flavours of vietnam 2006 Šalbury travel 2005
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flavours of v ietnam 2006 itinerary d eparting 14 n ovem ber 2006 d ay 1 sa ig o n 14 th n ovem ber flights melbourne to kuala lumpur mh128 depart 12.45am please check in 2 hours prior to departure kuala lumpur to saigon mh750 depart 8:00am arrive 8:55am on arrival in saigon we will meet our local tour escort and transfer to our accommodation at the caravelle hotel located in the heart of saigon the caravelle hotel combines fantastic location with modern comfort once settled in we will take an orientation walking tour of central saigon and enjoy our first tastes of southern vietnamese cuisine over lunch the afternoon is free to explore shop or relax as you wish we meet later and walk to dinner at a nearby restaurant l ,d from the first light and refreshing lunch washed down with some cold cold beer i knew it was going to be an ongoing pleasure ride of taste sensations d ays2 sa ig o n 15 th n ovem ber b,l ,d breakfast is taken in the hotel or those who wish join noelle for an early
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d ay 3 sa ig on 16 th n ovem ber b,l ,d following a visit to the cu chi tunnels we return to district 3 for lunch in a local bar in the afternoon we venture to the war crimes museum and reunification palace before spending the remainder of the afternoon at leisure the shared knowledge of their food culture and the cultural food traditions the vietnamese observe leave me a little awestruck a little envious d ay 4 m e k on g d e lta 17 th n ovem ber b,l ,d leaving the bustling city of saigon behind we travel through the lush landscapes and expansive waterways of the mekong delta this is one of the most fascinating regions in all vietnam on arrival in cai be we join a relaxing cruise along the mekong river and enroute visit the communal pop rice production rice paper and confectionary making and tasting lunch is taken at a family fruit farm before continuing the afternoon cruise along the waterways this afternoon we reach ving long town where we will disembark and continue a short dist
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d ay 6 dalat 19 th n ovem ber flights saigon to dalat vn464 depart 7.45am arrive 8.30am b,l ,d today we leave early for the airport and travel to da lat a highland city located 1500m above sea level with a cool climate all year round da lat was originally established in the early 1890 s by the french as a hill station resort the rugged and mountainous landscape is terraced with vegetables to be harvested then marketed across vietnam coffee and tea plantations as well as vineyards cover the hillsides of this region on arrival in da lat we transfer directly to our hotel at the sofitel dalat palace from here we visit an organic farm and time permitting visit da lat markets to see a local coffee roasting operation we then continue on to villa 27a for our cooking class with the hotel sofitel utilising much of the produce that is unique to this area of vietnam after lunch there is an optional tour of the pagoda including a cable car ride providing a panoramic view of the vegetable terraces
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d ay 8 n h a tra n g 21 st n ovem ber b,l ,d join david thai the chef from ana mandara resort to visit the local markets of nha trang to see the produce for our next culinary experience take in the morning life passing by from the cyclo including tai chi sessions along the boulevard we will mingle with the locals as we visit the seafood port where all the fresh seafood comes in from the fishermen and then make our way to the older central markets stopping off at a local family restaurant for breakfast mid morning our chef rejoins us to share his knowledge on the regions of vietnamese cuisine and his influences as a french trained vietnamese chef before sitting down to sample the lunch we ve prepared at our cooking school we ll spend the afternoon cruising offshore snorkelling and swimming in the crystal waters of vietnam s coastline dinner will be our chance to appreciate david s cuisine from the ana mandara pavilion restaurant in a beautiful waterside setting from the first light of
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d ay 10 hoian 23 rd n ovem ber b,d a morning tour of the market before breakfast and the rest of the day free to explore old hoi an relax by the pool take a bike ride to the beach or make the most of the great shopping late afternoon we meet with miss v at the cargo club for our fourth cooking school and dinner to follow miss v a dynamic 3rd generation vietnamese businesswoman and chef easily shares her knowledge of their proud food culture its preparation and the medicinal benefits of the various ingredients miss v is a diminutive powerhouse quietly controlling her kitchen sharing her vast culinary knowledge and overflowing with pride she will long be one of my favourite personalities in vietnam d ay 11 hoian /h u e 24 th n ovem ber b,d we meet our coach for departure to hue the old imperial capital of vietnam one of the most spectacular drives throughout vietnam is the road between hoi an and hue en route we stop at the cham museum before crossing the spectacular hai van pass and s
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d ay 13 h a lon g ba y/h a n oi 26 th n ovem ber b,l ,d we wake to take in one of the most picturesque unusual and photographed regions in vietnam and later discover some of the mysterious grottos such as dau go thien cung and bo nau the crew prepare a fresh seafood lunch morning makes it all worthwhile the beauty and magnificence of halong bay simple fresh seafood sunshine out on a boat after lunch we disembark our cruise and make our way back to hanoi hanoi brings the excitement of great restaurants city life fabulous shopping and the old quarter accommodation for the next few evenings is at the metropole hanoi d ay 14 h a n oi 27 th n ovem ber b,l ,d this morning is free to spend time shopping and exploring at your leisure as an option you may visit the ho chi minh museum mausoleum and the temple of literature before meeting later for lunch at koto koto know one teach one is a deli-style restaurant staffed by street kids under a charity programme to train them in hospitality skil
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d ay 16 h a n oi/d e pa rtu re 29 th n ovem ber flights hanoi to kuala lumpur mh753 depart 1.30pm arrive 5.55pm kuala lumpur to melbourne mh149 depart 9.20pm arrive 6.50am 30th november b ,l the morning is our own to take advantage of any last minute bargain hunting our flight departs from hanoi at lunchtime arrival into australia is in the early hours of sunday morning the only goat s cheese produced in vietnam with some great baguettes followed by miniature raspberry tarts not standard airport food but our parting tastes flavours of vietnam 2006 Šalbury travel 2005
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