tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60191472012-02-11T10:22:53.948-05:00Here you can read about some of my past trips, and hopefully many future ones.Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-52479900321537821982009-11-24T00:06:00.000-05:002010-01-21T00:13:16.679-05:00

Bagan There were a couple of things that were not negotiable, for me, in Burma. One was the boat ride Mandalay to Bagan, the other the balloons over Bagan. My schedule then became dependent on that. The boat to Bagan, which takes 9 hours, only departs from Mandalay on certain dates, the slow boat that takes 13 hours I was informed is a government owned. I booked my ticket to leave on Thursday

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-458293355617345412009-11-23T09:11:00.000-05:002010-01-21T00:24:44.751-05:00

It was already evening when I arrived at the totally charmless Hotel Hongtha, my room was adequate and it was within walking distance of the market and internet. The AC worked and the shower had hot water. What else can a weary traveler ask for? Mandalay is as different from Yangon as night and day. The streets have mainly paved sidewalks and are for the most part walkable. There are no or very

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-9315530860287743232009-11-22T01:48:00.000-05:002010-01-21T00:23:36.148-05:00

Ngapoli The plane is approaching the airport and as I am looking out over the Bay of Bengal and the beach of Ngapoli. I am once again so grateful for what I am experiencing, and also for the fact that my psyche permits me to travel like this. I am starting to recognize that perhaps my way of traveling at my age is a little different from most people’s comfort level. Be that as it may we are

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-85282495907172632542009-11-21T01:46:00.000-05:002010-01-21T00:23:04.448-05:00

Inle Lake What a bizarre thing it was to check into Air Bagan 6.30 am. Show my ticket, no ID, no passport absolutely nothing except a ticket was required. My luggage was under the limit, I was tagged with an Air Bagan label and waited with yet another Italian tour group, as well as one from Hungary. There were very few independent travelers, it seemed those that were had a guide with them. The

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-45692021905254687612009-11-20T01:23:00.002-05:002010-01-24T20:42:42.001-05:00

Yangon Tuesday November 3rd The flight from Chiang Mai via Bangkok was incredibly smooth. The luggage is checked through and I am labeled, in such a way that I can sit in Bangkok Airlines transit lounge, with complimentary snacks, internet etc. My cough is bad and I am in a panic about not being able to enter Myanmar. Fortunately all the medication is holding up and I sail quietly through

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-55941661460035328602009-10-29T00:30:00.000-04:002010-01-21T00:50:28.465-05:00

Was dutifully picked up 6 am and got on a flight to Bangkok. It was like coming home, because everything was familiar. Agneta was there to greet me, caught up on internet and e-mail, then I went for a treat. anicure, a badly needed pedicure and finally eyelashes. There is a salon across the street from her house that does all of the above. Had decided last year to get the lashes, after seeing all

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-5750014565173263622009-10-28T01:17:00.000-04:002010-01-21T00:20:41.889-05:00

VIENTIANE The Boat Landing was probably a novelty when it first opened up, and am sure that it still is in many ways. It is a lovely remote place, don't know how it was when the original owners and builders ran it. Now it is as I wrote a place to chill out, or be picked up by a car for a trek. Our flight was over an hour delayed getting into Vientiane, couldn't really see much as it was getting

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-52661599991322398032009-10-26T01:13:00.000-04:002010-01-21T00:21:24.341-05:00

It is so interesting how things happen in an instant. I was supposed to meet up with this couple to go for dinner at the Boat Landing. They were nowhere to be found, decided to go by myself and was unable to get a Tuk Tuk. It is too far out of town. Finally returned to Zuela , and asked for a good Lao restaurant. They sent me to Panda, where I ended up having a fantastic evening. It was

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-84234989780944426672009-10-24T01:05:00.000-04:002010-01-21T00:53:22.772-05:00

October 19 Am writing this while cruising up the Nam Ou river towards Muang Khua. The magic just seems to continue. After having decided to take a mini van to Nong Khiaw instead of the boat from L.P., a decision I was grateful for having made. On the trip up I met 3 French-Swiss people who were a complete delight. We all ended up staying at the Riverside, which was just across the bridge after

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-70061552975426711332009-10-23T03:44:00.000-04:002010-01-21T00:52:48.670-05:00

Having spent a very wet night in Bangkok, wet in the sense that the skies opened up, I never expected the Bangkok Air flight to depart on time for Luang Prabang, L.P. from now on. Well it did, 1 hour 40 minutes later, including lunch and 2 glasses of wine we landed. Coming in the country is so green and verdant, am itching to explore further. After having obtained my visa, Sweden is $4 cheaper

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-86043416614320326142009-10-16T07:09:00.002-04:002009-12-16T15:35:48.533-05:00

The center of Singapore is very pleasant to walk around, lots of street sculptures and open spaces, if only it wasn’t so hot. The average temperature that I have experienced so far is 90-95F except after yesterday’s thunderstorm. Singapore has always been a place I wanted to visit, it reads so excitingly and exotic, I am not disappointed. Except have not been able to do more than a very few

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-92159041567599865612009-10-14T21:36:00.001-04:002009-10-26T03:34:59.767-04:00

Leaving New York arriving Singapore Friday Oct 12 The trip starts with a scare. On check- in with Singapore Airlines they want the last 4 digits of my credit card, or no boarding pass. You know the ad for Amex that says never leave home without it, well I did..... Don’t ever unless you have all the numbers easily retrievable. Mine are on line in a web account, in order to get them you need to

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-11544734121805110692009-10-02T09:40:00.001-04:002009-10-02T09:41:20.196-04:00

Oct 7 NYC - Singapore Oct 9 arr Singapore Oct 10 Singapore Oct 11 Singapore Oct 12 Bangkok Oct 13 Luang Prabang Oct 14 Luang Prabang Oct 15 Luang Prabang Oct 16- Oct 22 travel towards Luang Namtha Oct 23 Luang Namtha Oct 24 Luang Namtha Oct 25 Vientiane Oct 26 Vientiane Oct 27 - 30 Bangkok Oct 31 Bangkok to Chiang Mai Oct 31 - Nov 3 Chiang Mai Nov 3 Yangon Nov 4 Yangon Nov 5 Yangon Nov 6 - Nov 24

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-76791871902967772542008-12-15T10:02:00.002-05:002008-12-15T10:07:45.674-05:00

Arriving in Cambodia and acquiring a new son.We depart from the floating hotel around 9 am to cross the border into Cambodia, it is a fairly short boat ride and the boat docks on a mud bank.Time to move the luggage once again, there are young boys who will do it for you and then say “money” as if you weren’t going to tip anyway. The guide has all of our passports and the $22 fee which is $2 more

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-4664881511299351582008-12-12T09:04:00.000-05:002010-05-18T09:10:37.735-04:00

Saigon Meet some fellow travelers who steer me to a hotel called Hahn Hoa Hotel on Pham Ngu Lao Street in Ho Chi Min City or Saigon as I prefer to call it.. They have two rooms to choose from one for $30 with a view over the park or $20 with no window, I choose the window. I get an enormous room with two queen sized beds, flat screen TV and a computer with internet connection. This area of

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-89114912698258546032008-12-12T07:56:00.001-05:002008-12-12T07:58:18.776-05:00

Saigon and overnight boat on the Mekong!The morning is glorious, I receive my usual wonderful greeting from the staff and wander off in search of I don’t know what. Saigon is a city made for exploring, and I still have presents to buy. I walk up Le Loi to the Opera House, admire the wide boulevards and lovely plantings. Amble down side streets, and backtrack until I get to Parkson’s a very fancy

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-23153101542473897292008-12-01T07:06:00.004-05:002008-12-01T07:08:55.245-05:00

Hoi AnOne of the advantages, or is it a disadvantage of independent travel is that you can change your mind and direction, even before you have finished walking down the block. Now if you are with other people plans are less flexible, decisions are made as a group and usually adhered to. I am sure that I have missed many “must sees” because I was tired, bored couldn’t be bothered and also because

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-51374021717107626312008-11-22T21:38:00.001-05:002008-11-22T21:40:31.785-05:00

Dinner that second night is at Cha Ca La Vong, there are at least 3 restaurants with that or similar name on the same street. Since I had the wrong street number it took me a while to figure out which one was which. For 90.000 you get a slew of greens to cook with the fish, of which there were a very few fried pieces, though I have read it is broiled, it wasn’t, set over a clay brazier and a

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-5155313364339164312008-11-21T10:06:00.002-05:002008-11-22T10:23:02.887-05:00

Good morning VietnamChecked into the Hanoi Elegance 3 early morning, was met with a glass of lemonade, my welcome drink. The room is quite nice, with a shower that looks like a space capsule. Wake up the next morning to a lovely breakfast, and am off. The hotel is in the “old quarter” and very conveniently located to everything.The first order of the day was the Temple of Literature, it was

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-4071353354957930832008-11-18T04:17:00.002-05:002008-11-21T10:06:06.621-05:00

China farewell! Spent my last day in Lijiang going back to the market, wandering around, filled with greed for all the cooking implements. The cleavers were so sharp and beautiful, the fact that I already have one, hardly ever used is beside the point. Skimmers in all different sizes and all those woks, I wanted them all. Don’t worry I restrained myself, didn’t buy one item.Walk by a store in

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-35378512054491225102008-11-18T03:22:00.002-05:002008-11-18T03:24:27.536-05:00

Lijiang, Naxi sites and Baisha9 am Lu is waiting for me by south entrance to the old town. We are going sightseeing. She is a young girl studying English, who trained as a tourist guide but unfortunately studied Japanese. She lives in Baisha, and her English teacher is the other partner at my hotel.We start off at Jade Water Village which is a big park dedicated to Naxi rites and traditions. The

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-20896686652407594632008-11-18T03:20:00.001-05:002008-11-18T03:21:37.212-05:00

Lijiang continued.Since I have 4 ½ days here, decide to take it easy in the morning. I get out around 11 am and the town is quiet. People are out doing their thing, especially around the pools. Laundry is big here as is washing vegetables. The water comes down from the mountains into town in small canals. There are three pools in strategic positions within the canals, throughout town. The

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-21501261210259728802008-11-11T18:26:00.001-05:002008-11-11T18:27:39.275-05:00

My last major stop on the China tour is Lijiang. One more night in Kunming and Guangzhou for the day until I reach Hanoi in Vietnam. I have 4 nights here and as many days, it is perfect. The bus from Dali pulls in at 2 pm after a 3 ½ hour trip at the cost of 50 RBM, taxi to the parking lot outside the old city 7 RBM, where I am met by a young man who takes me to my home for the next few nights.

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-61639646977563189332008-11-09T16:36:00.002-05:002008-11-09T16:38:37.703-05:00

The New Era in Kunming have the most extensive breakfast buffets that I have ever seen. I think that there were at least 6 stations, each quite enormous, featuring Chinese, Japanese and Western foods. Being no slouch in the food department I made sure to sample quite a few of the items, before I left for Dali.My original plan was to spend the day in Kunming and take an evening flight out. What I

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-43357187410194613842008-11-07T09:13:00.002-05:002008-11-07T09:18:44.196-05:00

YangshouCorrection, I did not eat bearded crab, it is called hairy crab, as it was pointed out to me so now you all know.The taxi was waiting for me in the morning just as agreed, butit wasn’t the driver I expected. I forgot to mention that the taxi I had taken the previous evening to the restaurant had an English speaking young man as a driver. We had arranged for him to pick me up in the

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-25979130426457080402008-11-06T21:25:00.002-05:002008-11-06T21:29:57.793-05:00

Xi’anArrived to the hotel at 7.30 pm. Tired and cranky after all I had not eaten since noon. The airline, since the flight was so delayed, provided some weird box lunches for us, Chicken, warm lettuce, peas mixed with corn and of course rice. I took the airport bus for 27RBM which stopped a block from the hotel across from the Bell Tower.I am staying at Xi’an city hotel at a rate of 168RBM or $25

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-48469394340919318262008-10-31T02:48:00.002-04:002008-10-31T02:53:08.548-04:00

Suzhou, Tongli and HangzhouAm sitting at Hangzhou airport waiting for my flight to XiAn to depart, it is at least 5 hours delayed due to weather. It gives me a good opportunity to catch up.After my very brief visit in Shanghai, the next morning I boarded the train to Suzhou. What I haven’t revealed so far is that I am not traveling as lightly as I usually do, not that I am ever a minimal packer.

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-4012067081513222892008-10-29T23:23:00.002-04:002008-10-31T02:54:11.241-04:00

Overnight train travel, Pingyao and ShanghaiAccording to my itinerary I was supposed to leave Beijing for Pingyao on the 22nd. Well it didn’t happen, all the trains were sold out and all I could get was a hard sleeper on the 23rd. Not knowing the difference between a hard and soft sleeper I accepted the ticket, figuring all it meant was comfort level. Not quite, a soft sleeper has 4 to a

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-50072417535330834052008-10-27T10:37:00.002-04:002008-10-27T10:53:06.064-04:00

Beijing continuedIt was a very grey day when I went to the Forbidden City, had rented or at least paid for an audio guide when I came upon the English information desk, with a Chinese British woman manning it. Sorry I didn’t write her name down, but I was told more than even I needed to know. Was told not to bother with the guide, since Roger Moore’s can only be picked up at the North gate, and I

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-8776781023596716072008-10-24T22:32:00.002-04:002008-10-24T22:37:07.102-04:00

Beijing the first couple of daysArrived to a very grey Beijing after an uneventful flight on Korean Air and took the airport bus into Beijing. Tried to get a metered taxi but there were none, I ended up in a stainless steel Tuktuk. He delivered me to Red Lantern House which was to be my home for the next 5 nights, Hutong meaning alley, sounds glamorous and quaint, this one was not, though very

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-64059573547856509282008-10-21T09:20:00.002-04:002008-10-21T09:51:35.287-04:00

Day 4 SeoulGertie had asked if she could come with me on my explorations , We set out early because I wanted to see the changing of the guard at Deoksugung Palace. It was not to happen since there was no changing of the guard that day. Even better, there was going to be a whole procession taking place at 3 pm in front of City Hall. We took our time exploring the palace grounds and seeing the

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-19371410864951694842008-10-17T03:54:00.001-04:002008-10-21T09:51:35.288-04:00

Day 2 SeoulBreakfast has an interesting assortment of foods. There is mixture of Korean and Western dishes. They serve a lightly smoked salmon, vegetable salads, dried small fish, hard boiled and scrambled eggs and the standard cereals. I opt for kimchi, (fermented cabbage), and all the other goodies.The card to the camera is stuck and I want to get a mouse for the laptop so decide to go

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-787154507249729122008-10-10T18:06:00.000-04:002008-10-21T09:51:35.289-04:00

SEA Trip Seoul Day 1 So many firsts, eating Oyster pancakes, Bimbimbap, Chrysalis, riding the Seoul subway, going to the top of Seoul tower, while having a delightful time. After having spent a great day in Toronto meeting up with old friends, it was time to board my flight for Seoul ,Korea . By the time we boarded I had been up for 18 hours as well as having slept very little the previous

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-30915980250257072692008-09-28T06:02:00.006-04:002008-09-28T06:46:11.865-04:00

One week to go before I leave.Still haven’t figured out what to pack clothes wise. Will be dealing with two different climates, which for me is always hard to plan for. The common advice is wear layers, how many and what? Am never sure what layers mean.Managed to buy a new suitcase that is much lighter than my others, it has 4 wheels and spins. Much too big I think at 26” but am sure that I’ll

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-46008375830251729312008-09-16T02:39:00.003-04:002010-01-21T00:55:13.050-05:00

Su Oct 5 9.10 am Delta #5270 JFK –arr Toronto 11.07 am dep Korean Air # 74 11.50 pm Tu Oct 7 arr Seoul 2.30 am Tu Oct 7 Seoul We Oct 8 Seoul Mingle Th Oct 9 DMZ Panmunjom Fr Oct 10 Seoul Sa Oct 11 Seoul Su Oct 12 Kyongju Mo Oct 13 Golgusa Temple for Temple stay Tu Oct 14 return to Kyongju We Oct 15 Andong and Sorak Mountains Th Oct 16 Sorak National Park and hot springs Fr Oct 17Dep Seoul 11.50

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-71506659046641697812008-09-13T15:26:00.000-04:002008-09-16T08:54:48.298-04:00

A two months trip to Asia? This is how it all began, like most things in life it was totally accidental. It really started on a Saturday night in June at Carnegie Hall. I had been invited to a concert given by a friend to celebrate her 60th birthday. The invitation was for 2 people and my glamorous friend came along. During the reception she made a beeline to a table where two single men were

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-48273338724859524972007-11-28T07:12:00.001-05:002008-09-28T06:33:27.227-04:00

INDIA India is totally fascinating and I love it. Agra was magical we managed to see the sunset and sunrise since our guesthouse Sheela was a 3 minute walk from there. The most amazing sight in Agra was the Baby Taj another mausoleum which preceded the major Taj by 26 years. It was breathtaking.The train ride from Delhi to Agra was very interesting, I ended up sharing a compartment with a Swedish

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-1089982307085714372004-07-16T08:51:00.000-04:002008-10-21T09:54:25.483-04:00

May 2004 - July 2004 Italy and CroatiaWell, here I am finally in Rome after a 24 hour trip. Didn't get on theRome flight, went over to another terminal to try for Alitalia no go,finally got on the plane to Venice.It was only two hours late leaving because of storms, no problem- I amcosy in business class drinking champagne and eating well. Even sleptfor a couple of hours and had decided that I

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6019147.post-28467098124646266891998-10-30T12:32:00.000-05:002009-04-09T12:34:02.800-04:00

Så fort jag såg i SWEA's international nyhetsbrev på nätet, att det skulle bli ett regionmöte i Seoul Sydkorea bestämde jag mig att det skulle jag vara med på. Att det sedan utökades till en två månaders resa i Asien gjorde inte mitt beslut värre.Jag anlände till Seoul dagen innan mötet började, så hade en chans att upptäcka denna underbara stad lite grann på egen hand. Jag hade aldrig rest till

Fannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17859380677456342761noreply@blogger.com0