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August 31, 2005
Macau
(Day 192) "To gamble?" was the reaction from my aunt and cousin both when I told them I was interested in going to Macau. Which really isn't fair to the former Portuguese port. There's a lot more there than just casinos.
Posted by markyiin at 11:40 PM | Comments (0)
Nightlife
(Day 191) Most things I've misplace don't cause me too much grief. Food, toiletries, and clothes can be easily and cheaply replaced. When I realized I left one of my laptop batteries behind in Bangkok though, I was kicking myself for my carelessness. My laptop was still operable, as it was a spare, but I preferred having two as each only provided me with about two hours of battery life.
Posted by markyiin at 11:29 PM | Comments (2)
August 27, 2005
Tea
(Day 190) "[Time for tea,]" announced Aunt Ping.
By having tea, she meant time to eat. The four of us (my aunt, uncle, cousin, and I) headed to a shopping plaza nearby to experience some local cuisine.
Posted by markyiin at 09:06 AM | Comments (11)
Meeting up in Hong Kong
(Day 189) There have been backpackers everywhere I've been. Meeting people has never been easier. Some I share day trips with, others remain travel companions for a few days. Internet and email has made keeping in touch a feasible proposition. While in Australia, I met Vivian on my Groovy Grape Outback tour. "Contact me when you get to Hong Kong," she had told me. "Maybe we can have tea together."
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Posted by markyiin at 08:59 AM | Comments (6)
August 26, 2005
Getting a new camera
(Day 188) This is actually my third time in Hong Kong. I've seen all the tourist sights before, though I may not remember them all that well. My main objective here is to obtain my Chinese visa. Getting them in Hong Kong is supposed to be a relatively easy process, and with Aunt Ping as my guide, it was all the more painless.
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Posted by markyiin at 10:31 PM | Comments (7)
August 25, 2005
Arriving in Hong Kong
(Day 187) "Where are you going after Hong Kong?" asked the lady from China Airlines checking me in.
"China or Taiwan."
"Do you have an onward ticket?"
I shook my head. I had only my one-way flight to Hong Kong. I prefer to buy my tickets as I go.
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Posted by markyiin at 04:00 AM | Comments (7)
August 24, 2005
Last day in southeast asia
(Day 186) Unlike back home, where it can be advantageous to purchase flights weeks or months in advance to save money, here, there's really no difference. In domestic hops around Thailand, I've been at the airport an hour before boarding and gotten tickets for the same price as had I booked them a week prior. Had I known this earlier, I wouldn't have made my plans out of southeast asia until the last minute, leaving me with ultimate flexibility.
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Posted by markyiin at 12:06 AM | Comments (2)
Losing my camera
(Day 185) There's a reason I take so many pictures. Entries sometimes don't get written up until several days later when I have free time, and the pictures serve as reminders for what I did on a particular day. Therefore, when my trusty Pentax Optio S4 went missing, it had to be one of the worst moments of my trip so far.
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Posted by markyiin at 12:05 AM | Comments (2)
August 22, 2005
More of Halong Bay and Water Puppetry
(Day 184) It was a beautiful morning, one worth getting up for. Not that I really had a choice. We were due downstairs at 7:00am for breakfast, and afterwards we were brought back to the docks to continue our tour. Depending on whether people had paid for a two, three, or four day excursion, we were directed onto different crafts. On a boat that could've comfortably seated 24, my international group numbered only 11. Having signed up for the two day variety, it was back to the mainland for us.
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Posted by markyiin at 07:29 AM | Comments (5)
August 21, 2005
Halong Bay
(Day 183) Flying from Hanoi to Bangkok and back again probably increased my cost per day average and cost me time in Vietnam. Ideally, I wouldn't have had to go back. However, given the choice all over again, I wouldn't do anything differently. Blitzing through cities, visiting attractions, is a rewarding experience, but staying in places with no backpacker scenes, mingling with local people unconcerned with tourist dollars... It's a totally different world.
The blog resumes back in Hanoi, from which I embarked on a a three hour ride to Halong Bay. At Halong City, I left my shuttle of Swiss, Germans, Spaniards, Brits, and Koreans to join a group of Japanese, Dutch, French, and Vietnamese tourists. Halong Bay, the third UNESCO World Heritage site I'd visit in Vietnam (Hoi An and Hue being the other two), is the country's biggest draw, and it's not surprising that people from all over come to visit.
Posted by markyiin at 10:08 PM | Comments (10)
August 12, 2005
Hanoi
(Day 167) I could've sworn the schedule said we'd reach at Hanoi at 4:00am. Whether we had some delays during the night which I wasn't aware of, or I simply remembered wrong, we didn't get there until around 9:00am. Which probably worked out for the best anyways. It's always better to arrive at a new place in daylight.
Posted by markyiin at 11:42 PM | Comments (17)
Thien Mu Pagoda
(Day 166) The only train I could get a ticket on didn't leave until the early afternoon. A pain in the butt since it left me with not enough time for another tour, but giving me a whole morning that I somehow had to pass. Since I had missed out on the Thien Mu Pagoda the day before, I figured I'd make it a goal to see it before I left town.
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Posted by markyiin at 08:45 AM | Comments (4)
August 11, 2005
The Tombs of the Nguyen Emperors
(Day 165) "One day it started raining, and it didn't quit for four months." That's what Forrest Gump once said of Vietnam weather. While it hasn't been non stop rain for me, I can't remember the last time I saw the sun here.
This morning was no different. Light drizzle with the threat of heavier downpour. I had already signed up for a tour to see the tombs of the Nguyen emperors. It was too late to cancel.
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Posted by markyiin at 06:29 AM | Comments (4)
Lost keys, Lost capitol
(Day 164) Like every other Southeast Asian country, Vietnam has a well beaten tourist trail that everyone follows. Numerous travel agencies offer flexible, hop-on hop-off, open tour bus tickets that make stops at all points of interest along the way. Competition has made this one of the cheapest ways to get around. For as little as US$20, its possible to travel from HCMC to Hanoi, or vice versa.
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Posted by markyiin at 06:14 AM | Comments (1)
August 01, 2005
On hold (again)
Ok, here's the problem with keeping a travel blog like this. Things have to go rather smoothly for it to all work, and as we all know, there are always going to be bumps and complications on the way. Last time I just 'disappeared,' it caused a bit of worry. So this time, before I pull my magic act, let me give some heads up.
My friend, Deer, from Thailand, has had a health emergency. More I can't say right now. I could blow it off and say it's none of my business and continue my travels, but honestly I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself with it hanging over my head. When I learned this, I had a dilemma. In the end, I decided to book a last minute ticket back to be by her side for a few days while she gets through it. M-whY will continue. I will finish touring Vietnam, fly to Hong Kong as scheduled, but for the next week or two, I may be MIA.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Posted by markyiin at 06:28 AM | Comments (16)
Hoi An
(Day 163) In the 16th and 17th centuries, Hoi An was an important trading port in southern Vietnam, attracting merchant ships from all over the world. Many of the historic buildings have been well preserved, allowing architecture enthusiasts to explore the Chinese, Japanese, and European design influences. Today, with its UNESCO World Heritage listing, it continues to be a popular stop, but for tourists arriving on buses, not merchants arriving by sea.
Posted by markyiin at 12:45 AM | Comments (3)
Stopover at Nha Trang
(Day 162) Thanks to five backpackers sitting in the back row who wouldn't shut up, I hardly got any sleep on my overnight bus to Nha Trang. When we arrived at our destination, I was looking forward to a nap more than enjoying the beach. I had another overnighter to catch later, and I knew I'd be a wreck if I didn't get some proper rest in between.
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Posted by markyiin at 12:38 AM | Comments (4)