singapore photo blog.

 
         
         
 
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               Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
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1g Duck

 

 

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Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

September 1, 2015 by David Herd

Japan

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC 

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC New York starting with Japan, I’ll list the 5 countries in alphabetical order rather than by personal preference. The photo above is  Shabusen at the Ginza A terrific restaurant for Kobe beef, go at lunch time for special prices. Check out my first post in this series here.

The train system is fantastic, from Tokyo it’s a 40 minute trip to Yokohama or 3  h0urs by bullet train to beautiful Kyoto.

One square meter of land in the Ginza center is worth more than ten million yen (more than 100,000 US dollars), making it one of the most expensive real estate in Japan. It is where you can find the infamous $10 cups of coffee and where virtually every leading brand name in fashion and cosmetics has a presence. To me Tokyo is all about food, food and more food, interestingly the Michelin guide has Tokyo comfortably ahead of Paris (10 three-starred restaurants), New York (7) and London (2), with a total of 350 establishments making it into the guide this time around.

 Kabukicho                        Harajuku girls                                   Tokyo

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

     Kabukicho is an entertainment and red-light district in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Kabukicho is the location of many host and hostess clubs, love hotels, shops, restaurants, and nightclubs, and is often called the “Sleepless Town.”   Make sure you check out my post called “Piss Alley”.

I don’t know any other person who has travelled more than I during the last 20 years. Perhaps I can provide you with a few ideas on where to go for your next holiday.

Thailand

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

  I sold my home in Australia October 20th 2011 and have have been living in Thailand since then. My first trip to this great country was in 1980, however it wasn’t until 1997 when I started visiting 2 or 3 times each year. In the early days Koh Samui was a favourite destination, however in my opinion progress has not improved the island, it was far better before all the modern gold shops etc moved in. These days I prefer Koh Chang near the Cambodian border & of course Bangkok is fantastic with so many great bars, restaurants & shopping malls.

              Chiang Mai                           Pattaya                            Chao Phraya river

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

Chiang Mai tiger warning, the sign could not have been clearer. It was placed a metre from the cage which was at the rear of the zoo away from the other tiger enclosures. It simply said “danger, don’t go past this sign”. Looking back I have done many stupid things in my life and this certainly ranks highly in the “stupidity stakes.”

Naturally I ignored the warning and moved past the sign and put my camera lens through the wire to get a clear shot of the magnificent beast sitting quietly in the pond two meters from my lens. Within one second of taking the photo there seemed to be an explosion in front of me and suddenly I jumped backwards totally soaked with water.

I could barely hear my brother’s raucous laughter from several meters away due to the rapid beating of my heart. The 240 kilo beast had lept from the pond and hit the wire full force with all his four giant paws. My luck held as did the wire, which without exaggeration saved me from being torn to pieces.

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

I e-mailed the tiger zoo and inquired about this particular tiger. They told me his name was Tone, he weighed 240 kilo and was far too dangerous to allow the public to get close, he was just used for breeding.

United Kingdom part of my Travel tips five great countries photo blog.

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

So many places to see & so much history. I travel there most years making London my base, then visit cities & towns all over the country either by train or car. Apart from London some of my favourite places are Brighton, Bath, Glasgow & Bradford on Avon. The photo above is Gold Hill is a steep cobbled street in the town of Shaftesbury in the English county of Dorset.

      London pubs                      Lands End                  Hyde Park

 Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC  

Travel tips. Great Britain has an excellent rail service, save up to 80% by booking your ticket before you arrive, just click here. London Underground’s Piccadilly Line provides the most cost-effective rail route between Heathrow Airport and the capital, so look for accommodation around Earl’s CourtGloucester Rd or Knightsbridge. For more information click here.

United States of America

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

Another huge country offering everything from snow capped mountains to desert, beaches & exciting cities. New York of course is everyone’s favourite however hotel costs are so expensive. I really enjoy Miami with the wonderful Cuban influence, but I must say the last time I was in San Francisco I was quite disappointed by the high numbers of beggars on the city streets.

Miami                                San Francisco                           New York

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

Car hire and internal flights are reasonably inexpensive. In Los Angeles I always stay in Santa Monica where I enjoy the restaurants and Venus beach.

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC Vietnam

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

 Ho Chi Minh City is Honda heaven, it is quite a shock when you see the number of motorbikes on the streets, crossing the road seems like a game of Russian roulette. My main memories of this wonderful country are the beautiful ladies and the terrific food. My first visit was twice in 2003 then 12 years later in January 2015. Halong Bay is a magical experience, make sure you stay overnight on one of the many boats, it’s an experience you will never forget. Vung Tau and Nha Trang are two of my favourites places in this great country.

Hoi An                             Chill Sky Bar                      HCMC 2015

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

Warning, when catching a taxi in Saigon stick with Vinasun or Mai Linh for clean honest low priced taxis. Many other companies are rip off merchants who will try to rob you.

Don’t under any circumstances use the company below.

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC New York

Thanks for visiting my Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC photo blog.

            Checkout some more of my terrific blogs on the links below.         

Pattaya Hilton

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

This is the view from Horizons the amazing rooftop bar. A great five star hotel located opposte the beach & above the Central Festival shopping mall. Just book through THIS LINK for an excellent room rate. 

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

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  Please check out these fabulous posts
       Gold Coast                              Pattaya                          Cinque Terre
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Rio de Janeiro                  Singapore                    Eastern Europe
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    Bangkok Bars                         Tokyo                      Cape Town Safari
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               Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
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 That’s all folks

1g Duck

 

 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 3 photos

Road Trip Nha Trang

May 25, 2015 by David Herd

Leaving HCMC

Road Trip Nha Trang

Road Trip Nha Trang

Road Trip Nha Trang via Dalat by mini bus with a one night stopover in Dalat. We travelled through some very interesting countryside stopping often for food and drinks.

Riding to school

Road Trip Nha Trang

 Young girl wearing the traditional ao dai. The name “ao dai” was originally applied to the outfit worn at the court of the Nguyễn Lords at Huế in the 18th century.

A tip for the boys

Road Trip Nha TrangI gave these boys a tip which made them very happy indeed.

 

Another happy face in Vietnam.

Road Trip Nha Trang

So many happy faces in Vietnam.

Beautiful country heading north

Road Trip Nha TrangRice terraces from the highway.

Village on the river

Road Trip Nha Trang

A whole town sits on the water.

What more could you want?

Road Trip Nha Trang

Vietnam’s version of waterfront homes.

HCMC Nha Trang Dalat Vietnam

Road Trip Nha Trang

  Compare the above and below photo and see if you can spot the difference.  

Looks the same doesn’t it?

Road Trip Nha Trang

  Of course you picked it, the mother is rocking the baby. 🙂 🙂 🙂  

Paddling by foot

Road Trip Nha Trang via Dalat

That’s a new technique.

Dalat market

Road Trip Nha Trang

Night market in Dalat.

Fresh fish at Dalat

Road Trip Nha Trang

     Đà Lạt, the capital of Lâm Đồng Province in southern Vietnam’s Central Highlands, is centred around a lake and golf course, and surrounded by hills, pine forests, lakes and waterfalls. Known as the “City of Eternal Spring” for its distinctive temperate climate, Đà Lạt was developed as a resort by the French in the early 1900s, and many reminders of its colonial heritage remain.

Off to training

Road Trip Nha Trang via Dalat

    The kids are looking good in their karate outfits.

Lovely smile in Dalat

Road Trip Nha Trang

    So many smiling faces in this great country.

HCMC Nha Trang

Road Trip Nha Trang

Thanks for visiting my HCMC Nha Trang Dalat Vietnam post, this is really a worthwhile adventure if you want to see life in the countryside, this was 2003, check out some more recent Vietnam posts below.                       

                   Here are some more posts to check out 

         Sydney                               Paris                                   Bangkok           
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          Tokyo                        Rio De Janeiro                        Budapest
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           London                            Beijing                            Capetown
2246c6cf-5fa6-4fbe-ac30-b569253ad2a6        f65d714b-f44c-4b2e-9505-3511ebecbb80        4e82052a-24d0-41e1-ab84-10e8f27634d1
 
            Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you            
             book through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
                                                                 Plus free cancellation .
                                               Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
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Slide show here.

 
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)

That’s all folks

1g Duck

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 2 photos

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

February 28, 2015 by David Herd

Istanbul is a super city

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul is a must for your bucket list, I took the long cruise to Anadolu Kavağı, departing 10.30 from Galata Bridge with a 3 hour break for lunch and returning at 4.30.

Bosphorus bridge connecting Europe and Asia was completed in 1973,  it is the 22nd longest suspension bridge span in the world.

The trip starts here

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

The ferry leaves from the Galata bridge for the 1.5 hour cruise to Anadolu Kavağı.

Rumeli Hisarı Fortress

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

At the narrowest part of the Bosphorus, Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror ordered the great fortress of Rumeli Hisarı to be built on the European shore in order to control commercial and military traffic in preparation for the siege of Constantinople.


 

Homes on the Bosphorus

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

You really get an appreciation of the sheer size of the city when you take the Bosphorus Cruise Istanbul. Anadolu Kavağı is about 25 kms towards the Black sea and on both sides of the river there are thousands and thousands of homes.

Luxury home on the Bosphorus

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

Looking back I realise I should have allocated at least a few more days to explore this interesting part of the world.

Up market Istanbul

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

There are many upmarket areas in Istanbul.

We have arrived at Anadolu Kavağı.

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

Time to leave the Bosphorus river Cruise and have some lunch.

 The restaurants wait for customers

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

It must be the off season as there are not many people in the restaurants.

Many restaurants to choose from

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

They all compete aggressively for customers, each guy seems to use the same spiel, they say the price of this fish is 20, but for you 16, and so on.

Street cooking

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

  This is a good way to sample the food which is very reasonably priced.  

Two very friendly guys

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

These happy fellows really made you welcome.

 The seafood here was reasonably priced

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

  Except the large king prawns were very expensive.  

Decision has been made

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

The fish was quite good, the salad average, with a small bottle of sparkling water & a basket of nice fresh bread the cost was only $12 AUD.

Waterfront homes

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

  Right beside the wharf with the waves splashing on their doorsteps.


 

Bosphorus river Cruise, now will this rust bucket get us home?

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

Thanks for visiting my Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul photo blog, please add this city to your bucket list.

Fabulous photo

Bosphorus river Cruise Istanbul

 I found this on the internet & decided to add it to my blog.

That’s all folks

1aaa Duck 2

                            Here are some more posts to check out     
Pattaya Hilton

Pattaya hotels, Hilton & Holiday Inn

This is the view from Horizons the amazing rooftop bar. A great five star hotel located opposte the beach & above the Central Festival shopping mall. Just book through THIS LINK for an excellent room rate. 

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

 Soi Cowboy (5)           e1274c0c-cf4d-4406-b5dc-d9e8071e382e            8993ef02-ccf3-46a7-8b6d-fc11af9d93ad

 
  Please check out these fabulous posts
       Gold Coast                              Pattaya                          Cinque Terre
bd96516a-84df-4ca0-86e6-c757cc9053d1          01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f          e18b6c87-5adc-4a80-92cf-6c643ad130c1
 
Rio de Janeiro                  Singapore                    Eastern Europe
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    Bangkok Bars                         Tokyo                      Cape Town Safari
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037          f5e9441a-4154-44e0-a362-18b662d40b48          2a2b79ea-bc5f-46e3-8448-2e71658eff14 
               Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
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 That’s all folks

1g Duck

 

 

                        Here is a short video of the riverside

Istanbul river cruise Part 1
 

Here is my post on Istanbul city.

 

Head west for a while and you will arrive in Budapest.

 

Budapest was united from three cities in 1873 and seven years later the Diet resolved to establish a new, representative…

Posted by Travel blogger Fivestarvagabond.com” on Monday, March 23, 2015

Take a look at the entire trip.

 

A stand out feature of this trip was my selection of hotels and apartments, everyone of them was in a perfect location…

Posted by Travel blogger Fivestarvagabond.com” on Thursday, March 26, 2015

Dubrovnik was fascinating,

 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 2 photos