I love traveling. Visiting strange and new places seems to be freeing me from the everyday environment I have been through. This is a kind of small enlightenment that makes us to realise the lightness of the reality burdens we consider so heavily. Especially when traveling overseas, the fresh impulses of newness are lingering in my head for a long time.
To really enjoy a trip, you have to go into the lives of those who live there. Unfamiliar scenery and delicious food are just stimulating our senses. I am particularly pleased to share my thoughts with people there and talk with them in areas I am interested in. Due to the nature of the e-learning field, I have had many opportunities to meet my expertise with overseas clients. I am very excited about this experience, wonders, and confirmation of homogeneity.
This year was my sabbatical year and I expected a lot of opportunities, but unfortunately I had very little chances. My wife was sick and hospitalised for more than a month. After her recovery, I got invitation from Vietnam. My visit was to visit Can Tho, the capital of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. I decided to add two more stopovers. There was not much difference in air fare anyway, so it cost me about 50 US$ more. There is a service to book an airline to set up an especially stopover flights. https://airwander.com/ In some cases, it is cheaper to travel via stopover. By using the stopover service, I finally searched and compared the cost from the SkyScanner service. https://www.skyscanner.co.kr/ By comparison, we can make reservations for less expensive places. The hotel used http://booking.com or http://agoda.com.
I searched through Tripadvisor and internet and I looked for local tourism service packages. They have a day package tour in Danang and a tour to Ha Long Bay in Hanoi. In Da Nang, I had to go to the local travel agent to book for the tour. For Ha Long Bay, I could book online via email.
In Da Nang, it rained all day and I went to a travel agency to book package directly, but all the tour were canceled. I traveled to and fro around the city. I found a tasty Vietnamese noodle on the street by random pick. The next day, we moved to Can Tho and finished the scheduled seminar presentation well. Even there it rained. I had acquaintances so I consolated me with my loneliness while traveling. Lastly, I flew over to Hanoi and a guide arrived in Hanoi Hotel to picked me up and had a one-night cruise trip. It was very enjoyable having a nice trip with multi-national people from Spain, Australia, United Kingdom and Holland. The three-star cruise costs $ 140 per person, including meal and entrance fee, and accomodation. I will try the 5 star cruise next time. 🙂 I remember the memories of the lake and Hoan Kiem lake where I stay shortly after returning from the cruise. My bag is heavy, so I left it with a dollar including the service of calling a taxi to airport. The itinerary was planned using Google Maps. If you use off-line maps, you can conveniently use the map even if you do not have internet access.