Hue, Vietnam ~ Citadel, Palace and Cyclo Ride

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Monday, March 28th ~ Hue, Vietnam

Imperial Palace, the Citadel

At the Imperial Palace, the Citadel

After a very full day, I am finally comfy in my PJ’s and about to drift off to sleep, but first I wanted to type a quick post of some highlights from our day.

We had a 4.5 hour bus trip that took us from Hoi An to Hue, but that included several stops along the way. The first was at a marble factory. I tried to convince the gentleman who was using a chisel to hand carve an enormous block of marble to use me for his model.  Continue reading →

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VIETNAM ~ Thu Bon River and Traque Organic Village

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

March 27th ~ Hoi An, Thu Bon River, Vietnam

Throwing the net into the air, Hoi An, Vietnam

Throwing the net into the air, Hoi An, Vietnam

It is Easter Sunday and it feels strange to be in a country where Christianity is only a minority religion during a major holiday. Sending loving messages to all our friends around the world who are celebrating today.  Continue reading →

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Hội An, Vietnam ~ Peaceful Meeting Place

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Saturday, March 26th ~ Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An Old Town

Hoi An Old Town

OK, now we are talking! It was love at first sight. Colorful, vibrant, clean, safe, friendly, fun, great selection of places to eat, historic and scenic all wrapped up in one nice neat bow…  Continue reading →

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Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) ~ The Paris of the Orient

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

March 25th ~ Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

We are hopping forward a few days, and I will need to fill in the blanks after we get home. Our first three days with Gate 1 covered much of the same sites we had already visited on our Intrepid tour, including additional visits to Angkor Wat as well as another Floating Village. I have a huge number of photos to sort through at a later time as well as I want to eventually do a wrap up post for Cambodia. But for now, continuing on with arriving in Vietnam.

Been waiting a long time to say, “GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!”  Continue reading →

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A return to Phnom Penh

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

March 17th – 21st ~ Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Tim on our balcony at the Ohana Phnom Penh Palace Hotel

Tim on our balcony at the Ohana Phnom Penh Palace Hotel (market at end of the block)

The final leg of our Intrepid trip was to take a public bus from the beach town of Sihanoukville back to our starting point – Phnom Penh. Our touring with this group was over, so it was just a matter of saying our goodbyes to our new friends.

During the night, I got hit with some intestinal disturbances that pretty much wiped me out for 36 hours. Continue reading →

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Boat trip, Snorkeling, BBQ at the Beach

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Thursday, March 17th ~  Koh Takeo, Cambodia

Beach

Koh Takeo Beach

Southern Cambodia is known for their beautiful beaches. We had the opportunity to assess one of the islands for ourselves.

After signing out bright golden beach towels from the pool area we left the hotel at 8:30. Our Tuk Tuk driver took us the short distance to the boat dock where we loaded onto a well-worn, but seaworthy boat which our group had for the entire day.  Continue reading →

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Fishing Village, Starfish Foundation and Sihanoukville

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Wednesday, March 16th ~ Travel day to Sihanoukville

Homes along the water's edge on the way to Sihanoukville

Homes along the water’s edge on the way to Sihanoukville

We spent another half day on the bus and had the afternoon free which Tim and I chose to use to get some rest and for me to do some writing on my blog.

Today’s post will be rather short, with just a few pictures thrown in. Shots taken along the way included a tiny fishing community.  Continue reading →

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Salt and Pepper Cambodian Style and a Mean Monkey

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Tuesday March 15th ~ Kampot, Cambodia

Carrying baskets heavy with salt

Carrying baskets heavy with salt

Our second day in Kampot was filled with several excursions and the opportunity to learn about both their salt and pepper industries.  Continue reading →

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Off to Kampot to eat Tarantulas

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Monday March 14th ~ Kampot, Cambodia

Stairway up to monks living quarters with robes drying in the sunshine

Wat Kampong Thom ~ Stairway up to monks living quarters with robes drying in the sunshine

Most of our day (8-9 hours anyway) was spent riding on a private bus from our home stay in Sambor Prei Kuk to Kampot, passing back through Phnom Penh on the way. With only 14 in our group, the larger bus allowed plenty of room to once again spread out and be comfortable. Some read, or slept, or watched the ever-changing scenery pass by.  Continue reading →

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Home Stay in Cambodia

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

March 13 – 14th ~ Sambor Prei Kuk Home Stay

Our home stay family

Our home stay host family

Staying in someone else’s home can be challenging, even under the best conditions. You are invading their sanctuary and changing the flow of their normal routine. Difficult enough when you are the guest of a good friend or family member.

But what about when the home you are overnighting at is in a foreign land, with different customs, the host and hostess do not speak English, and the accommodations are far from Western standards.  Continue reading →

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