I kissed a girl and I liked it !
Trip Start
May 05, 2010
1
26
33
Trip End
Jun 07, 2010
Where I stayed
Phuong's family
Biên Hòa, Ðồng Nai, Vietnam
Sunday, May 16, 2010
To get to the fruit farm we boarded a small boat and went up river about 1km to walk though the gardens. I have never been to a fruit farm that had no fruit at all on display or for sale even. The hut where we rested was nice though. Lai Thieu fruit farm is not recommended by me or any of our group.
About 45min away we stopped at a fabulous place called Dai Nam Theme Park. This place is forever expanding and it’s already huge. Besides the amusement rides there is an indoor snow playground with all the warm attire needed to enjoy the cold environment. There are several theatres and a man made beach / pool area for the whole family. A fish massage area to rest your tired feet and of course the zoo.
To get in to the complex it will cost you $40,000D ( $2.30AUD ) per adult but then it will cost you between $1 AUD and $2.50 AUD for each place you want to visit. Great value and a nice family day out. You can hire bikes to ride around or you can jump on free shuttle trains that ply the area the whole day. Did I mention this place is huge! We opted for the private mini bus with lunch included for a cool million Dong. Not really worth it in the end so I suggest you ignore the touts at the enterance and just get the large free shuttle trains and make your own way around.
At the zoo we hired bikes for $10,000D to get around instead of walking which was fun and a relaxing way to enjoy the zoo. We did the zoo late in the day, around 4pm and so most of the animals were given their evening meal. This also meant that you could get up close and personal with the animals because they placed their food near the viewing platforms.
The hippos’ were so close you got to touch them. FANTASTIC!!! They’re quite warm and slimy. How many people get to touch a hippo, wow what a great once in a lifetime experience. They also had white tigers and white lions that I had never seen before apart from on TV doco’s .
The giraffe Mimi was very friendly and loved to kiss her audience. We stayed and patted the giraffe for ages and got lots of photos. Ethan loved the zoo just as much as me and the keeper had Mimi come over to Ethan more than tourists being a young white boy in Vietnam. Ethan is a bit of a celebriaty in Asia because the locals don’t get to see or meet many young travellers from overseas. He’s loving the attention and his holiday so far. We all are!
Back in the van we made our way over to Phuong’s family’s in Bien Hoa some 30min away. Their house is gorgeous with 3 levels, 9 airconditioned bedrooms and 3bathrooms. And it’s free hehehe. Her aunty made us all feel very welcome and gave us the top floor of her house all to ourselves.
The day was topped off with a visit to the famous and very crowded seafood restaurant in the area and a walk along the esplanade and riverfront for some desert.
A magical day that both Ethan and I will cherish.
More photos too follow....
