A VISIT TO THE 'STANS' (or some of them).

 28th Mar 2025

You will have heard of many of the 'Stans' which are countries (the coloured ones above are ex-Soviet Union) which comprise a large part of Central Asia. They include those shown above (not including the newly created 'Londonistan') which gained their 'independence' in 1991. They cover a large area. For example Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world and the size of Western Europe, which gives you some idea of the scale. The distance from East to West of the map above is about 2000 miles. I have done a (very) small amount of research before embarking on this trip which, like all previous others, will be organised 'by the seat of my pants' (ie. play it as I go). During my limited research, and purely as a matter of interest, I discovered that the 'Paki' in Pakistan is an acronym from its component regions of Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir and Indus-Sind. You live and learn! Anyway, given the vast distances involved and having little idea of the transport network, I will only find out where I can get to on arrival. The old 'Silk Road' trading routes, 4,000 miles of them (up until the mid-15th century) passed through this area through places such as Almaty, Tashkent, Samarkand etc.

I aim to start this journey on the 29th March at the romantic and charming transport hub of Stansted Airport (somewhere north of London) from where I hope to fly to Almaty at the south-east of Kazakhstan. 

To be continued……….continuing!

I must say I find most airports intensely irritating establishments nowadays. Stansted is no exception and up with the worst. 80% of it is taken up by a vast shiny shopping 'mall' selling all sorts of expensive (duty free!) tat plus grossly expensive food and drink outlets. I do not come to these places to go shopping! The remaining 20% is an actual airport. The crowds and queues were horrendous and, after eventually getting to the security checks, you can never be sure what some jobsworth will find which is 'against the rules' (see my final previous Vietnam blog). I always travel with only a cabin bag and a small rucksack ('under the seat in front' sort of thing), and this is a minefield as to what is allowed 'free of charge' depending on airlines' greed and vagaries. Anyway, I endured this experience without any problems and caught the Pegasus Airlines (a Turkish company) Airbus 321 for the initial, 4 hour, flight to Istanbul East. It was on time. The aircraft was packed and, in cattle class, not much leg-room and no screen for in-flight entertainment or info. There was no 'free' catering service but you could buy very expensive refreshments from a limited menu. It was basic, but efficient.

Left: Istanbul 'Sahiba Gökçen' airport which serves destinations to Asia. Another 'shopping mall' and useless WiFi system which involved having to find a rare machine, with a long queue, to scan your passport to get a code, and most didn't work and when they did only gave you 2 hours of Wifi. I was helped in doing this by a charming young Iranian girl who was much more tech-savvy than me. I was quite hungry by now and found a restaurant where I ordered a pint and a half of lager and a pizza. Cost? £44.50 !!!!!!! 😖

Onwards to Almaty (Kazakhstan) in another packed Pegasus Airlines Airbus 321 (same service as previous) which was 45 minutes late departing at 10.45pm (local time). Interestingly there was a very varied 'ethnic' mix of passengers including a few 'westerners'. I am not sure, yet, what an 'ethnic Kazhac' looks like! I had an aisle seat. A couple of these 'Westerners' were sitting across the aisle from me and wore face-masks for the whole duration! Nobody else was. I thought those filthy rags had gone out of fashion. It was a 5 hour flight and difficult to get any shut-eye in the rather cramped conditions. On approach to Almaty I wished I had had a window seat. The view to the north was spectacular, with high rugged snow-capped mountains glowing in the dawn sun. We touched down just after 6.00am (local time). I think Almaty is 5 hours ahead of UK.

Almaty airport was a pleasant surprise after the previous two. Clean and cheerful, polite staff, not crowded and quickly through passport control with no hassle. The security guards looked faintly 'Chinese' wearing smart Soviet style uniforms and those wide-brimmed service caps. 

In 'arrivals' I exchanged some money for local 'Tenge' currency (£1 = 600 Tenge). There was  a decent café and a most helpful Tourist Information desk manned by a charming young man, called Tim, who spoke perfect English. He issued me with a good city map of Almaty and ordered a cheap and non-rip off taxi (similar to Uber), to which he escorted me, to take me to my hotel. It arrived promptly for the 20 minute, £3, journey. He also shared his 'WhatsApp' comms and told me to contact him if I needed any more advice. An impressive service.

I write this from my hotel, the Reunion City, where, having had a freebie breakfast, I am off to get some kip. I have not had any sleep since waking up at Stansted at 6.00am yesterday and I've rather lost track of the time. It seems a very decent hotel and at £40pn very good value.

That will do for the 'intro' on arrival at Almaty and  Kazakhstan.

Now having problems signing in. Future posts will be delayed. I bet you can’t wait!

UPDATE OF INDEX

To remind my reader of how to view a particular location: Click on to the 'arrow' next to the relevant year at the 'blog archive' list top right of most recent blog. This opens up the month selections. Then click on to relevant month arrow and that will open up the blogs in that month.

It's a long scroll down to the latest on this list!

If you wish to enlarge a photo, just single click on it.

Incidently, if using a 'smartphone', scroll down to the bottom of the first page where you  should opt to 'view web version'. This allows you to select the 'arrows' as above.

 

It seems that after a long period of not being able to 'comment' on these blogs, the problem has been resolved (I think). If you wish to make a 'comment' (anonymous if you prefer), however rude, in the box at the bottom of each blog, please do so! 

List of Posts

2011

Jan

1.      The Beginning

2.      At Sea - Now Antwerp - Belgium

3.      Stranded in Le Havre - France
Feb

4.      Crossing The Pond

5.      Noo Yawk, Noo Yawk - USA

6.      Virginia - USA

7.      Washington DC - USA

8.      Columbia - South Carolina - USA

9.      Charleston - South Carolina - USA
Mar

10.    Miami - Florida - USA

11.    Fort Lauderdale - Florida - USA

12.    Savannah - Georgia - USA

13.    Boston - Massachusetts - USA

14.    Boston - Post Script - USA

15.    Niagara Falls - Ontario - Canada

16.    Toronto - Ontario - Canada

17.    Winnipeg - Manitoba - Canada

18.    The Canadian - Toronto to Vancouver - Canada
Apr

19.    Vancouver Island - British Columbia - Canada

20.    Seattle - Washington - USA

21.    Amtrak. Seattle to San Francisco - USA

22.    San Francisco - California (Part 1) - USA

23.    San Francisco - California (Part 2) - USA

24.    San Diego - California - USA

25.    Tijuana to La Paz - Mexico

26.    La Paz - Mexico

27.    Mazatlan - Mexico
May

28.    Guadalajara - Mexico

29.    Mexico City

30.    San Christobal de Las Casas - Mexico

31.    Antigua - Guatemala

32.    San Salvador - El Salvador

33.    Managua and Granada - Nicaragua
Jun

34.    San José - Costa Rica

35.    Panama City

36.    Flight to Lima - Peru

37.    Lima - Peru

38.    Nazca - Peru

39.    Cusco - Peru

40.    Machu Picchu - Peru

41.    Andean Explorer - Peru

42.    Puno (Lake Titicaca) - Peru

43.    Arequipa - Peru
Jul

44.    Panama to Auckland - New Zealand

45.    Bay of Islands - New Zealand

46.    Lake Taupo - New Zealand

47.    Cape Reinga - New Zealand

48.    Russel Birdman Festival - New Zealand
Aug

49.    Rotorua - New Zealand

50.    Napier - New Zealand

51.    Wellington - New Zealand

52.    Blenheim - New Zealand

53.    Nelson - New Zealand

54.    West Coast, South Island - New Zealand

55.    Queenstown - New Zealand

56.    Lake Tekapo - New Zealand

57.    Christchurch - New Zealand

58.    Kaikoura - New Zealand

59.    Auckland - New Zealand

60.    Across the Tasman Sea
Sep

61.    Sydney (Part 1) - Australia 

62.    Sydney (Part 2) - Australia 

63.    Melbourne (Part 1) - Australia 

64.    Melbourne (Part 2) - Australia 

65.    Tasmania - Australia
Oct

66.    Adelaide - Australia

67.    The Ghan - Adelaide to Darwin - Australia

68.    Darwin - Australia

69.    The Red Centre - Australia

70.    Back to Adelaide - Australia

71.    Onwards to Brisbane - Australia

72.    Brisbane to Singapore (Part 1)

73.    Taxis
Nov

74.    Brisbane to Singapore (Part 2)

75.    Brisbane to Singapore (Part 3)

76.    Singapore (Part 1)

77.    Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia

78.    Up Country - Malaysia

79.    Singapore (Part 2)

80.    Mozart. Malaysia to Sri Lanka

81.    Colombo - Sri Lanka

82.    Coffee
Dec

83.    Kandy - Sri Lanka

84.    Nuwara Eliya - Sri Lanka

85.    Back to Colombo - Sri Lanka

86.    Galle - Sri Lanka

87.    The Ancient Cities - Sri Lanka

88.    Trincomalee - Sri Lanka

89.    Negombo - Sri Lanka

90.    Tiruchirappalli - India
91.    Kerala - India

2012

Jan
92.    Goa - India
93.    Bombay - India
94.    Delhi - India
95.    Palace On Wheels. Rajasthan (Part 1) - India
96.    Palace On Wheels. Rajasthan (Part 2) - India
97.    Palace On Wheels. Rajasthan (Part 3) - India
98.    Palace On Wheels. Rajasthan (Part 4) - India
99.    Palace On Wheels. Rajasthan (Part 5) - India
100.  Calcutta - India
Feb
101.  Rangoon - Burma
102.  The Train To Bagan - Burma
103.  Bagan - Burma
104.  Mandalay (Part 1) - Burma
105.  Mandalay (Part 2) - Burma
106.  Inle Lake - Burma
107.  Ngapali Beach - Burma
108.  Bangkok - Thailand
109.  Siem Reap - Cambodia
Mar
110.  Phnom Penh - Cambodia
111.  Saigon - Vietnam
112.  Hanoi - Vietnam
Apr
113.  Sa Pa - Vietnam
114.  Ha Long Bay - Vietnam
115.  Beijing (Part 1) - China
116.  Hong Kong
117.  Beijing (Part 2) - China
May
118.  Mongolia
119.  Siberia - Russia
120.  Trans-Siberian to Moscow
121.  Moscow (Part 1) - Russia
122.  Moscow (Part 2) - Russia
123.  St Petersburg - Russia
124.  Helsinki - Finland
125.  Rovaniemi - Finland
126.  Up To Kirkenes - Norway
127.  Hurtigruten (Part 1) - Norway
128.  Hurtigruten (Part 2) - Norway
129.  Hurtigruten (Part 3) - Norway
130.  Hurtigruten (Part 4) - Norway
Jun
131.  Bergen to Oslo - Norway
132.  Oslo - Norway
133.  Copenhagen - Denmark
134.  Hamburg - Germany
135.  Hook of Holland - and Home
Jul
136.  The End
Aug
137.  Post Script - London
138.  Stand-by For More...

2013

Sep
139.  To The Democratic Peoples Republic Of Korea (North Korea)
140.  Pyongyang 1 - North Korea
141.  Pyongyang 2 - North Korea
Oct
142.  Kaesong and Panmunjom - North Korea
143.  Back to Pyongyang - North Korea
144.  Pyongyang 3 - North Korea
145.  Samjiyon and Mount Paekdu - North Korea
146.  Daehongdan County - North Korea
147.  Chongjin - North Korea
148.  Hamhung - North Korea
149.  Wonsan and Mount Kumgang - North Korea
150.  Mount Kumgang 2 - North Korea
151.  Mount Kumgang 3 - North Korea
152.  Wonsan Again - North Korea
153.  Back To Pyongyang and On To Nampo - North Korea
Nov
154.  Nampo and Back To Pyongyang - North Korea
155.  Train To Beijing - North Korea
156.  The Finale
157.  Impressions of North Korea
158.  Vids From North Korea
Dec
159.  Zambia
160.  Battledore Farm - Zambia
161.  Cool Bananas - Zambia
162.  Banana Hazards - Zambia
163.  Back On The Farm - Zambia
164.  Continued Jollities - Zambia

2014

Jan
165.  Christmas In Darkest Africa - Zambia
166.  Lusaka 1  - Zambia
167.  Lusaka 2  - Zambia
168.  Livingston (I Presume) - Zambia
169.  On Safari - Botswana
170.  Ndola N'Home - Zambia
Feb
171.  Onwards To Sarf America
Mar
172.  Buenos Aires and The Wedding - Argentina
173.  Around Buenos Aires - Argentina
174.  Jujuy Province - Argentina
175.  Salta - Argentina
176.  Cordoba - Argentina
177.  Mendoza - Argentina
178.  Santiago (Part 1) - Chile
179.  Olmue and Valparaiso - Chile
180.  Santiago (Part 2) - Chile
Apr
181.  To Osorno and Bariloche - Argentina
182.  Bariloche - Argentina
183.  Ruta National 40 - Argentina
184.  El Calafate - Argentina
185.  Tierra Del Fuego (Part 1) - Argentina
186.  Tierra Del Fuego (Part 2) - Argentina
187.  Iguazu - Argentina
188.  Buenos Aires - Finale - Argentina

2015

Jan
189.  The Saga Of My Nearly Lost Hat - UK
Jul
190.  We Wish To Apologise... - UK
Aug
191.  Those Blasted Announcements... - UK
Sep
192.  Tuscany By Train - France
193.  Mulhouse to Montecatini - Italy
194.  Florence - Italy
195.  Around Montecatini - Italy
196.  Lucca and Pisa - Italy
197.  Venice 1 - Italy
Oct
198.  Venice 2 - Italy
199.  Venice 3 - Italy
200.  Turin - Italy
Dec
201.  'Nam Revisited - Vietnam
202.  Saigon Again - Vietnam

2016

Jan
203.  Merry Keesmah - Vietnam
204.  Up The Mekong - Vietnam
205.  Happy Noo Yeer - Vietnam
Mar
206.  Snowdrops - UK
207.  Turkey - An Inspiration
208.  Istanbul Or Bust
209.  Budapest - Briefly - Hungary
210.  Brasov - Transylvania - Romania
Apr
211.  Bucharest - Romania
212.  Onwards To Istanbul - Bulgaria
213.  This Was Constantinople - Turkey
214.  Up The Bosphorous - Turkey
215.  The Turkish Bath - Turkey
Sep
216.  Up The Kennet - UK
Oct
217.  Down The Baltics
218.  Tallinn 1 - Estonia
219.  Tallinn 2 - Estonia
220.  Tallinn 3 - Estonia
221.  On To Riga - Latvia
222.  Around Riga - Latvia
223.  Riga Finale - Stuck Up A Steeple - Latvia
224.  Vilnius...And The Dark Side - Lithuania
225.  Vilnius...The Bright Side - Lithuania
Nov
226.  A Damp Day In Warsaw - Poland
227.  Berlin And Bed Bugs In Brussels - Belgium
228.  Cultural Day In Lille - France
Dec
229.  Bah Humbug And Chrexit - Vietnam
230.  Laid-Back Laos - Vientiane - Laos
231.  Va Va Vang Vieng - Laos
232.  Vang Vieng Voom Voom - Laos

2017

Jan
233.  Luang Prabang - Laos
234.  Luang Prabang And Elephants - Laos
Oct
235.  Ariba Ariba and Off to Cuba
Nov
236.  Havana Wander - Cuba
237.  Havana Further Wander - Cuba
238.  On West to Viñales - Cuba
239.  Cienfuegos - Cuba
240.  Ye Olde Town of Trinidad - Cuba
241.  Santa Clara. Viva La Revolución - Cuba
242.  Varadero. - Cuba
243.  Guanabo. Playa del Ested - Cuba
Dec
244.  Back to Havana - Cuba
245.  Havana Finale - Cuba
246.  Chrexit 2017 - Thailand
247.  Phuket and Beaches - Thailand
248.  Phuket Town - Thailand
249.  Saigon Again - Vietnam

2018

Jan
250.  Wats in Chiang Mai - Thailand
251.  A Day Out in Chiang Mai - Thailand
252.  More Chiang Mai - Thailand
Feb
253.  Chiang Mai - Bangkok - and Home
Apr
254.  Silly Signs
May
255.  By Plane to Ukraine
Jun
256.  Kiev Part 1 - Ukraine
257.  Kiev Part 2 - Ukraine
258.  Chernobyl Disaster. The Background Story - Ukraine
259.  Chernobyl Part 1 - Ukraine
Jul
260.  Pripyat. The Ghost Town - Ukraine
261.  Chernobyl Part 2 - Ukraine
262.  Bermuda or Bust - Bermuda
Aug
263.  St. George's - Bermuda
264.  More Bermuda
265.  Carnival Time - Bermuda
266.  Hamilton - Bermuda
267.  Finale - Bermuda
Sep
268.  Update of Index 2

Nov

269. Colombia. Caramba

270. Bogota. A Prelude - Colombia

271. Transport around Bogota - Colombia

272. More Bogota - Colombia

273. Medellín - Colombia

274. More Medellín - Colombia

Dec

275. On to Cartageña - Colombia

276. Santa Marta - Colombia

277. Bogota. Post Script - Colombia

278. Chrismiss 2018 - Thailand

2019

Jan

279. Saigon Again - Viêt Nam

280. Vietnam Underground - Viêt Nam
Apr
281. Amsterdam Cultural Tour - Holland
282. Yodel-ay-ee-Hoo around Switzerland
May
283. Yodelling on and back - Switzerland
284. Down the Balkans to Ljubljana - Slovenia
285. Down to Split - Croatia
286. Split to Dubrovnik - Croatia
287. On South to Montenegro
June
288. Cetinje - Montenegro
289. To the beach - Montenegro
290. Bar and back home - Montenegro
Sept
291. To Japanada (or Canapan)
292. Vancouver Island - Canada
Oct
293. All Aboard the Westerdam - Canada
294. Juneau (Juneau What?) - Alaska
295. Onwards Westwards
296. Past Kodiak Island and Beyond
297. Across the Bering sea
298. Kushiro Briefly - Japan
299. Arrival Yokohama - Japan
300. Kyoto Intro - Japan
301. More Kyoto. Day 1 - Japan
302. More Kyoto. Day 2 - Japan
303. Hiroshima - Japan
304. Nagasaki - Japan
305. Brief Visit to Kure - Japan
306. Tokyo - Japan
307. Sayonara Nippon - Japan

Dec

308. (Not) Christmas Again
309. No 'Ell in Far East - Thailand
310. OMG!. Pattaya - Thailand

2020

Jan
311. Sodom and Gomorrah - Thailand
312. Back to 'Nam Again - Vietnam
313. Đà lạt  Part 1 - Vietnam
314. Đà lạt  Part 2 - Vietnam

Apr

315. Lockdown. Week 1

316. Lockdown. Week 2

317. Lockdown. Week 3

318. Lockdown. Week 4

319. Lockdown. Week 5

May

320. Lockdown. Week 6

321. Lockdown. Week 7

322. Lulok Island. Part 1. Arrival.

323. Lulok Island. Part 2. The Village.

Jun

324. Lulok Island. Part 3. The Hills.

325. Lulok Island. Part 4. The Aztecs.

Jul

326. Lulok Island. Part 5. The Coast.

Aug

327. Lulok Island. Part 6. The Capital.

Sep

328. To Stockholm - Sweden

329. More Stockholm - Sweden

330. Yet More Stockholm - Sweden

331. Uppsala - Sweden

332. Tällberg - Sweden

Oct

333. Mora - Sweden

334. Back to Stockholm - Sweden

335. Finale Stockholm and Home - Sweden

Nov

336. Zanzibar or Bust.

337. Stone Town - Zanzibar

338. Nungwi - Zanzibar

339. The East Cost - Zanzibar

340. Bwejuu - Zanzibar

341. Back to Stone Town - Zanzibar

342. Tortoise and Spice - Zanzibar

Dec

343. Temple, Shops & Slaves - Zanzibar

344. Mainland Tanzania and Back - Tanzania

345. More Stone Town - Zanzibar

346. Further Haunts & Sights - Zanzibar

347. Final Fling in Zanzibar

348. On to Ndola - Zambia

349. Gone Bananas Again - Zambia

2021

Jan

350. Back to Livingstone (I presume) - Zambia

351. The Falls and Zambezi - Zambia

352. Booze Cruise and Wildlife - Zambia

353. Back to the Bananas - Zambia

Feb

Now back in Stasi UK and travel illegal or difficult and expensive until 202?

Mar

354. Single Life - UK

Apr

355. Single Life 2 - UK

May

356. Single Life 3 - UK

357. My Little Covid Rant

Dec

358. More Frustrations and Events - UK

359. Chrexit 2021

360. Onwards to Bangkok - Thailand

361. Back in Bangkok - Thailand

2022

Jan

362. Pattaya and Jomtien Revisited - Thailand

363. Art in Paradise Pattaya - Thailand

364. The Highlife in Bangkok - Thailand

365. The Train to Kanchanaburi - Thailand

366. The Bridge - Kanchanaburi - Thailand

367. More Sights around Kanchanaburi - Thailand

368. 50 Ridiculous Rules

369. Out and About around Kanchanaburi - Thailand

Feb

370. Back to Bangkok - Thailand

371. Bangkok and Home - Thailand

May

372. Return to Warsaw - Poland

373. By train to Ukraine - Ukraine

374. Checkin' Kyiv - Ukraine

375. More Kyiv - Ukraine

376. Encore and Farewell Kyiv - Ukraine

377. Train back to Warsaw - Poland

378. Krakon to Krakow - Poland

379. More Krakow and Home - Poland

Aug

380. Old Buffers and Geriatrics Pool Society

Oct

381. Silly Signs and Nutty Notices

Nov

382. To Brussels and Beyond - Europe

383. Tally Ho! To Tirana - Albania

384. Touring Tirana - Albania

385. More Tirana - Albania

386. Yet More Tirana - Albania

Dec

387. Toodle Pip Tirana - Albania

388. Chrexodus 2022

389. Saigon Saigon - Vietnam

390. The Journey to  Đà Lạt - Vietnam

391. Đà Lạt Revisited - Vietnam

392. Đà Lạt Day Tour Part 1 - Vietnam

393. Đà Lạt Day Tour Part 2 - Vietnam

394. On to Nha Trang - Vietnam

395. Hué - Vietnam

2023

Jan

396. The Dee Em Zee Part 1 - Vietnam

397. The Dee Em Zee Part 2 - Vietnam

398. Uncle Sam in Vietnam - Vietnam

399. Hué back to Sài Gòn - Vietnam

400. New Year in Saigon - Vietnam

Jul

401. Bits and Bobs

402. To Portugal. Algarve - Portugal

403. On to Lisbon - Portugal

404. A Trip to Bélem - Portugal

405. A Day in Cascais - Portugal

406. Encore Lisbon - Portugal

Aug

407. To Porto (or Oporto) - Portugal

408. Up the Douro - Portugal

409. By Train Again to Ukraine - Poland/Ukraine

410. Around Lviv. A Start on Svobody - Ukraine

411. Lviv and the War - Ukraine

412. Churches and More in Lviv - Ukraine

413. Lviv Finale and Home. Eventually - Ukraine/Poland

Dec

414. Chrexit 2023

415. Off to Taiwan - Taiwan

416. A Start in Taipei - Taiwan

417. Taipei 2 - Taiwan

418. Taipei 3 - Taiwan

419. Up Taipei - Taiwan

420. Taipei. Post Script - Taiwan

421. South to Tainan - Taiwan

422. Hot Springs in Guanziling - Taiwan

423. Further South to Kaohsiung - Taiwan

424. More Kaohsiung - Taiwan

425. Around the Coast to Taitung - Taiwan

426. North up to Hualien - Taiwan

2024

Jan

427. Return to Taipei and Onwards - Taiwan/Vietnam

428. Taipei Finale and Home - Taiwan/UK

Mar

429. Train Again - Nuremburg - Germany 

430. Vienna - City of Dreams - Austria

Apr

431. Prague - City of a Hundred Spires - Czechia

432. Vorrüken zu Berlin (Part 1) - Germany

433. Mehr Berlin und Zurück - Germany

May

434. A Drive to Ukraine. Part 1

435. A Drive to Ukraine. Part 2

Jun

436. Cyprus Revisited 1

437. Cyprus Revisited 2

Oct

438. To Cape Verde

439. More Santiago - Cape Verde

440. Volcanic Fogo - The Costa Lava

Nov

441. Back to Santiago - Cape Verde

Dec

442. Chrexit 24

443. Around Saigon Again - Vietnam

444. A Brush with Death in Saigon - Vietnam

445. A Spot of Culcha - Vietnam

2025

Jan

446. New Year's Eve in Vung Tau - Vietnam

447. Finale in Saigon - Vietnam

FINALE IN SAIGON

 2nd - 5th Jan 2025

Back on the ferry to Saigon

Left: My fellow passengers. On leaving the hotel I booked a 'Grab' taxi and thought I had made it clear that we were to go to the ferry terminal. They are prompt to arrive and normally most efficient. I hadn't realised that there are two ferry terminals. One servicing the islands of Con Dau, the other to Ho Chi Minh City. He dumped me at the wrong one! You would have thought he might have asked more specifically. I thought it looked wrong but I had got out and the taxi had gone. It was a 2km walk, with luggage, to the correct one at the other end of the harbour. Good exercise I suppose and thankful that I had, as always, left a lot of time to spare. 

Right: Similar routine to the journey over. They did play some most amusing (Westernised) TV programmes, often those elaborately filmed 'practical jokes', to keep us entertained. 

On arrival at the Saigon end I was met by an old friend, ex-colleague, a German, who owns an apartment in Saigon and spends most of the winter here. We teamed up for the next two days. 

Left: The Vietnamese are keen on their pet dogs. Sure, they do, or used to, breed special dogs (up North) to eat. They don't have them on the menu down south. I didn't see many cats around. Perhaps they eat them instead.

That evening (2nd Jan) I noticed that the bar staff at my 'local' were all decked out in new 'Vietnamese' shirts. I thought nothing of it, they looked quite smart, but there was a reason for it which I only discovered later that night.

Myself and German friend (Michael) ended up in a very smart Whisky bar down near the quayside. It sold hundreds of different whiskies from around the world, and some of them eye-wateringly expensive. I found one called 'Monkey Shoulder', a blended Scotch whisky distilled on Tayside (Scotland) and was relatively inexpensive. I had never heard of it before, but it tasted OK to me.

Left: One of the barmen there was called 'Joe'. He spoke very good English and was charming company. Apparently he had been to Newcastle University some years ago, and even knew a few 'Geordie' phrases and supported Newcastle United football team. He even gave each of us a complimentary glass of whisky!

Following this, at about 9.30pm, we left the bar and discovered that Vietnam had been playing Thailand at football. The game had just finished. Vietnam had won 2 - 1. This was the cause of extraordinary celebrations city wide...hence the original photo of bar staff wearing 'Vietnamese' shirts. They obviously took this game, and subsequent victory, extremely seriously; fanatically so apparently.

I had repaired to the rooftop of the Caravelle to listen to the Cuban girls (again!). The sight and sounds from there on the streets below were extraordinary. On this street below (right), Dom Khoi, as with others around town, there were non-stop streams 'motos' and their riders/passengers making the most deafening noise blowing those 'vuvuzela' horns to celebrate the football victory. It completely distracted me from listening to the music.

Indeed the noise became rather painfully monotonous. This procession and  the monotonal wailing noise had started at about 9.30pm and was still going on at past midnight!

As you can see from the video above. I was quite glad to get back to the relative quiet of my hotel.

The next day Michael and I decided to give the recently opened Metro a try. Michael is interested in property in the city and wanted to visit a new(ish) vast housing estate called Vinhomes Grand Park. It is near the final stop of the L1 (and only) Metro line which is about, I guess, 10 miles east from the city centre.

Left: The squeaky clean Metro ticket hall.

We took the Metro from the start point at the Opera House (Lam Son Square) and it was a twelve stop journey to the end station, Suói Tiên. I had been wrong in my previous description of the Metro stations. There are indeed lifts and elevators for entry and exit. The entry/ticket was free, up to January 20th! This was, presumably, to celebrate the recent opening and to encourage new passengers. The journey took about 40 minutes.

On arrival at Suói Tiên we disembarked into what appeared to be the middle of nowhere; with just a few ramshackle houses surrounding the place. On advice we found a bus stop and the bus took us to a street somewhere. From there we had to get a Grab taxi to take us on to the Grand Park housing estate. It must have been 5 miles from the Metro station. 

The Grand Park estate is vast and consists of hundreds of towering shiny modernistic high-rise apartment blocks, some of at least 30 storeys. Most appeared to be occupied. There were many shops/cafés around the bases of these buildings, all very new looking, but the area seemed remarkably free of pedestrians and customers. We found a restaurant (Pizza 4Ps..an interesting story about that company also) in a huge shopping mall for lunch. We passed an enormous parking area which stored many fresh-off-the-production-line Vinfast electric cars. Vinfast is a big Vietnamese car manufacturer so its factory must have been nearby. 

I saw several 'westerners' at the shopping mall and in the restaurant. They can't have been tourists. I have yet to work out why this enormous, self-contained complex is built where it is and who are all the people inhabiting it? It is not convenient for central Saigon. Maybe the inhabitants work in industries in, or planned to be in, the local area. For that reason I couldn't understand why the Metro station was so far away from the estate. I suspect the Metro stop was planned before the estate was built. Anyway, quite an interesting trip.

Back to the jolly city and I spent the next few days idly, and happily, wandering around the place. Right: Another cheery crowd enjoying a late evening street-side meal.

Left: These girls were happily puffing away on a large 'Hookah' pipe. It is a step up from the e-ciggy/vape that I use!

Right: On some streets you are constantly greeted by girls with the customary Vietnamese salutation "Yu wan massaa"!

Nothing much more of interest to report and no more confrontations with buses. 

My flight home (starting on the evening of the 5th) was a rather protracted affair which involved a flight from Ho Chi Minh with Malaysia Airlines to Kuala Lumpur, then with Emirates to Dubai and finally another Emirates flight rom Dubai to London Heathrow arriving at 11.45am (local) on the 6th. They were all on time and, as always it seems, I had a minor problem at the Dubai transit security X-ray check. On this occasion there was no problem with my new recently acquired e-ciggy. Instead, having carried it without comment on previous flights, they picked out a small corkscrew I was carrying. It was duly 'confiscated'. I mean, can you imagine going up to a crew member on board an aircraft and threatening: "Take me to Cuba, I have a small corkscrew here and I'm not afraid to use it !". 

To further pick on the idiocy and nonsense of some of these 'security' checks, we were served a very decent supper on the Emirates flight. Having had my 'dangerous' corkscrew confiscated, they provided us with cutlery including a full sized sharp steel knife! Where is the logic in all this?

So back to dank and cold UK where, having been reading all the dire warnings from the UK Met Office, I was expecting to find the place blanketed with feet of snow and the population all suffering from hypothermia. I didn't see any of that. It was cold....but it is winter for goodness sake!

Heathrow is a chaotic muddle of an airport (compared to the others I passed through) and, as often, the electronic passport check at arrivals refused to recognise my passport. It is interesting to note that at Heathrow all, or nearly all, the people working there are of foreign extraction (Indian, Middle Eastern or African etc.). I saw only one white-skinned employee at an information desk....and speaking to her and asking, she said she was from Poland. I'm not being 'racist' I am merely pointing out a fact and I'm sure those working there do a satisfactory job. Where are all the white British workers?

Anyway, after a bus and train journey I got home safely! Where next?