Category Archives: around the world in 80 days
Old Town Alexandria
I took a quick trip this weekend to Washington, DC for the third annual seasonal children’s consignment sale owners conference. This fantastic group gets together every June to share ideas about our industry and it is always a great time.
Before the conference started, I was able to spend some time with a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. He has spent the last several years learning a lot about photography and we walked through Old Town Alexandria (at noon, in 90+ degree temperatures) so he could attempt to share a bit of his wisdom with me. It went about as well as his attempts to help me understand high school chemistry but here’s a few shots I really like.
Ho Chi Mihn City at day
Our first stop of the day was the Reunification Palace. It was field trip day for a local school!
Inside, we found a real show place of 1960′s decor, along with a basement full of war relics.
This is a summary of South Vietnamese troops divided by region.
Our next stop was the War Remnants Museum. It was formerly known as the War Crimes Museum. The ship’s tours did not visit this museum. In fact, the party line of the ship’s shore excursion people was that Americans should not visit, it would be “too upsetting”. We had a private tour and couldn’t imagine not going there. Honestly, visiting Saigon without seeing this museum seems to me like ignoring the fact that the war happened. I should probably note that of our group of 20+ people, I was the only one who didn’t live through the Vietnam War, although not everyone in our group was American. I did not take many pictures here and I’m only posting two of what I did take. Photos of the museum’s exhibits are easily found via Google if you are interested.
Our guide did not accompany us inside the museum. She did suggest that we go to the top floor and start there instead of starting on the bottom floor. We followed her advice and went first to the exhibit that focuses on the photographers that captured images of the war. This exhibit was sponsored several Louisville, KY area companies and toured around the US before being gifted to the museum. Other exhibits showed very graphically the effects of Agent Orange and napalm.
The small beige building in the center of this next photo is an apartment building that was home to many CIA officials stationed in Saigon. It is the building that is often incorrectly identified as the American Embassy in the photos showing South Vietnamese getting into helicopters & fleeing Vietnam as described here.
We made a quick stop to see the Saigon Notre Dame Basilica and the post office.
I want a post office like this! There were windows to do nearly everything - there were windows ship packages via UPS, DHL, FedEx, and Vietnamese mail. You could also pay utility bills and of course purchase souvenirs!
We had lunch at Pho Hoa Pasteur in a private room at least two floors up. Yum!
After lunch we were taken to a lacquerware “factory”. I don’t think anyone purchased anything here, the prices were about three times what we found the same items for at the Ben Tanhn market.
The Ben Thanh Market certainly has something for everyone! The doors are numbered, so if your group splits up, it might be smart to choose a door to meet at later.
Ho Chi Mihn City at night
After our day of hopping on and off boats, we had dinner on the ship, then took Azamara’s shuttle bus to the Ben Thanh Night Market. The bus dropped us at the Rex Hotel and it was just a few blocks (and frightening intersections!) from the Ben Thanh Market. The indoor market closes at sunset and vendors set up booths outside instead. We did visit the day market the next day and it definitely offered a wider selection of items.
Saigon River, Ho Chi Mihn City streets, & My Tho
Again, because the Quest is a small ship, we were able to go up the Saigon River and dock right at Ho Chi Mihn City instead of docking at the mouth of the river and riding a bus for 2+ hours to get into the city.
Tour buses were lined up waiting for us.
These ladies were waiting to greet us. I was amused to see the banner flipped around to the other side to greet the other ship in port that day.
The first day we drove through Ho Chi Mihn City and headed out of town on a bus for our “Mekong Delta” tour.
My Tho is on the northern bank of the Mekong River. There are boat tours to islands as Dragon Island (Con Tan Long), Phoenix Island (Con Phung), Tortoise (Con Quy) and Unicorn (Con Thoi Son). Our group boarded a boat like this one and headed across the river.
We docked and left the boat. Of course there was a shopping opportunity!
We walked just a little bit to what I can only describe as a “fruit tasting”.
We tried the fruits and were treated to a short concert before returning to the boat.
We got back on the boat and headed to the next island.
We were taken to see a coconut candy factory. Pretty sure these guys wouldn’t have passed a health inspection in the states.
Yep, that’s a plastic plate she’s using to spread and cut the thick, gooey candy.
Here is where things started to get a little weird. We went over the rickety bridge.
And came upon a area with lots of people and carts and donkeys. Note the crib/playpen – wonder what the CPSC would think of it???
Grandma was trying really hard to get this toddler to go to sleep in the hammock while mom changed the baby’s diaper.
Grandma gave up on the toddler’s nap and let her get up to see all the crazy American’s cramming themselves into the tiny donkey carts.
We rode four per cart through a little village. I actually felt embarrassed as we passed local people walking and on bikes. The whole thing was just awkward and I think we all felt sorry for the poor donkeys.
We left the donkeys and moved on to the honey tea tasting.
Several of our group declined to taste either the fruit or tea because they were concerned about water quality and cleanliness. I tasted everything and had no problems.
After we had our honey tea, we boarded these small sanpans.
Soon we were back to our original boat. There was actually a boat between ours and the floating dock, so we had to climb across it to get to ours.
Next stop, lunch! We were seated under a big hut and the weather was perfect. It was actually mid-afternoon by this time and we were all starving.
We were served Elephant Ear fish, which they came & wrapped for us. We also had soups, salad, veggies… yum!
Once we were back on the mainland, we were bussed back to the ship for the evening.
Danang & Hoi An, Vietnam
Because the Quest is such a small ship, we were able to use small commercial docks.
In Danang, we used the currency exchange booth right on the dock. An Oceania ship was there too and only one woman working the booth. She was starting to run out of money and called for more while I was in line!
We booked a private tour with a group from the Cruise Critic message boards. Our guide met us right at the dock and we headed out on our tour bus.
Our first stop was the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Danang. This was the only stop we made in the city of Danang. The museum had many pieces from the ancient Cham empire, some from as far back at the 7th century.
We stopped at a “marble factory” which of course included the opportunity to purchase a marble piece and shop it back home. I didn’t see anything that I just HAD to have.
Just across the highway from the Marble Mountain area is what was known as China Beach. Many large resorts were under construction, many had signs noting the units were time shares.
We stopped to visit a temple in the Marble Mountains. The five mountains represent the five elements of the universe – water, wood, fire, metal, earth. At the top of the uneven steep staircase was a relatively new temple but behind it were caves with a much older sanctuary inside.
Just up another set of stairs is the Tam Thai Pagoda.
There was a wedding going on in the small village by the pagoda.
We drove on to Hoi An and were taken to an embroidery factory and shown the entire sericulture exhibit, boiling silkworms and all. It seemed as if every tour bus in the area stopped there.
Our lunch was at a restaurant inside the ancient city of Hoi An where no cars are allowed.
After lunch, we toured more of Hoi An, including the Japanese bridge.
Hong Kong Disneyland – January 8, 2011
On Sunday, January 8, 2011 I went to Hong Kong Disneyland! For those of you new to my blog, I’m a Walt Disney World gal. I went there 3 or 4 times as a child. I did the WDW College Program in the fall of 1998, was a seasonal passholder for several years while I lived in South Florida, and am now a Disney Vacation Club owner raising two small WDW fans. I’ve spent one day at Disneyland Paris Magic Kingdom in July 2001 and one day split between Disneyland Resort’s Magic Kingdom and California Adventure parks in August 2002. After we booked the SE Asia cruise leaving from Hong Kong, I realized that I HAD to find time to go see Hong Kong Disneyland.
Our cruise ship was docked at Ocean Terminal in Victoria Harbor. I walked about 3 blocks to the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station and took the very easy trip out to HKDL. I had two train changes, but one of them was to the Disneyland Resort line. Yep, Disney has it’s own train that goes one stop from the main line out to their own MTR station. Tickets cost about $2.50 USD each way.
I got there just a few minutes before park opening. There was no line at the ticket windows. A one day ticket was about $47 US and I was glad to be offered the choice of having my credit card charged in US dollars or Hong Kong dollars. I had the same choice when I purchased merchandise later on Main Street. Bag check looked just like it does in the US parks.
Tomorrowland
When I visit non-WDW Disney parks, I try to focus on the attractions that don’t exist or are different than WDW. In Tomorrowland, I made the mistake of thinking I’d come back and ride the Autopia later. Mid-afternoon it had a 45 minute wait, so I had to pass. I also did not get to see Stitch Encounter. That attraction had a rotating schedule of shows in English, Canonese, and Mandarin and I always seemed to just miss the English show. I passed on the Orbitron, rode Space Mountain with a fastpass, and also rode Buzz Lightyear AstroBlasters. I have not ridden Astroblasters at DLR, but I’ve loved Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin ever since I rode 10 times in a row during cast member previews. I liked Astroblasters even better since the gun moves so much more and it was easier to tell which target I was actually hitting. The UFO Zone was just a water play area.
Fantasyland
I was so disappointed that It’s a Small World was closed for the day! I did not spend my limited time experiencing Mickey’s Philharmagic, Dumbo, Mad Hatter Tea Cups, character meet & greets in Fantasy Gardens or Cinderella Carousel. I did quickly hop on on the Many Adventures of Winne the Pooh and found it to be an exact copy of the WDW attraction, including the picture of Mr. Toad handing over the keys to Winnie the Pooh. The only thing different is that an on-ride photo is taken. I did see the Golden Mickeys show later in the afternoon but didn’t get any good photos. The show was done in a mix of English & Cantonese. All the narration and characters speech were in Cantonese with English subtitles but the songs were in English. It was very entertaining to hear Mickey & the gang speaking Chinese!
Adventureland
When entering Adventureland from Frontierland, the first attraction was a shaded musical play area. I wandered through there about an hour after park opening and the area was deserted. There was also a small water play area.
I had been told the Jungle River Cruise was not like the Jungle Cruise I’m used too. It was hysterical! The queue splits into three lines and guests choose if they want a skipper who speaks English, Cantonese, or Mandarin. It didn’t take long for enough English speakers to gather to fill a boat, so off we went. Apparently, the American Jungle Cruise narration just doesn’t translate well because the bulk of the narration for the Jungle River Cruise goes something like this… “Ooooh, look, a great big crocodile, he’s gonna get you! Ooooh, look over there, a giant spider! Watch out! Over there is a giant snake, he might get you! There’s some headhunters, be careful or they will get you!” The end involved a lot of water splashing over some rocks and large flames, then we were back at the docks. I wish I’d been able to video this attraction, but no one would have understood what the skipper was saying over the noise of the boat & my fellow passengers.
After I returned to civilization, I took the raft over to Tarzan Island. I honestly can’t remember if we saw Tarzan’s treehouse at DLR. T It was a quick trip up and down, then a short wait for a return raft. There were no additional play areas on the island, no trails or caves or anything like it. I remember Tom Sawyer’s Island at DLP being a amazing playspace but this was really just the treehouse.
I ended up having chicken rice for lunch at Tahitian Terrace before catching the Festival of the Lion King show. When I saw the enclosed theater that looked exactly like the theater at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I expected an identical show. There were many similarities, but it was not the same show. This show retold the story of Simba’s life from the movie. It was mostly in English, but there were two monkey-like characters that appeared to respond or follow up the main narrator with comments in Chinese. All the songs were in English. There were the four corner floats, fire-baton twirlers, dancers on stilts, and an aerialist, but no tumble monkeys.
After I left the Festival of the Lion King, I spent the rest of my time taking as many photos as possible and choosing souvenirs. Although I usually buy a size medium t-shirt at WDW, I needed an extra-large from HKDL. I did ride the train from the Fantasyland station to the Main Street station. Seats on the train face sideways like the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
I suspect I may have been the only guest in the park that knew what this music is from:
I left the park around 4 PM for the return trip back to Ocean Terminal. The ship was set to sail at 8 PM and missing it would have been a BIG problem.
Although I had to miss a trip to Victoria Peak and the Stanley Market, I’m very glad I made the trip to Hong King Disneyland. I spent less than six hours in the park and really only experienced eight attractions. The daytime parade did not run that day or I would have stopped to see it. Visitors less interested in seeing every detailed corner of the park could definitely experience all the attractions in one day. I’d suggest a touring plan similar to the way I approach WDW’s Magic Kingdom – focus on seeing Fantasyland & Autopia first, use Fastpass for Space Mountain and keep an eye on showtimes so you can fit them all in. I wish I’d had time to experience a table service meal and see the resorts.
Hong Kong
The flight from LAX to Hong Kong took fifteen and a half hours, officially the longest I’ve ever been on a plane. We boarded about 11 PM on a Thursday and arrived just before 6 AM on a Saturday. We had dinner, a snack, then breakfast during the flight. The snack was a cup of noodles served with chopsticks and was pitched to me by the flight attendants as “chicken noodle soup”. I guess they pegged me as just a dumb American?
We booked transfers to the port via the cruise line and were pleased that Azamara had someone there waiting for us at 6 AM. Another flight arrived shortly after ours, so we were asked to place our bags on a truck headed to the port while we waited thirty minutes or so for the second flight. We didn’t see our bags again until we got to our cabin several hours later. We took the opportunity to use the free wi-fi at HKIA and got a small amount of Hong Kong dollars from the ATM.
The transfer to the port took about forty minutes and our group was the first to arrive. It was too early to check-in for the cruise but we were offered coffee, tea, water and cookies while we waited. Check-in went quickly. we were able to make a reservation for the specialty restaurant and soon we were on board with champagne in hand. We explored the ship a bit, hit the buffet for lunch, and then went out to walk around Hong Kong. Ocean Terminal is part of Harbor City Mall, which is HUGE and full of high-end stores. It was packed on the weekend. There was free wi-fi there as well.
I know the Quest was probably been provisioned in Florida a few months ago, but it really amused me that I had a Diet Coke can with a discount offer for Universal Studios Orlando Halloween Horror Nights 2010. Later in the cruise we had Coke Light instead of Diet Coke, but Halloween Horror Night offer made more appearances after that. 
We walked around the Avenue of Stars, then north up Nathan Road, then back south to the port along the street where the night market was being set up. 
There is a light show in Victoria Harbor every night. These photos are from our second day in Hong Kong, taken as we sailed away from Ocean Terminal.
