As we continue our exploration of Vietnam we find ourselves heading to the lovely beach area of Nha Trang, a perfect place for a little respite from all the big cities we have visited, or so we think. Not the quiet little beach town I expect but a big beach town that I suspect will get much bigger, a new airport has now opened a fair distance from town with lots of new development in between. The major thing that makes this place feel more like a city than a beach town is the excessive use of horns, much like Saigon.

The beach is a long stretch of soft sand with the occasional oasis of beach chairs and umbrellas. Swimmers are teased between gentle waves and big pops of surf that catch them off guard. There is a lovely park and paved path which separate the road from the beach. We take long walks along here stopping occasionally for refreshments at one of the inviting beach front restaurants.

Our first night here as we search for a place for our supper we are greeted by many smiling faces waving us into their establishment. The difficulty is deciding as each one is so welcoming, the menu is on display at most places, proudly boasting their meals. We see a lot of crocodile, ostriche, and frog, none of which I find appealing.

We finally come across an Italian restaurant with a non smoking upstairs, look at each other and head in, we do try to eat local but sometimes you just need pizza.  Good choice, great salad, pizza and pasta, soon we become loyal customers with samples and drinks on the house!

Hearing there is a great reef for snorkelling at Mun Island we sign up and take a boat out. There are a few divers aboard but its not crowded which is nice. The snorkelling is fantastic, the water a little cold and in hindsight we should have put on the offered wetsuits but what a great assortment of sea life.

It’s been nice and the temptation to extend our stay is strong but we decide to press on.  Since our hotel here has been quite inexpensive we opt for a beach front resort for our next stop, Hoi An.

Ah the sights and sounds of Saigon, and there certainly is lots of sounds.  We arrive in Ho Chi Minh City during Tet, their big New Years holiday.  Just like Chinese New Year, Tet is a lunar festival and this year it happens to run from the Jan 31st to Feb 7th, basically all of our stay here.  The mood is festive and there are displays and crowds of people everywhere.  The big downside to this is that for the first couple of days most eveything is closed, but by the 5th things started to reopen.

Saigon, the name most locals refer to HCMC, should certainly boast of being scooter capital of the world.  I have never seen so many and it seems every one is honking.  This as it turns out is probably a good things as it lets everyone know they’re coming through…through the crosswalk, through the red light, down the sidewalk and basically anywhere they can fit.

Crossing the streets is an art form and I marvel at young children dodging cars and bikes with ease as they cross 4 lanes of traffic.  We catch on fairly quickly or at least Nick does and I just stick close beside him. The trick is to move at a steady pace, watch everything around you and don’t make sudden moves.  The drivers are used to it all and everything seems to work in its own way.  Traffics circles are another matter and has to be seen to be believed.

Although there were several things we weren’t able to do because of the Tet, we did check put lots of the usual tourist sights.  At the War Museum we learned a lot about the Vietnam war from a whole different perspective. It was heartbreaking seeing pictures and reading the stories, it left us with an overwhelming sadness at the unnecessary loss of so much.

The streets are also alive with food stalls, restaurants and coffee shops everywhere.  One of the things the French left beside the Opera House and Notre Dame Cathedral is the bake shops.  Baguette and other delicious treats are everywhere!

The day before we leave Ben Thanh opens up, this is a huge market full of everything you can think of and a place I would have liked to browse much longer, oh well, my suitcase is crammed enough. By evening the night market came alive with vendors selling their wares and souvenirs.

It would have been nice to spend a few more days to do some of the things we wanted like the cooking course and the Ao show at the Opera House but it’s time to move on.  So as we sit at the airport waiting for our flight I think to myself….I’ll be back!

Penang Island is connected to the mainland of Malaysia by a 13.5 km bridge, very impressive. We arrive at the height of Chinese New Year, and the whole town seems to be filled with Chinese festivities. This party just goes on and on, but I’m told it ends Feb 1st, just in time for us to leave.

We stayed in the historic part of Georgetown, the usual tourist stuff, Old Fort Cornwallis, old buildings, churches, temples and mosques.

We wander around and take in the sights, turn the corner and are quickly transported to a totally different place. Smokey streaks of incense fill the air with pungent aroma, hypnotic music pours from the shops into the streets, we find ourselves in Little India.  There is a good feeling here and it quickly becomes one of our favourite places.  Now the fact that there were street vendors selling the most amazing samosas and onion bajja for 15 cents might have helped, that and we came across the best ever Indian food restaurant, open 24 hours a day where we feasted for $6…..you just can’t go wrong with that.

Now since Penang is known to be the food capital of Malaysia we did feel we had to sample some of the local cuisine, although there were a few dishes I wasn’t about to try, most of what we tried was quite good. Somehow though, we always ended up back at the Indian place.  It was nice to have the waiter know us and remember our usual drinks.  My favourite was a lime mint drink, I’m not talking a couple of mint sprigs here but totally crushed mint and lime….so good.

To combat all the Indian food we did a fair amount of walking and hiking.  We climbed to the top of the pagoda at Kek Lok Si Temple and it was hot, really hot and I counted the calories burned with each step.

The next day we took the funicular railway up (823 m above sea level) Penang Hill but hiked the rest of the way up from there and took a long walk around.

The view was really spectacular, especially when I spied a couple of monkeys sitting in the tree tops eating!

Another day we hopped a city bus and headed for Batu Feringgi which is the best beach near Georgetown.  It was about an hour long and 85 cents to get there such a good deal, a little crowded but all part of the experience. Fun to walk along the beach again and after a relaxing foot massage we hit the hawkers for some local food and then the night market.

The day before we left, two large Chinese dragons danced to the beat of a very loud drum throughout our hotel to chase out evil spirits and bring us luck for the new year.

Chinese New Year over and on now to Vietnam for their New Years!

We boarded a bus and headed off to Kuala Lumpur where we treated ourselves to a luxurious hotel with the most comfortable bed we have had the entire trip.

Recharged, we set off to explore the sights of our newest adventure. It was hot, crowded, with cars and motorcycles everywhere. We ducked into a shopping mall to get a little reprieve from the heat and quickly found out why KL is the biggest shopping mecca of Asia (although I don’t think Singapore is far behind). I can tell you it was my shoe heaven!

In amongst the shopping (mostly window), we did manage to take in some of the sights and museums.

One afternoon we found ourselves in a bird park, the largest covered aviary in SE Asia, and by the time we were done we probably had two hundred or so shots of birds, thank goodness for digital!

By evening when the sun goes down and the temperature drops ever so slightly, the city comes even more alive with food hawkers and markets. The streets have a festive air and I’m convinced nobody stays in.

One night as we walked along, tired and hungry, wondering what to eat, we spied a place called Fuel Shack, serving burgers and beer, turned to each other and that’s it! Now I’m not sure if its because we hadn’t eaten a burger in quite awhile or not but we agreed best burger we’d ever eaten.

So on we go now to the western side of Malaysia to the island of Penang!

Singapore left me with the impression of a futuristic city, clean, modern, well planned and organized, maybe not every part to be sure, but lots of it.

We hopped on a bus, bid farewell and several hours later stepped back in time in the historic city of Malacca.

We stayed in an antiques filled hotel in the old china town part of the city.  Between the old style buildings, the cafe we found that looked like something from the 30s, to the antique shops we browsed with their dust covered treasures it felt like we’d been transported to a time long ago.

When we did venture out of our ‘past bubble’ we found a mall complete with ATMs and all the modern conveniences but it was more fun exploring the old ruins of a leftover Portuguese fortress complete with resident cats.

We discovered some interesting new foods too, Rojak which was cut up fruit and veggies with a marvellous dip (no idea what’s in it) and pineapple tarts….I was going to take a picture but we ate them all!

Singapore…. we weren’t sure what to expect but were certainly pleasantly surprised. A well planned, innovative modern city full of  impressive structures, gorgeous gardens and diverse people (there are 4 national languages here).

We wandered the city, easily navigated the transit system, not so easily avoided the huge shopping malls that seemed to be attached to several station stops! We marvelled at the architecture, sampled some great hawker food and enjoyed the delights we stumbled upon.

Add another 109 kilometres of walking the gardens and promenades to our 5 day stay, which when you think that Singapore is only 49 kilometres long,  it’s rather impressive.  Not difficult here with so many interesting sights to see.

And then there is the shopping… so many upscale malls, designer clothes, jewelry and more watch stores than thought possible.

What a fun time it’s been, already looking forward to returning! And if you’re looking for a nice watch, this is definitely the place to come!

Gung hay fat choy!  Year of the Horse
Next stop, Malacca, Malaysia.

After the peaceful, laid back Khao Lak arriving at Kata Beach seemed like total chaos; people, motorbikes and construction everywhere.  What a change since last year, so many new hotels going up and lots more tourists.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time, some perhaps a little too much.  It took a day or two but soon we were in rhythm with the faster pace and eventually it didn’t   seem that busy.

We rented a motorbike and toured around several different beaches, all beautiful, none overly crowded. Ya Nui quickly became a favourite because of the amazing snorkelling.  We spent a few days there, lots of water time and an amazing variety of sea life.

We enjoyed lots of good food here, amazing barbecue at this one place where we became regulars – chicken, ribs and the best fish ever! It was basically a take away place but they had a couple of tables and a TV blaring Thai MTV??..

Lazing in the sun, eating yummy food, having a Thai or foot massage…..time to sadly say goodbye to the beach bum days…..for now.

And guess where we’re off to now?

As with life, it isn’t about the destination but the journey, today was just such an example.

We rented a motorbike to go to Sai Rung Waterfalls but on the way we decided to turn off to find a place to eat……there we were at a beautiful long stretch of almost totally deserted beach. We stopped at a small restaurant and enjoyed delicious food and gazed out at the aqua sea, so beautiful. After we could eat no more we walked the beach, marvelling at the delightful little crabs dancing across the soft sand. Except for the odd person off in the distance it felt like our own personal beach.

Later we made our way to the waterfall, another adventure of its own, mostly because we like to stop  in little out of the way places.  The falls we’re fun, the day was perfect.

With that we say goodbye to Khao Lak.  We have enjoyed it here, during the day it almost seems deserted around town, even the beach near our hotel isn’t packed with people.  At night it comes alive and you have to wonder where all the people come from, still not as busy as Ao Nang.

Khao Lak was hit hard by the big tsunami in 2004 and although there are some big new resorts in the area there is still lots of room for development…..or hopefully not.

Off to Kata Beach now in Phuket.

We brought in 2014 with dinner and a show and then watched a fantastic fireworks show from our balcony.  There was a week long Thai holiday as well so the mood was really festive. Lots of Thai families at the beach,  street vendors and a small carnival.

Our time in Ao Nang has gone so quickly, hard to believe it’s time to move on already.  We’ve gone snorkelling, swimming and walking for miles, 206 kilometres to be exact according to our ‘walking mate’ phone app!

And now off to the golden sand beaches of Khao Lak on the Andaman Sea!

Hope everyone is having a good Christmas, enjoy your turkey dinner and all the trimmings!

After a big Christmas Eve party put on by the hotel complete with turkey (sadly no stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes or cranberry) and lots of other goodies, we spent a rather quiet day, walking the beach and enjoying the warm sun.