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October and November 2012
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30th
November 2012
The Loy Krathong Festival was on on Wednesday and I had Planned to
go to the beach and take photos but it rained most of the afternoon
so I did not bother. I am still hoping to update this travel blog at
least once a week and add photos on a regular basis.
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23rd
November 2012
My flights to
Ho Chi Minh City and
Nha Trang are now booked. The
Flight to
Ho Chi Minh City is with
Lufthansa as their fare was even
less than Air Asia (I booked a return trip coming back 5th April).
The flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang is with
Vietnam
Airlines.
I am not sure how long I can stay in Vietnam but came across a site
offering pre approval for a three month multi entry visa so I will
start with that and then see what happens once in Vietnam. I may
stay longer than three months if I am able.
Vietnam Photo Gallery
----
12th
November 2012
I have found an
apartment in Nha Trang, Vietnam (with a swimming
pool) and have already booked it for a month starting 8th January -
I will probably stay three months and then who knows?
The Bangkok Airport to Hua Hin bus is apparently not going to start
operating until next year.
----
4th
November 2012
Back in Jomtien after a relaxing trip to Hua Hin. I have previously
been to Hua Hin about three years ago and whilst I liked it I thought it
was very quiet - that was in July which is the low season and now is
the beginning of the tourist season and it is a lot more lively. The
owner of the hotel I stayed in also told me that Hua Hin is a very
popular weekend getaway for Thais that live in Bangkok.
The trip home was uneventful and went to schedule - once back in
Jomtien a local expat friend Merv reminded me of the minibus service
from Pattaya to Hua Hin (direct) that I had forgotten about. My plan
this trip was to try out the new
Bangkok Airport to Hua Hin bus service
that does not yet exist. I plan to visit Hua Hin again soon and will
try to use both the minibus direct from Pattaya and the new service
from the airport.
I have made a decision on where I will living next year
and the time in Hua Hin has cleared my mind somewhat:
I will be moving to Nha Trang, Vietnam in January and staying for at
least one month (probably two or three) and then I will be going to
Hurghada,
Egypt to continue my world travel and (possibly via Thailand for one month) to move into
my new apartment that is due for
completion by the end of April.
----
3rd
November 2012
My hotel (Guesthouse) is called Karoon Hut - I actually booked to
stay at
Victor Guesthouse (400 Baht a night - about $14) but it seems they both
share the same ownership. Karoon Hut is on its own pier into the sea
and all the rooms have sea views. There is also a restaurant at the
end of the pier which strangely does not serve any alcohol.
My day has been a combination of walking around Hua Hin, walking
along the beach, swimming and just lying on the beach. I considered
going for a horse ride along the beach (300 Baht for 30 minutes) but
decided against it as I pulled a muscle in my back a few days ago.
Hua Hin is nothing like Pattaya and it seems to cater more for older
couples with cash as the cost of food and drinks here is
considerably higher than Pattaya. The beach and sea are clean and
not very crowded.
The Restaurant Area at Karoon Hut
More Photograps of Hua Hin
----
2nd
November 2012
I spent today coming to Hua Hin and then relaxing on the beach - I
had a plan A that did not work out - Plan A was to catch the new
Bangkok to Hua Hin bus service operated by the company that runs the
airport bus service from Pattaya to Bangkok - despite the fact that
the ticket counter at Bangkok airport has large signs advertising
the service along with schedules and prices the service has not even
started yet. Luckily I had a plan B which was to catch the minibus
service from Victory Monument to Hua Hin (180 Baht) - the trip only
took 2 3/4 hours which was less than expected.
My hotel room is on a pier over the beach with the sea under my
floor at high tide.
The View From My Hotel Room A Fruit Vendor
on Hua Hin Beach Horse Rides on Hua Hin Beach
----
31st
October 2012
I have decided to go to
Hua Hin for a couple of days to
relax and finally decide on what to do and where I will be living
next year.
----
24th
October 2012
Arrived back in Jomtien, Thailand, on Sunday and have now settled
back into my normal routine here. It will take a while to adjust to
the higher price of beer here in Thailand (about three times the
price of Vietnamese beer). The entire Vietnam trip went smoothly and
I really enjoyed it - so much so that I am thinking of returning
next January for a month in Nha Trang (my favourite place in
Vietnam).
----
19th
October 2012
The trip from Dalat to
Nha
Trang went smoothly taking three hours including a lunch stop.
This moring we went to the local market followed by a visit to Long
Son Pagoda and a stop at the station to buy tickets for the train to
Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow morning. The rest of the day was spent at
the beach in front of (and inside) the
Louisiane Brewhouse - Louisiane is a great place with a micro
brewery, a restaurant, a swimming pool and a private beach area - it
is very much like a five star resort except without accommodation.
We also had lunch on the beach - a large barbecued lobster plus
crab, scallops and shrimp - costing 300,000 Dong (about $15).
Last night was a normal bar crawl which will be repeated tonight -
the cost of beer and spirits here is much cheaper than in Thailand -
eg. Local beers for around 35 cents and spirit shots about the same
price.
Bern on a Cyclo in Nha Trang Swimming Pool at
Louisiane Brewhouse Beach Area of Louisiane
Brewhouse
----
18th
October 2012
We are still in
Dalat but leave today by bus
for
Nha Trang. I went for a long walk around town and Xuan Huong Lake (which
was empty last time I was here) this morning and took a
few photos. Dalat is in the mountains and the weather is cooler with
less humidity than Ho Chi Minh City with the temperature last night
dropping to
around 15 degrees C.
Restaurant on Xuan Huong Lake
Lake Pedal Boats
Dalat Market Area
----
16th
October 2012
Now in
Vietnam
for six days with Papa (Bern) - currently in
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and fly
to Dalat tomorrow for a day and then on to
Nha Trang for two days
before returning to Ho Chi Minh City for the last night before
flying back to Bangkok.
I have been to
Vietnam
several times before (five I think) but it is
Bern's first visit. Today we went on a day tour to the
Cu Chi tunnels - Followed by a few
Saigon Red beers at my favourite street bar.
----
5th
October 2012
I have just arrived back in Jomtien after another 7 hour trip on the
minibus from Koh Chang. Koh Chang is great but is hard to get to.
The "Door to Door" trip on the minibus should probably only take 5
hours if everything goes smoothly but both my journeys took 7 hours.
On the return trip the driver could not locate one of the passengers
and we missed the ferry which meant waiting 45 minutes for the next
one. Then there was a long queue at one of the fuel stops adding
another 45 minutes. I was the last to get dropped off which probably
added 30 minutes to my trip.
----
3rd
October 2012
I am now in Koh Chang again and also staying at
Paddy's Palms Resort again (the
Wifi still does not work - I doubt that it ever does - they have
signs posted saying sorry that it is out of their control - but Wifi is available anywhere else without issues).
This time I travelled "Door to Door" by minibus (650 Baht) which I
believe is the quickest way to get here (it still took 7 hours
thanks to a slow driver that spent a lot of time on the phone and
made a couple of extra stops to deliver packages.
It's a shame that Koh Chang is so hard to get to as I think it is a
great place - similar to Kata Beach on Phuket or Koh Samui (but
better).
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