Hanoi 2014-02-18 I have to admit that I prefer Hanoi over Saigon for several reasons. Hanoi is where the exotic old mixes with modernism in a different way. The best part of town is "The Old quarter", with its warren of streets. Rather than destroying old buildings to raise modern new ones, here you notice that restoring at least the outer façade of a building ensures that the city keeps its charm. The narrow streets now swarm with 1000's and 1000’s ...

2014-02-16 My choice of turning my trip around to go north to south seemed to have been a good one. After 30 hours of clickety clack through the Vietnamese country side I have arrived in a rather cool Hanoi. Interesting how quick you forget the meaning of cold. The sleeper train was reasonably comfortable but at a lower standard than I have experienced in China and Russia last year. My four bed cabin was shared with various people coming and going. First 3 Russi...

15th Feb 2014 You really meet the nicest people here. Saigon has been great. To westerners who have never been in South East Asia it must be puzzling when you compare the way we do and treat travelers and the way they do that here. An example from last year which I recorded on my blog. Scenario One I stopped in a small village somewhere in Central Vietnam; it was a very hot day and I had been riding in my T-shirt. After parking the bike in front of one of the...

2014-02-12 The Mekong Delta The prime rice growing area of Vietnam, the Mekong Delta is a watery landscape of green fields and tiny villages, crisscrossed by 1000's of small canals and rivulets all fed by the mighty Mekong River which flows from its source in Tibet and winds through several countries until it reaches the sea at the most southerly point of Vietnam. Its inhabitants I had met before. A smiling easygoing and friendly lot of people. Last year I tr...

13 Feb 2014 Taxi Sir? There is only one thing I hate about Vietnam and that are the taxi drivers. Last year I was ripped off paying $15 for 20 minute ride which brought me within 200 meters of the place where got in. Of course you learn from this and are prepared for the next one. At arrival at HO Chi Min airport I was approached by a taxi driver who quoted me $25 for the ride from the airport to District 1 where I was heading for. "Great" , I said and sa...