365 days of travel

Richard Hammond, James May andJeremy Clarkson discuss how they are going to travel the 1000 miles in Vietnam.

The popular BBC television programme has produced a special edition filmed in Vietnam. The series which is top rated in the UK, features three presenters; Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May who generaly review cars, and related stories.

They are given 25,000,000 Dong each, and told to get some wheels so that they can complete the journey from Ho Chi Min to Ha Long Bay in 8 days. They quickly learn that this money doe snot add up to much, and equates to about $1000 - nowhere near enough to get themselves a car. The main reason for this is the fact that there are not that many cars in Vietnam, so gaining a cheap vehicle is simply not possible. The only option for them is to get motorbikes, or a scooter.

Jeremy Clatkson is not happy with his mode of transport

Richard is quite happy with his new motorbike - a Russian army issue left over from the war, and relishes the thought of the expedition. Jeremy, on the other hand feels as though he has a raw deal with his scooter, and moans excessively.

Thye get on their way, and the first stop is the town of Dalat. Dalat is in the Lam Dong province up in the highlands. The climate is known to be of a mild nature, and lends itself to the growing of many different types of flowers. This beautiful scenery has made it a popular destination for visitors, and there are many places of interest. Vietnam’s only manufatured wine also comes from this area, and has a slight Peach flavour. Next on the tour, is the beach town of Nha Trang - a popular resort.

The Top Gear team get measured up

They carry on up the coast, and eventually come to Hoi An. Located in Central Vietnam, Hoi An is known for it’s quality tailoring.  There are several high class shops that will make you clothes, or a jacket in just a few hours for a few dollars. The guys decide to get some oulandish clothes made, and are impressed with the results.

Drop a candle into the river and make a wish

They visit the old town, and marvel at the moon festival - which happens once a month on the evening of the new moon. You can buy a ‘floating candle’ and drop it into the river. This enables you to have a wish, and hope that the river will carry it to the gods.

The next stop was the old city of Hue, and they remarked at the bullet holes that scar the walls of the ancient citadel. During the conflict between the North and South, the opening battles were staged around central Vietnam, and the locals formed a defensive postion in the old fortress. This was no match for the Modern Communist army, and there were many casualties here. 

Onward and upward, but they soon realised that they were not going to be abel to travel the whole distance on their motorbikes. They decided to take the train the rest of the way. When they arrived, there seemed to be a problem, as instead of a sign pointing towards Ha Long, they found the words Hanoi, which meant another few hours of travelling until the finish could be claimed.

Arring at the entrance to Ha Long bay

Upon reaching Ha Long bay, they felt relief after finishing the journey, and contemplated their journey. They were then informed that they had not finished, and had to embark on a sea crossing to a small bar located on a jetty somewhere in the bay. This would involve converting their motorbikes from road going transport to water going transport. The result was amusing.

Richard Hammond shows off his motorbike turned water bike

They navigated their way through the picturesque wateers of Ha Long bay, and eventually they all found their way to the bar.

Jeremy Clarkson says this at the end of the programme; “I’m sorry but our machines were completely overshadowed by this incredible, beautiful, brilliant country. It’s hard to sum it up really, perhaps that’s why people, when they get back from this place always say the same thing. Vietnam! You don’t know man - you wern’t there.”

If you like the idea of venturing on a journey through Vietnam, then visit Venture Travel.

The Times, they are a changing.

Barack Obama

With Obama being elected as the first black president, we are definately seeing a new age dawning. But, this is not the only big news event to have come out of America recently. With the US being the major driving force for the world’s economies, we are now seeing repercussions being felt worldwide as the US economy wavers.

The question being asked by the travel industry is, Will travelling be as popular in a World recession? well, don’t ask me, because I don’t know, but let’s look at some facts.

• According to the WTTC and a recent study from them regarding the current Global downturn ”Overall, the new TSA results reveal a moderate impact on the Travel & Tourism industry as a result of the global economic downturn, with its annual growth rate experiencing a slowdown in 2008, to 3%, in comparison to 3.9% in 2007.” Other factors in the study reveal that, if anything travel will change slightly with people deciding to travel more locally in order to save money.
• World Travel & Tourism is expected to generate close to US$8 trillion in 2008. With more growth expected.
• Asian consumers are set to lead the way as western economies struggle.

The travel business in general will see a slight downturn in certain sectors, but on the whole it will be the saviour of a lot of struggling economies.