A Week in Cambodia
Last week I was back in Cambodia to do a couple more channel management/social media seminars in conjunction with e-Hotel Alliance, so I decided to stay on afterwards for a few days to explore some of the more far-flung temples around Siem Reap.
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Hanoi: Around the clock
Sample 24 hours of non-stop entertainment in Hanoi, as we go from the traditional to the modern.
5 am: Exercise
The whole of Hanoi stirs gently as if it is itself waking from a sound sleep. Autumn breezes make the weather cooler, and the scent of milk flowers hangs in the air. It is the best time to breathe in Hanoi’s air at its purest. Many people start the new day with morning exercise. People flock to Hoan Kiem Lake, Thong Nhat Park and Thu Le Zoo to exercise. No one pays attention to others but all of them concentrate on the music from old radios. Old people in white outfits slowly dance with swords and fans, creating an idyllic picture of morning which lacks the usual bustle of Hanoian life.
The Spot Opens on Hang Be
With framed Propaganda Art hanging on the walls out front and photographic images of Vietnam in the lounge bar area out back, The Spot is a welcome mid-range addition to Hanoi’s eating and drinking scene. It also marks a departure from the typical, grungier restobars so prevalent in the tourist friendly Old Quarter.
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Factory Opens on Bao Khanh
“Workers of The World, Unite” reads the red banner in four languages at the entrance to Factory. And while this extravagant but surprisingly tasteful addition to Hanoi’s former Pub Street is hardly a working man’s bar, the labour, socialist theme runs through the whole space.
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The Theory of Rent
Asking what makes some districts more desirable to live in than others is like asking why red sportcars are more popular than pick-up trucks. It’s obvious, isn’t it? Jeremy King explains
Have you ever wondered why we live where we live? You may have thought that developers use a ‘pin the tail on the donkey’ approach to choosing the next residential hub, or that, like a flock of sheep, we see one person moving to a desirable looking area in pastures new and get this overwhelming urge to follow. You may be surprised to learn then that there is, in fact, an anthropological reason behind where we reside. There’s even a scientific formula to explain it.
Corpse shakedown
A family says bad cops and shakedowns kept them from recovering the body of a deceased loved-one for five days.
Relatives of a deceased Vietnamese-Canadian have accused a policeman and several others of attempting to extort money from them as they struggled to recover his body.
For refusing to pay kickbacks, the family said they endured a five-day nightmare before picking up the body at a hospital in District 7. The saga concluded with them discovering that the body had been autopsied without their consent.
The bus run - Phnom Penh to Saigon
For my regular commutes between Saigon and Phnom Penh I usually take the Mekong Express Bus. Yesterday I decided to try the Sapaco Tourist Bus for a change. Finally reaching the safety of home I can now laugh about the journey as I sit here safely ensconced in my familiar surroundings, so unless you are completely barmy, or a thrill seeking nutter, this company should be avoided like the plague.
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My day with a Vietnamese soldier
I spent today with a lieutenant in the Vietnamese army, sitting behind him for seven hours as he showed me the sights of Dalat's countryside and told us about his life in the war.
Huang Van Hong is now one of the members of Dalat's Easy Rider Club , a group of 80 motorbike guides who whiz around the countryside (and beyond) to show visitors the beauty of this region up in the hills of the Vietnamese Highlands.
Aliens in Vietnam
"How do you say thank you in Vietnamese?"
The border guard stared blankly at me, mumbled something (which wasn't "thank you") and gestured me toward the baggage scanner before we reboarded the bus from Phnom Penh to Saigon (now known as Ho Chi Minh City).
I asked the same question of the officer who stamped my passport but he just gave me back my document and gestured me to move on.
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The Contenders - The Girls
Part two in a two part feature From The Word Hanoi. The see the guys go here
We’ve had such a great response to The Word Ha Noi Challenge that we’ve decided to up our contestants to 13. So, time to introduce them as they embark on their two-month journey to transform themselves from overweight or even underweight, into the physical Atlas of their dreams. The challenge will finish in early November.