Trip Report: In The Footsteps of Bartholomew Dias, But We Made It Further In Than The Cape of Good Hope.

Being the early planner as always, I planned our trip to South Africa nine months before the departure date in mid November. After a handful of people dropping out and a few others replacing those who dropped out, the final number of participants taking this voyage was eight. These eight courageous individuals were Dede, Olga, Irene, Ein, Alison, Dave, Peter and myself. Our itinerary included a 3-day safari visit to Kruger National Park and 6 days of rest and relaxation in Cape Town. For months we were prepping ourselves for the trip. We took shots and/or medications. We bought disposable toilet kit for those who could not control themselves upon the sight of wild animals. Some of us even drafted up detailed wills for our family members and closed ones just in case we ended up as the lions' special of the day.

The South African Airways' flight over to Johannesburg was largely uneventful, save the camera theft incident I unfortunately got to experience when the airplane stopped in Dakar, Senegal for a brief refueling and cleaning. Passengers did not have to leave the airplane, but they were allowed to move around in the plane. I left my two books and a camera in the side compartment of my seat and went to the lavatory. I came back to my seat three minutes later and the camera was gone. According to the passenger next to me (who happens to work in the same company as I do -- what a small world), one of the cleaners came to my seat and played with my headset (which was plugged on top of the side compartment where my camera was placed). I notified the pursor immediately and a thorough search was conducted. Needless to say, my camera was no where to be found. It probably had made its way to the border of Guinea when the authority was conducting a bodysearch on all the cleaners. Somewhere in East Africa now, people are admiring the pictures of two Asian men posing infront of bonzai plants taken during a bonzai exhibition in New York City this summer. Readers, be careful when taking South African Airways since theft is a pretty common activity on their flights and airports!!! Upon arrival in Johannesburg we checked into an airport hotel nearby for a good night's rest. A 5- hour drive to the Nambi gate of the Kruger National Park was awaiting us the next morning.

Our driver Tabo picked us up the next morning at the crack of dawn. He was a friendly and pleasant black guy who told Olga that he married his current wife because he did not want to cook his own meals or do his own laundry. Seeing that he was manning the wheel of a 10-seater van and that our safety was at his mercy, Olga bit her lips hard and reserved her comments. Tabo also asked me the difference between a Japanese and a Chinese. Apparently he was not the only one who asked this question. One of our tour guides in Cape Town posed the same question to me, and the lady who worked at the SAA reservation desk also asked Alison the same question. Normally I would have thrown out a few punches if I were asked this question in New York, but this was South Africa, and there were not many Asians here, save the businessmen and the few immigrants who ran restaurants in the major cities. So I explained to Tabo patiently that a Japanese greets people by saying "haro" and a Chinese greets people by saying "halo" (poor gullible Tabo bought it). Oh yeah, they also have different last names. Lame answers but I was not ready to take him through thousand years of history on my vacation.

We had our first safari drive upon arrival at Kruger National Park and did not see a lot of animals. Our luck started to pick up with the morning drive in the second day. We saw impalas (too many of them in fact!), kudus, elephants, zebras, lions, water buffalos, rhinos, hyenas, wild boars, leopards (from far) and other animals too insignificant to remember. We even saw two cheetahs that were quite uncommon to spot. You can tell that there were very few animal lovers among us when the questions posed to our lovely safari guides (Godfrey and Lucky) included the following:

"Are ivory chopsticks inexpensive here?" (when we spotted elephants)

"Do they make buttons out of these animals?" (when we spotted kudus)

"I heard they make great make-up brushes!" (when we spotted a rare kind of badger)

"Oh this would make lovely furniture fabrics!" (when we spotted zebras)

Aside from seeing these incredible animals, there were some anecdotal moments during our three-day stay at Kruger. Peter and I were chased by a monkey when we pointed at it and made fun of it. Ein was too busy shopping and nearly missed one of our drives. Dave and I contemplated urinating into an empty bottled water during our night drive since it was over three hours long and offered no bathroom breaks. After three days of spotting animals and eating bad camp food, all of us, except for Irene and Dave who extended their stay at a private game reserve, decided it was time to leave. On the day of our departure, I had never seen Peter and Dede so excited before. Tabo drove us to the airport so that we could catch our flight to Cape Town.

A friendly guy named Jaco greeted us upon our arrival at Cape Town. Cape Town reminds me a whole lot of San Francisco. Home to approximately 4 million people, Cape Town is one of the world's prettiest cities. There is not a whole lot to see in the city but some of the sights you have to visit include Table Mountain, Robben Island and The Malay Quarter (Bo Kaap). The best way to see the city is to take the 'Topless Bus' which costs R100 per adult and the rate comes with multiple hop on and off privileges. Despite its name, the bus does not require you to take off your shirt to be on it. I tried and the tour guide threatened to throw me off the bus. For Robben Island, visitors have to make the reservation in person and the wait for the next availability is at least 3-4 days.

We were supposed to stay in a lovely B&B called '79 on Orange' but the renovation was not done in time so the owners Marc and Ivan put us up in a luxury condo in Camps Bay. Our units had the view of the ocean. We were also very spoiled since Marc and Ivan arranged for their help, Pumala and Clifton to make us breakfast every morning. They were such nice and warm people. Pumala was so motherly that Peter and I just wanted to give her a tight hug. Unfortunately, the task of doing so seemed highly challenging and daunting (to us gay men at least) as there were physical obstacles in our way. Even though we could not stay at 79 on Orange, Peter and I did make a visit there and we had a drink with Marc and Ivan. The home was beautiful and the location was good. I suggest that you stay there if you are in Cape Town next (http://www.79onorange.co.za/). If you do please send my warmest regards to Pumala and give her a big hug for me.

There are many great restaurants located in the VA Waterfront area and along Victoria Road in Camps Bay. They offer a variety of food and are very affordable if you are spending US Dollars (especially with the wines). Some of the restaurants I recommend in Cape Town include:

1. Nando's (a chain with multiple locations - http://www.nandos.co.za/)

2. Blue (great seafood restaurant in Camps Bay - www.blues.co.za)

3. Summerville (another great seafood restaurant in Camps Bay - www.summervillerestaurant.co.za )

4. Taiwan City (Chinese restaurant offering authentic Chinese cuisines - located in the biggest mall in Cape Town known as 'Canal Walk'. You can never go wrong with this place since they cater to the Mainland Chinese tourists that arrive in droves every night)

5. Africa Cafe (only if you want to try African food in a touristy setting - http://www.africacafe.co.za/)

Many travel guides say that Cape Town is home to a thriving gay scene. Peter and I beg to differ. There are only three gay bars here (two of which were named "Manhattan" and "The Bronx" incidentally). There are more gay bars located on 8th avenue between 14th and 23rd street in Chelsea than the entire Cape Town combined. I guess it is all relative.

We signed up for several day tours when we were in Cape Town including a visit to the Stellenbosch wineries, Cape Point and Hermanus Bay. South African wines are becoming increasingly popular in the US, and we visited three wineries on a bright sunny day and purchased a few bottles of good wine. The sceneries in Cape Point were breathtaking. The tour included a quick stop at the ostrich farm and a stop at The Penguin Colony to see those cute little furry animals. Peter and I were busy spotting our "sistas" but there were too many to tell which one was gay. We also went to Hermanus Bay for whale watching (and I don't mean looking at myself in the mirror as I take a bath in my bathtub). Even though It was the tale end of whale watching season we wanted to try our luck. We spotted a few whales from the shore. Olga, Dede and I also took a boat trip and we saw more whales -- in fact they were really close to the boat and one actually swam under the boat. We really lucked out. Bet you did not know that Hermanus is the only town in the world with an official 'Whale Crier' who wanders the street with a sandwich board and a kelp horn. He blows his horn whenever he spots a whale. I think the 'Whale Crier' I encountered blew his horn when I walked past him.

South Africa is a very interesting country. Even though the apartheid system has been abolished, segregation is still commonly practiced among the races. They don't mingle with each other that much. In Cape Town, we barely saw any black people. The areas that tourist go are mainly inhabited by Caucasians. Unless you make a visit to the townships, you will not see a lot of black people. I laughed so hard when Ein asked me while we were dining on Victoria Road in Camps Bay if it was safe to walk back to our condo since there were a few black kids hanging out across the street from us. I laughed because this was South Africa and of course there were black people here. Then I realized we had not seen a lot of them in Cape Town and that was why Ein had made that comment. It was nevertheless a stereotypical remark. We as tourists did not sense the day to day frustration of living in South Africa. What we saw were what the country wanted tourists to see. However, from my conversations with some local residents, I realized that there was a growing level of frustration among the South Africans. The unemployment rate in this country is in the 40% range. HIV infection rate is very high in this country too -- approximately 40% of sexually active population is estimated to be HIV+. One of our tour guides told us that the Minister of Health in South Africa, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, recently urged the HIV+ patients to eat more fruits and vegetables as these food groups can help kill the virus. Can someone please tell me how this woman got the job!? Overall, South Africa is still a country with a lot of social and health problems to overcome. But as a tourist who want to expand his or her horizons, this is definitely the country to visit. It offers you a unique experience (good or bad) that only a few other countries can offer.

Save the minor dramas here and there, all of us had a wonderful time on this trip, and I am proud to have organized it. It gives me the confidence to be a tour guide if my day job does not work out as planned.

Flight Report: SA204 JFK-JNB

JFK-DKR-JNB Service (SA204)

Carrier: South African Airways

Plane Model: A340-300

Flight Class: Business Class

Sleeper Seat: Yes

Duration of Flight: 17 Hrs

Date of Travel: November 16, 2006

Check in was a breeze. South African Airways (SAA) uses the Varig lounge at JFK Terminal 4 which was just an ordinary lounge offering cold sandwiches and beverage refreshments. I stayed for a light refreshment before heading to the gate.

Boarding commenced shortly after I arrived at the gate. It was a smooth process. The standard pre-departure procedure ensued. The beverages (OJ, champagne or water) were served, then the hot towels followed by the menu. The captain announced that the flight time was going to be 17 hours, with an hour layover in Dakar, Senegal for refueling.

Menu for JFK - DKR:

Appetizer: Prawn and Avocado Appetizer, Seasonal Salad

Main Course: Grilled Fillet of Beef, Chicken Breast Korma, Chilean Sea Bass, Artichoke Ravioli.

Cheese Plate

Dessert: Tiramisu

I opted for the Chicken Korma dish and it was delicious. Its portion size however was the size of the appetizer as well as the salad. The dessert choice (tiramisu) was delicious too.

The seat was very comfortable - a pod style lie flat seat unlike those angled lie flat ones offered by many carriers in their premium cabins. The blanket was thicker than those offered on other airlines (much like a dawn blanket). Flight attendants working on this flight were attentive and professional. However they lacked the warmth in the service rendered.

Our one hour stop in Dakar, Senegal was an unforgettable one. Johannesburg bound passengers were not requested to deplane and we were allowed to move around in the cabin. I placed my camera on the side of my seat and went to the lavatory. When I returned to my seat 5 minutes later, the camera was gone. Apparently the cleaner who worked in the premium cabin took it. Some suspected that it was the passenger seated next to me. That would not be the case since he was a guy I knew from my company. In fact he was the one who told me that the cleaner came and played around with my headset which was plugged on top of the side compartment where my camera was placed. While all measures were taken to recover my camera (including conducting a bodysearch on all the cleaners), my camera was no where to be found. I am in the process of seeking a fair compensation from SAA to replace my stolen camera. Some wished me luck in that. This was not a good start to my trip!

We took off and a light and fast breakfast was served shortly after that. It consisted of yogurt, sliced fresh fruit and a choice of flap jacks or omelette. After breakfast I dozed off for a few more hours, trying very hard to forget about my camera.

Prior to arrival a light meal was served. We arrived earlier than scheduled and my checked luggage was one of the first to come out. It was not stolen surprisingly.

Overall a good flight save the camera theft incident.

Trip Report: Fifteen Hours In Seoul

Fifteen hours are not sufficient for a traveler to appreciate a travel destination, but when you have an international travel planned for every month for the remaining of the year, you will have to make do with that little time you have to appreciate a city that you have yet visited. In my case, this city was Seoul, Korea .

Hour 1 (5:00am): Arrived in Seoul from Hong Kong . Only slept for a couple of hours since it was a red-eye flight. Accessed the Airline lounge for some coffee and breakfast.

Hour 2: Asked tourist information counter at airport the best/most economical way to travel to Seoul . Also asked which areas I should hit mainly. Girl at counter (Miss Kim) spoke fluent Mandarin (the Beijing kind; not surprising given the Chinese Capital’s proximity to Seoul ) and provided some clear directions. Took bus 605 to Dongdaemun Market.

Hour 3: Slept through the entire bus ride

Hour 4: Arrived at Dongdaemun Market. This is the shopping area famous among tourist, according to Miss Kim at the tourist information counter. Was unimpressed with Dongdaemun (The Eastern Gate). It needed a pain job badly. Most shops were closed since it was still early in the morning. Walked around to experience the morning calmness of Seoul .

Hour 5: There were more shops that were open and there were more people on the streets (mainly those rushing to work). Went to Pyeonghwa Fashion Market and Dongdaemun Shoes Market – both places were clothes and shoes bazaar offering affordable merchandise. Not my cup of tea though.

Hour 6: Had breakfast from streetside vendor. Sign language came in handy. Had a piece of egg toast with ham (Korean version of croque madame I guess). Also checked out a few shopping malls in the area.

Hour 7: Took the subway to the Cheongdam area to meet up with Sang for lunch. The subway system in Seoul was extensive. The subway car seemed clean and the travel from Dongdaemun to Cheongdam took almost an hour ( Seoul is apparently a pretty big city).

Hour 8: According to Sang, the Cheongdam area was the hippest area in Seoul , offering a vast array of luxury shopping malls and hip restaurants. Drove around the area in Sang’s vehicle made by Samsung (first time riding the car manufactured by a company known for its mobile phones, at least in the US )

Hour 9: Had lunch at this hole-in-the-wall restaurant located near Itaewon that was popular among locals. They served thinly cut meat that you cook yourself at the table then dip it in a very tasty soy sauce. They also served this very yummy miso based soup with tofu. Of course Sang did all the ordering and I didn’t even bother asking him what the name of the restaurant was. He also paid for lunch. I felt blessed.

Hour 10: Hung out at the Itaewon area. According to Sang, this is an area famous among foreign expats and tourists alike. This area is filled with restaurants, bars, traditional Korean bathhouses and hotels. Had coffee at a French restaurant.

Hour 11: Insisted that Sang should go back to work and not hang out with me. Walked around by myself and came across a traditional Korean bathhouse. Since the admission was only $4, it was worth checking out. It looked highly in need of a renovation. Spent 30 minutes dipping in super hot then super cold water with four other 60+ year old men. The bath really helped invigorate someone with a serious lack of sleep from the night before.

Hour 12: Took the bus from Itaewon back to the airport. Had a great conversation with this Kiwi next to me who now lives in Fiji (I was truly envious of him). Also dozed of for half an hour during the ride.

Hour 13-15: Did some work at the airline lounge. Cleared many emails from my inbox before getting back to work once I arrived home.

Seoul seemed to be a very nice city to visit but its pace was a tad slow for my liking, especially when I had spent the last four-five days in a place like Hong Kong before going to Seoul.

Flight Report: OZ204 ICN-LAX

Carrier: Asiana Airlines
Plane Model: B777
Flight Class: Business Class
Sleeper Seat: Yes (angled lie-flat)
Duration of Flight: 10 Hrs 45 Mins
Date of Travel: Sep 19, 2006



After a brief visit to Hong Kong and Seoul , I was ready to return home to do some work that were piling up at my desk while I was away. I was very much looking forward to flying with Asiana Airlines again and trying out its new business class seat. Asiana is now my favorite airline, much better than Singapore Airlines or Thai Airways if I may add.

The Asiana lounge (separated into First and Business Class) at Incheon International Airport was big (unlike the one at LAX). This is not surprising since this is the home airport of Asiana Airlines . Not only did the lounge offer free wireless internet connection, a variety of food and beverages, shower facility and a pianist playing soothing music, it also offered lockers for guests to store their bags. The lockers really do come in handy when you want to do some duty free shopping and do not feel like lugging your bags with you.


Boarding for the flight was smooth. Security was tighter on this flight than others as usual since it was US bound. Upon boarding, the chief purser came over and greeted me in Korean (she, as well as many in Seoul , thought I was Korean because of my last name). She quickly apologized after finding out I wasn’t. She then informed all her flight attendants to address me in English so that I didn’t have to explain myself again. This was really impressive. Asiana flight attendants pay attention to every little detail and possess such a pleasant, friendly and sincere demeanor when they work onboard a flight -- something that even the flight attendants of other Asian airlines should take a note or two, let alone those crappy senior citizens who work on US carriers.

The seat was indeed the new business class seats (I was given mixed messages about this from the Asiana reservation agents – some said the flight had new business class seat and some said the reverse). Actually you can find this out easily. If the business class section has 4 rows of seat (no row #5), then it has the new business class seat. If the flight has 5 rows of seat, then it is the old business class seat. Asiana is introducing the new seats in all of its long haul B747 and B777 progressively. The seat was the angled lie-flat style and it provided much lumbar support hence very comfortable to sit on / sleep in. The monitor was much bigger than that of Thai Airways or Singapore Airlines. The only difference was that this was not an AVOD style in-flight entertainment. Food offered was great and tasty. There were a few choices but I opted for the traditional Korean meal consisting of bim-bim-bab, side dishes and a bowl steamed rice. The portion was generous and the food was delicious. I fell asleep for 7 hours after the meal and woke up to the flight attendants serving the meal prior to arrival. The choice was between roast chicken with potatoes and fried grouper with rice. I picked the latter. It was a tasty choice.

Before landing, the chief purser went from one business class passenger to another asking them if they had enjoyed the flight and if there was anything she could do for them prior to landing. I was really impressed by that since I have not seen flight attendants of other Asian carriers doing that (let’s not even mention those in the US !)

We arrived on time and I got my bags in less than half an hour after going through immigration. From now on I think I am going to use Asiana Airlines when I travel to Asia . Little things matter when it comes to delivering exceptional customer service, and Asiana Airlines appears to know this really well. Now if Asiana can have new business class seats in all of its long-haul flight then it will definitely give Asian leaders Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific a run for their money.

Flight Report: OZ724 HKG-ICN

HKG-ICN Service (OZ724)
Carrier: Asiana Airlines
Plane Model: B747
Flight Class: First Class
Sleeper Seat: Yes (lied flat)
Duration of Flight: 2 Hrs 55 Mins Date of Travel: Sep 19, 2006



Check in at the HK Central terminal was a breeze. I had heard great things about Asiana Airlines but had never traveled with them before, so this was my first flight with them and I was really looking forward to it.

Asiana uses Dragon Air lounge at HKIA and this lounge was pretty basic. There was no internet wireless connection and the food served was similar to those of US airline lounges (only one hot food item was available).

Boarding went smoothly and as soon as I boarded the two flight attendants greeted me with the most sincerity. They even chatted with me for a bit. As this was a night flight, only a light snack was served and one of the options were prawns with rice (actually it looked more like a full dinner). I went with the prawns and they were tasty. The flight attendants at Asiana really do render their services from the heart (unlike the Singaporean Girls that seem very robotic these days).

The seats in first class were old style lie-flat seats but they were very comfortable nevertheless. I slept for a good 2 hours (even through the rather lengthy turbulence we experienced due to the weather)

We arrived 5 minutes ahead of schedule. All in all this was a very comfortable flight for me. I think I have found my new favorite airline.

Flight Report: SQ19 LAX-SIN

Carrier: Singapore Airlines

Plane Model: A340-500

Flight Class: Raffles Class

Sleeper Seat: Yes



I had traveled on the Singapore Airlines (SQ) non-stop EWR-SIN flight several times before but had never tried its similar service out of Los Angeles . So when I had to travel to Hong Kong a day earlier and this was the only award travel ticket that was available, I took this as a good opportunity to try out the LAX-SIN flight. Check in at LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal was a smooth process. The agent was very friendly and chatty. Singapore Airlines uses Asiana Airline Lounge at LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal for its Raffles Class passengers. This lounge has got to be one of the most unimpressive and small lounge I have ever seen. Compared to the Swiss Air Lounge that SQ uses for its premium class passengers at JFK, this lounge does not serve any hot food at supper. It also looks very dingy and old. In fact the whole Tom Bradley International Terminal looks dingy and old. It is crying for a major renovation!

Boarding for the flight was prompt and done in an orderly fashion. The cabin crew greeted us with a warm smile and in a manner very typical of Singapore Airline (perhaps a tad robotic). Pre-takeoff drinks were served and reading materials and a packet consisting of eye cover/sock were handed out. The captain announced that the flight time would be 16 hours and 20 minutes. Interestingly, the EWR-SIN flight would usually take 17 hours and 30 minutes, and considering the flight from New York to the West Coast usually takes 5-6 hours, the EWR-SIN flight really cuts down a substantial amount of travel time by flying the polar route. Coincidentally, one of my acquaintances was co-piloting this flight, something I was not completely aware of until after I boarded the flight.

Raffles class was full on this flight save one seat, and I happened to be the lucky passenger seated next to the empty seat. The configuration is 2-2-2, and I highly recommend taking the two seats in the middle (D/G). Best ones are 12/14 D/G.

The flight attendants also handed out the menu. The choices for the meals offered on this flight were as follow:

Dinner:

Appetizer (Warm Thai Style Crab Cake, Teriyaki Chicken and Picked Turnip Maki, Rice Cracker with Smoked Salmon)

Caesar Salad

Entrée choices include:

-Duck Breast Stuffed with Porcini Mushroom and Wrapped in Bacon with Olive and Pine Nut Relish

-Stir Fried Beef

-Braised Northern Halibut in hot garlic sauce

-Pan Seared Lamb Chops
Dessert (Haagen Dazs Ice Cream)

Light bites between Meals:

1. Rice Porridge
2. Basil Pesto Omelette
3. Braised Egg Noodles
4. Spaghetti

Breakfast

Starter (An assortment of juice, mango and pear salad, candied ginger)

Choice of Cereals or Yogurt

Entrée Choices:

1. Seared Sirloin with Red Wine Butter, Sauteed Fine Green Beans
2. Selection of Dim Sum
3. Scrambled Eggs
4. Sweet and Sour Salmon
5. Freshly Baked Pastries


I actually did not take any dinner entrée choices above since I had pre-ordered my entrée from “Book The Cook” Program reserved for Raffles and First Class passengers. I ordered the Black Peppercorn Chicken which was delicious. I also recommend the Slipper Lobster Thermidor if it is offered as part of the program on one of your future SQ flights.

Service of the cabin crew is much better than that of many US airlines (as well as some Asian carriers). If you had taken SQ flights before, did you ever notice SQ’s inflight announcements were always made by female flight attendants (perhaps to keep up with the “Singapore Girl” image) in an English that is pronounced in a unique manner?

The inflight entertainment offers a broad array of audio, movie and game choices to keep the passengers occupied if they don’t feel like sleeping or reading. I slept for at least 7 hours in the comfortable spacebed. Even though SQ’s angled lie- flat bed is of an older generation compared to those offered by many of its competition, it is still one of the most comfortable lie- flat bed I have experienced inflight. I took a tour of the premium economy section and sat in one of the unoccupied seats for several minutes. The premium economy seat offers plenty of leg room and great head/leg support. It seems to be a very smart choice for a transpacific flight.

We landed at Singapore Changi Airport a little ahead of our schedule. Overall this was a very pleasant and enjoyable flight. It did not really seem like a 16 hour flight at all. Some people have mentioned that Singapore Airlines has lost its five-star touch, I disagree. I still think this is a very exceptional airline compared to many of its peers in the industry.

Trip Report: Good Morning Hanoi!

I love Vietnam . Frankly, I have a lot of respect for her people. I see myself being similar to them in some aspects. They are Asians. So am I. They work hard. So do I (I think). They love their pho bo and pho ga (soup noodles). So do I (but then again I love all kinds of food). They were fucked over by the French and Americans. I was… ahem, never mind that. I also see myself being different from the Vietnamese in some aspects. The men are skinny (looking almost malnourished if I may say). I am not. They speak Vietnamese. I do not. They have lived a very tough life. I have not (unless you count paying expensive rent and putting up with the closet apartment space as one).

After visiting Ho Chi Minh City last year, I decided to make a trip to the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi in early July this year. Much like the Chinese government, The Vietnamese government no longer enforces traditional communism on its people. In fact, it is now a free communist country. Nevertheless, you can still witness traces of communism in the country especially in northern cities, such as Hanoi . This is the very city where the much revered late leader/father of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh (also known as “Uncle Ho”) was buried. The name Hanoi is similar to the mandarin pronunciation that means ‘inside the river’. Hanoi, which is also the capital of Vietnam, is located in a bend of the Red River .

There are a few sightseeing spots not to be missed in Hanoi . Honestly you only need a full day to cover all these spots. Because I had my folks with me and the weather was exceptionally hot and humid, I hired a tour guide to take us on a city tour in a private car. The cost was very reasonable, only USD35 per person including lunch (but not drinks or tips, as stated on the invoice in bold text as if you would accidentally forget about that). We checked out Uncle Ho’s embalmed corpse at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex. Frankly, at the risk of sounding disrespectful to Uncle Ho, he looked more like a wax figure at Madame Tussaud’s Museum. We also visited The One Pillar Pagoda, The Temple of Literature , Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and the famous Hoan Kiem Lake. The highlight of our day was the “cyclo” ride. It’s a pretty fun activity if you don’t mind risking your life by inhaling the bad air and having the crazy locals drive their $200 Chinese made motorcycles into your cyclo. We ended our first day by attending the much celebrated water puppet performance at the Municipal Water Puppet Theater.
The Vietnamese worshipping culture is a tad different than the rest of Asia . Besides worshipping the different deities, they also worship their late kings and emperors. Vietnamese house and worship the statue of their deities in pagodas but do the same with the statue of their late kings and emperors in temples.

Our city day tour came with an English speaking tour guide, a local named Hoang Long. He was funny, caring and really knew his stuff. We liked him so much that we hired him to take us to Halong Bay the following day. I would recommend using him if you visit Hanoi in future. His email address is longtakraw186@yahoo.com

So after a much needed rest and cooling off in our air-conditioned hotel room following a full day of touring the city, we went to Halong Bay the following day. Designated as Vietnam’s second world heritage site, Halong Bay is simply magnificent and offers such spectacular sights. Picture 3000 plus lime-stone islands rising from the water of the Gulf of Tonkin ! I wanted to go there as soon as I saw the pictures of Halong Bay on my guidebook. It reminded me of Guilin, China . We purchased a package through our hotel (using the same tour guide as the one for our city day tour). It was USD75 a person. The package included our own mini-van, boat and a seafood lunch served on the boat (again, drinks and tips not included, as stated in bold text on the invoice). The drive was three-hours each way and the cruise was about four-hours long. There was also an added bonus with the tour which came in the form of hair-raising thrills offered by our driver. The freeway, if you can call it that, for most of the journey to Halong Bay was a single lane road and we faced countless slow moving trucks en route. Drivers of smaller and faster vehicles, such as ours, would get impatient and attempt to get ahead of these trucks. Doing this occasionally is acceptable, but our driver did this for 90% of the journey. Often a time the oncoming vehicle was only within inches away. It got so bad at one point that I started praying to Buddha for our safety (as a fail safe plan, I also prayed to Jesus and Allah). Our driver, on the other hand, chatted on his cell phone and wore no seat belts. Doing this was apparently part of his daily routine.

If there is one thing about Vietnam that aggravates me, it is the way the locals drive their motorcycles and cross the streets. Cabbies honk their horns every two seconds (believe me, it’s worse than the ones in New York City ). They have to do this because the motorcycles, and there were tons of them here, would come out in the middle of nowhere and ignore the cars. The pedestrians are as bad as those riding the motorcycles. They would cross the roads or even the freeways by holding out their hands infront of the cars and expecting the traffic to stop. I am sure there are a lot of accidents involving motorcycles or pedestrians here. Unfortunately we witnessed a couple of them during our stay here.

As for the food, Vietnamese food is delicious as usual. Pho (noodles) is a must to get, as well as the appetizing salad made with lotus roots and peanuts. I did discover that there were a lot of demands for dog and cat meats here in the city which is disturbing to say the least. Because our stay in Hanoi was short, we did not get to visit many restaurants, but we did go to a few notable ones:


Indochine,
16 Nam Ngu St

, Hoan Kiem District, Tel. 9422097 ( Set in a beautifully restored colonial home; Food tuned down for foreign palate, but done well; Hard to find, located on a small alley).

Pho 24, multiple locations (Serves great chicken and beef broth noodles; Cheap, only a couple of dollars per bowl)

Brother’s Café,
26 Nguyen Thai Hoc St, Tel 7333866 (Offers Lunch/dinner buffet featuring typical Vietnamese dishes at a very reasonable cost (USD6 for lunch and USD12 for dinner, excluding beverages); Set in a courtyard of a beautifully restored 250-year old Buddhist temple).

All in all, this was an enjoyable, albeit sweaty, trip. I am glad I got to spend some quality time with my mom and dad. Although not as popular as Thailand, Vietnam definitely has a lot to offer to tourists. You will appreciate the reasonable prices, spectacular sights, great foods and rich culture here. Like any Southeast Asian country, Vietnam is hot, humid and rainy during summer. I have a lot of praises for Vietnam , but I have visited this country twice so I think it will be a while before I make another trip here, despite my affection for the country and my admiration for her hard-working and resilient people. Now I just need to convince some of my Vietnamese American friends that have never been to Vietnam to pay their mother country a visit. It’s well worth the 14-17 hours flight.