tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71713076535083070402024-03-19T04:48:54.781-04:00Travel with Kevin and RuthKevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.comBlogger5829125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-36131653464134701462024-03-18T21:24:00.004-04:002024-03-18T22:18:26.416-04:00A few details about our upcoming trip to the Maldives!We will be in Istanbul, Turkiye early next month, and when I was looking at flight prices and doing the route planning between Bangkok and Istanbul, I figured out that we could break the trip up with a few different destinations and it would cost about the same.<div><br></div><div>One of the choices along the way was to head to the Maldives... a group of islands in the Indian Ocean that is well known for their very expensive resorts and crystal clear blue water.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/a-few-details-about-our-upcoming-trip.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-82440130435165865292024-03-17T22:33:00.004-04:002024-03-17T23:15:22.813-04:00Cheapest day yet!On Sunday, we hopped on the local transportation as far south as it goes. It only costs 15 baht ($0.42 USD, $0.57 CAD) per person no matter how far you go. <div><br></div><div>So we went right to the end of the line, and walked down to the beach. There is small "island" at the end. Not really an island, but when the tide is all the way in, it looks like it is.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/cheapest-day-yet.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-53150300569169874542024-03-16T22:17:00.003-04:002024-03-16T22:18:47.830-04:00Kind of glad we've had all this down timeFirst thing I did Saturday morning was to check our online banking to see if the credit card problem was fixed. This time, it showed that my "available credit" was back to normal, instead of being a big negative number. With that confidence, I proceeded to book the Pegasus Airlines flight from Antalya to Paris and it went through with no problems at all!<div><br></div><div>So at least that is fixed, although with no explanation from Scotiabank at all. </div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/kind-of-glad-weve-had-all-this-down-time.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-20651865863242256692024-03-15T23:35:00.004-04:002024-03-16T00:23:32.788-04:00Well, that was a frustrating day!It started off with an email from Turkish Airlines saying that they had cancelled and rescheduled our Kuwait to Istanbul flight originally on April 4th, to exactly the same time on April 5th.<div><br></div><div>I looked at all the options, including keeping it at April 5th, but we decided we were actually better off changing it to April 3rd. So I did all the changes online, and it seemed to accept everything. </div><div><br></div><div>Until I looked a little closer.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/well-that-was-frustrating-day.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-89908937191777069702024-03-14T21:35:00.001-04:002024-03-14T21:35:38.523-04:00Paris is expensive!So we're going to be spending a couple of nights in Paris with our daughter Lindsey and granddaughter Sadie at the beginning of May. And we knew in advance that Paris is expensive. But I figured that I'd be able to find some accommodation that is at least reasonably priced. <div><br></div><div>Nope!</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/paris-is-expensive.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-88488004052054227292024-03-14T01:35:00.002-04:002024-03-14T01:35:22.297-04:00We got sidetracked!Spending two weeks in one place means that we will have a few days with not much going on, and yesterday was one of those days. <div><br></div><div>When we went out for lunch, we went to a new place on the other side of the tracks. Not the <i>wrong </i>side of the tracks... just the other side!</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/we-got-sidetracked.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-75317078234873641572024-03-12T22:31:00.001-04:002024-03-12T22:55:42.414-04:00We've got a ton of exciting travel coming up!<p>Spent the morning researching various flight options to arrange meeting up with our daughter Lindsey and granddaughter Sadie in Paris. And the plan is starting to come together!</p><div style="text-align: left;">We've got her flights booked now. She's going to arrive in London a bit earlier and spend a couple of days with Ruth's aunt. Then they are going to hop on the chunnel train and take the train to Paris on May 1st. We will fly May 1st from Antalya, and meet them in Paris.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/weve-got-ton-of-exciting-travel-coming.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-35043280406418922202024-03-11T23:19:00.002-04:002024-03-11T23:30:54.089-04:00Good thing we all like different things!<div style="text-align: left;">We took the local transportation up to the central area yesterday. Not much to see, really. Hua Hin is a beach resort area and the beach is why people come here. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">The central area doesn't have much worthwhile. We wandered down to the beach, and then through some of the seedier bar and massage areas, but there isn't much going on there during the day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/good-thing-we-all-like-different-things.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-79543813619669004762024-03-10T22:41:00.003-04:002024-03-10T23:35:23.188-04:00Down to the beach!<p>It's too hot during the day to get a decent walk in, so we tried getting out early. But even before 8:00am, it's not early enough. You still end up drenched in sweat. Of course that would probably happen in the middle of the night as well, since the overnight lows are still around 27C (81F).</p><div style="text-align: left;">Our condo is only a ten minute walk from the beach, so we figured we might head that way just to check it out and walk along the beach.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/down-to-beach.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-30545085144400095332024-03-09T23:45:00.000-05:002024-03-09T23:45:04.454-05:00Foreign exchange costsFirst on the agenda here in Hua Hin was to get some more Thai baht cash. We had made an agreement with our host here to pay him for our accommodation in cash, and in exchange we got a healthy discount. But that discount is partially offset by the fact that it actually cost us money to get that cash.<div><br></div><div>Almost all Thai banks charge a fee of 220 baht ($6.20 USD, $8.40 CAD) for the privilege of using their ATM.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/foreign-exchange-costs.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-13681101047865021382024-03-08T21:59:00.003-05:002024-03-08T21:59:13.311-05:00This will do for a couple of weeks!It was a nice little guesthouse we stayed at near Bangkok's DMK airport. Really nice friendly people, and we've booked another night in there when we return to that airport to fly to Maldives on March 22nd.<div><br></div><div>Also, it's located a 15 minute walk from the terminal itself, and the commuter rail line to Bangkok's main train station. So it's really convenient as well.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/this-will-do-for-couple-of-weeks.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-41885419897166483662024-03-07T21:26:00.003-05:002024-03-07T21:26:20.435-05:00Moving day today!Didn't do anything yesterday! We were tired, and it was baking hot out, so other than getting out for some food, all we did for exercise was to walk with all of our worldly belongings from one cheap hotel room to another one.<div><br></div><div>But, we did a lot of internet research sitting in our air conditioned room, and got our condo and train tickets booked for our trip to Hua Hin today.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/moving-day-today.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-2735579409089439482024-03-07T05:13:00.002-05:002024-03-07T05:13:21.109-05:00Change of plans!We would have preferred to remain in Vietnam until March 22, but because of the screw up with the dates on our Vietnam visa, we had to leave the country by March 7th. Yes, we could have gone through the hassle and expense of getting an extension, but we didn't think it was worth it. In hindsight, maybe we should have, but of course hindsight is never useful, except as a learning experience!<div><br></div><div>Then we thought about going into Laos for a couple of weeks, but that was also going to involve visas, and the flights weren't cheap, and the route over land wasn't easy. </div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/change-of-plans.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-785348087749228772024-03-05T21:14:00.004-05:002024-03-06T00:07:03.394-05:00Exploring Hanoi, VietnamOn Monday, we spent a few hours wandering around Hanoi. Our hotel is located right in the center of the old quarter, and there is enough to see just walking about watching daily life that we didn't need to go very far. Still, we put on a lot of steps!<div><br></div><div>It is most fascinating watching the traffic. I took a couple of videos for you further down.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/exploring-hanoi-vietnam.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-48186883869802921152024-03-04T21:38:00.001-05:002024-03-04T21:38:15.053-05:00Out for a bike ride, then off to the big city of HanoiOn Monday, our train to Hanoi didn't leave until just after 4:00pm, so we had most of the day to do some more exploring.<div><br></div><div>We rented a couple of bicycles and decided to ride up to the tourist boat port of Trang An just to see some different scenery and check out the area.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/out-for-bike-ride-then-off-to-big-city.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-62175828246076349122024-03-03T21:37:00.005-05:002024-03-03T21:58:22.705-05:00The right place, at the right time!The highlight of the Ninh Binh area are the various boat tours that take you through the scenery and caves. There are quite a few options to sort through, and various routes to choose from. <div><br></div><div>I did a lot of research, and we had made our choice and planned on doing a boat tour on Monday morning when it would be less busy. But it didn't turn out that way, and we're glad that we were in the right place at the right time to do things a little differently!</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/the-right-place-at-right-time.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-49982762897665391482024-03-02T21:47:00.003-05:002024-03-02T22:08:18.419-05:00There's a reason it's busy hereThere's not much to see in the actual town of Ninh Binh itself. But that's what people use as the transportation hub. Most of the hotels and restaurants are in the popular area at the town of Tam Coc, about 6 kms (3.7 miles) away.<div><br></div><div>And the reason Tam Coc is popular is because of the scenic geography with small rives flowing through three cave systems. The big attraction is a boat trip through the caves, although we are saving that for Monday when it will be less busy.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/theres-reason-its-busy-here.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-14847857433022219282024-03-01T20:33:00.001-05:002024-03-01T20:33:39.827-05:00We found all the tourists!And they are here in Ninh Binh. Every last one of them, apparently!<div><br></div><div>We woke up to another drizzly day in Vinh. You could tell it had rained quite a lot overnight, but fortunately we missed that and it was just drizzling a bit when we left for the train station.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/we-found-all-tourists.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-68582069649678656302024-03-01T08:20:00.003-05:002024-03-01T08:57:06.715-05:00February ExpensesOur expenses did pretty well in February, all things considered.<div><br></div><div>We had a budget of $2,385 CAD, and we spent $2,457 CAD ($1,810 USD) for the month. And the extra was solely related to our decision to fly from Da Lat to Vinh instead of taking buses. Without that, we actually would have been under budget. So we're really pleased with that.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/03/february-expenses.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-14335496827705469722024-02-29T19:42:00.003-05:002024-02-29T20:28:21.554-05:00One of the best meals we've had in Vietnam!On Thursday, we took the minivan back to the city of Vinh. We simply went and stood on the main street. We were actually waiting for the number 31 bus that runs between Con Cuong and Vinh, but there are also the same system of minivans that we took to get to Con Cuong in the first place. And we were only at the stop for five minutes before one came along, so we hopped in it.<div><br></div><div>It was quite a bit quicker going back. We must have got in the "express" van, because it didn't make nearly as many stops as the one we took going up, and it was a little more expensive, at 120,000 dong ($4.90 USD, $6.60 CAD) per person for the two hour and twenty minute ride.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/02/one-of-best-meals-weve-had-in-vietnam.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-27388561610200519622024-02-28T20:00:00.003-05:002024-02-29T18:52:09.266-05:00Last day in Con Cuong, VietnamWell, we haven't seen another westerner for five days... since we left the airport in Da Lat. <div><br></div><div>And we also haven't seen any sunshine, at all! It hasn't really rained, it's just been foggy and overcast, with some occasional drizzle. Temperatures have been nice though, with highs around 20C (68F). </div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/02/last-day-in-con-cuong-vietnam.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-51842843891454683172024-02-27T22:08:00.007-05:002024-02-27T22:21:53.148-05:00We had the waterfall all to ourselves!We did a little better for our included breakfast, as they brought us a big plate of chicken and egg fried rice and vegetables. Not fantastic, but at least we started the day with full stomachs!<div><br></div><div>Once again, the sun never made an appearance. The temperature is fine, nice and cool with a high of about 20C, but it drizzled with rain on and off. Not enough to stop us from going out exploring on our rented scooter!</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/02/we-had-waterfall-all-to-ourselves.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-13088738485912696152024-02-26T20:51:00.002-05:002024-02-26T22:02:27.504-05:00Beautiful scenery in this rarely visited part of VietnamOur fancy hotel room is supposed to be "breakfast included". But of course nowhere does it say exactly what you'll get for breakfast. <div><br></div><div>There were no guests in the dining room when we went down about 8:30am. As I mentioned yesterday, the place is very quiet. But there are a lot of staff around, and they are all very pleasant and cheerful.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/02/beautiful-scenery-in-this-rarely.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-17290621804789562262024-02-25T22:39:00.006-05:002024-02-25T23:18:48.488-05:00If you are going to splurge, it's best to do so in a cheap country!We had arranged with a "limousine service" to take us from Vinh to Con Cuong. I already knew that the word limousine here in Vietnam doesn't describe the same type of vehicle that we might envision in North America. Here, it is simply a minibus. <div><br></div><div>We had been told to phone in at 8:00am, to confirm pickup at 8:30am right at our hotel. Which we did, but then it didn't show up until almost 9:00am, which didn't surprise us.</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/02/if-you-are-going-to-splurge-its-best-to.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-66314632022181623652024-02-24T07:07:00.004-05:002024-02-25T05:37:43.240-05:00We've been on the move, so just playing catch up with you a little bit...Writing this from our very basic, but relatively clean, 287,000 dong ($11.75 USD, $15.75 CAD) per night hotel room near the Vinh Airport which we flew into this (Saturday) morning.<div><br></div><div>We had to leave the hotel in Da Lat early this morning, and I had no time to write a blog post. So I'll update you on the past two days, because I'm not sure when you'll hear from us again!</div><div><br></div><span></span><a href="https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2024/02/weve-been-on-move-so-just-playing-catch.html#more">Click here to read more...</a>Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.com4