I just returned from a trip to U Minh Thuong national park in the southern Mekong region. This was a tour unlike most others I do. This was one to be of discovery….. It all started with my friend and partner Nghia suggesting we return to the park after having a limited success with some [...]
Driving the Mekong
I just returned from a trip to U Minh Thuong national park in the southern Mekong region. This was a tour unlike most others I do. This was one to be of discovery….. It all started with my friend and partner Nghia suggesting we return to the park after having a limited success with some [...]
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Different travelers in Indochina.
Indochina is an exciting place to visit and it attracts many different kinds of travelers. From what I have observed working in tourism in Vietnam, nowadays the mix is pretty equal between back packers, flash packers, general and upscale tourists. I sometimes wonder which group gets it right when visiting a foreign country. There is [...]
Tet + Business = Pain and suffering
It is now more than 10 days after TET. A person would think that life would be back to normal, but I am afraid that the lingering effect to TET will remain for some time. It was Thursday and people were supposedly back to work…… not so!! There are so many problems with the RipTide [...]
TET Vietnam New Year
Tonight is New Years Eve. The Vietnamese know it as TET and it can be a horrendous time for a traveler to be here and even worse for the foreigner who lives here. The Vietnamese take this holiday very seriously and for 10 days, almost the entire country will come to a standstill. For the [...]
For the first time in 3 years
For the first time in 3 years, Mai and I have a chance for a little time together. The last of the customers has checked out and Mai woke up this morning singing like it was the best day ever. I was giddy with delight to see the love of my life chirping like a [...]
R.I.P. Tide Hotel……. enter RIPTide Homestay
Today at 11 pm we are locking our doors and the Tide Hotel as it currently exists will be no more. Mai and I have spent 3 years offering travelers the opportunity to experience real Vietnam away from all the lights, chaos, and artificial air of the backpack or tourist areas. It has been an [...]
Vietnam Visa Update
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody!!!! I made some recent posts to the Trip Advisor website that were simply about some up and coming changes that will affect travelers to Vietnam. For the life of me I cannot understand what their problem is and I notice many of the most knowledgeable contributors absent with [...]
Who can a person trust?
December has been a very bad month and I am hoping that Mai and I will prevail. We knew when we started the renovations on the house that there was going to be trouble, and we agreed to try not to let it get to us. It has been a difficult journey that is finally [...]
There are Bees and then there are BEES
Here I was on tour pouting over a very sore toe due to the awkward way the Minsk motorcycle is configured when a bee collided with my arm and stung me. This is not an unusual occurrence as when touring coffee plantations and orchards where there is a lot of pollination going on, it is [...]
The woes of business
It is so difficult to do, organize, or direct business in Vietnam. I have become convinced this is a very large part of why it lags far behind the rest of the world. I sometimes wonder if there is any hope that things will change, but sometimes…. I see a glimmer, when one of many [...]
The value of goods….. and money.
Vietnam has undergone heavy inflation which is making already poor people more desperate. Almost everything has gone up 20-25 % in the past couple of years. Even with this high inflation, Vietnam is still one of the most affordable places to travel. I encourage budget travelers to look at Vietnam as a travel destination, [...]
The latest update in the life of Owee
It has been a little difficult to come up with subject matter lately for my blog as I have run into a bit of a snag. You see, I give travel advice on a popular forum and also write this blog that gives travel advice. They are sort of at conflict in a way as [...]
