As 2008 comes to an end, it's time to reflect back on some of the good stuff it brought. I'll start with my great trips of 2008. This excludes 2 short trips to KL in January and August.
08-16 June - Hua Hin and Bangkok, Thailand
Stayed At:
08-11 - Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa, Hua Hin
11-13 - Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Hua Hin
13-16 - Eastin Hotel and Spa, Bangkok
Background:
All thanks to a Team Conference held in Hua Hin. In my first visit to my favourite country since Chiang Mai in Feb 2006, happily extended the company-sponsored 3 nights with 2 more nights to fully explore Hua Hin and surrounding attractions and 3 nights in Bangkok.
Impressions:
A new destination to explore + an old favourite, good value hotels, free booze, Iron Man in a Bangkok cinema and a total of 8 nights in Thailand. Overall, a great fun trip.
09-13 August - Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Stayed At: Blue Lime. It had opened just days before we arrived, so new in fact that there wasn't a sign at the front door - that cost me some walking around with luggage. But nice hotel with pretty much all the furniture in concrete, loved the pool, great value for money at US$40 per night.
Background:
Booked this trip just 2 weeks before the departure date. Had considered Phnom Penh for the trip in November but dropped it in favour of HCMC. But when the long wait to November and a Jetstar promotion gave me itchy feet, Phnom Penh it was! Then dropped Jetstar because of their crappy schedules and this ended up as our first time flying SilkAir.
Impressions:
Was fun to visit a new city, a new country, even one with such a sad history. The motorcyclist taxis constantly hounding us and the beggar kids were a pain. But it was a beautiful place, easy to get around, easy to book sightseeing tours, with plenty of great and reasonably priced food.
Big fan of Cambodia's e-Visa system. Easy to use, pretty fast processing and it only cost US$25. This definitely makes it very attractive to visit Cambodia.
01-05 November - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Stayed At: Blue River Hotel. Continuing our trend of staying at cheaper but good hotels. This one cost US$27 a night. Will be hard to find a cheaper hotel anywhere else that's as good as this one.
Background:
Booked this trip way back in early July, before even the Phnom Penh trip. Our first time flying one of the budget airlines went to Jetstar. Our flights were alright and on time, so will probably use them again.
Impressions:
Again a city in a country I hadn't visited before, always fun to explore. Had read and heard a lot about how hard it is to cross the streets because of all the motorcycles but didn't really have that much trouble.
Loved Pho 24 and their Yoghurt dessert drinks, the excellent coffees available just about everywhere, the majestic Jesus statue and sunbathing in Vung Tao, the water puppet shows.
Not a big fan of the tour companies in Ho Chi Minh City. Limited tour choices, the prices really aren't that great and they're just too happy dumping 40 people in a coach instead of having smaller groups. It got even worse at the Cu Chi Tunnels, where our group got merged with at least 3 others. The tour guide, although funny with this $3-note jokes, didn't get a tip from us.
Also definitely not a fan of the hefty Vietnam visa fees which cost more than my plane ticket. Vietnam is a beautiful country but those visa fees will make me think twice before heading to Hanoi, Da Nang or any of their many places of interest.
08-16 June - Hua Hin and Bangkok, Thailand
Stayed At:
08-11 - Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa, Hua Hin
11-13 - Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Hua Hin
13-16 - Eastin Hotel and Spa, Bangkok
Background:
All thanks to a Team Conference held in Hua Hin. In my first visit to my favourite country since Chiang Mai in Feb 2006, happily extended the company-sponsored 3 nights with 2 more nights to fully explore Hua Hin and surrounding attractions and 3 nights in Bangkok.
Impressions:
A new destination to explore + an old favourite, good value hotels, free booze, Iron Man in a Bangkok cinema and a total of 8 nights in Thailand. Overall, a great fun trip.
09-13 August - Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Stayed At: Blue Lime. It had opened just days before we arrived, so new in fact that there wasn't a sign at the front door - that cost me some walking around with luggage. But nice hotel with pretty much all the furniture in concrete, loved the pool, great value for money at US$40 per night.
Background:
Booked this trip just 2 weeks before the departure date. Had considered Phnom Penh for the trip in November but dropped it in favour of HCMC. But when the long wait to November and a Jetstar promotion gave me itchy feet, Phnom Penh it was! Then dropped Jetstar because of their crappy schedules and this ended up as our first time flying SilkAir.
Impressions:
Was fun to visit a new city, a new country, even one with such a sad history. The motorcyclist taxis constantly hounding us and the beggar kids were a pain. But it was a beautiful place, easy to get around, easy to book sightseeing tours, with plenty of great and reasonably priced food.
Big fan of Cambodia's e-Visa system. Easy to use, pretty fast processing and it only cost US$25. This definitely makes it very attractive to visit Cambodia.
01-05 November - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Stayed At: Blue River Hotel. Continuing our trend of staying at cheaper but good hotels. This one cost US$27 a night. Will be hard to find a cheaper hotel anywhere else that's as good as this one.
Background:
Booked this trip way back in early July, before even the Phnom Penh trip. Our first time flying one of the budget airlines went to Jetstar. Our flights were alright and on time, so will probably use them again.
Impressions:
Again a city in a country I hadn't visited before, always fun to explore. Had read and heard a lot about how hard it is to cross the streets because of all the motorcycles but didn't really have that much trouble.
Loved Pho 24 and their Yoghurt dessert drinks, the excellent coffees available just about everywhere, the majestic Jesus statue and sunbathing in Vung Tao, the water puppet shows.
Not a big fan of the tour companies in Ho Chi Minh City. Limited tour choices, the prices really aren't that great and they're just too happy dumping 40 people in a coach instead of having smaller groups. It got even worse at the Cu Chi Tunnels, where our group got merged with at least 3 others. The tour guide, although funny with this $3-note jokes, didn't get a tip from us.
Also definitely not a fan of the hefty Vietnam visa fees which cost more than my plane ticket. Vietnam is a beautiful country but those visa fees will make me think twice before heading to Hanoi, Da Nang or any of their many places of interest.
No comments:
Post a Comment