Phideaux

SFFT is weird I have been during the week and all the rides are walk-on and I have been during the week and it is crowded. I have asked the ride operators about it and they would always say "It was not crowded at all yesterday". With the new ride it might be worth the extra purchase to skip lines. For Chicken Fried Steak I have not found many places that make it better than homemade. In Waco (on your way to San Antonio) there is a place called "George's" and I like their chicken friend steak. Plus you can order a Big 'O' (it is a big glass of beer). The riverwalk is a must in San Antonio and just go look at the Alamo. I usually visit Mi Tierra for food and they have a Mexican bakery there. Mi Tierra is in the Market Square and after we dine we usually walk around the market area and do some shopping. Hope it helps and hope you do not melt while visiting.

A few weeks ago my wife and I went to Sea World to process my complimentary fun card. Sea World San Anotnio has complimentary fun cards for all teachers teacher that have a valid certificate and are currently employed. We took our oldest son along with us for his first roller coaster. The weather was great and we enjoyed all the shows and my son loved the ferris wheel and the carousel. We did not get to see much of Aquatica (it was closed). My only complaint is the park closed too early. We had a good time and wished we could have spent more time. I thought I would sahre my son's first roller coaster experience with everyone. Enjoy. Getting ready to go. He was more interested in trying to read the sign than looking at the camera. First of two laps.

Heck Yeah Bike Mike. (I am at school I do not think I can type Hell)

Seems to be all the rage in Australia. Whatever floats yout boat or plank.

Thanks for the report. I still owe my wife a trip to Hawaii and Maui is one of the islands I want to visit. Did you get a chance to go to any Luaus? I really enjoyed the Paradise Cove Luau on Oahu. Thanks again.

I wish I was able to stay and enjoy the night ERT. Maybe next time. Even though I only was there for the morning ERT, it was worth it.

Just came across this and thought I would share. Roller Coaster Bed!

I live in Austin and I used to live in Houston. US Highway 290 also runs through Fayette and is heavily travelled. Anything between 290 and I-10 would be a great location. Most people travelling to Houston from Austin take 290. La Grange, a ZZ-Top song, is also the only stop during the annual MS 150 (a bike ride from Houston to Austin supporting MS). In case you wanted to know a little more about the area.

Wildebeest looks like a lot of fun. Camera took good pictures. Someday I need to get a DSLR camera. I am torn between saving for a new HD video camera or a DSLR.

^I felt pretty safe everywhere. We went to a market and it was really crowded and I was warned about pick-pockets and if you have jewelry that might take it but my wife and her sister carried all the money. We even went around certain areas of Ho Chi Minh around midnight but my wife's friend that was with us was a police officer so I felt pretty safe. ^^I do not really remember exactly how they portrayed the history of man. They did start with dinosaurs and cavemen hunting and then battling with each other and then it seemed to skip modern man and go into the future but it was really sketchy. I saw the sign for the crocs but we did not go over there. I believe Shawn's (Packfanlv) report did experience the crocs at Dam Sen.

After suffering in the heat and humidity of Ho Chi Minh we drove to the city of Da Lat in the Mountains. The weather was around 70 degrees and it felt very nice. During our visit in the mountains we found a place called Valley of Love. It is hard to describe Valley of love. It is not an amusement park but a place for people to go and see gardens, view a lake from the top of the mountain, paddleboat around the lake, take pictures of statues, swing on a bench swing, and ride some rides. You could say it is romantic with a few kiddie rides and a coaster. The coaster was small and they let you go around two times which makes the second time really interesting. I really felt like I was going to fall out. They had a whole section of the coin operated rides that you find outside a grocery store and a place to shoot a bow and arrow. The hill tribes of this region reminded me a lot of the Native Americans with the clothing and feathers. Many of the attractions in the area were very pretty and very scenic as there are many lakes and waterfalls in the region. On our way home we stopped at another attraction in Da Lat that had an alpine coaster that took you down to a waterfall so you could walk around and then you rode it back to the top of the mountain. I really enjoyed my trip to Vietnam and would recommend others to visit. Like most things, Vietnam is not for everyone and a laid back approach is the way to go. If you decide to go knowing some locals really help. I would love to go back and if you want a tour guide I can try to convince my wife into going again and please feel free to contact me about anything. I really enjoyed my trip to Vietnam and I hope to return. Here are the pictures from Valley of Love and the alpine coaster. Valley of Love The credit, I was really surprised to see this. I barely fit, and I was scared. The second time around I felt like I was about to fall out. The wheels speed up the coaster before the turn. Worm train thing, with a small hill. The small hill Poster for the alpine coaster, I did not get a good picture of it so here is a poster. Looking back up the mountain at the alpine coaster. It is in there somewhere. Alpine coaster in action. Alpine coaster's lift. Best way to get back to the top. Random game found at a mall in Ho Chi Minh. You get to keep the goldfish if you ctach it! Wow

The SkyRide was pretty cool, I kind of wished we rode it during the day. At night it was cool to look down on the city and back at Vinpearl.

Vinpearl was a really neat place to visit. When our boat taxi docked at Vinpearl we had to choose a package and pay to enter. I am not sure of the cost but we were able to do everything. Vinpearl had a water park, amusement park, an aquarium (pretty nice), and a laser water fountain show thing at night. We went to the aquarium first and then to the water park. The water park was quite fun with a lot of rides and you can even swim in the ocean. The amusement park was really nice with a good collection of rides and attractions. The roller coaster was very good and we must have rode it 20 times. Unlike the other parks you can ride as much as you want. If I ever get to go back to Veitnam I am going to make sure we got back to Vinpearl. Here are the pictures from Vinpearl. From our boat as we arrive. Entrance to the waterpark. Rainbow slides provided some good airtime. This thing hurt, but it was fun. Condor ride thing. On the compact coaster. Coaster doing its thing. Coaster sign rules! Another view of the coaster Carousel Mouse bumper car and a cow right behind. Screaming game, it was set to free play I could not talk after playing. Screaming game. My wife won, I am soo proud. Toddler area with a Disney theme. Crazy bike ride thing. I wanted to try this but it was not open at the time. Dumbo, I mean elephant ride. I wish I had a better picture of this ride. This is how we got home after our visit. I think it is a law to take a picture of this ride at night. Last view of Vinpearl.

From Ho Chi Minh we drove approximately 220 miles to Nha trang in a little over 10 hours. The speed limit was around 30 miles and hour for most of the way. You can fly from Ho Chi Minh for less than $100 and if I knew that I would have asked to fly back to Ho Chi Minh after our visit. The beach area was very pretty and there was a lot of things to do in Nha Trang like visit the hot springs, SCUBA, snorkeling, parasailing, banana boat, jet skis, fishing, Vinpearl resort, and we even found a small park right on the main street next to the beach. Nha Trang was a big higlight of the trip. We took a Taxi boat thing to get to Vinpearl and along the way we stopped for lunch. You literally pick what you want to eat right out of the ocean and they cook it for you. Phu Dong park is really small and is mainly for kids but it does have a credit and since Vinpearl is across the bay it is worth stopping for a visit. The coaster is small but they let you go around three times. Here are the pics from Phu Dong. Before the trip we went shopping for snacks. Hmmm, edible roller coaster steak flavored. Entrance to Phu Dong Park The credit! We rode the coaster at night so I went back during the day to get some pictures. The rider was not open at 8 am. Helix of doom or something. Ferris Wheel Children's ball pit, they have big balls in there. The 3D Phim, I wish we watched it.

Next park was Dam Sen. You can check out Packfanlv's report for more pictures and information. This park featured a waterpark but we did not have time to visit . We took all of our nephews and nieces to this park and we had a really good time. The coaster was better than the coaster at Dai Nam and the park was larger than Dai Nam with more things to do. They have a laser water fountain show thing but we were hungry and left to eat at Kentucky fried chicken (the kids love KFC, it is a real treat for them). They had some real interesting gardens and statues throughout the park. There was a couple getting married at the banquet hall at the park and another couple taking wedding pictures around park (near the gardens and statues, not near the rides). There were some monkeys, birds, snakes, alligators, and a cactus garden. The park featured a good collection of flat rides as well. One of the attractions was an indoor ice sculpture attraction thing. It felt nice to go inside for a while. Like every park they did have some subtle Disney references. On to the pictures. Be aware the first picture was found on the way to the park. I was hoping that was a menu. Waterpark as seen from the outside. magic carpet ride Monorail. Everytime I see one I think of the Monorail song from the Simpsons. Not so magic carpet slide thing. 101 Dalmatians or 14 random dog-like creatures with spots. Four dwarfs and one eating boogers and one hiding in the bushes. Sign for roller coaster Roller coaster through the loop. Roller coaster from across the lake Snake area Kiddie bumper cars Vietnam Memorial statue found in the park. Notice the cigarettes. Entrane to the Ice palace thing (Ice latern). Flume ride thing. Spinning coaster sign Spinning coaster. Did not spin as much as the one at Dai Nam Giant Ferris Wheel