Arriving at Hanoi's new airport is a breeze. The airport is large and all systems work. For the first time I had opted for the "Visa on arrival" option. In the past I had seen the counter where this was processed but had been glad that I did not have to wait for perhaps several hours. Many times I had seen people sitting on the floors waiting for their names to be called. Visa on arrival costs $25US as against a normal visa fee when applied through the embassy in...

We were asked to fasten our seatbelts, that is usually requested when you are about to fly, but we had just boarded a ferry - from Macau to Hong Kong, about an hour ride in choppy seas. We would be arriving late as the speed was being reduced a bit as the waves were getting higher. Customs was slow and very busy. We changed some money and decided to take a taxi to our hostel in an area called Mongkok just north of Kowloon. It had been a very long time since I had...

Beyond Taiwan Our flight to Macau was straightforward. Macau is a small satellite State which once belonged to Portugal but now is part of China. However, it is still a separate State with its own currency. You will find Macau on the coast of China on the edge of a bay opposite Hong Kong. When you arrive there they casually look at your passport and enter the details on their computer and that's it. No landing card to fill in or stamp in your passport – bu...

Early in the morning, Michael took us to the local railway station for our 2-hour train ride to Taipei. Perhaps a good time to sum up Taiwan. Michael kept on saying "don't tell anyone about what Taiwan is like otherwise they will all want to come", but I am going to do it anyway. I had a different expectation before arriving here. In my mind, I pictured a polluted industrial country full of smoke belching factories, with phlegm spitting Chinese riding their 20-ye...