Patius

Read Part 1 Read Part 2 Read Part 3 Read Part 4 Siem Reap, Cambodia - November 3, 2013 After my bicycling tour ended, I returned to the hotel, and left to Da Nang airport to catch my flight to Cambodia, and although I wanted to spend more time in Hoi An, I was also excited and ready to visit the temples of Angkor Wat. First of all, unlike Vietnam you do not need to get a visa prior your arrival, and do not waste your time by printing those visa forms from the internet. It seems Cambodia has changed their forms and now you need to fill out a small one they hand out at the airport upon arrival.  Make sure to bring a passport size photo with you and patiently wait for you passport to be checked by 8 different people until you are called and hand it back.  Talk about bureaucracy and employing your people right?  I didn't have to wait too long so I'm not complaining. Edit: at the same time if you are planing to go back to Vietnam, make sure to get a multi-...

Read Part 1 Read Part 2 Read Part 3 Hue - November 1, 2013 Happy with my visit to the caves,  I woke up early and left to the Dong Hoi train station to catch my Reunification Express to Hue, and surprise surprise, the train was 60 minutes late. Not a big problem since this is my vacation and I'm not in a rush to get anywhere as long as I get there right? After a couple of hours of traveling I was checking into the Serene Palace Hotel in Hue, and man I was happy I booked this place because it is just beautiful, top of the line and it didn't cost me that much either. You are treated as royalty from the moment you set foot in their sidewalk. There are many place to visit in Hue, some north and others south or along the Perfume River. In the map you can see the biggest attraction of all is the Citadel, where the Forbidden city and the Royal palaces are located. On my way to the Citadel I met this Californian guy and we decided to visit the place together. T...

Read Part 1 Read Part 2 Three nights in Hanoi already, in reality I had 3 nights and 2 full days in the city, and I was ready for my next planned destination, the famous Ha Long Bay area. Ha Long Bay - October 29, 2013 I did a lot of research regarding the tour operator for my Ha Long Bay trip, and on top of that my best friend had suggested a day trip instead.  3.5 hours driving down to Ha Long Bay, and the multiple beautiful pictures I had seen so far about this place convinced me I had to stay overnight. Indochina Junk was the winner in my case, more in the luxury category but not that more expensive compared to other companies, and it was worth it.  I actually wished I had done the 2 night tour instead, because this place is just incredibly beautiful, and the tour operator did a fantastic job in everything, from the organization, the food quality, cabins, I even had 2 silk robes in my cabin closet, and yes I did try those robes and they felt so good. It d...