We had a full on holiday in Vietnam for two weeks - every day was busy and interesting.
Tuesday 16th April 2013 we travelled to Sydney Airport with two of our travelling companions - Bert & Annie Brink leaving at 6.00am for a 10.40am flight via Vietnam Airlines. We were booked in as a group booking so we got our seat allocations - all with window seats and it was a comfortable trip over. It was interesting flying across Australia during the daylight hours. There were twelve of us in our group which was a good manageable number especially for the golf games. We arrived in Ho Chi Minh city initially as it was an International Airport. We transferred to a domestic flight to Saigon and arrived there to be met by our guide who took us to our hotel which was the Sheraton.
Wednesday 17th April 2013 we headed off for our first game of golf at Tam Dao Golf Resort. We had a fine but very hot day and felt the humidity. Our playing partners were Ron & Lyn Puiatti and we enjoyed our day.
Thursday 18th April 2013 we played golf at the Hanoi Golf Course again having fine and hot weather. Our playing partners were Bert and Annie Brink and we had a good day.
Friday 19th April 2013 We travelled to Halong Bay via bus to Tuan Chau Island where we boarded our luxury boat to take us overnight on Halong Bay. Our cabin was very comfortable and the service was good. Halong Bay is a most beautiful place where we could relax and enjoy the scenery. We had trips ashore to view the Hang Sung Sot (Surprise Cave) which is a most beautiful grotto, Ti Top Island where three of us climbed 400 plus steeply graded steps to get to the top lookout which was worthwhile as the views were stunning. That evening we had a cooking lesson on the top deck - learning how to cook spring rolls and enjoyed a nice happy hour on deck watching the scenery float by before we had dinner in the dining room. Our cabins were lovely with every amenity.
Saturday 20th April 2013 we stayed in the Halong Bay area long enough to take a traditional rowing boat ride the the Luon Cave and Lagoon which was also very beautiful. Our weather had been mostly overcast which meant we did not have the beautiful blue water that would have showed in the photos - but I still got some very nice shots around the Bay. There are 1600 islands in all so it is quite spectacular. We arrived back at Tuan Chau Island about 10.30 am which gave us time to bus back to Hanoi.
Sunday 21st April 2013 We travelled to the Hanoi Airport to fly to Dalat which is about the middle section of Vietnam. We had a good flight but our guide was late picking us up at the airport which meant we had to wait around with all our luggage including golf clubs. Travelling from the airport to Dalat we stopped off to view a waterfall which was a good experience. We had to ride down the mountain on a self controlled sled which was a bit scary but great fun. It was a beautiful waterfall which could be viewed from various levels. We caught the cable car right to the bottom and then back again. The sled then automatically took us back to the top. There was a lot of natural beauty there and the area was well maintained. From there we visited the Buddha Monastery and gardens which was also beautiful, We arrived in the afternoon at the Dalat Palace Hotel which was across a lake from the Dalat Palace Golf Course. The hotel was very old but beautifully maintained. The bedrooms were old fashioned and also the en suites but we could imagine it would have a been a top of the line hotel in its prime. The views from the hotel were beautiful.
Monday 22nd April 2013 we played golf at the Dalat Palace Golf Club which was a good experience. The weather was very hot and again we felt the humidity. Our playing partners were Col & Lauren Matterson and we enjoyed our day there. After golf we visited the embroidery factory that had some magnificent wall rugs of all kinds of intricate designs. Then we went to visit the "Crazy House" which is just that. It is place that was designed by a very wealthy woman and people can book in to stay in the accommodation rooms if they wish. We were astounded that anyone would want to do that - however it would appeal to some people I suppose. It was a weird place and worth the visit as you could not describe it to anyone who has not been there.
Tuesday 23rd April 2013 We bused from Dalat to the coast and stayed for two days at Phan Thiet and stayed at the Romana Resort which again would have been a beautiful place in its heyday. It was a little dog eared in places but comfortable. We had a nice room with a balcony overlooking the beach and the pool which was lovely. We played 9 holes of golf at Sealinks Golf Course an Phan Thiet which we enjoyed. My playing partners were Rhonda Robertson, Bert Brink and Ron Puiatti and we had a fun day.
Wednesday 24th April 2013 we had another day of golf at Ocean Dunes Golf Course an Phan Thiet. It was a beautiful ocean side course. Our playing partners were Wally & Rhonda Robertson and we had a good day. Our boy caddies picked us a fresh frangipani flower to wear in our hair. The weather was extremely hot and we felt the humidity a lot. Wally could not finish the match as the heat had got to him. We had a relaxing lunch at the poolside when we got back to our resort and chilled out until dinner time.
Thursday 25th April 2013 We travelled to Saigon by bus. It was a 200klm journey and thankfully we were in an air conditioned bus. The highways were rough in places so it was not all smooth riding. We arrived at our hotel which was the Majestic Hotel near the River in Saigon. We had lovely big rooms which were almost apartments which gave us plenty of room to unpack and organise our washing etc. We went shopping in Saigon in the afternoon and checked out the shops. That evening we had a traditional Vietnamese Dinner. Being ANZAC day we managed to clear the restaurant by singing Advance Australia Fair in very loud voices. We finished off the evening in the 8th floor bar which has beautiful views overlooking the river. We made the 8th floor bar our own while staying in Saigon and enjoyed the evening entertainment and got in some dancing.
Friday 26th April 2013 We played golf at the Song Be Golf Resort which was very nice. Our playing partners were Duncan & Rosalie Dyer and we had a fun day - firstly playing 9 holes on the desert course and then 9 holes on the Lotus Course which was an interesting contrast. After golf we visited the silk factory and did some shopping.
Saturday 27th April 2013 we played golf at the Long Thanh Golf Club and Residential Estate which was more like the luxury courses that we played when over in China at Mission Hills etc. The course was magnificent and in immaculate condition. The gardens were to die for. All the girls played together that day so my playing partners were Lauren Matterson,, Lyn Puiatti and Rosalie Dyer. We had a great day and enjoyed the course. This was our last golf game so we all finished on a good note. We had mixed fortunes. I won a game, came runner up once and won a nearest the pin overall - so a good result for me.
That evening we had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe as we were in need of a change in diet. This was followed by some dancing on the Hard Rock Cafe dance floor.
Sunday 28th April 2013 we travelled to the Mekong Delta by bus where we caught ferry boats across to Con Phung (Phoenix Island) and visited the village of Ben Tre Province where we could taste and buy the local food and products. We had fun on a row boat down the Mekong River and had a horse and cart ride back to our ferry boat to take us back to our bus. The we had the long rough trek back to Saigon for our last evening. We celebrated Ron's birthday aboard a luxury cruise boat enjoying a dinner cruise along with entertainment along the Saigon River. Later that evening we finished up at the 8th floor restaurant as usual for our final fling. I had picked up a tummy bug and was fighting it all day which spoilt my day a bit.
Monday 29th April 2013 was our check out day from Saigon. We travelled by bus to Long Phuoc to view the tunnels built by the Viet Cong in the war and then went to Nui Dat to view the Australian Camp sight at Kangaroo Hill. From there we went on to view the School that was built for the Vietnamese children by the returned forces of the Australia and then onto the Memorial for those lost in the Battle of Long Tan. It was a sobering day having to re live all of those awful years but we can be assured that none of the forces have been forgotten. The Vietnamese locals look after the Memorial and appreciate the work of the returned forces. From there we went straight to the Ho Chi Minh City Airport for our evening flight home. We arrived far too early and had to wait about and hour and a half before the check ins opened. I suppose that is much better than being late and missing our flight home. As we had a group booking it turned out that all of our seats had a booking and we all got window seats which was great. Our bonus was that we got the last seats in the row which meant that we could put our seats right back for the duration of the trip without annoying anyone. I was still not eating much so I went straight asleep after dinner was served and slept right through until the lights were tuned on to adjust our body time clocks.
Tuesday 30th April 2013 we arrived back in Sydney about 8.30am. Bert & Annie's daughter picked us up at the airport and we were home in good time to unpack and get some grocery shopping done before the kids arrived to say hello. Rod, Anne and the kids stayed for a quick dinner. We bathed the kids and had them ready for bed. Then it was time for a catch up ourselves. I was feeling better as I had not eaten much.
No comments:
Post a Comment