OUR SEASIA Odyssey
#101
Original Poster
To all of you who have followed along this odyssey, hope u enjoyed it and found it helpful.
A few photos from Saigon and the Mekong Delta
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80018999@N03/page1/
A few photos from Saigon and the Mekong Delta
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80018999@N03/page1/
#104
Join Date: May 2005
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Fantastic report! There is such a wealth of great information that I am in awe!
I'm hoping to return to SEA in the not-too-distant future so this will be a big help.
A million thanks. And I've not even seen the photos yet!
For the record, I also thought Temple Club was vastly overrated; one of those prettified spots where the decor trumps the food.
I'm hoping to return to SEA in the not-too-distant future so this will be a big help.
A million thanks. And I've not even seen the photos yet!
For the record, I also thought Temple Club was vastly overrated; one of those prettified spots where the decor trumps the food.
#105
Original Poster
Much appreciated. We used one of your TRs when we were in SEAsia and look forward to using your Puglia trip reports as we travel Puglia this fall, so glad our info will be useful to u.
#106
Join Date: Jan 2004
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You may appreciate this
Allie is home from school this weekend. She is taking a SE Asia cultures class this semester and said the professor did a slide show of Laos in class earlier this week...and there was a picture of Tamnak Lao and the same table where we had dinner. After the slide show, the professor asked if anyone in the class had been to Laos, and Allie responded, "Yes, and in fact I know that restaurant and ate at that table in your photo."
Wish it was easier to get there, because that sounds really good right about now!
Allie is home from school this weekend. She is taking a SE Asia cultures class this semester and said the professor did a slide show of Laos in class earlier this week...and there was a picture of Tamnak Lao and the same table where we had dinner. After the slide show, the professor asked if anyone in the class had been to Laos, and Allie responded, "Yes, and in fact I know that restaurant and ate at that table in your photo."
Wish it was easier to get there, because that sounds really good right about now!
#107
Original Poster
Hi! Too funny! She must have felt very cool. That was a good restaurant and it would be great about now. We've played with trying to go to LP again in 2014. Jut not sure if it will work out or not.
#108
Join Date: Jan 2003
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I don't know how I missed this report before today. Maybe because he had been several times to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia in the last ten years. But now, after reading this...we must go to Laos. I thought we were finished with long haul trips.
#112
Join Date: Oct 2007
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I just reread the parts of your epic that centered on the same locations we will be going. Thank you so much for your careful exacting descriptions. I took lots of notes and will look for the same places as we wanderer Hanoi, Sapa, Hoi An, and Luang Prabang.
#113
Thanks guys for writing this out in such entertaining AND useful detail. GT, you're quite the writer.
I've been having a read over the last several days of the Vietnam bits (North and Central) for my planning. I'm sure I'll be coming back as time allows just to read the rest for the fun of it.
I've been having a read over the last several days of the Vietnam bits (North and Central) for my planning. I'm sure I'll be coming back as time allows just to read the rest for the fun of it.
#117
Thanks for the great trip report - it's incredibly helpful.
My boyfriend and I are starting to plan an April trip to Vietnam and are considering using Tonkin to simplify making the arrangements. We are torn, however, between going it alone or joining a G Adventures tour for the companionship of other travelers, which we'd enjoy - plus they have an itinerary that covers exactly what I'd like to do: http://www.gadventures.com/trips/tim...nam/AVHC/2014/. (Hanoi, Mai Chau, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, and Saigon in 13 days for $2099 per person.)
But we also like the idea of more independence and the ability to choose our own hotels. It looks like, based on the price you mentioned, we could do it more cheaply on our own.
Did you think you had a reasonable amount of interaction with other people? And did you feel well taken care of by the various guides?
My boyfriend and I are starting to plan an April trip to Vietnam and are considering using Tonkin to simplify making the arrangements. We are torn, however, between going it alone or joining a G Adventures tour for the companionship of other travelers, which we'd enjoy - plus they have an itinerary that covers exactly what I'd like to do: http://www.gadventures.com/trips/tim...nam/AVHC/2014/. (Hanoi, Mai Chau, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, and Saigon in 13 days for $2099 per person.)
But we also like the idea of more independence and the ability to choose our own hotels. It looks like, based on the price you mentioned, we could do it more cheaply on our own.
Did you think you had a reasonable amount of interaction with other people? And did you feel well taken care of by the various guides?
#118
Original Poster
We definitely were well taken care of by the guides that we had. They were very solicitous and always helpful. We met lots of people along the way, but can't say we were looking for companionship from others. It's easy to talk with the people in VN, many of whom speak English esp younger folks. And we always meet fellow travelers as we travel. I've never done a group tour so can't really make a comparison to the travels we do on our own. In terms of costs I do know that when I have looked at tours I could always do the same for much less $. And as you say, you can pick your own hotels and go at your pace.
Glad you found our TR helpful and have a great trip.
Glad you found our TR helpful and have a great trip.
#119
Join Date: Jul 2013
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Thanks Althom for reviving this thread.
GT & YT, I used some of your informative and entertaining report while planning our current journey through Thailand and Laos, to the extent that I changed the initial plan around in order to go downstream on the Luang Say cruise.
Today we had lunch at Morrodoke (admittedly we stumbled across it) the meal was fantastic.
Thanks for being so generous with your time to write !
GT & YT, I used some of your informative and entertaining report while planning our current journey through Thailand and Laos, to the extent that I changed the initial plan around in order to go downstream on the Luang Say cruise.
Today we had lunch at Morrodoke (admittedly we stumbled across it) the meal was fantastic.
Thanks for being so generous with your time to write !