Tag: Vietnam

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Asia Beaches

Ha Long Bay – Venetian beauty in East

Ha Long Bay – Venetian beauty in East

One of the things that you must definitely consider doing if you are ever in Vietnam in the future is to cruise on Ha Long Bay.

The Ha Long Bay is a majestic bay comprising of nearly 2,000 limestone islands. The natural spectacle has been declared a UNESCO World Cultural Site.

How to reach Ha Long Bay?

A bus ride from Hanoi in Vietnam will land you on the bay in about 4 hours.

What to eat?

Food is easily available in the region and non-vegetarian food, especially fish, is the most common but a large number of vegetarian alternatives are available. The quality of food on a cruise depends on the quality of cruise – generally expensive, the more expensive a cruise is, the better the quality of food is.

What is the best weather to visit Ha Long Bay?

Though Ha Long Bay is awesome in all weather; the best time to visit it is on a clear sunny day.

What to do in Ha Long Bay?

The junk boats in the bay made of old wood add a flavor of bygone days to the natural beauty of the place.

1. Go Cruising

The best thing it does in Ha Long Bay is to do go cruising. It is a relaxation in the cradle of nature that will warm welcome to you on a holiday especially if you are coming from noisy city of Hanoi

2. Visit local floating villages.

yes, you heard it. Floating villages! A bamboo ride will take you to these small almost entirely self-sustained island villages. They have few homes and often each home has a small fish farm of its own. The people are engaged in fishing and pearl trading and have lived here for centuries.

The villages are far away from the nearest mainland, and so in order to protect them from the excesses of Bay and wind; they are built on large buoys which is what earns them the title of floating villages.

Even little children take a boat to their small, one-room classes.

3. Go Kayaking

A journey to the Ha Long Bay is incomplete without Kayaking. If your restless limbs won’t let you rest in cruise; this physical sport might appeal to you even more. Nevertheless, everyone must have this unforgettable experience.

4. Sunsets

Only very few sights are as impressive as a sunset in Ha Long Bay, it’s orange light filling the whole view with its stunning beauty.

5. Sunrise

Rising earlier in the morning here will pay yours incredibly in the form of sight of an amazing sunrise that will greet you.

6. Go fishing

If fishing is your thing, it is another thing on cards. And what better way to spend time as you wait for the sun to rise.

7. Caves

The cave tours will take you to limestone caves found on some of the islands. Being on small islands the caves themselves are quite small but that doesn’t take away from their immense beauty. They were cold and aptly lit by soft lighting which showcased their beauty best.

The Sung Sot Grotto or “Amazing Grotto” has some of the best caverns. On the other hand of them is a cliff, offering a panoramic view of the whole bay.

The downside is these caves might easily get crowded.

8.. Cooking Classes

You can take cooking classes on your cruise and learn to cook some local delicacies!

Tips

Some tips on the selection of a cruise:

1. The price you pay for the cruise is normally an indicator of the quality of your experience (budget, mid-range or luxurious).

2. If you want to save some bucks at the expense of some inconvenience; you should book a cruise locally in Hanoi with one of the travel agencies. The inconvenience is in hunting for the agency that offers the best price. Book online to avoid this inconvenience.

3. Make sure your cruise offers everything you wish to do. After ensuring it, double-check it.

4. The smaller the boat, the more personal the experience it produces. Thus, we recommend ensuring the size of the boat is right for you.

5. Try to go for cruises that take you to less-traveled places in order to avoid crowds.

Lastly, make sure you click a lot of pics. 🙂

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Asia Travel Trends

Floating Markets of the world that will make you Spellbound!!

A floating market is one where commodities are sold from boats. These markets originated in times when water transport used to be an important mode of transport and consequently became major tourist attractions. Mainly situated in Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam, there are other such lesser known markets also. Some of them are as follows:

Damnoen Saduak floating market

Located in Ratchaburi Province of Thailand, this is one of the most famous floating markets in the world. It is best to visit the market early in the morning to avoid too much crowd and the heat of the day. With a variety of items sold for mainly the tourists, haggling becomes extremely important here. Also, one needs to be careful of being conned by taxi drivers and overpriced goods.

Amphawa floating market

This one is not as huge as the Damnoen Saduak floating market but is more genuine where Thais make up for the majority of the visitors. It is located 72 km from Bangkok in the Amphawa District of Samut Songkhram Province. The market operates on the weekends from 4 pm to 9 pm and seafood is its main attraction especially squid, shrimp, and clams.

Dal Lake floating market

The Dal Lake in Srinagar, India is popular for its early morning floating vegetable market. It is Jammu and Kashmir tourism’s prized possession as well as a photographer’s paradise because of its scenic beauty.  It has vast stretches of Lotuses which add to the charm of the place. The annual turnover of the market is estimated to be around 35 crores despite operating for just 2 hours every day from 5 am to 7 am.

Floating market in the Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands are located to the north- east of Australia and Papua New Guinea lies on its west. Though not as large as the South East Asian floating markets, boats drifting on the pristine waters of these islands are a memorable sight. Here, most of the sellers are females and are often accompanies by their kids making the ambience a lively one.

 Cai Rang Floating Market

This floating market is the largest of its kind in Mekong Delta, Vietnam. It has been identified as a National Intangible Heritage of the country. The market is wholesale in nature selling mainly fruits and vegetables.  People visiting Can Tho must take a round of Cai Rang Floating Market too.

The list is endless but the aforementioned floating markets are some of the well- known ones making it a compulsion to visit them for at least once in one’s life.

Categories
Asia Beaches

Asia’s 4 Lesser Known Honeymoon Destinations

Selecting a honeymoon getaway for yourself and your partner might be little tricky as that trip is supposed to be the most romantic and memorable one of your entire life. There are some conventional holiday destinations in Asia like Maldives, Bali, Mauritius and Phuket but listed below are 4 offbeat ones that are excellent options for you to visit in the new phase of your life.

Hoi An, Vietnam

This is a 15th century UNESCO World Heritage town famous for its traditional Vietnamese homes and colossal French colonial houses. Here you will get a chance to completely travel back in time and enjoy delicious food in top class restaurants. You can also relish the lip-smacking street food that this pretty little town has to offer. You should stop in at one of the town’s numbers of tailors and cobblers, where they create something completely bespoke for you to embellish your wardrobes. Staying at the Nam Hai Hotel will give you the added benefit of the beach and a pool

Isle East Indies

You can rent a private island here for yourself and your better half. The feeling of waking up all alone on a marooned island with your husband/wife and the amazing natural beauty is surreal. The island can be reached via Raden Mas, a vintage wooden sailing boat and the house you will be sleeping in is a Javanese Joglo, an antique and ornately hand carved timber structure that was erected in Central Java and brought over to the island piece by piece. Through the house, the natural sea breeze flows and there is a euphoric view of the turquoise sea. Sports lovers can make the most of the activities such as scuba diving, waterskiing, snorkelling and kayaking to neighbouring islands. Alternatively, you can chill and relax on one of your private beaches in peace. Couples must have barbeque dinner onboard Raden Mas boat. Some of them are known to have fallen asleep on deck under the canopy of the twinkling stars.

 Tugu Hotel, Lombok

Known as Puri Dadap Merah, this Honeymoon House is based on the architecture of Java’s Red Aksobya Temple and is filled with antiques from Java and Bali. This makes it a place for veritable and unique experience. It also boasts of a mosaic pool facing the ocean, a private spa and dining terrace as well. Tugu Hotel is located on the beautiful and immaculate white sand beach of Sire and has fishing villages and traditional homes near it that can be visited by foot or a two- wheeler. A horse drawn carriage ride during the sunset is a must here for the couples.

Kyoto, Japan

If you visit Kyoto in Japan in between the last week of March and the mid of April, you will witness the popular cherry blossom season. The place is blissfully serene with its Buddhist temples and Zen gardens offering peaceful moments. You may row around the lovely Hozu-gawa area in a rented boat and spend quality time with your spouse. To make this an even more memorable experience, you should stay at Tawaraya which is known for being one of the best ryokans in not only Kyoto but also in the entire country. It is a world-class accommodation frequented by celebrities, aristocrats and politicians

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