Marco's Travel Update

Vietnams Water Adventure Park - Nha Trang <2009.10.09>

We are leaving the historic alleys behind us and take the next plane to the premier beach & and resort area – Nha Trang.

This is the place where Vietnamese couples want to spend their honeymoon - white sand beaches, crystal clear water with a turquoise shiny touch … We can`t wait to be there!

Ahhhm – it looks a bit different?!

White sand beaches are anyway overrated so let`s visit the main tourist sites like the close promontory where there are magic stones telling a story of ancient spirits who fell in love for each other.

They say they stones give you magical power if you mediate here … hard to believe but I could feel something :-o)

We had further to the close by Cham temples to thank Shiva for the power we just received and took a rest at the reclining Buddha waiting for enlightment.

As we didn`t lift off we decided to dive down at the Nha Trangs diving Mekka Mun Island.

High on expectations we did two boat dives where it was just 2 off us this day, so we could really enjoy the dives in the way we like.

Actually don`t expect too much from here – as most of the corals had been damaged before it become protected (I guess by dynamite fishing). It still some easy dives with a bit of Macros like nudibranches, buffer fish and weird sea urchins.

Did you know that Bruce Lee started as passionate diver?

Do you know where the longest sea site gondola and biggest wave pool in south east asia is located?

No? Right here in Nha Trang!

They build a water- & amusement park at the closest island and connected it via a ferry and gondola service. The shining tourist star of Vietnam was born and it is called Vinpearl.

We really were not convinced when we thought about it and read through all the information brochures, but as we still had one day left and the weather wasn`t that special – we decided to go there.

And it was just AMAZING!

First the easily 20.000 people covering park was completely deserted – there were less than 100 people today and everything free once you entered.

The next 2 hours we tried each and every waterslide from extremely fast – the Kamikaze fall - ot very slow the relax river … pure fun!

Also the artificial beach was the best we saw so far in Vietnam - white sand finally…

Splish Splash

More on:
http://picasaweb.google.at/marco.schoeggl/VietnamsWaterAdventureParkNhaTrang

Hoi An - The Tailored Old City <2009.10.08>

A great place to unwind, stroll through historic alleys, relax on sandy beaches or get your personal dress done in just few hours is Hoi An.

With its cozy boutique hotels which exceed all your expectations in style of living it’s the perfect place to stay for several days and make all the daytrips from here.

Even Danang & My Son is just few hours’ drive from here so a great alternative instead of touring around with your entire luggage.

A stroll through the UNESCO protected old city sets you back in time when you are wandering along the stone paved roads and getting the chance to visit several 100 years old family houses.

Hoi An is the center of tailors and silk art. Nearly every second house is a tailor shop which is offering great deals and fast service to get everything done you can imagine … in this in just few hours!
Nothing is Impossible

Relax – lay back – you are finally in the Vietnam you were searching for!

From the changing room

More on:
http://picasaweb.google.at/marco.schoeggl/HoiAnTheTailoredOldUnescoCity

The Cham - The Lost Kingdom <2009.10.07>

100km south of Hue is Danang and My Son – two cities telling the story of the other, much older kingdom the Cham.

During the 7th century it was covering an area of Laos, Cambodia and South of Vietnam and having a rich culture represented by impressive buildings.

Today most of them had been destroyed by the American bombing during Vietnam War. And of the million cham`s living once only thousands are left living as tribe in the mountains of Vietnam.

The best collection of cham artifacts can be seen in the Cham museum in Danang.

On the way to My Son – once the capital of Cham – we stopped at the 5 Marble mountains which are still used for marble caving of religious statues.

The Water Mountain has a nice 2 hour loop where you have a great mix of temples, cave systems, lookouts and resting areas.

Do you know who is limiting the number of children and the size of the family members? No it`s not the government – more the way of transportation. It`s up to the father how many he can balance on his bike ;-)

The biggest site of Cham buildings is My Son which still has not been 100% discovered. You can explore by yourself but be cautious when you walk off the beaten track as there might still be active land mines around…

On silent feet

More on:
http://picasaweb.google.at/marco.schoeggl/TheChamTheLostKingdom

The Majestic Emperor Tombs in Hue <2009.10.04>

Now it’s time to leave North Vietnam and to travel down to the center of Vietnam - Hue.

We choose the overnight train from Hanoi which took us 14 hours in a private sleeping cabin which I got for some bugs more to the conductor.

This area was strong effected by the recent cyclone so we weren`t sure about the situation when we arrive. The cities were flooded up to 1.5meters but within few days everything was cleaned up and the live was back is usual. Was really impressive how this was handled in such short time - you could see their routine as such flooding happens 2-3 times each year.

Hue was once the capital of the kingdom featuring a huge Imperial Palace which still can be visited today.

Today it`s covered with grass and gives it a bit of a “Lost Kingdom” touch, which allows you to explore the maze of temples and back alleys on foot as you like.

Here the transport is still years back and depends on bicycles and rickshaws.

The real highlight lies a bit outside of the city – the emperor tombs. About 9 (annexed by French) kings reigned over Vietnam and most of them build huge tombs during their reign to set a timeless example of their power.

Some tombs took even longer to build than the reign time of the king itself.

My clear favorite is Khai Dinh tomb which sits on top of hill overlooking the rice fields with a grey gothic touch of marble and impressive tomb walls featuring millions of mosaics.