Author’s name:

If we were to visit Mistral’s star as tourists, what would you recommend that we see or do there?

Author Autobiography:

The outside of the theater.  It seated several hundred people.

The puppeteers stood behind the green curtains, waist-deep in water.  I can only assume they controlled the puppets through horizontal rods attached to the puppets’ lower ends.  Each little skit portrayed some aspect of traditional Vietnamese life and was accompanied by live music (the musicians sat to the left and right, just off the edges of the picture).  This one was about ploughing the fields with oxen.

At first it surprised me that the water was so dirty.  But I think they did that on purpose so the audience couldn’t see into it.  That way, it functioned almost like another curtain – the puppets could disappear into and rise from the water as well as swimming in it and seeming to walk on its surface.

This skit was entitled “Two Unicorns Playing with a Ball”.  Obviously the Vietnamese idea of a unicorn is very different from the Western kind!

This cute skit was called “Fishing”.

At the end, the puppeteers all came out to take a bow.

Click here to read my post about arrival in Ho Chi Minh and our hotel, the Golden Dragon

… or my blog post about seeing the sights in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

… or the one about my boat tour of the Mekong Delta

… or the Cu Chi Tunnels (from the Vietnam War)

We saw a number of these bomb craters in the area.

One of the guides showed us this secret entrance to an underground tunnel.  The “lid” was well camouflaged!

Guerrilla fighters created many hidden traps like this one to catch and kill enemy soldiers.

Notice the sharp spikes inside!

We got to see and even climb in an old American tank.

The guide explains a series of recreated traps that the guerrillas set for American soldiers in the forest.   Every one was ingeniously designed – and horrible to imagine falling into.

At last we got to actually explore one of the tunnels.  That was my favorite part of the tour! It wasn’t nearly as big as it looks in the picture – definitely not for the claustrophobic! (Several people in our tour group chose not to go in.)

The tunnel got even lower and narrower than this!   Needless to say, it was pretty dark (though the camera flash lit it up nicely). It was hard to imagine villagers living in these tunnels for so many years.

Looking up toward an exit from inside one of the tunnels.

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Author’s name:

Jeffrey Allen Davis

Title of book and/or series:

Gateway to Thera:  Book Three of the Adventure Chronicles

Brief summary of the story:

The group known as “Adventure” is an adolescent team of martial artists who regularly find themselves in situations where they have to use their special skills to defeat various villains, ranging from ninja clans to racists.  Many of the characters are Christians and their beliefs dictate how much force they use when they have to fight.  Until the third book in the series, the stories have been grounded in the “real” world (fictitious towns in Missouri).  However, in the new novel, half of the team is spirited away to another world to save a girl with the gift of prophecy from a dark wizard.

Brief description of the world or location you created for this story:

Thera is a world that shares a history with our own.  Around 1000 AD, Merlin—who is a prophet in my stories—was disturbed by a growing interest in people trying to explain everything without keeping God in the equation.  Understanding that such “knowledge” would result in Satan creating more false religions to attack the one, true faith,  he drew a number of people into a new world to help them avoid the coming religious wars, hoping for a Utopia.  Unfortunately, man cannot physically escape the fall of his first parents and evil followed them to the new world, as well.  As the histories of the two worlds diverged, Thera did not go through an industrial revolution and, thus, is still in a form of the Middle Ages.

If we were to visit Thera as tourists, what would you recommend that we see or do there?

The King’s City in New Camelot is a place of wonders.  Though I won’t detail it much until the fourth book, it is where the current king—a true descendant of King Arthur—lives.  Also, it is the home of the largest church in that world, complete with some of the most breathtaking art and architecture of EITHER world.

What dangers should we avoid in Thera?

The Dark Lands, to the south of New Camelot, are the lands of Tarent the Mage.  His army consists of bloodthirsty, human warriors and human/reptilian hybrids known as crechaw, both of whom obey their dark master without question.  The people of his lands feel the weight of a tyrannical ruler who randomly picks them for various experiments.

What types of weaponry or fighting styles are common in Thera?

Gun powder has not been invented there, so weapons are still of a Middle Ages type.  Various types of swords and bows fill out the requirements for weapons in the army of New Camelot.

What types of vehicles, animals, technology, etc. are used to travel in or to Thera?

The people who first traveled to Thera took their horses with them.  Horseback is still the most common form of transportation, although some powerful wizards (all of whom on Thera are evil and not trusted) have found ways of traveling by magic.

Gateways from Earth to Thera are rare, natural occurrences that only Tarent of the Dark Lands has been able to successfully duplicate at will, using two gold coins to form the base of a doorway between the worlds.

What types of plants, animals, or sentient races might we encounter in Thera that we don’t see on Earth?

The flora and fauna are very similar to what’s on Earth, though the heroes of the novel note that some of the sounds that they hear from the animals seem more primal.  Some of the animals, like the deer, have adapted new features to help them feed from high trees.  A deer has much stronger back legs that they can use to leap several feet from the ground.

Elves exist on Thera and it is important to note that, while they look like we’d expect from depictions in other fantasy novels and movies, they are viewed as simply another race of humans here, rather than another, long-lived species.

What role, if any, does magic or the supernatural play in the lives of people in Thera?  If there is magic, please give some examples of what it involves or how it’s used.

Having a basis in the real world with a Biblical worldview, there are no “good” mages.  Wizards always follow some aspect of Satan and draw their power from him.  The opposing people who would fill the niche of “good wizard” are, in truth, prophets.  They travel with words of encouragement from the Lord, doing good where they can and always giving Him the glory for any miracles performed.

Are the days of the week and months of the year the same in Thera as on Earth? What holidays or special events are celebrated regularly there?

As the world shares its history with earth (which the people of Thera refer to as “the Mother World”) the days of the week are the same.  The holidays celebrated haven’t been spelled out yet, although I expect the major Christian holidays to be celebrated, as well as those practiced by the high liturgy churches (Lent, for example).

Is there a particular religion practiced in Thera?  Please describe what it involves.

Christianity is the primary religion in New Camelot.  As the splitting of the history happened in 1000 AD, the Protestant Reformation had no part in the history of Thera.  As a result, there are no “denominations,” so to speak.  The Church is viewed as the body of Christians and the people view and respect the Trinity with reverence.  However, the corruption in the Church that caused the Reformation never happened here, so the church is still heroic and concerned for the well-being of the parishioners.

Other nations follow false religions and the leaders of these realms know that they are following aspects of Satan for the power that he gives them.

What is the political or government structure in New Camelot?  Who is in charge there at the moment, and what kind of leader is he/she?

The rulers of New Camelot have always been descended from King Arthur.  I have not gone into much detail about the current ruler yet, although I intend to introduce him in the next novel.

What, if any, “hot-button” or controversial topics do you touch on in your book?

Racism is discussed when the topic of elves comes up.  An elf maiden points out to the protagonists that, while she may look different, she is “no less human” than them.  Religion always seems to be a hot topic and Christianity is, foremost, the TRUTH in my books.  That, in and of itself, tends to garner some anger, especially from those who don’t take note that the books are listed as in the Christian genre.

Author Autobiography:

I’ve been writing in some form or another since I first picked up a pencil.  I can remember drawing a picture book—before I learned how to read—showing a duck on a pond getting eaten by a shark.  The characters in the Adventure Chronicles have been in my fiction since the second grade, where I started drawing comic books about them.  By the time I was in high school, I realized that I can’t draw a stick figure and started writing long-hand stories about them.

I currently live in a suburb of St. Louis, MO.  I live less than four blocks from the hospital in which I was born.  I’m happily married to Vickie Davis.  I have a daughter and two step-children.  I am a Baptist minister, although I’m not serving in that capacity at the moment.  My faith will always find its way into my writing, even if the story is not overtly religious.

Where, and in what formats, can we purchase your books?  

Gateway to Thera can be purchased in multiple formats:

Kindle

Paperback

Smashwords

Though the other ebook versions haven’t been released yet, you can pretty much find all of the versions on Smashwords.

Also, for anyone who would like to get a taste of the series, the first book is free at the following links:

Kindle

Nook

Kobo

ITunes

Smashwords

Where can readers connect with you online? 

Well, there are a few places:

My blog

Facebook

Twitter

The water was the color of chocolate milk and had all sorts of things floating in it.  Houses and small businesses were clustered along the bank, leaning over the water on stilts.

Some of them were less sturdy than others!

This was a fueling station for boats.

Many of the buildings had stairs going down to the water for easy boat access.

This was part of the Mekong Delta’s famous “Floating Market”.  Vendors fill their boats with produce from their farms and then live out on the delta for a couple weeks at a time until they’ve sold it all (to customers in other boats).

Most of the boats sported a tall bamboo pole that served as an advertisement.  Near the top of the pole, they would tie a few samples of whatever vegetable or fruit they were selling.

The vendors sleep in hammocks on their boats and do their cooking and laundry onboard with river water.  The guide assured us that they don’t get sick because supposedly their immune systems are used to it.  Considering what the water looked like, I find that difficult to believe!

Closeup of a boat full of fruit for sale.  The proprietor gave us a few free samples!

This lady was selling iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk in it from her boat.  I bought a cupful – it was the strongest coffee I’ve ever had!

As part of the tour package, our guide also brought along free fruit for us to munch on the boat.  The red spiny ones are called rambutan.  Delicious!

Our tour guide also provided us with fresh coconuts.  He cut holes in the tops and stuck straws in for us to drink the coconut water.

This is where he had been storing the drinking straws we used: up in the rafters of the boat’s ceiling.

We stopped and got out at several different places along the bank.  This was a bee farm.  They have hundreds of these boxes where the bees have made their hives.

At the bee farm, we were served jasmine tea with fresh honey and kumquat squeezed in.  Yum!

Besides honey and bee pollen, the bee farm sold royal jelly by the jar.  Here a man was mixing some with honey for us to try.

Later, we got off the boat for another activity: a short bike ride down a path near the delta.

Amazing.  Rickety little houses perched on stilts at the water’s edge – with satellite dishes!

After the bike ride, we watched a traditional skit/dance with musical accompaniment.

The musician in black is playing a single-stringed instrument called a monochord.

We were given tea and more fresh fruit to eat while we watched the show.  Rambutan, longan, guava, mini bananas, and jackfruit.

Eventually we switched to a smaller boat and took a ride down one of the many little canals beside the delta.

This was our guide for the day, Kahn (sp?).  He spoke great English and was very knowledgeable about Vietnam’s history, geography, culture, and folklore.

There were lots of little homes along the canal.  Many of them had homemade docks with boats moored there, like this one.  Note the poles that keep it from drifting away.

Later we got out at a “historic house” for lunch.

The house is open to tourists to look around in and provides a set meal for lunch.

However, a family actually lives there.  Though the living room and some of the other areas were as clean and fancy as though they were part of a museum, bedroom doors were open, and we could look inside to see that the place is very lived-in!

The main course at lunch.

It was quite tasty – not as scary as it looked!

Vegetable and lotus seed soup.

These wraps were good, too.  The ones at the right and left were made from some kind of flower, stuffed with fish and then deep-fried.  My favorite part of the meal!

Another of our stops on the boat ride was at a small factory where we got to watch rice paper being made.

Here it was being spread out to dry.

We also got to see people making popped rice (sort of like popcorn, but, well, with rice instead of corn).

Packaging the popped rice snacks.  These are popular in Taiwan, where I live, too.

At another little factory, we watched coconut candy being made.

Coconut candy spread out to dry before being cut into pieces and packaged.  There were lots of free samples available.  I thought it tasted good, but the toffee-like consistency was too thick and sticky for me.

 Click here to read my post about arrival in Ho Chi Minh and our hotel, the Golden Dragon

… or my blog post about seeing the sights in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

… or the Cu Chi Tunnels (from the Vietnam War)

… or a water puppet show!

The Reunification Palace.  The guard wouldn’t let us in since it was about to close, so I took this picture through the fence.

Notre Dame Cathedral.  You can definitely see the French influence in the architecture (as well as the name!).

Another view of Notre Dame.

A little room inside the cathedral.

Inside Notre Dame Cathedral.  The fence was to separate tourist wanting to take pictures from worshippers there to pray or attend a service.

Another little room inside the cathedral.

The Saigon Post Office, right across from the cathedral, is another famous building in Ho Chi Minh.

As you can see, it really is a functioning post office.  It was quite busy inside.

This is the Saigon Opera House.  My friend and I were thinking of going to see a show there, but it didn’t quite work out.  (Plus it was really expensive!)

A fountain right by the opera house.

A random neighborhood in Ho Chi Minh.

Downtown area.  The skyscraper you see has a helicopter landing pad.

Ho Chi Minh traffic.  Notice all the motorbikes.  We were told that Ho Chi Minh has ten million people – and six million motorbikes!

A barge on one of the many canals.

Click here to read my post about arrival in Ho Chi Minh and our hotel, the Golden Dragon.

… or the one about my boat tour of the Mekong Delta

… or the Cu Chi Tunnels (from the Vietnam War)

… or a water puppet show!

Author’s name: Jeremy Bullard

Title of book and/or series: Facets of Reality Book 1: Gemworld

Brief summary of the story: 

The main hero of the story is a United States Navy SEAL who finds himself transported to a medieval world of magic that is ruled by an immortal tyrant who has set himself up as a demigod.

Brief description of the world or location you created for this story: 

“Gemworld” is the generic term I use to describe the world in my book. The native inhabitants don’t really have a name for their world (or if they do, I haven’t discovered it yet). Gemworld consists of four major landmasses — the Outer Reaches, Leviathan’s Maw, the Mandible, and the Mainland. With the exception of a few notable references, the book takes place on the Mainland, as our characters travel from the Vale to Lost Aeden’s Garden to Ysre. Their world is similar to our own, with many of the same climates, plants, animals, and peoples we have. Of course, the advent of magic some four thousand years ago saw the birth of new creatures and new cultures, but nothing that would make that world incompatible with our own.

If we were to visit Gemworld as tourists, what would you recommend that we see or do there? 

My first recommendation would be to visit the Outer Reaches, native home of the vi’zrith, an amphibious humanoid race. Though their technology is unfortunately comparable to the rest of the world, their use of magic in the building of their underwater cities is astounding. For example, the external openings to their airlocks are covered not by doors but by a living film called an amoebite sheath, which thrives on the exhaled carbon dioxide and produces oxygen in return. The film coats you as you leave the airlock, making it possible for you (an ordinary human) to breathe underwater until you return to the airlock, where the amoebite recombines with the rest of the sheath.

I’d also consider the ruins of the Highest’s camp, located in the center of Lost Aeden’s Garden. The expansive forest is said to be cursed, but should one brave the superstitions, the camp is said to hold vast wonders of a long-dead age. If one stands on the slopes of the Icebreak Mountains and looks east, or on the Dragonspire looking west, one might catch a glimpse of the camp in the extreme distance: a sparkling finger of diamond, stretching toward the sky.

What dangers should we avoid in Gemworld? 

Leviathan’s Maw, a seasonal maelstrom above the islands southwest of the Mainland. The islands of the Maw are the leftovers of a sunken continent, and they number in the thousands. Enterprising ship captains sometimes run the Maw, looking to shave precious weeks off their trade routes from the Norean Isles to the northwest to the Mandible in the southeast, but they rarely attempt the run during the summer months, when the storm — difficult even in the best of circumstances — can be absolutely catastrophic.

Is there a distinct or unusual type of food or meal that we might be served in Gemworld? 

There is a semi-domestic animal called a kharn, which is often used as livestock among the more rural populations. The meat is very similar to pork, but the animal itself, a carnovore, is considered unacceptable in the more “civilized” social circles.

What types of weaponry or fighting styles are common in Gemworld? 

Fighting is mainly reserved for the Earthen Rank, the military forces of the Highest, and the Cause, those ordinary folk who stand in rebellion against the Highest. There is also an assassins guild called the Guild of the Silent Blade, who practice an ancient fighting art called shol’tuk. The shol’tuk use mainly the katana (a sword exclusively held by a shol’tuk — those who attempt to obtain or use one without the express permission of the shol’tuk do so at their own peril) and open-handed forms, though they have been known to employ throwing stars, bo staves, minor explosives, and whatever else they have close at hand.  

What types of vehicles, animals, technology, etc. are used to travel in or to Gemworld? 

One can expect the usual medieval forms of travel — horse, wagon, ship — though there are other forms available through magic. For example, a mage attuned to Amethyst (the soulgem of energy) can use magic to levitate. Granite mages (attuned to the soulgem of matter), on the other hand, have the ability to “become one” with other forms of matter, enabling them to “melt” and travel through the earth at great speed.

What types of plants, animals, or sentient races might we encounter in Gemworld that we don’t see on earth? 

The Mainland hosts certain races of dragons which, like mages, are attuned to the various soulgems. This affinity is reflected in their physical appearance. For example, the galvanic dragon (attuned to Amethyst) is violet in color, and can at times take a form of pure energy. The basilisk (attuned to Granite) is brownish grey in color and, though flightless, can become one with the earth the way granite mages can.

Also, as previously stated, Gemworld is home to the vi’zrith, an amphibious human race native to the Outer Reaches, a massive island chain on the far side of the world from the Mainland. Occasionally, they can be found in the Sea of Ysre, and are called “watermen” by the people who live on its shores.

What role, if any, does magic or the supernatural play in the lives of people in Gemworld?  If there is magic, please give some examples of what it involves or how it’s used. 

Magic is prevalent in Gemworld, though it’s looked upon with superstition by those who don’t understand it. The chief gemstones involved are Ruby (fire), Sapphire (water), Amethyst (energy), Emerald (life), and Granite (matter). One is able to “ascend” or attunes to their soulgem once they reach puberty. Ascension is achieved when the mage first comes into physical contact with their particular gem, usually by way of the Tiled Hand — a gem-tiled device that sports the six common soulgems in gemstone magic, including Obsidian, though the Highest is the only mage ever to have ascended to that particular soulgem. Once ascended, the mage’s eyes take on the characteristics of their soulgem, giving them passive abilities (emeralds can “feed” off sunlight, sapphires can “speak to the wind” and be heard at great distances, etc) and also a secondary visual spectrum (rubies can see variances in temperature, amethysts can see through solid objects, etc). While this is considered a blessing to most mages, granites consider this to be a curse. Granite is different from the other soulgems in that it is nontranslucent, meaning that the granite mage is cut off from his natural, light-based eyesight, leaving only his magical spectrum — seeing the world according to its structural makeup. Some granites have learned to live with the “beauty” of the world being stolen from them, but by and large, granites are a cold, calculating, super-practical lot.

Are the days of the week and months of the year the same in Gemworld as on earth? What holidays or special events are celebrated regularly there? 

The calendar on Gemworld is divided into five months of seventy days. Each month is divided into halves thirty five days each, with the halves separated by a three-day Festival. The Festival with the greatest religious significance is New Year, dividing the month of Whitesong, but the most anticipated Festival is Harvest, dividing the month of Goldenleaf. Not only is this Festival the celebration of all that elhas provided throughout the growing season, but also there is an extra day added to this Festival every fourth year, making it particularly popular among vendors.

Is there a particular religion practiced in Gemworld?  Please describe what it involves. 

The deity of Gemworld is known as the Crafter, though the more religious recognize Him by the name, el. The Highest is recognized as the Vicar of the Crafter, the physical representation of His Will until the fabled return of messac’el, the Heart of the Crafter. The Heart is said to have come once, long before Ysra Tuk’sheol, translated “the Coming of the Hellblade”, also known as the Rending of Heaven and Earth, a cataclysmic time when magic became part of the world. The Way’s tenets are simple: absolute devotion to the Will of the Crafter, and loving devotion to one’s neighbor insomuch as it is in keeping with the one’s devotion to the Crafter. There is said to be deeper doctrine kept by the priesthood of el, but the Highest has commanded the priesthood’s silence in the matter, deeming the doctrine too sacred for common folk to access without proper supervision.

There are variations on the Way of el, most notably Unending Seasons, a naturalistic approach to the Way. Unending Seasons recognizes the practical presence of the Crafter in all things. It is especially popular among the Plainsfolk, where it infiltrates the culture almost completely.

What is the political or government structure in Gemworld?  Who is in charge there at the moment, and what kind of leader is he/she? 

The Highest, an Obsidian mage and recognized Vicar of the Crafter, has been the ruler of the Mainland for over four thousand years, generally without dispute. Most would not consider him tyrannical, though most have never known an alternative to his rule, though on occasion the common folk have rose up in rebellion. The most recent opposition to his rule was that of Titus, King of Aitaxen in the Norean Isles. His kingship lasted for over a decade before he was deposed by the Highest. His current opposition is a young Norean, Reit Windon du’Nograh, the leader of a growing rebellion called the Cause. Reit is recognized by his brethren-in-arms as el’Yatza, the Hand or Servant of the Crafter.

Are there any other unique cultural practices that we should be aware of if we visit Gemworld? 

As Unending Seasons is foundational to the Plainsfolk practice, one must always be aware of  ritual responses. For example, their standard greeting is “The wind kisses the wheat”. A response of welcome would be “The wind bears the seed to new fields” or something similar. A neutral or guarded response would be “The wind weaves through the stalks, and they sway”. A negative response — and potentially insulting — would be “The wind precedes the storm”. Though the Plainsfolk are not overly severe, it can be easy to offend their honor by responding incorrectly to their ritualistic ways.

Has anything in your actual life inspired the locations, cultures, etc. in your book? 

Lots! The Plainsfolk are a reflection of the Native American culture. The shol’tukare a more honorable version of the ninja. And of course, the Way of elis essentially Christianity, with the priesthood being the more orthodox denominations and Unending Seasons being the more legalistic. The greatest real-life inspiration, I think, comes from my understanding of God, and my belief that He is sovereign over not just what is, but over all that “could be”. Rather than being the God of reality, I see Him as God over all possible realities. No matter the decision or life event, God saw it coming and has a plan already in place for it. Gemworld, as I envision it, is what would happen if the world were to have a magical apocalypse.

What, if any, “hot-button” or controversial topics do you touch on in your book? 

Chiefly, the possibility of God allowing our world to become Gemworld, for the sake of our own free will, while yet remaining sovereign over it Himself.

Author Autobiography: 

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh for my little vacation late Wednesday morning.  My friend Leslie was to meet me there that evening, so I was on my own for the afternoon.  It was exciting!  I elected to take the bus from the airport, instead of getting a taxi, just for the adventure of it.  My online research paid off, and I found Bus 152 just to the right as I exited the terminal, directly across from Burger King.  It cost me 5,000 dong for the ticket and another 5,000 for my suitcase.  (The exchange rate is 21,000 dong to 1 US dollar).  The ride was 25 minutes long, and soon it was standing room only as the bus kept stopping to let people on in the city.  

I got off at the Ben Thanh Market bus station, which according to my research was about a ten-minute walk from my hotel.  It took my wheeled suitcase and me more like half an hour trundling along the sidewalks, but that was because I missed the hotel, went way too far, and had to turn around and come back.  At least there were good sidewalks for dragging a suitcase on!  

Along the way I stopped to buy a snack from the woman in the picture.  The items on the left side of her cart are cooked, breaded bananas.  She cut them up into a disposable container for me and added a few scoops of sweet coconut sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.  It was delicious, especially eaten warm.

The Dragon Palace Hotel is so narrow that it’s easy to miss if you aren’t paying attention to the numbers on the buildings.  If only I had realized that it’s located right between a Subway and a Baskin Robbins!  Looking for those landmarks would have been much easier than looking for the name of the hotel (which was hard to see on that side of the street).

I arrived at 1:45, and my room wasn’t quite ready (the website had said it would be ready by 1:00 p.m.).  That was a little frustrating, but I only had to wait five or ten minutes.  (The website also said that checkout time was noon, but at the hotel we found out it was really 11 a.m.  However, they were glad to keep our suitcases for us between when we checked out and when we were ready to leave for the airport.)

Though narrow, the hotel is eleven stories tall (as you see at the upper left).  My room was on the 5th floor, which was really the 6th, since the ground floor wasn’t counted as one of them.  The window in the room only looked out to the hallway (I think the picture of the room on the website was fake), so we kept the curtains closed the whole time.  This is the nighttime view from the hallway window just outside our room (right).  

The purple and red that you see (above right) are tables and chairs at a little outdoor restaurant right across the street from the hotel.  As you see in the picture to the left, we ate lunch there a few days later – it was good!  (Don’t ask me why I have such a weird look on my face.)  We really enjoyed this chicken and pineapple fried rice served in a pineapple!

Anyway, our room in the Dragon Palace Hotel was pretty nice.  I mean, it’s a 3-star hotel, so we didn’t expect luxury, but it was clean and had everything we really needed.  The free wireless internet was great!  I had done a little research beforehand and discovered that the voltage in Vietnam is 127/220, with sockets for two-prong plugs, so fortunately I had brought a converter and was able to charge my laptop and camera.  

I took the picture to the right as we were on our way down to check out – it was neater when we first came in! 

 
To the left is the bathroom (again, as we were leaving).  No tub, but there was plenty of hot water in the shower.  The shower did leak onto the bathroom floor, but the hotel provided flip flops, so it didn’t really bother us.

I didn’t get a picture of the breakfast area, but that was one of the best parts.  They had a variety of both Western and Asian items to choose from each morning, including fruit, bread, bacon, sandwiches, noodles, kebabs, etc.  There was even a lady behind the counter who would cook eggs for you any way you wanted them done.  The only trouble was, breakfast didn’t start till 7 a.m., and one morning we had arranged a tour for which we had to leave right at 7:00.  But when we told the front desk about it the day before, they assured us they would pack us a breakfast to take along.  And they did; we each got a sub-style sandwich on a tasty baguette, hard-boiled egg, banana, and two plain slices of bread.  More than sufficient. 

The people at the front desk were very helpful in other ways, too.  My first afternoon there without Leslie, I asked them if they had any recommendations for what I could do in the area.  They volunteered to call a tour guide who would take me around on her motorbike and show me the sights.  In retrospect, I probably should have bargained for a lower price.  I paid $50 US for a three-hour tour, which included admission to one museum and a good pho (noodle soup) dinner, as well as a lot of stops by interesting buildings and other sights.  The guide was knowledgeable and friendly and happy to take lots of pictures for me everywhere we stopped.  I’m not sorry I did it, but I don’t think it was quite worth as much as I paid.

The hotel people also helped us book tickets at the Water Puppets Show, and even went to pick up the tickets for us early in the day.  At our request, they called a van service for us to take us back to the airport the day we were leaving (since the bus timetable didn’t fit our schedule well that day – apparently the one going to the airport only comes by once every hour, and not at an exact time).  We had booked a couple of tours (of the Mekong River Delta and the Cu Chi Tunnels) ahead of time online, but it turns out that we could easily have arranged them when we got there, through the front desk at the Dragon Palace.  (Actually, I passed lots of places between the bus station and the hotel advertising the same tours, plus others as well.)  

Anyway, the Dragon Palace Hotel suited our purposes very well, and as long as you’re not the type who has to live in luxury, I recommend it.  The staff were friendly, professional, and spoke great English, and they definitely helped make our stay pleasant and memorable.

Click here to read my blog post about seeing the sights in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

… or the one about my boat tour of the Mekong Delta

… or the Cu Chi Tunnels (from the Vietnam War)

… or a water puppet show!

About the Book:

When we think about our love relationship with God, we tend to focus on His love for us: God created us in His image. God sent His only begotten son to die for our sins. God will send His son once again to take us home.

What exactly does it mean to love God? Why is it so important? And how do we love Him? Tony Yang answers these questions through a Bible-centered approach, weaving in his personal testimony with his unique storytelling style. His conclusion is one that he least expected—the “O” word. In his highly anticipated debut book, Tony Yang presents key questions and answers them with such simplicity, using easy-to-follow practical applications. With a solid Biblical foundation, it also educates, encourages and inspires, leaving the reader to desire a deeper relationship with our God.

Tony Yang is a storyteller. As a television news reporter, he discovered his passion for finding and telling good stories. After eight years as a journalist, he found himself on the administrative side of health care and higher education as a communication executive (but still a storyteller at heart.) His career has been recognized by industry organizations with nearly 20 professional awards, including two Emmys. Through God’s leading, Tony Yang hopes to use his love of writing and storytelling to share his experiences and encourage others in their love relationship with God.  

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