March 1996 – Ian Louis Harris

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Eighteen: Dangerous Hiking & Relaxation In Phra Nang, 30 March 1996

I can safely say that Janie took this picture on the dangerous hike

Went to pool early – set off on trek – Janie completed/Ian gave up

We both did this early part of the trek. Then I took one look at the required hiking in the heat and gave up, while Janie went on with some sweet and friendly Thai Air folk who were staying

Janie made it down into the lagoon despite the heat. If you think she looks red in the face in the picture, you should have seen her when she got back to the pool with those kindly Thai Air staff, who had helped her to complete the hike “safely”.

Before returning to poolside, Janie took this shot from a high point of the hike

Janie returned to pool – noodle lunch – siesta watching Last Tango In Paris – returned to pool – quick aborted snorkel at Railay and then Thai starter dinner at Thai Restaurant, then watched most of Indochine.

A few memories to accompany this. Janie realised she had bitten off more than she could chew with that lagoon hike and was most grateful to the Thai hikers who kept an eye on her and helped her out.

I recall that the afternoon sun was simply too hot for us both, pretty much every day, so we needed to siesta every afternoon and chose to watch the odd movie from what seemed to be an excellent video library, not least with films like Indochine, which helped to reinforce what we had just seen on our touring. Interesting choice of movie there in Last Tango. Neither of us had seen it before so we thought we’d give it a go. I suspect that Janie had seen enough steamy hot scenes for one day exploring that lagoon so probably now claims to remember little of it.

We loved the little villa we called our own for those few days at Rayavadee. They also had an excellent collection of CDs and I recall listening a lot to several there which I subsequently bought, including a Best Of Van Morrison. Funny what sticks in the mind.

All the photos from the part of the journey that featured Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam & then Thai resorts can be found through the Flickr link here or below.

=01 24 March 1996 - Saigon River from Floating Hotel at dusk 061

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Seventeen: Chicken Island, Poda Island & Relaxation In Phra Nang, 29 March 1996

Why do they call in Chicken Island?

Went to Chicken Island/Poda Island snorkelling – superb morning trip.

Had sandwich lunch at Beach Bar – watched Indecent Proposal over siesta, played briefly with canoes, had seafood meal at the Thai/Seafood Restaurant and early night.
(I finished The Professor of Desire)

All the photos from the part of the journey that featured Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam & then Thai resorts can be found through the Flickr link here or below.

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Sixteen: Princess Cave & Relaxation In Phra Nang, 28 March 1996

Entering Princess Cave (Above). Nam Mao Beach on the way (below)

Latish up – went to see Princess Cave…

…had a light lunch of noodles and rice (aborted lunch at beach restaurant) – after swam – played with snorkles – had sauna, jacuzzi and massage.
Then got lazy, ate in from private dining and watched An Autumn’s Tale on video.

All the photos from the part of the journey that featured Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam & then Thai resorts can be found through the Flickr link here or below.

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Fifteen: From Phuket To Phra Nang, Thailand, 27 March 1996

Arriving at the Dusit Rayavadee in Phra Nang, near Krabi.

Early up and walked around [Phuket Laguna] resort.
Transfer to Phra Nang – Dusit Rayavadee.
Settled in, got bearings, swam, ate noodles, swam…

Ate in main restaurant and watched The Lover.

All the photos from the part of the journey that featured Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam & then Thai resorts can be found through the Flickr link here or below.

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Fourteen: Ho Chi Minh City & On To Phuket In Thailand, 26 March 1996

In the lobby just before leaving the Saigon Floating Hotel

Early start on our own account [unguided]. Taxi to Jade Emperor Pagoda…

Devotee within Jade Emperor Pagoda (above) and the view out (below)

– then money exchange hunt & short shopping spree and return to hotel for pick up…

This Taiwanese couple were having their wedding photo shoot outside the hotel

…and then schlep to Phuket – three hours at Bangkok [airport] especially wearing. Overnight at pretty decent Dusit Laguna Phuket.

It wasn’t possible at that time (still might not be) sensibly to get from Ho Chi Minh City to Phra Nang in one day, so we arranged an unwanted afternoon & night in Phuket. Actually we rather took to the Laguna and returned there (although to a different property) for a short break in 2017.

But back in 1996, our short stop at the Dusit Laguna Phuket looked like this:

All the photos from the part of the journey that featured Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam & then Thai resorts can be found through the Flickr link here or below.

=34 Another boat trip - to Chicken Island and Poda Island 150

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Thirteen: A Day In Ho Chi Minh City, 25 March 1996

Early start to presidential (reunification) Palace.

Reunification Palace – headline picture, above and the rooftop helicopter pad below

Ged fancies himself as bunker command (above), Daisy seeks solace in a wok below

Then on to history museum…

…and then to Chinatown (Cocholon) to Than Thienh Pagoda…

…followed by lunch at Vy (duck!).

You’re going to eat that and then crawl through tunnels?

Then out to Cuchi– Got to see the place at agonisingly close quarters!

You think that’s back breaking? Try these tunnels.

Ah, once we’d crawled a bit I was back in command in Cuchi.

Then back to The Floating Hotel…

…and out to Blue Ginger (Saigon Times Club) for dinner – another promenade and Home

Fashionable folk promenade and bike around

All the photos from the part of the journey that featured Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam & then Thai resorts can be found through the Flickr link here or below.

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Twelve: A Day In Huế Before Flying To Ho Chi Minh City, 24 March 1996

Rose early – went on a boat trip along perfume river…

…stopping off at Thien Mu Pagoda (Buddhist haunt)…

and then Minh Mang’s Tomb (old and very impressive) followed by short boat ride to other side and tomb of Khai Dinh…

Above – Minh Mang’s Tomb. Below – the main man with the Minh Manh mandarins

Khai Dinh’s Tomb outside (above) and inside (below)

Khai Dinh himself (above) and a more modern symbolic message (below)

…then on to good lunch and cyclo ride around Huế for best part of two hours before setting off for airport.

We loved this marathon cyclo ride -it was an unexpected highlight

Arrived in Saigon [Ho Chi Minh City] quite late – dinner at hotel (Floating!) and Sunday night promenade and then to bed.

All the photos from that Central Vietnam part of our journey can be found through the Flickr link here or below.

=29 Tu Doc Tomb, near Hue (Tu Doc lived here before death as well as after) 087

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Eleven: From Da Nang To Huế, 23 March 1996

Drove from Da Nang to Huế – beautiful drive including Hai Van Pass and Lang Co Island.

Arrived in Huế – unloaded/rested then good lunch followed by tour of citadel, Thai Hoa Palace, mandarin halls, dynastic urns etc.

Then on to Tu Duc Tomb – (1864-1867). Excellent home/tomb with ponds etc.

A tomb with both a view (above) and a theatre (below)

Spent the late afternoon by the pool etc. – evening meal in restaurant

I think we stayed at the Century Riverside and we probably ate in the restaurant there…actually, on reflection I think we ate in Lac Thanh, following the strong recommendation of the guide book.

All the photos from that Central Vietnam part of our journey can be found through the Flickr link here or below.

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Ten: Da Nang & Hội An, 22 March 1996

Card players in Hội An market (above)

Rose very early [in Hanoi]. Flew to Da Nang. Met by Ky. Saw Cham Museum, marble mountains/caves and China Beach

Marble Mountain (above) and Buddhist Temple thereupon (below)

Ky was a terrific guide. Very young, as were all the guides in Vietnam during what was, after all, a “young tourist industry” phase for that country in 1996. But we could tell straight away that Ky was a “Mr Fixit” who would work well with and for us. I wrote him a commendation after the holiday, as I was (am) wont to do when we get exceptional service. As chance would have it, when we arranged to go back to Vietnam 16 years later our (different) UK agent was using Vidotour, the same local agency as Asia World had used in 1996. It transpired that Ky was, by then, Director of Marketing for the whole company. We had a really enjoyable reunion with him, getting to meet his family as he insisted on taking us out for dinner. He told me that my commendation had really helped him at that very early stage of his career, as we were amongst his first guests and glowing commendations of that kind were highly valued.

Vietnam Holiday Day Two: Saigon, Then Dinner With Ky & Family 11 February 2012

Then on to Hội An for good lunch then walk town and early return to Da Nang. Lazy afternoon and evening at hotel.

I got ever so excited when I spotted the above door, because I could see that it was the very door depicted on the cover of my Lonely Planet Guide (Vietnam 3rd edition 1995). The woman of the house got ever so excited too, as she had no idea that her house was on the front cover of a guide book, although surely hundreds if not thousands of tourists must have walked past her house with that book in hand by 1996.

My copy is more dog-eared now than it was in 1996

Then down to the waterfront befor heading back to Da Nang.

All the photos from that Central Vietnam part of our journey can be found through the Flickr link here or below.

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Nine: A Day Around Hạ Long Bay Then Back To Hanoi, 21 March 1996

We’ve visited a fair few beautiful places in the world. Hạ Long Bay is well up there with the most stunning.

This is another of those days when the words in my log are few, the photographs many and really you don’t need many words:

Stunning scenes on Hạ Long Bay, headline picture, above and below.

Health & Safety had not got started, let alone gone mad at that grotto

Inside (above) and outside (below) the grotto

Went on a cruise at Hạ Long Bay on “Yellow Dragon” boat – misty but pleasant – went to “new grotto” [i.e. newly discovered in 1996] – very slippery climb due to mist– went into grotto etc. Super lunch on boat – then long drive back to Hanoi. Overnight in Royal Hotel