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Real Saigon… How to survive on Vietnamese roads
Our funny story with the hotel wasn’t the only attraction which we had during first day in Vietnam. Starving and exhausted after long journey, we decided to go out for a delicious Vietnamese meal. As experienced drivers, we thought that we had seen every possible thing on the road but as it turned out later crossing Vietnamese streets is a real challenge. Vietnam is a real traffic jungle in the literal meaning of this world. Just imagine agglomeration with at least 7 million people and no traffic rules. Crossroads with traffic lights and pedestrian crossings are thin on the ground. When they exist they can look like this… During watching…
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Vietnamese alcohol…
Vietnamese beer is connected with colonial times. Then the first brewery was established in Hanoi. Its products were intended for wealthy elite. Before the beer was introduced to Vietnamese bars people had drunk mainly rice wine, which was popular till 1960’s. During the American War, its production was banned in view of depleted rice production. From that time beer was getting more and more popular. Additionally close cooperation with Czech Socialist Republic (which was the part of USSR) popularize traditional brewing methods. Vietnamese beer – Bia hoi is brewed every evening, matures through the night and it’s delivered to nearby bars in the morning. Unpasteurized beer without any preservatives is…
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Bangkok – not so American City of Angels…
I always make a picture of my destination during preparing itinerary. Sometimes reality disappoints me, sometimes surprises. Bangkok perfectly fit in the second option. I could use a lot of words to describe this city most of all it’s a very diverse place with a lot of contrasts. Here you can find amazing beauty connected with surprisingly “organized” chaos and splendor mixed with simplicity. This is also the place where tradition meets modernity and Buddhist austerity coexists with consumerism. The original name of this city can make everyone dizzy. Proper name of Bangkok introduces as follows: Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan…
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Hanoi – money talks… socialistic version of money rush
We were in Vietnam for one month but even so this country has remained one big mystery for us. It’s a very diverse and full of contrasts country, where from the European point of view simple everyday life sometimes goes with an absurd. This was the reason of one of our adventures in this wonderful place. It’s very surprising that this socialistic country is in fact is imbued close to the bone with sanguinary capitalism. In one word maybe money rules the world but Vietnam especially. During preparation for our journey I had studied carefully all possible traps which can occur in this country but as it later turned out…
