IQBAL - User contributions [en]

Myanmar restricts used car imports

2018-06-29T10:50:29Z

HunterStrickland:

Myanmar has restricted imports of right-hand drive used cars in a bid to boost local production, draw foreign investment -- and phase out notoriously chaotic driving habits. Almost all of the cars on Myanmar's road are second-hand, 90 percent of [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html tour bắc kinh từ hà nội] them from Japan, even though the two nations drive on different sides of the road. Used car imports surged after the government liberalised restrictions in 2012, the year after breaking from half a century of isolationist military rule. Almost all of the cars on Myanmar's road are second-hand, 90 percent of them from Japan, even though the two [http://Www.Reddit.com/r/howto/search?q=nations nations] drive on different sides [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] of the road �Soe Than WIN (AFP/File) But until recently Western trade sanctions blocked imports of left-hand drive cars from Europe and the US, forcing motorists to turn to Japanese vehicles. As a result horn-beeping drivers routinely veer into the centre of the road to guage whether it is safe to overtake and buses unload passengers into the middle of busy streets. But that is set to change after the government banned imports of right-hand drive cars from this month. The move aims to boost local manufacturing and attract much-needed foreign investment, top priorities for Myanmar's newly elected government. Foreign automakers are now eyeing the largely untapped market of some 55 million consumers as a potential bright spot at a time of lacklustre sales in Southeast Asia. Only seven out of 1,000 people own cars in Myanmar, compared to 200 in neighbouring Thailand, said Nissan regional senior vice president Yutaka Sanada. "Out of the ASEAN countries, Myanmar, in terms of the opportunity, is bigger than our neighbours," he told AFP on Wednesday at the launch of the Japanese giant's first locally manufactured car. Ang Bon Beng, senior regional director of Indochina at Nissan's partner Tan Chong Group, predicted annual sales would grow 5-10 percent in the next few years. "If you look at the current market of Myanmar, 95 percent are used cars," he said. "But this country has decided it wants to liberalise" Myanmar has been the top market for Japanese second-hand car exports for the past three years, according to the Japan External Trade Organisation. Safety campaigners say the ban on imports of used right-hand drive cars will save lives and mean rickety old bangers are taken off the streets. Others hope it will ease the daily gridlock that chokes the streets of the commercial capital Yangon, home [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html tour bắc kinh từ hà nội] to most of the country's cars. But many locals complain the ban has simply driven up the cost of [http://www.Adobe.com/cfusion/search/index.cfm?term=&second-hand%20cars&loc=en_us&siteSection=home second-hand cars] and they cannot afford to buy new. Prices have risen 20-30 percent since it was announced in November and U Soe Tun, chair of industry body MAMDA, said they could double this year. "If I'm buying a car, I want to buy a car imported form Japan like Toyota and Nissan," said rice shop owner Soe Nyut Aung. "I have a limited budget and second-hand cars are cheap." Advertisement

Amazing Halong Bay

2018-06-19T09:52:28Z

HunterStrickland:

�� We chose the Valentine since the pictures of the boat, rooms, and common areas looked stunning. At least they did in the pictures. We were told that some boats the look nice in the pictures are very old but they use the pictures from when they first sailed. We also liked that this boat only had 5 cabins for a maximum of 10 people when some alternatives had as many as 25 cabins and 50 people. One other positive was that the boat supposedly would be away from other boats when it was time to sleep and that it had it's own private dock away from the hoards. When we first boarded the boat I was in awe. The boat was just as promised and only a couple of months new. We took a small boat to reach the Valentine and I thought it was a little [http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=bizarre bizarre] that no one else was on this boat. It turns out that Stacy and I were the only guests on the entire boat (there was also a travel agent inspecting the boat). As a result they gave us the Presidents suite which we were told was the biggest cabin in all of Halong bay. It was huge with a Jacuzzi tub and separate marble bathroom and rain shower. The walls were made of thatched bamboo and dark wood that glistened in the sun. The ceiling was almost high enough for a second floor! The top deck had 6 gorgeous teak loungers that we had to ourselves. Soon after we arrived on the boat the ship began to sail and we sat down to our 5 course lunch. I only wish I knew it was 5 courses so I could have paced myself. Delicious soup, papaya salad that looked too good to eat, perfect lemongrass shrimp, thai chicken, and dessert were some of the items. After lunch we visited an island that had several steps leading up to a sweeping view of Halong Bay. After snapping too many pictures we were soon back on the boat sailing some more and then off to a secluded bay for a little kayaking. Nearly the entire time sailing we only saw the 3 other boats the company owned (Ginger, Jasmine, Indochina) but at this bay it was just our boat. It was so great to be the only guests, they completely worked around our schedule and asked us what we wanted to do of all the [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh] options. Kayaking was a highlight of the trip. No one else around and the water so still that it looks like glass. The reflection of the rock formations and trees looked nearly identical whether looking at them straight on or it's reflection in the water. Back on the boat for some relaxation and then we had dinner. Another meal with too many courses, this time we joined the travel agent (Simon) and an employee of the company. Later after dinner we took the small speed boat to the Indochina sails to listen to some live traditional Vietnamese music and eat squid that was caught just 15 minutes before we arrived. May have been the best I have ever tasted. When we got back on [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html tour bắc kinh từ hà nội] our boat, I grabbed a fishing pole and tried my best at catching some squid. This is more fun than normal fishing because you can see the squid in the bright light that was shining on the water and once you see the squid close [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] to the lure you pull up to catch it. I caught one but surprisingly it was during one of the only times I wasn't actually trying to catch one. It was nearly 12:30P when I went back to the cabin to sleep. I didn't want to go to bed since I knew that I would wake up with the main part of the trip already over. Plus, I wanted to make it to the 6:30A kayaking adventure. Source: TravelPod

Ha Long Bay...Junk boat

2018-06-19T05:20:58Z

HunterStrickland:

We signed up for the Halong Bay boat trip with our guest house, A Dong Hotel in the old quarter of Hanoi, the guys here are very helpful and with a little bit of persuassion they did us a good deal, we got a 2 day and 1 night trip on the boat for $28. The guys picked us up no problem and took us off, we got tp the port and there were hundreds of junk boats taking people out on trips, eventually we got onto ours. Remember to take your passport with you or they wont let you stay on the boat over night. Apparently the harbour police caught some terrorists 6 months ago smuggling weapons and drugs aboard one of the boats, so the police made it mandatory to know who is on which boat at what time. The crew were nice enough, we stopped shortly after de-berthing and had some lunch, then set off into the bay itself. We were told by the guide that there are over three thousand islands in the area, however only one thousand nine hundred odd are in the actual conservation area. The whole area is a vastness of natural beauty, we have barely seen anything as nice, apart from the water it is slightly murky, not very good for snorkling! Our cabin was on the small size but you dont get a lot when you go for the extra budget option do you! the water in the shower worked when it felt like it and when it did it was only a dribble, Katie though didnt care she was just made up to be sleeping on [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh 5 ngày 4 đêm từ Hà Nội] a junk boat in the middle of Halong Bay, thats why i love her you see. That day we stopped off at Sung Sot caves and spent over an hour walking through the caves and taking in the sights, there are a lot of stalagmites and stalagtites. The guides try to show you all these pictures in the rocks and shadows but they are hardly true and you could probably make better ones up yourselves, the "romeo and juliet" one is a real corker! After the caves we once again boarded the boat and set off for the fishing village, on the way we [http://www.martindale.com/Results.aspx?ft=2&frm=freesearch&lfd=Y&afs=stopped stopped] at another cave you could visit by hiring [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] a small boat, we decided it wasnt worth it and just stayed on the boat chatting to some couples. The weather was gorgeous 40 plus easy and we were making the most of it all of us on the sun deck! We arrived at the fishing village and got to stop at one of the shops there that house the live fish in specially constructed rafts, the boats crew brought our [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh 5 ngày 4 đêm từ Hà Nội] dinner from here for dinner later! After this we dropped some people off at Cat Ba island that were staying the night at the hotel on the island instead of the boat (apparently its cheaper). We carried on cruising around the bay all afternoon and in the evening we settled in a small bay where we had dinner and everyone just chatted and socialised. The next day we were awoken at 06:30 to be informed it was time for us to go KAYAKING! what the hell!!! so we dragged our sorry asses out of bed and paddled around the cove and checking out caves and stuff. We ended up really enjoying it even tho we could barely open our eyes! After that we did nothing, we dropped off more people on the island and picked up some more then took a leisurely cruise back to the main dock at Halong city. So Katie and I just took advantage of the once again gorgeous weather and bronzed up to the max! Katie & Scott Source: Travelblog

User:HunterStrickland

2018-06-14T04:03:46Z

HunterStrickland: Created page with "My name is Hunter Strickland. I life in Nucleo Bandeirante (Brazil). my website [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html tour bắc kinh từ..."

My name is Hunter Strickland. I life in Nucleo Bandeirante (Brazil). my website [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html tour bắc kinh từ hà nội]