Howdy folks. Thought I’d throw a travel idea by you thats part Apocalypse Now, part Motorcycle Diaries, this trip is done by motorcycle down the Ho Chi Minh trail from Hanoi to Saigon on Russian made Minsk motorcycles. The cycles are the backbone of the country, everyone rides them. While cycling, you will visit everything from Ho Chi Minh’s birthplace to the Chinese fishing town of Hoi An, to the hill retreat of Dalat. A pretty thorough and bona fide Vietnam experience. You ride along the highway, along dirt roads, through small towns where you stop and have the best Phu you’ve likely ever eaten. I would do this one in a heartbeat.
Asia
Travel through Asia by country:
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
Travel through Asia by popular city:
Bangkok, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Moscow, New Delhi, Tokyo
Travel through Asia by popular things to do:
Travel through Asia with our writers:
Infiltrating North Korea, Keyhole Into Burma, Band on the Run ... in China, Chinese Buffet, A Canadian in Beijing, Volunteer Vacation: Tajikistan
Food Poisoning: Meet the Bugs
There is nothing like an episode of food poisoning that can wreck one’s trip, change priorities, or–if it takes more than two days–even reconsider one’s view on euthanasia. I have been there many times, either myself or in spirit with other people. Yes, there was the cheap sushi in New York, the grocery store pre-cut water melon in Portland, the chicken satay in Amsterdam, the sandwich at Arby’s, and the Lord-knows-what in Egypt (this one lasted for weeks and I contemplated death several times).
Because I like to know my enemy, I enjoyed this article on ivillage.co.uk entitled “How to avoid food poisoning while travelling”. Most of the tips are quite obvious, although often hard to fully control: washing your hands, avoiding tap water (ice, fresh vegetables washed in fresh water), avoiding uncooked meat and unpasteurized milk, etc. The piece I found interesting is the description of the different “bugs” and their symptoms: Norovirus, E-coli (see picture), Salmonella, Campylobacter and Bacillus cereus. The little buggers look so harmless on screen…
Paulo Coelho’s Blog
Those who found chunks of wisdom in Paulo Coelho’s book, The Alchemist will be happy to know that the author of the acclaimed novel which has led many in search of their personal legends and dreams has a blog. I just stumbled upon the site via Korea.net. And there is more to the site than the blog which is translated in seven languages. See the Brazilian author’s photoblog, search for additional literature or serious fans can download desktop wallpapers of the author himself. I’ve read The Alchemist once and I’ve been longing to go back and read it over and over again to pick up on anything I may have previously missed. Perhaps I will follow the dream of reading it again sooner than later, but for now I’m thankful there is an online medium to check out. Go see it for yourself.
World’s Most Aggressive “Queue Jumpers”
One of the things that annoy me to no end when traveling are people who cut in front of you when waiting in line or as the British say “Queue Jumpers“.
Part of the problem is that I never know whether I should just relax, ignore it and let everyone get ahead of me (I am on vacation, after all… no rush to get any place) OR whether I should “do as the Romans do”, assimilate and become a champion queue jumper myself. I have a feeling I would be pretty good at it, too. What I do know is that most countries in the world could use an elementary school subject called “The Art of Forming a Line”. It would make the world seem a lot more civilized.
Every time I travel from the US back home to Prague I notice how much more aggressive people are in Europe about their spot in line (The UK is an obvious exception here). Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin airports…I swear sometimes you feel like if you don’t squeeze into the front, they would not let you board. The further east you go, the worst it gets.
I just read a piece in the December 23 “The Economist” about the airports in Russia which really made me laugh. The author is describing the various species of the Moscow airport queue jumper: “the brazen hoodlum, the incremental babushka and the queue-surfing clans who relocate in groups when one of their number reaches the front.” It reminded me of my trip to China where elbow-wrestling with 70-year old women in lines was a norm. The Darwinism of the 21st century is quite sad, really.
All Asia Pass
Want to check out Asia but not spend a fortune doing so?
Cathay Pacific has reinstituted the wonderful All-Asia Pass. For just $1,399, passengers can fly between 23 Asian cities as many times as they’d like over a 21 day period. That means one can fly from Bali, to Bangkok, to Ho Chi Minh, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, and still have 18 other Asian gateways to visit. The best deal? Include Karachi in your plans if you really want to maximize the distance traveled. Or, for just a few hundred dollars more, extend the pass to include a gateway city in Australia.
This is a great deal and one we suggest snapping up as quickly as possible as only a limited number will be sold.
Be sure to read the fine print, however. Restrictions do apply.