Southeast Asia

A 160-day adventure by Orion Global Nomads & Craig Read more

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Southeast Asia
A Nice Afternoon
November 14, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Enjoying some happy hour beverages in ancient Hỏi An.
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Festive Boat Ride
November 14, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Craig and I had a festive board ride in Hoi An this evening. Beautiful, peaceful, and colorful.
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Beach Day
November 15, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Today Craig and I hoped on some bikes and headed to the beach. After getting some rays we had a delicious seafood lunch. The grilled shrimp (didn’t get photographed …:), grilled clams and scallops were so fresh and had a spicy garlic and lemongrass sauce - Yummy!Read more
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Cam Kim Island
November 16, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
This afternoon we got on our bikes and cycled to Cam Kim Island. After crossing two rickety bridges we were treated to a peaceful world of emerald rice fields, playful water buffalos, and welcome breezes.Read more
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Phuoc Kien Temple
November 17, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Today we ventured through Hỏi An’s Old Town and found the Fukien Chinese Congregational Assembly Hall. There are very nice courtyards separating the different alters. One alter room had a courtyard with multiple hanging spiral joss sticks with written prayers that I had never seen before. The final alter room housed Kwan Yin’s (Goddess of Mercy) statue and alter. The different arches were colorful and had several dragons, lions, and bats - beautiful.Read more
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Hainan Chinese Temple
November 17, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
After a light lunch, Craig and I walked through the local market. We also visited the Hainan Chinese Temple. Pretty courtyards and interesting alters. The rear alter showcased some temple guardian weapons and had a boat sculpture piece that must have payed homage to people working the rivers or made a journey by water.Read more
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Da Nang
November 18, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
This morning we left Hỏi An and took a 30 min. car ride to Đà Nẵng. As we entered Đà Nẵng it was neat to see all of the marble statues and their stores since Da Nẵng is well known for their white marble found and quarried in their hills and mountains.

We are staying on the beach. The beach is beautiful and has views of the Goddess of Mercy - Kwan Yin temple. While the ocean breeze is nice, walking in the sun can be quite hot.

We are having our first meal in Đà Nẵng @ emo’s. I am having lemongrass chicken and Craig opted for the stir fried seafood with noodles.Read more
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Dinner & a Dragon
November 18, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
After several weeks of Vietnamese cuisine we decided to have some Italian food at 4Ps a chain in Vietnam that received some high praise from a Vietnamese traveler we met in Hanoi. We started with a cheese tray, followed by pasta in a bolognese sauce with burrata cheese, a salami and chorizo pizza, and accompanied with a stout from Danang and red wine - YUM

On the way back to the hotel we crossed the famed Dragon Bridge and witnessed it fire breathing and then shooting out water. You could really feel the heat when the dragon shot out fire. It was fun being out with the locals and fellow travelers on the Dragon Bridge.Read more
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Rainy day at the Cham Museum
November 19, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 26 °C
It’s a rainy Saturday in Đà Nẵng! After a leisurely morning we headed to the Museum of Cham Sculpture. The museum celebrates 100 years of service and houses the largest collection of Cham sculpture and artwork in the world.

We stopped in a Buddhist temple next to the museum. The temple had some nice outdoor sculptures and main alter.Read more
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Rainy Day
November 20, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 27 °C
Đà Nẵng is pretty but on this rainy day we decided use the hotel lobby as HQ to do some travel planning. I am also putting in some time learning Vietnamese - my next lesson is on Tuesday! Tonight we have a long train ride to Saigon.Read more
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Last Dinner
November 20, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 25 °C
We have a 11:25 pm train to Saigon this evening. We decided to try some of the fresh seafood in Đà Nẵng. We stopped at a semi outdoor place around the corner from our hotel. We had to pick out our fresh seafood from many of the tanks on the premises. We chose grilled mussels in a spicy garlic sauce, grilled prawns, and stir fried morning glory. Very nice meal!

Next: Sleeper train to Saigon…Read more
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Sleeper Train
November 20, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 25 °C
Last night, we left the Đà Nẵng train station at 11:25pm on a sleeper train to Saigon. We don’t arrive to 5pm so it will be a long ride on these uncomfortable beds…:(. We should have taken a flight but we thought we’d enjoy the countryside scenery.Read more
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Made it to Saigon
November 21, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 25 °C
We survived our 18 hour train ride from Đà Nẵng to Saigon. Checked in to our hotel and freshened up. Enjoying our rooftop cocktails to celebrate Saigon! I chose the Old Fashioned and Craig is sipping on a “Signature Saigon” cocktail.

Dinner next!Read more
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1st Dinner in Saigon
November 21, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 25 °C
After our rooftop drinks, we ventured down the street and found dinner at the Vietnam House Restaurant. Craig ordered the Vietnamese beef shank stew and I had the fried lemon grass pork. Both dishes were tasty and were enjoyed.Read more
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Art, Rain, VR, and a Brewery
November 22, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 26 °C
After breakfast this morning, Craig and I ventured out into Saigon. I had taken care of getting an international SIM card for my phone. It has been raining pretty good today.

We made a visit to the HCMC Museum of Fine Arts. There was a nice collection of painters and sculptors from before and after the war. Notable artists included:

Ngyuen Gia Trị
From 1940s, Nguyen Gia Tri formed his style of art and focused on topics about women and landscape.”

Ngyuen Sang
Nguyen Sang is one of the artists who drew a lot of oil painting, lacquer painting about the revolution.”

There was a cool Virtual Reality exhibit next door that incorporated the use of your cell phone’s camera. It’s pretty amazing what these devices are capable of when paired with different platforms. You can see it in the short video attached.

On the recommendation of a friend who used to live in Saigon, we are enjoying some great craft beers @ Heart of darkness Brewery.Read more
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Run to the Border
November 23, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 28 °C
Pre Covid, you could get a tourist visa longer than a months duration online but due to COVID’s havoc on systems and international travel policies, we had to make a border crossing into Cambodia and right back to Vietnam for a longer stay.

Mission accomplished!Read more
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Around Saigon
November 24, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
This morning we took a Guru walking tour around Saigon. We had a great tour guide by Thanh. He was a teacher and now leads tours. We really enjoyed his explanation of Vietnam’s history - culture, cuisines, architecture, language dialects, and the war.Read more
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Cu Chi Tunnels
November 25, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Outside of Saigon the landscape quickly changes from buildings to lush countryside. On the way to the Cu Chi Tunnels we passed some rubber tree forests. We learned tires and other products are made from these trees.

We then stopped at an art facility where lacquer art is created by disabled artists impacted by agent orange.

The Cu Chi Tunnels are roughly 70 km northwest of Saigon’s city center. There were intricate tunnel systems with many levels used during the Vietnam War by the Viet Công. We saw some interesting traps and hidden tunnel entrances.Read more
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Jade Emperor Pagoda
November 26, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 30 °C
Craig and I visited the Jade Emperor Pagoda in Saigon. It is a Taoist pagoda and It was founded by Lưu Minh or Lưu Đạo Nguyên, a Cantonese, from China. The temple also houses many Buddhist alters. U.S. President Barack Obama paid a visit to the pagoda during his state trip to Vietnam on 22 May 2016.

The wood carvings and alter pieces were quite beautiful. There was also a section with one of the “Kingdoms of Hell,” “the Deity of Fertility,” and a beautiful alter on an upstairs terrace.Read more
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Dalat Night Market and Dinner
November 26, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
To escape the heat and humidity of Saigon, we traveled to Dalat. It was a short flight and we were greeted with cool weather. It felt like autumn in the Northeast of the US.

The weekend night market was alive with many street vendors selling delicious foods, clothes, and crafts. We decided to have some local grilled food. It was very good and the accompanying dipping sauce was excellent!Read more
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“Crazy House”
November 27, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
One of the most memorable places we visited in Dalat, Vietnam, was the crazy house. It is a guesthouse and an attraction that looks like something out of a fairy tale. It was designed by Dang Viet Nga, a 79-year-old artist and architect who wanted to express her imagination and create harmony with nature.

The crazy house is a maze of spiral staircases, sculptural bedrooms, undulating surfaces, swirls of bright colors, narrow bridges and hidden nooks. It has 10 guest rooms, each named after an animal or plant, such as the kangaroo room, the eagle room, the ant room and the bamboo room. Each room has its own unique style and features, such as fireplaces, bathtubs, balconies and windows with amazing views.

We also explored the rest of the crazy house, which was like an adventure. We climbed up the treehouses, walked on the branches, crossed the bridges and admired the views of Dalat from different angles. We saw some of the other rooms, such as the termite room, which had a huge termite mound in the middle, and the honeycomb room, which had hexagonal windows and furniture.

We learned that the crazy house was inspired by natural elements, such as mushrooms, shells, caves and spiderwebs. Dang also drew inspiration from artists like Gaudi and Dali. She started building the crazy house in 1990 and has been expanding it ever since. She does not use blueprints, but paints her ideas and works with local craftsmen to bring them to life.

We were amazed by the creativity and originality of the crazy house. It was unlike anything we had ever seen before. We enjoyed every moment of our visit.Read more
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Heart of the Mekong Delta
November 30, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
As we headed further south, we stopped in Can Tho. A lively delta city with lots of new development, floating markets, and one of the largest universities in Vietnam. We were greeted by a spectacular sunset!Read more
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Visiting Family
December 2, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
I am from the delta region of Vietnam. I took an hour car ride from Can Tho to Tra Vinh. Driving along the delta, along emerald rice fields, and through small towns bright back fond memories of my family. I had met my uncle and family at our family Buddhist temple, where I paid my respects to my grandmother and grandfather at the Son family alter.

I had lunch with my family and then visited my uncle’s house and had the opportunity to catch up with them - I last saw them in 2014. After our goodbyes I headed back to Can Tho.Read more
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Floating Markets and Way of Life
December 3, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
We had an early morning start to a great day on a river boat tour. We saw a floating market, with different produce (bananas, coconuts, flowers, watermelons, etc.) on offer from local farmers.

We had the opportunity to visit a local business that has been producing handmade rice noodles for over 40 years. It was very interesting to see how they would spread the rice mixture into a large griddle like surface and then put them out to dry on bamboo tacked before cutting them into pasta strips. We also gave it try!

Along the delta, in some of the smaller “ancillary” waterways we saw water coconuts. They were really unique in their shape and texture.

One of the many highlights was a visit to an Dragon fruit orchard. We’ve never seen how they grow but they absolutely beautiful. We sampled some fresh fruit, and even tried “milk apples” for the first time - very sweet and tasty!

It was a great visit to Can Tho and the delta region. Connecting with a place where my family is from, and seeing my uncle and aunt was very special.Read more
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Phu Quốc Beach Life
December 7, 2022 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
After a fun stay in Can Tho, we made it over to Phụ Quốc island in a 35 min plane ride. The resort is nice and well equipped. The beach is lined with palm trees and white sandy beaches. Lots of new development on this island. It will be interesting to see how these projects fair in the next few years post Covid.Read more
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