Sydney, Australia

It seems as if all of Australia has come to Sydney for Christmas and New Year. I got a room for three nights and then had to move out as it was pre-booked. I may have to leave the City completely and go to the blue Mountains. Sydney is a clean, vibrant, hilly City-I can't wait to explore if I can get room at the inn.

Christmas in Singapore

No shopping restraints here in Singapore. Everyone is out spending like there's no tomorrow. Singapore is a City running on a parallel economy like many Asian Cities, so there is a massive economic difference between the service sector and the professional community. Chinese, Indians and Malays all merge to make Singapore a thriving economy second only to Japan.
Driving around you notice thousands of hi-rise apartments catering to the professional movers and shakers of Singapore.
Don't look for chewing gum stuck to the streets of Singapore or litter for that matter-it's just not allowed in Singapore. If it's anti social, immoral, illegal, fattening, or life threatening, then it's safe to assume that you can't do it in Singapore.
So, if you want order, politeness and first class facilities, then you will pay for it. $6 for a glass of beer in a regular bar is steep by most standards. Singapore is fast loosing its Asian ambiance and oriental allure. Tourists have to search for that-and that's a shame.

The Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Vietnam has long been known for its high quality rice; much of it comes from the fertile plains of the Mekong Delta. A trip to My Tho took me to the heart of this region and its people. A definite highlight was a trip by row-boat on the Thoi Son Canal. There were four of us on the boat all wearing the local conical hat, while one crew-man and a girl, paddled furiously. I almost expected a python to slither out of the canopied trees and wrap itself around me, alas it didn't happen. I did, however get to sample Cobra wine when we stopped for lunch. How was it you ask? Well it didn't taste anything like a snake or even wine, more like sake. All of this, except the wine, was provided by www.tnktravelvietnam.com
Includes A/C bus trip to My Tho (70km), several boat trips, lunch, and the return bus. Cost: $7

Revealed: Vietnam Secret Destination

The huge Port of Saigon is surely a constant exercise in collision avoidance. So, when I found myself on a Hydrofoil bound for Vung Tau, I gripped the edge of my seat and closed my eyes. About two hours later, the picturesque City of Vung Tau appeared. Scores of colorful fishing boats, with nets drying out, dotted the calm bay. No doubt their harvest of shrimps would be consumed worldwide. Just thought I'd mention that, later, I would be eating those shrimp at a price that would have you drooling. Sorry, It was my duty to tell you.

Vietnam: Secret Destination

It only took two hours to get there from Saigon; the journey, however, had to be as good as the destination. Where is it? I'm not going to tell you that...yet. Imagine sitting on a Hotel balcony, with the sun setting, a cool tropical breeze, and a Cuba Libre firmly ensconced in your hand. The drink cost less than a dollar, in fact the room only cost $7...and that was the expensive one. The cheaper ones at $4 were identical if you wanted to walk up two more floors. This seaside resort was only 5km from the main resort. I walked several blocks away and found a restaurant serving delicious meals for less than $2.
OK, the drinks were not included-what do you want for two dollars? Prawns, vegetables, rice, and one large "333" beer cost: $2.90. I forgot to mention the two hour trip from Saigon to
**** *** cost $7.

Saigon Revisited

Nha Trang to Saigon was yet another 10 hour bus trip. The drive from Nha Trang is truly memorable. Mountainous S bends bring you to the small town of Mui Ne. Unfortunately, I only spent lunchtime there. But if you're looking for bungalows on the beach, this is surely a paradise. It also caters to travellers with varying budgets. $6 t0 $50 per night.

But the main event was Saigon. Nobody calls it HCM. It had been a very long time since I was in this huge City of eight million people. What was I going to find? Would there be familiar faces or recognizable buildings? Two of the buildings I knew well had been demolished; furthermore, there were no familiar faces to reacquaint with. I suppose after all this time I shouldn't have expected to reconnect to anything or anyone. But it's part of human nature to try to put the past in some sort of perspective - it just didn't work in Saigon.

So, how is the City after the war? How have the people adjusted to re-unification? What is the future for Vietnam? These, and lots of other things will be explored during my visit to Saigon.

Vietnam: The Journey South

The 1700 km journey from Hanoi to Saigon can be done the easy way by plane, or the more adventurous way by bus. I chose the A/C bus. This involved a twelve hour trip by night in a sleeper coach and arriving in the City of Hue. I spent the day touring the local Temples and Citadel before finishing up on the Perfume River. By this time I was ready to sleep for twelve hours. How convenient: My next trip to Hoi An took twelve hours. This time I got to see the country side sometimes mountains, sometimes just rice-paddies. Several times I saw farmers standing on top of their water buffalos-never figured that one out. Could they have just been giving them a Vietnamese back massage?

I had a six hour stopover in Hoi An. Just enough time to get a cultural appreciation of this small resort town. Read that as a foot massage and a cold beer. If you like a small laid back touristy town, then you'll fit right in.

Next was Nha Trang. This is a seaside resort in the true sense. Still unspoiled by over development and hoardes of tourists, Nha Trang is a vibrant city with wide beaches, a fishing port and lots of affordable places to stay. $6 per night.

Ha Long Bay Vietnam

A visit to Vietnam would be incomplete without including Ha Long Bay. Glowing recommendations from fellow travellers, encouraged me to take a three hour mini-bus trip to the North of the Country-it's so far North that it's practically in China. Our group of twelve boarded a boat for an overnight trip to the bay islands. Later, we saw scores of boats silhouetted against a setting sun. Small Islands with sheer wall faces surrounded our boat as the Captain navigated his way through. The region is also well known for its large caves which we later explored. The climb by steep steps is definitely not for the couch potato brigade.

Boat accommodation, dinner, breakfast and lunch ashore was included with the overnight boat trip, as was kayaking and swimming for those inclined. Cost: $27 (not a misprint)