Introduction: Time of year: Late October 2016 Purpose of trip: As part of our round the world trip, we were determined to see Halong Bay. In reality, that is best done by an overnight junk cruise. Why we chose this place: Halong Bay is unlike anything else, with thousands of limestone mountains rising from the … More Review: Dragon Legend II, Halong Bay, Vietnam
Vietnam’s chaotic. The roads are a battleground: cars, cabs, trucks, buses and thousands upon thousands of scooters fighting for space; all, seemingly, blaring their horns at each other simultaneously . Our cab ride to the station at Hue immersed us into this now familiar tangle of traffic. On one side: ten-ton trucks bearing down on … More Life and death on the Vietnamese Express
We traveled the length of Vietnam on the Reunification Express – the train line linking Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. And then disaster struck. … More Life and death on the Reunification Express
It was lunchtime on the Shinkansen between Tokyo and Hiroshima and the immaculately dressed food hostess was passing. I had heard that they sell bento boxes on the trains, so I asked the lady what was on offer. She handed me 4 cards, each with a different option. One consisted primarily of braised beef tongue, … More Bento: the art of the unusual food experience
We traveled from Banff to Vancouver on the Rocky Mountaineer. Here is our comprehensive review. … More The view from carriage 11: Rocky Mountaineer review
Today we did the 285-mile run from Kamloops which is in a semi-arid desert into Vancouver. The first 100 miles or so were through the dry landscape, where rainfall is only 25cm per year. It was truly remarkable scenery and we were seeing eagles and long-horned sheep throughout that stretch. Here are a few highlights … More Photo essay: Rocky Mountaineer Day 2
We completed the 300-mile Banff-Kamloops leg of our Rocky Mountaineer trip today. It was simply stunning and the weather was wonderful. Here are a few photographic highlights …
2emptynesters 