The truly exploration of Mekong Delta by bike

By Vince Robbins

Biking Mekong tour started on the blast road. It was significantly less stressful than the heavy traffic of the city, and the countryside has some beautiful stretches. The road-side restaurants along the way had very limited menus but made up for it with the dozens of hammocks, turning short pit-stops into slightly longer than expected nap-time. It just makes so much sense! I really want to introduce the hammock-restaurant to stretches of American highways (patent pending).

After getting lost several times, we eventually made it to Can Tho just after dark, and managed to find a hotel with essentially no idea where we were or where we were going. After having dinner at a little restaurant called “Mekong,” which was delicious and cheap, we ran into a woman who convinced us to get a boat to the floating market at 5:30am. I don’t think I’ve been up before 8 am in five years. How she convinced me to agree to that is something that should be studied by business negotiators at Fortune 500 companies. She convinced us that you have to get down the river to the market bright and early to catch the action.

It ended up being a great decision; the city was dark and quiet as we walked to the water, and the little motorboat ride down the river at sunrise was peaceful and gorgeous. To be honest I didn’t know much of what to expect at a floating market, but I assumed some sort of hover-craft would be involved. Suddenly we were amidst small- to medium-sized vessels, bobbing about each other, linking up to transfer cargo between them. Our guide/driver cut off the engine and rowed us between the boats, some selling watermelons and pineapples, others offering all kinds of fresh seafood. It seemed to be primarily larger commodity wholesale, but the vendors were happy to unload individual items to us as well. I grabbed some pastries from a baked goods boat, while Canadian Ryan flagged down the watermelon cruise liner. We also linked up with a coffee vendor who managed to transfer a few cups of steaming coffee to us while bobbing back and forth alongside our boat (without spilling a drop). Luckyly,  Mekong tour brings us truly experience in Vietnam. 

How to trek Sapa in right way

By Robyn

Sapa is renowned for its phenomenal trekking Vietnam. Hills stretch into the clouds and valleys plummet to the floor with such speed and force that it is hard to imagine how people manage to live off the land. Yet, as far as the eye can see, steps of rice paddy fields stretch across these astounding gradients with such precision and innovation that could only have been created by the resilient Vietnamese.

The rice field hills are an awe inspiring spectacle only to be broken by the occasional waterfall, nestle of jungle or bamboo forest, making it the ideal place to go trekking Sapa.  But unfortunately, like so many wonderful parts of the world, it has become very cramped with tourists and subsequently hagglers and other annoying quirks that follow the industry. Sadly it is very easy to go to Sapa and have a very shallow experience, superficially coated with unauthentic tourist fluff instead of the real deal. Here are a few tricks to make sure you have an authentic trekking experience.

There is no better way to understand someone else’s culture than to be invited into their home for a night. And the fascinating minority tribes of the Sapa region are no exception. You won’t get a toilet but if you’re happy to squat behind the bamboo you will not only get a loo with a spectacular view but you will have a much more exciting story to tell when you get back home. The bed will be warm, hard but warm, and the food will be fantastic. So keep an open mind and learn what it is like to survive on the hills of Sapa.

From rain, to heat , to freezing conditions. Make sure your overnight bag has it all. Of course it depends on what time of year you go as the weather does vary – but even though the days may be warm and sunny the temperatures can drop at night to extremely cold conditions. Make sure you have a clean set of clothes to sleep in as it is highly likely that everything from your socks to your t-shirt will be caked in mud by the time you have finished your first day of trekking and throw in a waterproof jacket or umbrella in case it suddenly decides to rain. Then it’s all the usual; torch, toilet paper, camera, water.

ActiveTravel Asia introducing Myanmar Tours Booking Website in Spanish

Continuing the success of Myanmar adventures website in English, ActiveTravel Asia has introduced a new website in Spanish about booking tours to Myanmar (Burma) – VIAJEBIRMANIA.COM.

MYANMAR, July 2014 - ActiveTravel Asia is a long standing name of adventure travel to Indochina countries including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. With the strong emerge of Burma market and high demand from Spanish speaking countries, ActiveTravel Asia decided to make a website for native Spanish speakers easily booking a package to the hidden country – Myanmar (Burma).

The website ViajeBirmania.com is built by the latest modern technology but overall, the website is a completion of the most essential information to plan a trip to Myanmar in Spanish. The website offers various length packages dividing in different themes of activities. The most popular theme is Classic tours which include easy to moderate physical activities covering most popular destination of Myanmar (Birmina). The second is AdventureTours consisting of trekking, hiking trips and focusing on traveler experience. The third is Special tours– a selection of one-of-a-kind packages which are often very unique programs such as Putao rafting or diving in Mergui tours...and even some tours not operated regularly. The last tour category is Combined Tours (ViajesCombinados). That is some suggestions of excursion in other Indochina countries which well match with a Myanmar tour package.

The website also gives some essential information for visitors ready to book a tour to Burma confidently. The trip planners can find information from physical facts of Myanmar to hidden tips – some most important among those tips are how to get Visa on Arrival to Myanmar. The difficulty of Visa for countries without Burmese embassies and consulates is no more with the back end supporting team.

“We are proudly to be some of the very first travel agencies offering Myanmar tours in Spanish”, said Bobby Nguyen, supervisor of this project and GM of ActiveTravel Asia. “We have seen the rapid increase in demand from Spanish markets recently and we have strong capacity of human resource. We can supply 24/7 Spanish speaking consultants and qualified Spanish speaking tour guides in Myanmar. With our experience and understanding of destination, we are confident to offer Spanish tourists best packages to Myanmar in their native language”.

ActiveTravel Asia is an adventure brand name under management of Holiday Indochina who has strong experience at Burma market. The website is now opening for requests and bookings 24/7 with Spanish speaking consultancy at VIAJEBIRMANIA.COM.

Five things travelers should experience Vietnam

By Jessica Korteman

Vietnam had been on our travel wish-list for some time, not only because it was where Hai was born but because almost every traveler we met raved about it, and we can understand why. We spent three weeks traveling Vietnam. It’s do-able but we’d recommend a month if you have it to cover the long distances and account for delays. Here are our top picks from our time in this wonderfully chaotic and colorful nation.

1. Go South 

The Mekong Delta region is worth the trip south from Ho Chi Minh City. Not only is there a super-relaxed vibe, but you’ll eat some of the most delicious food Vietnam has to offer, the kind that makes you want to lick your plate clean or slurp every last mouthful of broth from your finished noodle soup. Don’t even get me started on the coffee: hands down the best we tasted in the country.

2. Get to know Vietnam’s war history from the Vietnamese perspective                

Vietnam is much more than a war, but you can’t put what you experience in the country into context without knowing something about it. And there are many opportunities to get in touch with Vietnam’s war past.

While it is super touristy and you’ll be herded around like cattle, take a tour of the Củ Chi tunnels on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City to experience the underground guerrilla network for yourself. Crawling through the hot and narrow tunnels will give you a momentary sense of what conditions must have been like during conflict. Then learn more about the Vietnam War and the effects of Agent Orange at Ho Chi Minh’s War Remnants Museum. It’s not an easy visit, but you’ll come out humbled about the gravity of war and its ongoing legacy. Most Củ Chi tunnel tours swing by the War Remnants Museum on the way back for those who’d like to make it a full day outing.

3. Get a bus from your bus                                                                 

Most bus companies operate a free shuttle service from bus stations to your hotel in town. They are usually unmarked and unpublicized to foreigners so that the taxi services inevitably waiting for you as soon as you step out of the bus can make their dong out of you. Watch the locals and follow their lead. Sometimes it takes a few minutes for the buses/vans to come, so don’t be put off by the empty bus station and save yourself a most likely inflated trip into town.

4. Take a free walking tour in Hanoi  

                                              

Want to experience the capital from a local’s perspective without paying for and joining a tour group. They are a student-run organization who provide free English guiding services around the city. While they have some itineraries on their website, these are just as some inspiration. You can go wherever you like for a full or half day depending on your interests. You’ll just need to cover the costs of the student(s) – admission fees, lunch etc and any tips you may want to give. The tour is always private even if you are a solo traveler so you can be sure to have a very personalized experience and lots of interaction with your new friend.

5. Whatever you do, get to Sapa

Sapa is not only one of the most spectacular places you will ever see, but it is so different to other parts of Vietnam that you won’t have truly experienced all that the country has to offer without going here. Go straight to trekking Sapa for a true village homestay experience and we promise you won’t regret it.

Surreal experience cycling Vietnam

By Baerbel

After strenuous days in the mountains and as Johan had caught a cold we spent a lazy day in Ha Giang before moving on to our next destination Sapa with the highest mountains in Vietnam. It took us three uneventful days on ever undulating roads to get to Cao Lai, a town at the bottom of the mountain that leads to Sapa and a border crossing to China. 

The next morning was my birthday and Johan organized a nice breakfast at a 3-star hotel next door. When we entered the breakfast room at 6am sharp our table was nicely decorated, ‘Happy birthday’ music was playing and a few minutes later I got a bunch of flowers and balloons! What a lovely and surprise. It is unforgettable menmories in active travel Vietnam trip.

By 7am we had filled our stomachs with yummy food, decorated my bike nicely and were ready for another challenge. 36km uphill to Sapa, while the first 6km started easy as the road was mainly flat with just a few very short climbs not even worth mentioning. The real challenge begun afterwards. To make the climbing more fun (as if it was fun at all!!!) we played a game: boot camp with Baerbel the drill master. One set consisting of three times 20 minutes climbing followed by a five-minute break. The last 20 minutes were followed by a 15-minute break. This worked quite well except for the very end where ascents became so steep that we had to stop almost every kilometer. But we managed all way up to 1,600m in 4.5 hours without pushing our bikes. The rest of the afternoon we relaxed and ate delicious food.

We spent two more days in Sapa to recharge our batteries and while we didn’t really like the mountain resort itself as it is far too touristic for us we enjoyed the cool temperatures in the mid 20′s and the food and relaxed atmosphere of our hotel. We also had great views of the Fan Xi Pan, the highest mountain in Indochina with an altitude of over 3,143m.

The day of our departure was another challenging biking Vietnam, even if only for the first part as we took Vietnam’s highest road leading over a 2,100m pass. We tackled the tough climb with mostly over 10% grades in about two hours and were rewarded with one of the most stunning views into the valley. From the top we could see the road winding down and were very much looking forward to a 30-kilometer downhill ride! A fantastic one with many stops to take pictures.