November 28, 2012 December 6, 2012 Erin Foster	surprise, surprise disney vacation, surprise vacation
You’ll notice that the question here is not, “Should you take your kids on a trip to Walt Disney World?”
Every year it’s something that Disney fans get excited about! We look forward to turning on the television to watch
Recently, a few details have come out about the upcoming 2013 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Since the festival
A few weeks ago we announced the TouringPlans.com Scavenger Hunt that would take place during WDW Today’s Reunion. Be sure
Disneyland is usually filled with some amazing treats but during the holidays they roll out some extra special items that
November 26, 2012 November 26, 2012 Seth Kubersky	Cars Land, Christmas, Crowd Calendar, Disneyland, refurbishment, thanksgiving
Did you get your fill of turducken, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie last week? Hopefully you were busy chowing
We are super excited to announce pre-orders for a snazzy new t-shirt designed just for TouringPlans.com by Richard Terpstra, whose
Episode 26 of the Unofficial Guide’s podcast is out. Join Jim and me as we walk through what Disneyland’s Main
We spent last weekend in Fargo, North Dakota doing some shopping. I did not have any time for railfanning while in Fargo, which is too bad because Fargo has a lot of BNSF action. I did see one BNSF caboose... woo. ;)
On the way home, though, I saw one BNSF train, led by BNSF 4901 and BNSF 4151. It was between Fargo and Grand Forks.
Once we passed through Canadian Customs (a 35 minute wait) we were on the road for home... until about 3 minutes later when I spotted CN 532 approaching the border. I pulled over and took a series of shots as the train rolled past. SD60 CN 5503 led the train with ex-BNSF CN 2145 trailing.
The sunset colours were pretty good. I spotted the moon over the tracks and grabbed this shot of the engines under the moon.
A few weeks ago we explored the Southern stretch of the Ocean Road, from Vung Tau to Phan Tiet. If you keep going up, you will end up in Nha Trang, and along the way you will encounter beautiful sea sights, a lot of sand and very few big towns. The biggest one is Phan Rang 120 km south of Nha Trang, and still considered as no more than a fishermen village by many Vietnamese. However, if you look closely, you will discover all its beauty and its quiet roads, ideal for cycling, and its very rich cultural background. Here are three places you should absolutely visit if you are in the area.
It’s a lovely little bay where fishermen can protect their boats from the winds and the fury of the sea. The winding road gong there is ideal for cyclists and you can enjoy the beach, taste the local seafood and sea the real life of a fishermen village. The village is surrounded by lush nature.
If what you are looking for is an astoundingly beautiful beach in the area, go to Ca Na, south of Phan Rang. White sand beaches like this are difficult to find in Vietnam. However, it might seem boring to the most adventurous traveler, considering in this area the Cham princes used to hunt tigers, elephants and rhinoceros. Unfortunately, these animals are no longer there.
Yes, you are probably wondering who are those Cham princes who were hunting tigers in the 16th century. The kingdom of Champa occupied a big stretch of Southern Vietnam between the 7th and XVIIIth centuries. Originally a kingdom influenced by Indhuist culture, they started to convert to Islam in the 11th century. Today, there are still around 160,000 Cham people in Vietnam, mainly in Ninh Tuan province, An Giang, Phan Tiet and Saigon. Their splendorous times are over, but in Phan Rang, just near the train station, you can still admire one of the most impressive traces of their empire, the Poklong Garai. there, you will see the influence from India and you will feel like you are visiting a mini Angkor Wat.
Do you imagine an ambassador shutting himself in his office, wearing a suit, going from one fancy cocktail to another or always having important meetings in luxurious hotels? This might be the stereotype, but US Ambassador in Vietnam Ted Osius doesn’t seem to fit this cliché. He looks more like an outdoors person, and a cyclist always willing to seat on his bike and discover the country where he lives from an unbeatable perspective. On January 24th (last Sunday), the coldest day of the winter in Hanoi, he started with a group an amazing cycling trip from Vietnam capital to Hue. The trip started at the O Quan Chuong city gate in the Old Quarter. According the Mr Osius Facebook page, this spot was chosen because “it is the embodiment of U.S. – Vietnam cooperation”, as the U.S. Government restored the ancient gate five years ago. Along their journey, they have been visiting places where the US and Vietnam cooperate.
Having an office in Hue,. VietnamBikeTours can’t miss the chance of being part in such a cool event and we will welcome them in Phuoc Tich village on January 30 at 1:00 PM from where they will do the last few miles to Hue. All riders interested are welcome, they can either meet us at 9:00 AM at 8 Nguyen Hue Street or at 1:00 PM at Phuoc Tích village.
During this 840km trip, the Ambassador and his cycling mates have been learning about the pangolin in Cuc Phuong, Vietnam’s oldest national park, about king Le Loi at the Lam Kinh temple, where he planted bamboo to promote sustainable development and had a warm meeting with children at the SOS village in Ha Tinh. They were unlucky to start their journey with some of the coldest temperatures Northern Vietnam experienced in the last few years, but as they go South the weather is becoming warmer and the rains seems to go away. We can make it even warmer by giving them a nice welcome as they arrive to Hue.
Although Vietnam has plenty of nice roads for cyclists, it’s sometimes difficult to find one where you can feel like it’s only you, your bicycle and the scenery. The Ocean road from Vung Tau to Phan Tiet along the coast belongs to that special category, specially the stretch that goes from Long Hai to Ho Tram. Here are four reasons that make this road so special
Vietnam has all sort of landscapes: mountainous ones that would remind you of the Alps, lush green forrest, the intense green of the paddy fields, the waterways in the Mekong Delta… The one in the southern coast is yet one of the most singular ones. Not only for the quietness, the hills covered with sand and the sea a few meters away. There is a phantasmagorical atmosphere in that road, with all this deserted land where you suddenly bump into a luxurious resort, a huge casino (Ho Tram) and then pass by a hotel that was abandoned before its total construction, like a haunted house.
We mentioned it earlier, but it’s worth saying it again, it’s rare to find a place where you can feel so isolated from the world. Just a few cars and groups of motorbikes pass by this road.
Well, we had to mention it. Seafood is excellent in many places in Vietnam, but few can say they have such fresh seafood, fished that same day for a price that will make you forget about your long cycling. Maybe not the best food for cyclists, but we are not here to win the Tour de France.
Sometimes in Vietnam we miss finding wild beaches in which you can set your foot without asking for permission in the nearby hotel. If you’re looking for wilderness, sea and sand, this is your place. You will pass through long stretches of deserted beaches where you can have a quick swim if you are very hot. However, be careful on hot days, better to do it early morning or late afternoon.
It’s becoming a tradition for Vietnambiketours to organise a long Christmas ride and enjoy these special days where we have more fun: on the bike. As we did last year, we’ll enjoy a little chilly weather and enjoy some time in Dalat (although Saigon’s mornings are already quite cool in the last few days). The difference is unlike last year, this time we will be going up from the beach in Nha Trang to the mountain in Dalat. From hot to cold (but you won’t feel the cold as you push the pedals).
Nha Trang to Dalat. Nhas Trang is one of the main coantal cities in Vietnam, known for its beautiful beaches, pristine waters and busy nightlife. Vietnambiketours has been there for over a year, organiseing weekly Sunday Bike Rides to show it’s also a great place for cyclists. Dalat is known for its nature, its cool weather, its fresh and delicious vegetables and its quietness. It’s one of the highest cities in Vietnam, at 1,500 meters, which explains the weather. Great place to relax and to feel that it’s actually Christmas and you have to wear a jacket sometimes.
December 25th to 27th. We will leave on Christmas day, December 25th, at 7:00 pm from Ho Chi Minh City. The meeting point where the van will pick us up is our partner’s bike shop, Xe Dap Vietnam, at number 126 Dinh Bo Linh street, in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. We will arrive in Nha Trang the next day at 6:00 AM.
On December 26 we will have breakfast in Nha Trang and start pedaling, mostly uphill, as we go from the coast to the mountains. The biggest challenge will be the Khanh Le Pass, 30 km climb before we reach Dalat. Those who are not as fit or feel a bit under the weather can be assisted by the van that will be following us the whole time. Anyway, you know our philosophy: it’s not about going fast, it’s about getting there, make friends and have fun. Exercise, yes, but not only that.
After such a ride we will probably be tired the next day, but probably we will still have enough energy to do a city tour by bike (yes, there are small climbs, Dalat is anything but flat) before riding the van back to Ho Chi Minh City.
Whoever wants to join. You can bring your own bike or we can provide one for a cheap price (100,000VND).
This will depend on how many people join. The van and truck that we need to hire is 12,1 million VND if it’s 16 seats and 14,7 million if it’s 29 seats. We’ll divide that by the number of participants. As for the stay, we will go to Hotel Dalat (but you’re free to go somewhere else).
The re-development, currently taking place at Cairn Lodge Services, will expand the Farmshop to include a ‘Quick Kitchen’ style offer with take away coffee, hot food and a pâtisserie counter.
The re-development, currently taking place at Cairn Lodge Services, aims to improve the layout of the services to expand the offer already available by enlarging the Farmshop, improving the service areas and installing facilities such as family rooms and ‘changing places’ in the toilets.
2015 was a particularly busy year for the Westmorland Family. It was the year we looked north and added to our family of motorway service areas by acquiring Cairn Lodge Services, south of Glasgow.