Cathay Pacific’s 2008 All Asia Pass

by Jamie Rhein on

If you have 21 days between now and May 15 and August 20 through December 1, Cathay Pacific Airways has the All Asia Pass that gives travelers a chance to visit Hong Kong and up to four more cities in Asia. Prices range from $1,099 with two additional cities; $1,399 for three cities, plus Hong Kong; to $1,699 for the four cities and Hong Kong. With San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York as departure cities, you could probably snag an inexpensive flight to any of them if you plan early enough.

If I were going to take advantage of this ticket, I’d head to Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan and Cambodia. The first three, because I’ve been to each of them and have people I’d like to visit. Cambodia is a place I’d love to go. None of them are far from each other which would help maximize my time in the countries and not going from place to place. In Vietnam, I’d head north to Sapa, a place I haven’t been and see friends in Hanoi. In Thailand, I’d spend a day or two in Bangkok and then head to a beach somewhere. Taiwan would mean revisiting places I liked when I lived there, particularly Beipu and eating all the food I’ve missed since I left. Cambodia would mean new discoveries.

But, since as with most great travel deals, the summer is excluded and that’s when I would have the 21 days to spare, I can’t take advantage. Hopefully, others can. Except for Taiwan, it’s possible to travel in the other three on a shoestring. Hong Kong is good for a day or two, but I’d head to cheaper locations ASAP.

What David Letterman wants to know about Anthony Bourdain and weird food

by Jamie Rhein on

As soon as Anthony Bourdain of “No Reservations” sat down on David Letterman’s TV show couch, I perked up wondering what Letterman would dish out about the food Bourdain eats on his travels since Justin asked Bourdain some questions last June in a Talking Travel interview. Here are highlights of Letterman’s banter.

“Do you get sick? Get hepatitis? Throw up?” asked Letterman.

“Only twice,” said Bourdain. “I got sick in France from too much of a good thing. . . and from the business end of a warthog.” The warthog was a food he chewed on in the Kalahari. He said any other sickness that led to an up close and personal experience with a bathroom’s cold tile floor has come from imbibing on too much alcohol.

“Humans can eat about anything?” Letterman leaned in for a response.

“I don’t recommend chicken nuggets,” quipped Bourdain and went on to say that when traveling, he’s found that whenever someone says, “We have something very special for you,” be wary. Such was the case when he downed the still beating heart of a cobra, an event Letterman asked him about. A delicacy in Vietnam, the cobra’s heart is supposed to be a real libido boost.

“It’s like eating an angry athletic oyster,” said Bourdain after describing how it’s removed from the cobra right in front of the person who will be dining on it. In this case, him. Hint: swallow it whole.

As for how to avoid raising a picky eater, Bourdain said that there will be no grilled cheese sandwich with the crusts cut off for his daughter. She’s already eating prosciutto flavored baby food and from what he said, she’ll be on a first name basis with the best sushi chefs. Bourdain, at age 51, is a fairly recent first time father. I wonder if this means the cobra thing works? Actually, Bourdain is a very charming, funny guy so I’d say that has something to do with it.

“No Reservations” is on the Travel Channel and Gadling is going to be there watching Boudain in his travels and taking notes.

Why should cyclos be banned in Saigon?

by Grant Martin on

Anna’s earlier post today about the ban of cyclos, the three wheeled transportation so popular in Vietnam, highlights on an important change taking place in Vietnamese society. Yes, many tourists and visitors enjoy cyclo rides from time to time (I know I’ve taken a few), but this ban will do wonders for the traffic situation in Saigon.

Traffic, you see, is a little difficult in Saigon, largely in part due to the number of motorbikes and poor signaling. The sheer volume of motorbikes in the city is staggering; transferring into the city from Ho Chi Minh airport, I was baffled by the number on the street. So with fewer cyclos taking up precious vehicle space, hopefully traffic can streamline itself into a more efficient pattern.

I took the following video in the middle of a weekday, so traffic is light. During weekends, rush hour or holidays, the number of motorbikes is absurd.

How much money do I need for Vietnam?

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Over at Travel Happy, Don Morgan has an exhaustive run-down of the costs of traveling around Vietnam. As someone who will be visiting the Southeast Asian country for the first time later this year, I’m pleased to see that Vietnam is even more affordable (read: cheap) than I had originally thought. One thing I’m not looking forward to, however, is the brain-busting exchange rate– 16,000 Vietnamese dong to 1 US dollar. Oh no, not math!

Discussing cheap accomodations, Morgan writes, “If you’re really want to save, look for signs that say ‘Nha Tro’ or ‘Nha Phong,’ which means ‘boarding house.’ Also, ‘Co Thue Phong’ means ‘we rent rooms.’… You can get a concrete room with nothing but a bed and a separate bathroom for less than 2 USD a night.”

Also be sure to check out the article for where to find ATMs, where to convert currency, and the cost of meals, booze, and cigarettes. And where else can you read a line like this: “Laos will dong you up if you’re headed east. Don’t change too much money at border crossings – the rates are horrible. But your first dong will probably spit out at you from an ATM anyway.”

For more from Travel Happy on the costs of traveling in Southeast Asia, read “How Much Money Do I Need for Thailand?”

What the pho? Or, how to order beef noodle soup in Vietnam

by Catherine Bodry on

I’m generally pretty good with languages, and often have few problems communicating the basics in a new country after I’ve been there a few weeks. I thought this skill was relegated to the romance languages only, but when I traveled solo in China, necessity forced me to pick up a sizable chunk of Mandarin.

So when I left China for Vietnam, I was feeling fairly confident in my language abilities. And I was also hungry for some phô. For those of you who haven’t tasted this beefy delight, get thee to a phô shop immediately! (In fact, I’m pretty sure there’s a chain called “What the Phô.”) In this dish, beef is simmered in broth with cinnamon, star anise, rice noodles, and a bunch of other savory stuff, then served to you with a side of fresh sprouts and herbs. Fill your bowl with these, some chiles and fish sauce, and you’ve got the best bowl of soup you’ve ever had.

You’d think I could master the simple phrase “phô bo” (beef noodle soup) — pronounced in English as “fuh buh.” I had a month in Vietnam to perfect it, and I ordered the soup daily, yet I could never get it right. Vietnamese has 6 tones that go up,down and around — as far as I could tell — and every time I ordered pho bo (with different tones each time) I was met with confused looks. I tried rising, then falling: “Fu-UH BU-uh” Nope. Short, then long: “Fuh Buuuuuuuuh.” Huh-uh. Even though I was at a noodle shop that served only pho, even though I was getting all the consonants right, they still had no clue what I was saying. Thankfully, most of the vendors seemed to understand “beef noodle soup.”

And that’s about as far as I got with Vietnamese.