Log in
Join travelers community
Your Profile
Logout
When I had the opportunity to use frequent flyer miles for an overseas trip, I decided to use them to go over a different sea than usual for a trip to Asia in November 2002. Here is a report on that trip to Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
TRIP TO ASIA, NOVEMBER 2002
Amc2004-09-13 14:42:34
Displayed times (last time: )
locations, some near my hotel. With all these strikes against it, I still felt drawn to find Ann’s, and the site’s touching story hadn’t even sunk in of Ann establishing the travel agency so she could have contact with foreigners and ask for help in locating her sons who were in the U.S. but she didn’t know where. I would go to the market area and see if one of the streets that wasn’t marked on the Rough Guide map was Ton That Tung. As I walked, I had continuing problems with traffic and was followed for blocks by men offering rides on motorcycles or cyclos (bicycle rickshaws with a passenger chair in front), neither of which appeal to me. It was a pain to get around and cross streets, finding major intersections unregulated and what stoplights there were viewed as advisory. I got to the market area and didn’t find the street. As I expanded the search area, I found the New World Hotel, possibly affiliated with my Hong Kong hotel, and asked the concierge for help. He didn’t know where the agency was, but called the office and got directions; it was near, but I was advised to take a cab.
I got the cab to the agency, and I was advised to have a seat in the entrance area and have tea. Tony, Ann’s son, came out and helped me with my plans. An obstacle in my booking a trip to Siem Reap was whether I could connect to my return Saigon-Hong Kong flight, both in terms of time and my having a used single-entry visa. I had seen for myself at the airport that one could turn towards the transit area without going through passport control. Tony said that I could be booked on a flight that gave me two hours to connect. He was cautionary about it, saying that was a busy time at the airport, but I was ready to go for it and booked the trip. The American-raised Tony also gave me tips for my stay in Saigon, offering me brochures and a map with all streets indexed. I also had him arrange an excursion to the Cu Chi tunnels. I asked to pay with my Diners Club card,
...
See photographs from:
Vietnam Gallery
,
Macau Gallery
,
Hong Kong Gallery
,
Cambodia Gallery
