Teacher Trekker

Southeast Asia

HCMC, Vietnam – War Remnants & HCMC Museums
HCMC, Vietnam – War Remnants & HCMC Museums

HCMC, Vietnam – War Remnants & HCMC Museums

Like most major and capital cities around the world there are a plethora of museums that people can visit throughout Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). According to most travel guides and walking tour itineraries available on the internet, writers suggest…

HCMC, Vietnam – Silliness at the Saigon Central Post Office
HCMC, Vietnam – Silliness at the Saigon Central Post Office

HCMC, Vietnam – Silliness at the Saigon Central Post Office

History & Backstory of the Saigon Central Post Office As mentioned in a previous posting, just next door to the Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral (The Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception) in an area that some refer to as…

HCMC, Vietnam – Sickness, Soccer & Saigon
HCMC, Vietnam – Sickness, Soccer & Saigon

HCMC, Vietnam – Sickness, Soccer & Saigon

As I mentioned my first few days in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) also commonly referred to by its former name Saigon had me spinning out of control looking for some sort of normalcy for me to grab onto. Not…

HCMC, Vietnam – Reunification Palace
HCMC, Vietnam – Reunification Palace

HCMC, Vietnam – Reunification Palace

Reunification Palace also referred to as Independence Palace was once the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The original capital building Norodom Palace was bombed in 1962, and a new building was designed to…

HCMC, Vietnam – Walking Tour
HCMC, Vietnam – Walking Tour

HCMC, Vietnam – Walking Tour

Getting Lost  I decided to spend my first full day wandering the streets of Saigon combining a recommended walking tour route with a few additional sites I wanted to visit. I decided to take a cab to drive me to…

HCMC, Vietnam – Arrival: Airport, Hotel, & Eating at the Ben Thanh Market
HCMC, Vietnam – Arrival: Airport, Hotel, & Eating at the Ben Thanh Market

HCMC, Vietnam – Arrival: Airport, Hotel, & Eating at the Ben Thanh Market

Airport I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC – Saigon) in the early afternoon. I had no issues clearing Customs & Immigration. In general, the agents in Vietnam were slower, appearing to look through documentation more thoroughly, but that is…

Trip Preparations & Flying to Osaka, Japan
Trip Preparations & Flying to Osaka, Japan

Trip Preparations & Flying to Osaka, Japan

I’m currently sitting in John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport Terminal 4 waiting for my already delayed flight to Vietnam. Actually I am flying first to Osaka, Japan where I will pick up an almost immediate connection to Taipei, Taiwan.…

Thailand Updates
Thailand Updates

Thailand Updates

I have just completed a number of Thailand updates from my 2011 trip, where I visited Ayatthaya, Bangkok and the island of Phuket.  From explorations, to countless temples, to island hopping in speedboats around the Andaman Sea, there was enough adventure and culture to make it…