to St. Thomas

I head out on June 29th to St. Thomas to visit a relative and see the area. Hope to go to St. Johns and Tortola and plan on some diving while I am there.

My new car

I just got a new 2009 Honda Element. Traded my Honda CRV and sold my other Odyssey in January so it didn't cost me a thing.

Been a while

Haven't blogged in 6 weeks. Had a party for Memorial weekend and had a jam with the Tom Kats, a local blues band. They have become good friends and I always enjoy playing with them.

Back in St. Pete

The trip back to Tampa wasn't so long. We stopped in Manila overnight and then in NYC before heading to Tampa. I don't think I will be so jet lagged since the travel wasn't so long as usual. I had a good trip but this wasn't the best trip I have had. I am already planning my next trip to Sipadan in September. This will be another dive trip, this time to Malaysia.

Hoi An and Hue

We flew to Hoi An and stayed in a really lovely resort there. My room was on the 3rd floor off by itself with an incredible view of the area. We all wish we were staying in Hoi An longer as the resort is lovely but the town is very quaint. The shopping is great and you can get any piece of clothing made in less than a day. Dresses, shirts, pants, jackets, and even suits. One guy said he has suits for over $1000 and the clothing is Hoi An are very well made.
Today we drove all day to Hue. The countryside is beautiful and green. We drove up some mountains and were very high up with great views. We stopped numerous times for photos and even saw some kids riding water buffalos. They even did yoga poses on top of these animals. Great shots. They were doing it for tips but it was still a sight!
We are in Hue and it is rainy so hopefully it is clear tomorrow for our boat ride to the Pagoda. We have another full day tour and then fly to Hanoi for a few nights before heading back to Manila.

Floating Market day

Today we drove almost 3 hours to the Mekong River for the floating market. This one was quite different from the one I saw near Bangkok, Thailand. The boats were bigger and the canal much wider so a whole different perspective. We would stop by the side on the river and see where they made rice cakes, sweets(pineapple hard candy) and other sweets. On the side of the river is a narrow paved road where people can walk, bicycle, or scooter down. You have to be aware at all times in Vietnam and there are so many people moving around constantly.
We stopped by a place for local fruits, and wonderful place for lunch. They had a fish pond there where they cook your fish right there. We didn't have any but people got to see the whole fish while eating. We just dove so didn't feel like eating what we swam with.
It is quite hot here and very sunny so it is a bit tiring. Most of us are or have been sick so it is a bit tough. I still have a cough but have my energy back.
I forgot to mention that yesterday we saw the War Remnants Museum in Saigon. It is filled with guns, airplanes, and many photos from the Vietnam war. Very sobering but Vietnam is thriving and people seem to be doing well with their lives. Their homes are very narrow and usually 2-3 floors high so they live in small spaces.
I am still amazed how the traffic can flow with so many vehicles going in every direction.

We fly to Danang tomorrow and drive to Hoi An.

In Vietnam

Sorry I haven't written but the internet at the resort was too expensive so I only did a couple of hours time to check emails. Then I got really sick, absolutely no energy with chills and congestion. I got a Z pack of antibiotics but I was not doing much for about 3 days.
The diving in Dumaguete of the Philippines was good with alot of soft coral and nice walls.There wasn't a whole lot to see. I guess I got spoiled diving in Indonesia a few months ago.
The resort was seclude so we mainly hung around and dove a couple of island nearby. We did go to a local market nearby on Wednesday to see the locals and get lots of photos. They have an animal auction with mainly water buffalo's, goats, and pigs. Boy did the pigs scream at times when their owner was walking them down the street. They had taxis which carried people along with their animals.

We flew to Manila with an overnight there and had to get up at 4 a.m. to take a 7:25 a.m. flight to Saigon. Then a day tour around the city. The traffic is just incredible with buses, vans, scooters, and bicycles all moving around together. Massive amounts of traffic and it seems like chaos but everyone gets around each other without running into one another.
Going to the night market tonight with a floating market in the morning. I loved the floating market in Thailand as you really get the local flavor plus there are some great pictures.
I will be more in touch from now on as I have my laptop and wireless.