Sights and giggles in Vietnam

I confess to having only cycled for a couple of hours on any one day. Ever. But my last sojourn on 2 wheels was in this part of the world and I’m now a little bit of a convert to cycling through villages that you would otherwise zoom past in a car. It’s brilliant to be able to just stop and chat to the locals, high-5 the kids, purchase their handicrafts and take a gazillion photos along the way. Not to mention that self-righteous fitness feeling that means you’ve earned a beer at the end of the day.

Cycling holidays are incredibly popular, but you have to do it right. That means firstly, getting someone else to sort out the admin so you can concentrate on getting fit (although I’m assured this particular tour is not arduous!)

Right now Harvey World Travel have a deal running for sales until December 15th for a 19-day cycle tour of Vietnam. There are 2 departure dates (although more can be arranged as groups are max size 15) – but 24 May and 21 June 2010 are already being planned. They just need you to join them so here’s what you will see and do:

Spend days 1-3 in Hanoi, the oldest city in Vietnam. You’ll also have an overnight cruise among the limestone islands.

Days 4-6: leap on bicycle and explore Hanoi, visit ancient temples, learn about Uncle Ho and tour the infamous Hanoi Hilton (prison). Take an overnight train to Hue (the former imperial capital). Cycle country roads and wide streets, take photos of historic sites, the emperors tombs and Thien Mu Pagoda.

Days 7-9: Drive to Hoi An (thank goodness for the van!) visiting sacred Marble Mountain, traditional houses and temples on the way. Plus take a walking tour that includes the iconic Japanese Bridge and a sunset cruise of Thu Bon River. There is also free time to cycle to nearby villages that take your fancy or shop at local tailors and art galleries.

Days 10-12: Overnight at the port town of Quy Nhon and travel through spectacular coastal scenery to Nha Trang. Relax on an island cruise and indulge in a seafood feast after swimming or snorkelling in the South China Sea.

Days 13-14: Leave the coast behind and head into tea plantations of Dalat. The energetic can hit the ascent into town. The rest can load their bikes on the support vehicle and put their feet up!

Days 14-19: Drive to Saigon – Vietnam’s largest city and stroll along historic Dong Khoi Street to check out Reunification Palace and War Remnants Museum. Stay at a homestay among the canals and orchards of the Mekong Delta for a final farewell dinner.

This tour includes a Western tour leader, a local guide and a cycle mechanic.

The trip is graded ADVENTUROUS meaning it’s suitable for travellers with a good level of fitness, full and independent mobility and a keen sense of adventure. Prepare for some long road journeys, basic accommodation in remote areas and a lot of walking. Cycling is done in leisurely two to four hour rides and the support vehicle is always on hand when you’d like to sit out. Basically you can ride as much or as little as you want.

What’s included: 15 nights hotel accommodation, 1 overnight train (soft sleeper 4-berth shared cabin), 1 overnight homestay and 1 overnight boat, all road transport by air-conditioned vehicles, use of mountain bikes and support vehicle from Hue to Saigon, all sightseeing as specified (excluding entrance fees), Western tour leader, local English-speaking guides throughout, arrival and departure transfers, breakfast daily, 3 lunches and 2 dinners. *This journey requires a minimum of seven travellers to operate.

What’s not included: helmets are not included and you’re recommend to bring your own, as helmets produced in this region do not meet international safety and quality standards.

Keen? If you’re reading this in New Zealand, phone 0800 84 84 80 or click here and jump to Harvey World Travel’s cycling Vietnam deal.

I’ve done 5 cruises now on everything from paddle steamers in the Mississippi, to luxury in Alaska and a rollicking party ship in the Caribbean. They were all brilliant in their own way, so the biggest tip is knowing what kind of experience you want and who you want to have it with.

Let's get the party started!

This blog is about the rollicking latter.

How about this for a fun (and quite possibly dangerous!) time… Grab your girlfriends (or boyfriends for that matter) and hit the seas on an all-inclusive cruise from Sydney to Auckland in March next year.

You’ll fly over (for a shopping weekend) and spend 2 nights at the stylish Breakfree on George Hotel right near Pitt St and all the shops you could want. Hit the town, buy up large in the summer sales, then cruise back on P&O’s Pacific Sun for 4 fun days at sea where restaurants, bars and dancing under the stars is all you’ll have time for – and no taxi’s home!

The Pacific Sun has just had a recent multi-million dollar makeover. And unlike days gone by when you were assigned a table at a specific hour for dinner, this time it’s up to you. Your Choice Dining is their cry. Don’t mind if I do: how bout the buffet or pizzaria or a la carte Burgundy restaurant, or dress up with an excuse to wear those killer heels you bought in Sydney and try the library/turned fine-dining seafood restaurant.

After you’ve had dinner, all new Las Vegas-style revues and the adults-only Sit Down Comedy Club shows are on, or you could a soak in the whirl-pool spa. Or if you need to work off the never ending supply of food, a vigorous bout of synchronised swimming in the 2 pools or a gym workout with views of the Pacific Ocean will make room for the next 3-course meal.

Watch the world go by from the Oasis

Inside cabins are great if price is the main issue and you intend to be outside on the decks, reading a book, sipping drinks with umbrellas in and generally lounging about. An outside cabin is great for watching the world go by from the comfort of your twin (or quad) room, or splash out entirely and get a balcony suite for some quiet te ta te and a pre-dinner cocktail.

Prices (including flights, hotel, 4-night cruise with all meals and entertainment) start at $999 per person in an Inside Twin Cabin or $1099 for an outside. And if you really want a slumber party, book a quad room from $949.

If you’re in NZ and fancy rounding up your mates for this deal, click here to Harvery World Travel for more info or phone 0800 75 87 87 and book before 31 December for the March 20 cruise. Oh, and don’t forget to tell them Blogger at Large sent you and get some duty free vouchers for your troubles.

Ask them about adding on the Fashion Secrets Tour in Sydney too for $114. You’ll walk through the upmarket enclaves in Paddington, and check out the established designers to the up and coming of Sydney’s best kept fashion secrets.
Includes: Gift bag, VIP discounts, lunch and a glass of wine/soft drink.

But as you are about to discover, this blog is much more than wit, saracsm and pithy paragraphs. This is an educational travel blog!

The Queen of the Adriatic is actually spread over 118 little islands in the marshy saltwater of Venice Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea. The city was once most famous for its maritime clout and trade routes, but these days more for achitecture and musical history – especially famous son Vivaldi. But her sinking status has also brought much attention. But here’s another piece of education: Venice is not actually sinking!

Venice (pic from Maurice)

Little history lesson: Waaay back when, Venice was a republic having established the Latin Empire and was the most prosperous city in all of Europe until le petite Napoleon Bonaparte conquered it in 1797. He was actually seen as a liberator at the time and allowed the Jews living in the city freedom to live and travel where they pleased. Venice then to and fro’d between Austria, then back to Napoleon’s Kingdom of Italy, then back to Austria until finally was liberated by New Zealanders on 29 April, 1945. Go Kiwis!

The sinking city: As you know Venice is a city standing on stilts. Wooden pilings to be exact. And most of you will think that wood turns into rotten flotsam in water. But no! In fact wood becomes petrified in mineral-rich water when there is no oxygen. Thus Venice is standing on rock hard pillars. But, and there is a but, the buildings are often threatened by flood tides because some silly people in the 20thC dug artesian wells in the lagoon which took too much water out and exposed the wood to the breeze (am I boring you yet??) and so began the danger. However they wised up and banned wells in the 1960s. Today Venice is still technically under a state of a sinking alert, but some say the problems are resolved.

But whatever the story, there is no time like now to get this amazing city and Harvey World Travel want to help you do just that. And if you book after reading this highly informative blog and tell them I sent you, they’ll throw in $50 worth of duty free vouchers for your troubles!

So jump onto Harvey World Travel to this Venice deal. It’s with Air NZ from Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch and includes 3 nights accommodation and daily breakfast for $2695 pp. Harvey World Travel actually have tons of add-on packages too, so if you like you can just make up your own itinerary, throw in a tour or two, maybe take a stopover.

But whatever you do, tell them Blogger at Large sent you and they’ll throw in $50 worth of duty free vouchers to sweeten the deal! Nice.

Packed out Aloha Stadium

This is so typically American and a great (albeit long) night out – complete with hotdogs and chips!

College football is HUGE in America. Take a taxi from Waikiki (it’s quite a way though!) and head out to the 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium to see the Hawaiian Warriors play. Thousands of people arrive in the afternoon, parking in their designated season-ticket parking spaces, tressle tables, bbqs and chillybins laid out all having monstrous picnics. A marching band plays outside before the game starts. When I was there a clown was making balloon whatnots, face painters were painting and there was much hoopla. Inside the gates are the hotdog and burger stands, the beer outlets and a tent selling creole cuisine. Bizarrely.

The home team runs out through an inflatible football helmet dressed in dark green amid the cheerleading girls in crop tops and waistbands for skirts and boys in jumpsuits (what’s with that??) They jump and flick flack, wave their pom poms, leap into the air while the lads catch them and hold them by their feet. They lift up signs for us to cheer to or chant ‘D’ ‘fense’ when required. We kiwis tried to start a few Mexican waves and really if we’d shown more determination we would have, but eventually the big Hawaiian mascot guy wearing lots of leaves got the crowd going.

Four 15 min quarters takes about 3 hours to play and is an excellent  night out. Tickets $29. Experience: priceless.

AND – today is the LAST LAST day of the kick-ass 9 night Fiji/Hawaii special from $1599 so let your fingers do the walking and click on this link to Harvey World Travel.

This is what you get: 2 nights in Fiji (you can extend it if you like) then 7 nights in Hawaii, all your flights from Auckland AND… drum roll… if you mention Blogger At Large when you book you’ll get FREE $25 DFS vouchers – each!

But hurry – deal ends TODAY

From the surfers heading to the waves to bob like seagulls, to the late night shopping and clubbing crowd, it’s action stations pretty much 24/7.

Heading to the waves

On this video I checked out the new shops at Beachwalk – including Yard House the pub with 150 beers sold in yard (and half yard) glasses. You’ll see plenty of undies/togs moments, have a quick tour through International Marketplace and finish with some fine dining at Roy’s – the father of Fusion Cuisine.

Click here for the video on TVOne Breakfast. (If you have trouble playing it, click on the format below the image to change it).

AND right now – for just 2 more days – you can book a cheap Hawaiian holiday and stop in Fiji as well. Here’s the deal: Until Friday Sept 11 you can book this wicked package with Harvey World Travel of – 9 nights in Fiji and Hawaii from $1599. That includes your flights from Auckland and all your accommodation!

You start with 2 nights in Fiji (you can extend it if you like) then 7 nights in Hawaii. AND… drum roll… if you mention Blogger At Large when you book you’ll get FREE $25 DFS vouchers – each!

But hurry – deal ends Friday

Running until Sept 11 with Harvey World Travel: you can book a 9 holiday in Fiji and Hawaii from $1599. It includes flights from Auckland and accommodation! You start with 2 nights in Fiji – and you can extend it if you like. Then 7 nights in Hawaii where bula becomes aloha as you lie on the beach, sip drinks with umbrellas in, shop at markets or the huge Ala Moana mall and play all night in the many cool bars and nightclubs.

From markets to expensive fashion and outlet malls, there’s something to suit every shopper’s fantasy in Waikiki. I knew about Ala Moana shopping centre (hundreds of stores, food outlets, cinemas and even a club), but I had no idea how good the shopping was just one block back from Waikiki beach. I shopped my way almost the foot of Diamond Head, all the way down to the Beachwalk – the new shopping precinct in town. It took 6 hours, when a brisk walk with one’s eyes fixed firmly on the footpath and the wallet staying put would have taken about 20 minutes.

The day before I went to the outlets. An outlet shopping tour would have cost around $24 but the public bus is $2. I chose the latter preferring to spend the change on things to stuff into my suitcase. What they didn’t tell me was it’s a looonnngg way and when the traffic is heavy, even longer. Try 2 hours… and I had to change buses once. There are 50 shops to choose from and shoes aplenty, but for the amount of time it took to get there, there’s better shopping in Waikiki.

I loaded up with necklaces and dresses here

The International Marketplace is opposite Moana Surfrider full of gorgeous floral sundresses and tops and jewellery. Along the road toward the market I passed several posh shops like Salvatore Farigamo, Kate Spade and Prada. Guess, Banana Republic and Ed Hardy lured me in between the countless ABC stores selling brightly coloured lilos, snacks and souvenirs.

By the time I reached the end it was time for a mojito and to people watch as the sunset over the surfers.

This sale runs until September 11, so go on, give them a ring 0800 75 87 87. You deserve it.