ACER Switch 10E
DECEMBER 2015: SUMMARY: When I started my travels in November 2014, I went with an ASUS Transformer Book T100 which had excellent online reviews. In my own ASUS Transformer Book T100 Review, I told you about how maddening the T100 was in real life and how disappointed I was with it. What this experience did was help me really focus on exactly what I needed out of a 2-in-1. When I briefly returned to NZ in August 2015, I purchased an ACER Switch 10E at the Harvey Norman online store for NZ$499 (US$329). Here is my practical review of the ACER […]

ACER Switch 10E – Review

  DECEMBER 2015:   Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. Read about Vietnam Visa. OVERVIEW:  Hoi An was the principal port of the Cham Kingdom, which controlled the strategic spice trade with Indonesia from the 7th to the 10th century and was a major international port in the 16th and 17th centuries – and the foreign influences are still there to this day. While the serious shipping business has long since moved to Da Nang, the heart of the city is still the Ancient Town / Old Town, full of winding lanes and Chinese-styled shophouses, which is particularly atmospheric in the evening as the […]

Hoi An – Vietnam – Information

DECEMBER 2015: OVERVIEW: My costs start on arrival in Hoi An by local bus and include: 3 nights in a Delux Double room in a nice new-build Homestay 21 nights in a Double Room in a Hotel with a small swimming pool 1x Bicycle Hire Mobile Data / Communications Visa cost apportionment 2 Flights from Da Nang to Hai Phong (to get to Cat Ba Island) Minibus from Hoi An to Da Nang Airport Lots of partying and entertainment CROSS REFERENCES: For more detail, read about Hoi An – Vietnam – Information. Click here to read about Retirement Locations in this country. Click here for detailed Travel Information […]

Hoi An – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs

  DECEMBER 2015:   Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I am impressed by Hoi An. It is a Tourist Town – but a nice Tourist Town. I haven’t written up my Hoi An – Vietnam – Information yet (nor my Hoi An – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs), but I will when I leave on the 14th December 2015. Hoi An will, also, be making it into my RETIREMENT REVIEWS at the same time. I wanted to get out of the Old Town and look around the ‘edges’ a bit to get a better feel for what it might be like to […]

Hoi An – Vietnam – Around Hoi ...

NOVEMBER 2015: OVERVIEW: My costs start at the Airport, Da Nang and include: A taxi from the Airport to my Hotel on My Khe Beach 4 nights in a nice room in a nice Hostel Mobile Data / Communications A 1-Day Scooter Hire (with petrol) A big partying night out A local bus from Da Nang to Hoi An CROSS REFERENCES: For more detail, read about Da Nang – Information. Click here to read about Retirement Locations in this country. Click here for detailed Travel Information and more Travel Budgets in this country. Read About – GRANDPAcking Costs if you don’t know how to interpret my figures. SPREADSHEET SUMMARY: MY ACTUAL 1 PERSON […]

Da Nang – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs

NOVEMBER 2015: Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. Read about Vietnam Visa. OVERVIEW: Đà Nẵng is one of the major port cities in Vietnam (in addition to Ho Chi Minh City and Haiphong) and the biggest city on the South Central Coast of Vietnam; the city is situated on the coast of the Eastern Sea, at the opening end of the Hàn River. Đà Nẵng is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam, with a well-sheltered, easily accessible port; its location on the path of National Route 1A and the North–South Railway makes it a hub for transportation. It is located […]

Da Nang – Vietnam – Information

NOVEMBER 2015: OVERVIEW: My costs start at the International Airport, Nha Trang and include: A minibus from the Airport to Nha Trang City (Cam Ranh) 4 nights in ‘backpacker’ accommodation (below GRANDPAcker Standard) Mobile Data / Communications A 1-Day / 3 Dive SCUBA Dive Trip A taxi from my Hotel back to Nha Trang international Airport The flight from Nha Trang to Da Nang CROSS REFERENCES: For more detail, read about Nha Trang – Information and the SCUBA Dive Trip. Click here to read about Retirement Locations in this country. Click here for detailed Travel Information and more Travel Budgets in this country. Read About – GRANDPAcking […]

Nha Trang – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs

  NOVEMBER 2015:   Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. Read about Vietnam Visa. OVERVIEW: Welcome to District 1, Saigon on a beach with lots of Russians. There are direct flights from Russia to Nha Trang which means that it is very much a Russian holiday destination. Nha Trang is westernised; there are a lot of western-style restaurants, coffee shops, bars and other services for foreigners. Thanks to the high density of foreigners, there are many citizens who speak English (and Russian). Hundreds of expats — Europeans, Australians, Asians, Canadians, and Americans — live in Nha Trang, either full- or part-time. This beach town on […]

Nha Trang – Vietnam – Information

NOVEMBER 2015: Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I had just arrived in Nha Trang that same evening. I had booked into my Guesthouse and had ‘hit the streets’ to find a local street cafe for dinner. I met an Englishman who was dining next to me. He worked for Rainbow Dive, one of the best Dive Shops in Nha Trang. He told me that they were going out the next day and that, because it was Friday, we got 3 dives instead of 2… with the last dive being a ‘Debris Dive’ where you collect debris from the sea floor. […]

Nha Trang – Vietnam – SCUBA Dive ...

NOVEMBER 2015: OVERVIEW: My costs start at the Ferry Terminal in Phu Quoc and include: A minibus from the Ferry to Duong Dong A shared taxi from Duong Dong to my Hotel 23 days / 22 nights in Phu Quoc 21 days Scooter Hire A 1 Day Fishing & Snorkelling Trip in the South A Sunset BBQ & Squid Fishing Trip The flight from Phu Quoc to Nha Trang CROSS REFERENCES: For more information, read my post on Phu Quoc, the 1 Day Snorkelling & Fishing Trip, and the Sunset BBQ & Squid Fishing Trip. Click here to read about Retirement Locations in this country. Click here for detailed Travel Information […]

Phu Quoc – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs

NOVEMBER 2015: Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I booked my trip directly with John’s Tours at their office on Tran Hung Dau opposite the Paradise Resort. This was just up the road from where I was staying at the Nhat Lan Resort. John’s have a number of tours on offer: Snorkelling & Fishing to the South: US$17 Snorkelling & Fishing to the North: US$17 Sunset BBQ & Night Squid Fishing: US$15 South Tour: US$18 North Tour: US$21 Adventure Day & Night Cruise: US$30 Northern Frontier: US$30 Trek National Park & Discover Cua Can River by Kayak: US$31 Discover North […]

Phu Quoc – Vietnam – Sunset BBQ ...

NOVEMBER 2015: Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: It is easy to find and book trips around Phu Quoc Island. I booked my 1 day snorkelling trip at the Thanh Kim Nga Resort which is just down a side road from the Coco Bar. I could have booked it anywhere but, a couple of nights before I had met Michelle (an elderly Frenchman) who owned the Thanh Kim Nga Resort and he said that his Vietnamese wife organised such tours and that she would give me a good price. These resorts work with local operators for commission. Thanh Kim Nga works […]

Phu Quoc – Vietnam – 1 Day ...