Writes of Passage

300 Reunion Blvd,
Dallas, TX 75207

… more pix n videos on Google Maps, Yelp & TA

May return for the tunnel to the Union Station.

Thanks for having the French Open (tennis) in your tv lineup.

The tiny swimming pool is a deterrent for me: unbelievably small for the size of the hotel!

Choosing this hotel, is due to its proximity to the Union Station, due to me being a train head. The 1,120 rooms hotel is decent, close to Dealey Plaza but it’s in nowhere land: “Downtown” label is bit misleading.

Our room is spacious, with a good view looking out west, Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Trinity Overlook Park, etc. The water pressure is good as well. The second luggage rack bought in in less than ten minutes after my request (why don’t hotels provide two when they expect two people are checking in?)

Hyatt is part of redevelopment project by the city, with two other components (Union Towner/Crown Block and Union Station). It’s very convenient to pop over to the Ball to have a drink, watching the sunset (dinner needs reservation).

When we checked in at 10pm, there was one lone staff who was distant. As he was checking us in, I tried to start a small talk, asking him the best way to Fort Worth.

“Uber.”

“Not train?” My homework tells me, the train station is only 8 minutes walk away.

“Nay.”

The same staff also told me the pool is 7am-11pm (unusually long). So after putting down my luggage, I rushed to the pool: the door is locked. It was only 10:30. SO is this lack of training or what? The following morning I went to the pool again, to find a tiny pool surrounded by rather unappetizing deck. Oh well.

The following morning, I ask for the direction to the station (tunnel is closed according to online comments…). Two employees (valets) gave us Google Maps direction, which is the road way.

It seems non of the staff know about the tunnel.

The tunnel between the hotel and EBJ Union Station is clean, well lighted and maintained. A city staff walks it once an hour (don’t know about weekends but it opens at least on Saturday), and it closes at 7pm. Room key gets you into the hotel.

100 E. San Francisco Street
Santa Fe, NM

La Fonda, “the inn” is the hotel of all Santa Fe hotels. It’s on the Plaza, has been a member of Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, since 1991.

The site has been a hotel/inn since 1609. The history museum has it:

“In 1924, Ford Harvey sent his son, Fred, to find a Santa Fe site for a new hotel. Fred proposed the Exchange Hotel on the city’s historic plaza; the location had been an inn of some sort since 1610. The AT&SF snapped it up. The Fred Harvey Company hired young architect John Gaw Meem and seasoned designer Mary Colter to renovate the renamed La Fonda Hotel. The two added a new wing and a fifth floor that expanded the Spanish Pueblo-style hotel from 46 to 156 rooms and filled the spaces with handmade furnishings that emphasized regional craftsmanship. It reopened in 1929 and became a hotspot for Santa Fe residents, tourists, Los Alamos scientists, and Hollywood stars.”

There are many shops and eateries.

• the Bell Tower Bar: on the roof
• La Plazuela: lovely atrium on the ground floor
• …

^{From our small patio, the Cathedral is visible.}

828 Paseo De Peralta
Santa Fe, NM 87501

… more pix n videos on Google Maps, Yelp & TA

Will return: good location, comfortable bed, patios on the ground floor.

A roof top bar, next to the small swimming pool and Jacuzzi, and the Kitchen + Bar on the ground level.

The second floor is a big eating hall: from breakfast in the morning to drinks in the afternoon.

One odd offer: three drinks from 5:30 to 7pm, that comes with dogs, popcorn, pasta, all are average but are free, so is the breakfast.

The patios on the ground floor are great.

• The Rooftop
• Kitchen + Bar

Washer and dryer are on 4th floor, $2 each, if you don’t want to pay per piece.

21719 US-160
Durango, CO 81301

… more pix on Google Maps, Yelp & TA

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Durango is on the outer edge of the town. Walkable but we didn’t bother.

Hotel is clean. Slow elevator – one for each floor (I think). Jacuzzi is out. Front desk is vacant at time, such as during the breakfast time. Weak water pressure, slow WiFi; no usb ports. When I ask for a lotion, they ask me to go down to get it.

Breakfast is chaotic. Diluted orange juice. Not enough seating and outdoors is too cold.

488 N Main St.
Moab, UT 84532

… more pix and videos on Google Maps, Yelp, TA

Will return.

Hampton is part of Hilton group, locates at the edge of the town.

It has cookies ready for the guests in the late afternoon, apples are the constant in the lobby. They have a tiny pool and a weak jacuzzi on the ground in the back, outdoor. Laundry room is on the ground level, $3 per load.

The gift of bottled water and notebook, not sure it’s for our tour or for everyone – I love the notebook. My current notebook for bridge has few pages left, so this would be a prefect replacement.

The bathroom is decent, so is the room. The door is heavy – especially in light of our previous hotel in SLC that doesn’t even close. Plenty of outlet and USB ports.

2505 NW 87th Ave
Doral, FL 33172

… more pix n videos on Google Maps, TA

Will return.

Orchids, swimming pool, insulation, and coffee: it’s easy to operate and the last drop is always the most delicious.

The lobby is modern with large paintings. The restaurant Blue Matisse and Nau lounge to the left, looking appealing but we didn’t have a chance to try.

Nice length pool (about 40 yard) and I get to swim in the early morning alone. It’s pretty dirty on Friday afternoon: a receipt and a wide hair band are on the bottom, plus many leaves flowing above and below – this can understand that during the day. But the next two mornings, a staff did some cleaning, still leaving some … however, on Monday and Tuesday mornings, it is sparkling clean.

This airport hotel, doesn’t provide shuttle to the airport but offer for 3 miles radium near by (hope I get this right). The insulation is great: we didn’t hear roaring planes at all, inside our room.

Rooms 109-114 are super nice with a small patio, on the ground floor, next to the pool; especially 109 and 110, by the orchids.

Our bathroom doesn’t have any cups. It finally came after I asked for 3 times. We’re missing a robe: came after 2 asks. Hand soup and lotion came when I asked for half and half. On the morning of the last day, half and half never came, (our check out time till 12 noon).

No pen no pad. The bottom of the chair is uneven, so uncomfortable that I put a pillow on it.

The beds are on the soft side but comfortable. Four pillows are on the thick side. Shower has adequate water flow. The room cleaning could have been better. Bathroom is very clean.

At check out, there’s a charge of taco from yesterday.
“We didn’t order.” I said. Too many good restaurants here. We actually rarely order taco.
The young male staff said, “no problem, I’ll take it off.”
Actually I was hoping he’d it’s a wrong room number. It’s a little disconcerting. … Maybe use room key to pay, to reduce this kind of mistake? Sometimes people just forget their room number, mixed up or messed up.

The room keys are handsome. Suntan lotion at the pool is refilled (?) every morning – I see the staff bring it back a couple of times.

Smokers smoking out side of the entrance is terrible – everyone going in have to inhale…

^{the moldy grout and shoddy work at the corner}

These could have been eliminated by the raised edges (?)

This isn’t a nitpicking 鸡蛋里挑骨头 but a desire to know.

I used to have a raised edges (low, like an inch) on my bathroom sink top / counter top that saved me a lot of headache. But all the newly built homes I’ve seen so far, are all flat.

This goes with the toilet tanks – why can’t we do like the Europeans, or Germans, built into the wall? Unions?

The funniest thing is when I get home, can’t find an item, so I called them.

“Hi, this is Irene Eng. I just checked out of Rm 234 a few hours ago. Wondering if your housekeeping find an item X?”

Woman 1: “… oh let me look…” When she came back a minute or two later, she said, “Mr. Eng, thank you for being a xx member and we so appreciate your support … ”

“Ma’am, I’m looking for a lost item.”

“Oh, just second, I’ll transfer you.”

A minute later, a man (William?) picked up my call … pretty much the same and then transferred me out again.

A minute later, a woman (Julia?) picked up … it’s all over again.

^{this scene reminds me of Wanzhu in Ji’nan, China} 

This year’s Miami Open tennis tourney is the 40th edition since 1981 (?). We stayed at InterContinental in Doral, taking in side shows of Fiddler on the Roof @ Adrienne Arsht Center, and the Mets game @ LoanDepot Park, also meeting friends from our last trip.

One little on going surprise is that there are so many cranes in the skies – I thought by now Miami is pretty built up and saturated = done with. But guess not.

The flood at SoBe is pretty rare (?) & exciting.

We have a few good meals restaurants that I rate 5 star, which I don’t give out often:

1. CviChe105
2. Sixty Vines
3. Sichuan Fish
4. Sofra
5.  La Boul’Mich
6. South Garden
7. Cooper’s Hawk
8. GG

^{The itinerary} 

1. ^{3.28 Fri} GG; Sixty Vines; Fiddler on the Roof
2. ^{3.29 Sat}  La Boul’Mich; the Open; Sichuan Fish
3. ^{3.30 Sun} South Garden; Dadeland Mall; Gifford @ Uni of Miami; Hialeah; flood @ SoBe; Cooper’s Hawk
4. ^{3.31 Mon} AC hotel; SoBe; PortMiami; Magic City casino; CviChe105 @ Coral Gables; Mets
5. ^{4.01 Tue} Sofra @ Ritz-Carlton

… more on Miami

Củ Chi District
Hồ Chí Minh/Saigon, Vietnam

… more pix and video on Google Maps & TA

The tunnels at Củ Chi (Địa đạo Củ Chi) are a complex underground network. It was used by the Viet Cong. One of their operations was the Tết Offensive in 1968.

It had everything, from kitchens to bedrooms to hospitals. It also had happy rooms where 6,000+ babies were made and born.

We left hotel at 8am, spent two plus hours on site. The traffic is heavy both ways, two plus hours to and from the site, getting back to the hotel at 2:30pm. We could have returned a little early but some mates enjoyed the shooting of AK47, we all waited.

The site is shaded, part of the paths are slightly uneven.

The first exhibit is a bobbie trap: 11% of Americans, about 7,000 were killed by the bobbie traps during the war.

A park range demonstrates how to get into a tunnel. (Our tour manager took out his wallet and tipped him, and urged us to do so too. Our groups are mostly Americans and a few Canadians. I wonder if he would do so with a European or Chinese group?)

A tunnel rat – me following it, getting into the tunnel …

… more tunnels

By the shooting range (yes, it’s AK47), there is a rice paper making hut.

… the day trip

战壕入口
下面的地道错综复杂
几十年战争的生存空间
有医院 有厨房… 还有happy room where 6k babies were born 开心洞 六千娃出生

Ok more tunnel
… down the rabbit hole [偷笑]

他们那时只有早上做饭 供一天用 冒烟的地方经常换树叶 免被发现
现在是他们的冬天 下去几分钟已经热的不行 …

15 Đ. Tôn Đức Thắng, Bến Nghé, Quận 1,
Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

… more pix & vid on Google Maps & TA.

Will return.

The R hotel/Marriott has great views of the city, and River Saigon (Ho Chi Minh Can Gio) that empty out to South China Sea.

The semicircular, well maintained garden sits between the front of the hotel and the river. It has prince turned military leader Tran Hung Dao (1288-1300) statue, who is considered the most famous general in Vietnam.

This photo is from booking.com, showing from L to R: Bitexco tower to the left, the short building is Renaissance hotel, red Melinh Point Tower (21 storey grade A office building), the tall Hilton hotel that just opened in March, and Vietcom Bank is to the right.

The area is scenic. I made a mental note to walk on the river front but never found the chance. Crossing the busy street is one of the deterrent.

The hotel has two restaurants, Viet Kitchen on the ground level where we have our buffet breakfast, and all you can eat dim sum lunch on the second floor. Not sure if it opens for dinner – didn’t get to try it.

Two bars: one at the lobby and one by the pool on the roof top.

The roof top swimming pool has decent size, get my swimming in daily.

The room is nice, with two banks of charging outlet, one by the desk and one by the night stand. The windows show the age. We received two small white coconuts as welcome drink. They supply two bottles of water daily.

… nightcap

… looking out to the Ba Son Bridge (wiki), and the Melinh Point Tower, Hilton hotel Saigon that just opened in March 2024, and Vietcom Bank.

… the last  swim

… and the last supper

Long Xuyen, Vietnam

Will return.

… more pix & videos on Google Maps & TA

One of my favorite outings of the tour.

This floating market 水上市场/漂市, or more like village, spreads out along the eastern bank of Mekong River in Long Xuyen.

Long Xuyen (龙川; formally called Thủ Đông Xuyên) is the capital of An Giang province 安江省, in the Mekong Delta region of south-western Vietnam. The backdrop is newly built or in the process of building, low rise apartment buildings.

Ships need eyes -:)

Many boats look a like, which were built with the durable mahogany woods that they paint it with tar at the end of each year. Many of them live on their boat year around. Their children go to school on land, ferry to shore by small boat. People are very friendly.

The guide lives 40 miles (65 km) from here, who showed us some boats where he purchased, we also get to visit one of the boathome.

1. coconuts
2. yams
3. pineapples & two cute barking dogs
4. house visit

We also visited a boat, the owner has a 12 years old daughter who’s at school. The owner treated us to juicy watermelon. Our only question is, what do we do with the seeds and rind.

“It’s organic, throw into the water.” Buffalo said.

The guide served us coconuts and pineapple on the boat. He cut off a small piece to use as spoon, to scrape off the white flesh, which is very yummy.

After the market, we continued on the Mekong, passing by a Catholic Church Giáo Xứ Mỹ Thạnh/My Thanh, (Google Maps). Mỹ Thạnh is a commune (xã) / village of Long Xuyen: population 26,100 (2019); and the culvert bridge (涵洞桥?), a little over a mile down south.