Sandra Scott Travels

The towering limestone, forest-covered karst formations in Halong Bay are the iconic image of Vietnam. They are much-loved by the Vietnamese, have been featured in various movies and have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 10-day cruise John and I took on Pandaw’s Red River ended in Halong Bay. The perfect place to end an amazing trip. We learned there are two Halong Bays – one on land and one in the Gulf of Tonkin. Pandaw’s crew takes care of everything.

I have never taken a voyage aboard one of the popular big ship cruises. But I am a fan of small ship river cruises, especially in Asia. I love river travel. Asian rivers are dynamic. They transport people and goods plus many towns and cities grew up along waterways. At low water time, the fertile shore become gardens.

The Hoa Lo Prison is better known to Americans as the “Hanoi Hilton” and where John McCain and other American POWs were held during the Vietnam War. It is called the “American War” in Vietnam. Vietnam has been invaded by the Chinese, French, and Japanese. The “American War” was the most recent and the shortest except for the five-year control by the Japanese. The major portion of the prison depicts the incarcerations of prisoners other than Americans.

There are a plethora of statues of Buddha throughout Asia. Many people view Buddhism as a religion but technically it is a way of life or a philosophy. Buddhism began in northeastern India and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhism is 2,500 years old and is followed by 350 million worldwide. Like most religions and philosophies understanding Buddhism is difficult to understand completely.

People are often surprised when I say it is less expensive for us to spend the winter in Southeast Asia than it is to stay at home. And certainly less expensive than spending the time in Florida or somewhere else where it is warm and sunny. Part of the plan is to stay where the Americans do not. Places charge what the market will bear and one thing that raises the price is if it is a popular destination for foreigners especially Americans.

There are very few places in the world where the culture has remained the same for years. Myanmar is one of those. But, now it is changing – too fast. We have visited Myanmar every year for ten years. There is much we love about the “Golden Country” but now we go mainly to enjoy Ngapali Beach. It, too, is changing. Now there are more hotels and many flights arrive every day.

I love it when hotels offer free activities for their guests – especially if there is a cooking demonstration. I may never make the recipe at home but I get to try something new and typical of the area John and I are visiting. The Malaysian Island of Penang has some of the best Indian food. Why? More than ten percent of the island is of Indian ancestry.

Cemeteries might not seem like a likely place to visit as a tourist but they are. Some people visit cemeteries to pay homage to presidents, artist, poets and other influential individuals. Others go to admire the art and architecture, while still others find the beautifully landscaped gardens a place to reflect.

I always suggest that people take a hop-on bus tour first. There were two options: Beach Tour and City Tour. I liked the fact that the tks are good for 24 hours from the time it is stamped and the buses run until 7 p.m. John and I chose the beach tour which took us to the Entopia Penang Butterfly Museum. Penang was on the Spice Trade Route.