Thursday, October 29, 2009

A memorable trip to Fansipan by Sapa, Vietnam

We are a group of Malayan, We often take adventure tours and this time to Vietnam is Fansipan.

Get pick up at Laocai train station and transfer to Sa pa, we stopped at Hotel, got a room for shower, breakfast, prepared our gears for the coming trek.

On the way trekking Fansipan Mt, Vietnam

Driving by Jeep along a up-down, zig-zag road to get the mountain pass to start our hike. The first sight to us is the large mountain, the trek at the beginning is quiet easy. we are all eager to conquer.


Lunch was good, much better than I had expected. We had baguettes, tomato, cucumber and cheese followed by pear. I had read someone else's blog about their trip up Fansipan and they had eaten rice, noodles and an increasingly rancid piece of pork for 4 days.

After lunch we actually had to loose high to get to the camp to where we were going to sleep. There was another big river to cross but this time there was a bridge so we got across with dry feet. Camp 2 was just on the other side and consisted of a couple of wooden buildings.

After getting cleaned up and changing into dry clothes we were served up a massive banquet of really tasty food. We had stir fried chicken and mushroom, beef and onion, tofu, potatoes, cabbage, rice and more.

There was twice as much as we needed.

After that it was straight to bed. We slept in the camp that our guide and porter had made, it is really fun, the camp is bigger enough for our group. Our place to sleep was well prepared, we had thick mattress and sleeping bag. It was fairly comfortable and it didn't get cold during the night.

In the morning we were served up a really massive bowl of vegan noodle soup with a fried egg on top. It was tasty but way too heavy for 6:30 in the morning. None of us managed to eat more than half of it.

Another hard day to conquer the roof of Indochina, this day We had to head up to the top from 2200m, then down to the camp at 2800 for the night. The hike was really true for mountain climb, the higher we climb, the better landscape we enjoy.

We were at the top at about 1pm, had a lunch on a big rock in windy and sunny noon, Life is fantastic!
Back to the camp at 2800m at about 5pm, we spend this night in a cottage make by the national park. To congratulate the winners of Indochina roof, our guide killed a pig that they had carried all the way up from Sa pa to make barbecue, we had some wine too.

The last day seemed to be easier to us, we went all the same way down to Tram ton Pass then took a Jeep to Sa pa. Got a room with hot shower.

This was the best trip I had done in Vietnam.

Source: Petercampel's traveler from TravelPod Blog

Recommendation for Trekking Fansipan , Vietnam:
Sapa Travel Guide
Trekking Travel Guide
Trek Fansipan Tours

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA hosts a group of Burrows Red Spider Travel Vietnam in Jan 2010

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) will host a group of Burrows Red Spider to take the motorcycle trip in Ho Chi Minh Trail, Vietnam. This trip will start from Hanoi and finish in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in Jan 31, 2010.


Motorcycle tours in Ho Chi Minh Trail, Vietnam

 

With 10-day motorcycling tour in Ho Chi Minh trail in total 16 day trip from Hanoi to Saigon, this motorcycling grading of tour is considered as Moderate to challenging by ATA

Recent road work that follows original sections of the trail has changed this. Besides incredible driving, deep in the Vietnamese countryside; this ride takes in the charming ancient trading town of Hoi An, Khe Sanh battle site and DMZ. Travelers also take time to stay overnight in a traditional Thai hill tribe and visit to some tribal villages on the way.

Burrows Red Spider is group of American motorcyclists and love motorcycling travel especially travel to Vietnam War in the past by motorcycling.

Travel Tips
- Motorcycle tips: Viet Nam motorcycle travel tips
- Motorcyle guide & trail: Ho Chi Minh trail & travel guide
- Motorcycle tours: Motorcycle tours in Vietnam

Eight Wonders of Vietnam

UNESCO lists five World Heritages in the country, but Adventure Beat editor Christian Kallen's list presents a more varied picture: the Eight Wonders of Vietnam.

If many of a certain generation tried to avoid going to Vietnam at all costs, now these same travelers may be tempted to explore a densely textured destination as historic, culturally rich and scenically stupefying as any country on Earth.

Adventure Beat editor Christian Kallen's "Eight Wonders" of Vietnam:


1) Ha Long Bay


Halong Bay, Vietnam

Legend has it that the dragon that created civilization dove into these waters (Ha Long means "descending dragon") to his rest. There is a mythic, supernatural quality to this bay on the Gulf of Tonkin, east of Hanoi, that must be experienced to believe. Limestone "haystack" islands draped in jungle foliate erupt from the placid bay, fishermen in dragon-headed boats lay their nets, caves both above and below water level invite exploration. There are some 700 islands in the bay, and nowadays you can sea kayak among them with local tour operators — although in ancient times the Vietnamese general Tran Hung Dao outwitted the Chinese navy here.


2) Hanoi's Old Quarter

Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi, Vietnam by you.

Hoan Kiem lake, Hanoi's Old Quarter, Vietnam

Few capitals necessarily qualify as "wonders" — Paris comes to mind — but Hanoi belongs in that class. It was first made capital of Vietnam in 1010 A.D., along a bend in the Red River, and even today, 996 years later, it's still a rush of urban energy and pastoral ease. Walk around the central district's Hoan Kiem Lake in the cool morning hours, while the locals do their daily tai chi; shop in the narrow streets of the Old Quarter where tradesmen have practiced in the same shops for up to 25 generations; dine European, Asian, or fusion at one of the many restored colonial mansions.


3) Cao Dai Temple

Cao Dai Temple

Even knowing in advance that the Cao Dai religion counts among its saints Victor Hugo, Louis Pasteur, and Sun Yat-Sen does little to prepare the visitor for the psychedelic splendor of its Holy See. Primary colors run riot over plaster dragons, flowers, and figurines crawling up the pillars and walls, while the all-seeing eye (a Masonic symbol also found on the US Great Seal) is everywhere. The temple is just a short drive from Ho Chi Minh City, and elaborate services and ceremonies are held almost daily.


4) Mekong Delta

Float market Mekong River, Vietnam by you.

Mekong Delta, Vietnam

The Mekong's route begins 2,500 miles upstream in Tibet, and its course through China, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam is a waterway through the exotic. It flows into the South China Sea through a delta of many streams (its Vietnamese name, Cuu Long, means Nine Dragons), a fertile region known as "the ricebowl of Vietnam." The highlight for most visitors are the floating markets of Cai Be and Vinh Long, where you can get everything from fruits, flowers, and handicrafts to exotic snakes — and dishes as memorable as the “elephant's ear” fish (not endangered).


5) Tonkinese Alps

trek Fansipan, Sapa, Vietnam by you.

Fansipan Mountain, Sapa, Vietnam

The Tonkinese Alps create the barrier between Vietnam and China to the north, and their highest peak is Mount Fansipan (10,312 feet). Most people don't think of going to Vietnam to go mountain climbing, but consider this multi-day trek anyway, not only for its spectacular views into China but for the hilltribe villages you pass through en route. The route begins in Sapa, a popular tourist center in the midst of hill country, then forges through valleys of terraced rice fields into ever more remote villages peopled byanimistic minorities, such as the Dao, Hmong and Nung. Frommer's Guide on the Tokinese Alps.

6) Endangered Wildlife

Tram Chim National Park, Vietnam by you.

Tram Chim National Park, Vietnam

With its centuries of warfare and commerce, napalm and revolution, it's hard to think of Vietnam as a wildlife hot spot, but it is becoming increasingly recognized as such. Exotic creatures such as several rare species of langurs, gibbons and monkeys; wild boars and the extremely rare brown-antlered deer vie with lizards, snakes and birds for life listers. Although habitat loss in this growing country is a problem, an even bigger one is the catholic appetite of the Vietnamese palate – and the illegal trade in endangered species and restaurants that serve them.


7) Phong Nha-Ke Bang

Phong Nha cave, Quang Binh, Vietnam by you.

Phong Nha cave, Vietnam

The most recent of Vietnam's World Heritage Sites is the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. Travelers to Southeast Asia are well aware of the widespread karst formations of the region (Ha Long Bay is one such). Karst topography is limestone-based, riven with caves and cracks, given to weird shapes and striking vistas. The formations in Phong Nha-Ke Bang are among the world's oldest, 400 million years old; its geomorphology is complex and a motherlode for earth sciences.



8) Hoi An Village

Hoi An lantern, Vietnam by you.

Lanterns, Hoi An, Vietnam

Designated a World Heritage Site in 1999, Hoi An is the former main port of Vietnam in the 16th century, and today 844 of its historic structures are preserved as landmarks. You can walk down the crooked streets surrounded by the atmosphere and odors of times gone by, take a sampan ride down the Do River or the streams that lace the town, hunt the traces of the foreign traders – Japanese, Chinese, Dutch, and Indian – who made Hoi An the center of culture in old Vietnam. Helpful hint: visit during full moon, when the shop owners turn off the lights and illuminate the streets with candle lanterns.


Related sites:

Viet Nam travel guide

Tours in Viet Nam

Short Excursions in Viet Nam