Our three days in Beijing included trips to the Forbidden City, the Emperor’s Summer Palace, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and dinner and entertainment at the Great Hall of the People. Here are some photos–including one of the ambulance that followed the tour group–just in case someone fell off the Great Wall. Joe

We visited the Jade Buddha Temple, the Yu Yuan Gardens, the Bund on the Huangpu River, the Arts and Crafts Research Institute, and of course we went shopping. Here are some photos. Joe

We spent a little time in the Port city Xiamen, which is a kind of a Gateway to China. It’s in a special economic zone and with 4 million people is a pretty big deal. By comparison, I think Chicago has about 2 million people. Anyway, here are some photos taken in Xiamen. Joe

Hong Kong, like New York, never sleeps. Here are some photos from the day and a half we spent there. Joe

We piled onto a junk with some friends to sail on Ha Long Bay, a UNSECO world heritage site. The bay is dotted with fishing villages at the base of some of the rock / island formations and it has an almost indescribable natural beauty. It’s kind of like the Grand Canyon in that you […]

A visit to Chan Mae included stops at Hoi An, Dan Nang and China Beach. It is officially dubbed Marble Beach, but the official name is ignored in favor of China Beach. Here are some photos that include the bustling market in Hoi An’s Chinatown, the jungle in My Son (pronounced Mee Sun), and China […]

We took a long (7 hour) trip out to the Mekong Delta, which is about a 90-minute drive from Saigon. As usual, motorbikes were everywhere on the roads.   In Viet Nam, traffic lights (a rarity) and Stop signs are mere suggestions so the drive was took us through the usual chaotic traffic. When we arrived […]

Saigon is now officially Ho Chi Minh City but the locals call it Saigon anyway. It very much resembles Paris; not too surprising since much of the architecture is from the French colonial period. It is a study in contrasts: an old city, filled with young people, ancient traditions and unbelievably chaotic traffic mostly led […]

Quite a few photos here including street scenes, outdoor markets, and of course, Temples and Pagodas. Cambodia and Thailand are studies in contrast. The beach resorts we visited are first rate. Not so much the villages and small cities outside the upmarket tourist areas. Joe