Thoughts so far.

Well, we've finished travelling through our first country and you'd think we might have learned a few things, about Vietnam and travelling in general. We think we have, and what's more, we're going to share a few nuggets of wisdom with you. Here goes :

1. Vietnams North/South divide
Vietnam is a great place, and one we would highly recommend to everyone. However there is definately still a north/south divide, despite it officially ending 30 years ago. Example of text from a tourist leaflet in Saigon (south) : "How you diamond geezer alright mate. Cheap tour of Cu Chi tunnel by boat and views of beautiful Vietnamese coutryside, David Beckham". Example of text from tourist leaflet in Hanoi (north) : "Tour to see glorious museum of victory against imperialist oppressors. See how brave revolutionary peoples of Vietnam defeat armies of colonial greed to create beautiful Socialist Republic of Vietnam". You get the picture.

2. Mopeds
Vietnamese people love mopeds. A lot. Not only are there millions of them, everywhere, they also have a million uses. There is very little that connot be fitted onto the back of a moped. We have seen stacks of produce at least 12 feet high piled onto the back of a moped, with a rider and 2 passengers, we've seen 8 foot long panes of glass, entire extended families and crates of watermelons. You name it we've seen it piled onto hte back of a moped. But our number one favourite piece of moped baggage was..........a moped ! That's right, folks. On a drive through Saigon we saw a chap riding a moped, and piled on the back was another moped being held on to desperately by his passenger. Fantastic.

3. Traffic
Traffic is incredible, especially considering there appears to be no rules governing use of the roads. From what we can tell, the only rule seems to be first person there has right of way, even if they are driving down the wrong side of the road, at night, with no lights and 37 passengers on their moped. Unfortunately, many lorry and bus drivers believe they have right of way, even if they get to a junction second, simply because having 14 tons of sharp, angular steel conveys some kind of advantage in a collision. The moped riders are having none of it and frequently engage in games of chicken with the lorries. From what we can tell, the lorry drivers sometime back off, but often not. You see wrecks everywhere.

4. Pedestrians
In Saigon there are so many mopeds everywhere that crossing the road is a major hazard. Even the locals get scared, which is why there are so few pedestrians. Instead they buy a moped and ride across the road. One of the most interesting aspects is realising that you have to look in every direction at once irrespective of which lane you are crossing. There is just as much chance of getting run over by somebody driving against the traffic as fast as they can with a large timber doorframe on the back of their bike. From what we can figure, the only safe way to cross a road is to have a 360 degree field of vision, maybe by growing a pair of insectile compound eyes.

5. Insectile compound eyes
The only way I know for getting a pair of compound eyes is to build a teleportation machine, then carelessly allow a fly to get into the machine whilst you're using it. When you teleport across the room, your computer will become confused and merge you at a genetic level with the fly. After this everything takes care of itself. Warning : this could be a dangerous procedure and you should always get permission from a parent or guardian before trying it.

6. Guidebooks
From our modest experience, we have come to believe that all guidebooks (but especially Lonely Planet) are complete bollocks. Not since the cold war have I seen a book of such blatant lies and disinformation. They should be moved from the travel section to the fiction section in Waterstones immediately.

7. Fingernails
If you, like me, are an habitual fingernail biter, you will be staggered at how easy it is to break that nasty habit once you have moved to a land of squat toilets and no running water.

8. Intellectual property theft
There is nothing, I repeat nothing, that cannot be copied, counterfeited and pirated and sold on the streets for a couple of dollars. Biggest scam so far : $800 worth of computer software on sale for $2. I fail to see how Bill Gates could ever break the $100 billion mark with all this going on. I feel for him, I really do. CD's & DVD's are on sale here before ever making it to HMV or the cinema back home. Oh, well !

9. Pho
If you ever order a bowl of Pho (or Vietnamese beef noodle soup) in Cambodia, that large, brown, round thing floating on the top of the soup is not a bull's testicle. If you ask the waitress if it is, using mimes and hand gestures, she will only laugh at you and tell her extended family what you just said. They will also laugh at you.
It is in fact a kind of dumpling made out of ground beef, flour and pepper. I though it tasted like a testicle !

I just wanted to add...

.....,with reference to the mountain climb, that there are times in our lives when we really want to see things through to the end. And times when you wished you'd stuck with something and not given up. I experienced none of these feelings having decided not to go all the way up. I'm afraid the mozzie bites (how the hell do you get 17 in 30 seconds!) and comments like 'well the view is nice but you've got a long way to go yet' were enough. Michelle and I realised that sitting at the bottom, local beer in hand was definitely the more worthwhile option. I guess the decision was also backed up by the fact that I suffer from vertigo and that I wasn't exactly looking forward to the walk back down. The fewer people there were to see me sliding down on my backside the better. I do however take my hat off to those who made it - they all looked throughly exhausted by the end but I'm sure they felt a sense of achievement.

The glass of local beer for 15pence tasted great after all that sweating and we were having a lovely chat with the locals until in a moment of merriment I leant back in my rather small plastic chair and broke it. Oh how we laughed - luckily, as I did wonder if they might escort me from their village. But no, they were probably just thinking, silly big western woman!

Anyway I also wanted to say that having been to most of the places we've visited the last time I was here in Vietnam I have obviously noted the changes. Mostly that more tourists are coming and places are getting busier and more shops etc are appearing. The biggest change however was on Cat Ba Island where the quiet little harbour now looks like the beachfront at Clacton (for those who don't know Clacton, think Blackpool only a lot smaller!) complete with light show. It's all good for the Vietnamese economy I guess but a shame all the same.

Well, we've now been in Saigon for 4 days and have done very little, Mik kindly passed his cold onto me and we have both been moping around and sleeping most of the time. We did visit the War Remnants Museum and that woke us up - some absolutely horrific photos telling the story of the war and the devastation it left behind. Our generation can never comprehend what it must be like to endure such atrocities.

Tomorrow we head up the Mekong Delta by boat and in a couple of days will cross the border into Cambodia - our first border crossing, will let you know how we get on.

Cara

Wonderful images now online

We've finally managed to get some more photos online. Click below to get redirected to the website :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourtravels/


p.s. I have no idea why this large white space has begun to appear at the top of the page

Halong Bay boat trip

Okay, let me summarise the first part of the trip for the sake of brevity : Left Halong City, bit cloudy, decent enough lunch, had a snooze on deck, visited a couple of caves, one was big, the other quite small, moored up for the night, had dinner, sat on the upper deck drinking beer and watching lightning arc across the sky from distant thunder storms. All very pleasant and nobody had to die. Yet.
The only notable event was returning to the boat from the big cave, we had to walk across a timber walkway that, due to the tide being in, was submerged under a few inches of water. Being the dopey idiot that I am, I was looking everywhere except where I was going and didn't notice the missing plank in the walkway. It was a curious sensation watching the ground rush up to meet me, and I didn't immediately understand why. Fortunately for me, my fall was slowed when my shin bone connected with the edge of the plank and I finally figured out what was going on. Witnesses claim I made some sort gutteral meeowing noise, but I don't believe a word of it. I continued on into the water until my leg had completely disappeared, giving my shiny new camera a good dunking in the process (it survived). Everybody was very helpful and pulled me out and asked sympathetic questions. I had one of those big cheesy grins plastered across my face that only people in excruciating pain can do. It hurt like hell and for a second I thought I could see bone, but the only real damage was to my pride so obviously I pretended I was okay and when nobody was looking I limped off into a corner to lick my wounds and feel sorry for myself. A good start I think.
The next morning we were dropped off at a little jetty at the edge of Cat Ba Island, the largest island in the collection of 2000 or so in the bay. A quiet, easy little trek they said. A walk up a hill to see the view they said. Dear reader, preapare yourself for a tale of endurance and suffering like no other you have ever heard. Maybe. For today, at least. Maybe.

We set off along the coastal road and into the jungle, which was all very pleasant and we saw some amazing things, such as spiders the size of your hand hanging over the path on huge webs, and stick insects hanging from tree branches. Actually, we didn't see these at all until our guide plucked a few twigs from a tree and they started wriggling in her hand. How cool is that ? It all went downhill from here. Metaphorically speaking of course, because it actually all went uphill from there. The walk to the small village was actually 5km and by the time we got there I was drenched in sweat. It was probably about 38 degrees, getting hotter by the minute, and very, very humid. We had a bit of a rest and a chance to buy some more water, then we were off again. After trekking up a narrow jungle path liberally sprinkled with mountain goats and big spiders, we started up the MOUNTAIN, bcause a mountain it certainly was. It was basically a narrow path going straight up the side of a very steep, scary mountain covered in shard jagged outcrops of rock. And when it wasn't rock, it was jungle. Or both. By this time it was noon and staggeringly hot. The path was very slippery from rains the previous night and you had to pull yourself up by tree roots and rocks. Mosquitoes were everywhere and the only thing that stopped me getting bitten was tepid, stinking sweat spurting from every pore ( a couple of mozzies with armbands had a go and died trying). We passed a few folk coming back down the mountain and they were not very happy at all. The view was 'nice', but we were nowhere near the top yet. While standing still having this conversation, Cara managed to get 17 mosquito bites, a record even by our standards. There was dissent in the ranks and talk turned to mutiny. We scrambled on some more. We slipped, stumbled and sweated. We met some more people coming back down with tales of woe and misery. That was it. Enough. Cara and the other English girl were going to tolerate this torture no longer and turned back to head back to the village. The rest of us stoically marched on.

By this time I had elevated my new hobby of sweating to new, unimaginable levels. It was pouring off my head, my fingertips and elbows. With every step I took it squeezed sweat out of my shorts to run down my leg and into my boots. Now even my feet were soggy. Every single square centimeter of clothing was utterly drenched. And the whole time I was thinking : 'I'm actually paying to do this!'. Fantastic. We finally reached the top, and the view was breathtaking. You could see for miles in every direction and see hundreds of islands. We were all enormously relieved to be at the top. And was it worth it : Was it bollocks !

The journey back down was slightly more nervewracking and only slightly quicker. I got lost on the way back to the village and walked straight into a huge spiders web, face first. I did one of those attractive 'Aarggh, get it off me!' dances that only arachnaphobes know about, but I was on my own so nobody else had to witness it. Back at the village we found Cara and Michelle sat with their feet up drinking the local beer and chatting with the locals. Gits. To a man, we all looked like we were about to drop. In the picture below our guide, Nguon, had justed started to pour the water over my head. My shorts are just sweaty. I can safely say without fear of contradiction that I have never sweated so much, or been so hot, in my life as I was that day.

After lunch in the village, where everybody ate half their own bodyweight in rice, we started off on the 5km walk back to the boat. Our guide took a lift on the back of a moped. Smart lady.

From there we went sea kayaking, because we felt like taking some exercise. Followed by swimming from the side of a floating fish farm. Nice !

Rest of thge trip : Sailed round to Cat Bat town, checked into hotel, went to dinner in town, got boozed up in a bar run by a Kiwi guy who looks like the shopkeeper out of Mr Ben, slept, sailed back to Halong City in scorching sunshine and bus back to Hanoi. An altogether wonderful trip. This was followed by a night in a hotel room with broken airconditioning, I contracted pneumonia (although I'm sure Cara will try and convince you it was just a cold), a flight back to Saigon and another night in a hotel room with a) broken airconditioning and b) directly above a nightclub. By this point we were starting to feel a little bit tired. Needless to say we haven't achieved a huge amount whilst in Saigon.

Before we move onto Hanoi.....

..I just wanted to let you know that we finally gave in in Hoi An and had a pizza! We'd done very well up to that point having eaten only local food but I was craving cheese so we had the best tasting pizzas ever (or so it seemed at the time) at a restaurant called Good Morning Vietnam - how ironic! Aside from this we have only eaten western food one other time and so are now becoming very adept with chopsticks.

So, we arrived in Hanoi at 5am went to our hotel and slept some more - it's amazing how tiring this travelling lark is. We then spent the next couple of days wandering around Hanoi. At one stage when crossing the road (dodging the motorbikes) in full midday sun we felt like we'd entered a furnace and it literally stopped us in our tracks - the honking of horns soon got us moving again - this by the way is a local pass-time for all drivers. It seemed hotter in the north but I think it's just far more humid, so leaving the aircon on in our room while we're out is essential. When you walk back in it feels like a fridge but within a few minutes it seems warm again - I don't know how people sleep without it.....?!

We wanted to go on a boat trip through Halong Bay, famous for it's 2,000 islands - well, rock formations - so we hunted around for a good deal. It's very difficult to know how good a deal you are getting with these things as every tour shop offers you a different price for what essentially looks like the same thing. Anyway we made our choice and I think we did OK.

We ended up on a boat with just 6 other people, 3 Danish, 2 French and another English girl, Michelle. Our Vietnamese tour guide was great, her English was very good and she was ever so enthusiastic - but she did wear trousers that looked like satin pyjama bottoms a lot of the time!

We were to spend the first night sleeping on the boat and I for one was very impressed when we were shown our rooms. To all those who have been on the Turkey boat holidays the rooms were better than those, we even had a fan. This was of course the point at which we realised we had to sleep without aircon for the first time - on a boat in the middle of the sea! We were actually very lucky that we'd had a fairly overcast day so it was a bit cooler, otherwise there could have been a few tired faces the following morning. I'm sure the bottle of local wine (you get used to it) Michelle helped me deck may have aided sleep too!

That evening we had also found out that the trekking part of the itinerary wasn't optional and that it wasn't just 5km. It was infact about 14km, 4 km of which were up and down a mountain. Now you know me, I usually don't mind a bit of exercise but that's in cool conditions in a gym - this was very different. On that note I shall pass over to Mik as he'll be able to give a more detailed account of the trek!

Before I sign off I did just want to mention to the girls reading this that I have now managed without mascara (actually left it at home - accidentally!) for nearly 4 weeks now and haven't missed it. I do still have my trusty Clarins tinted moisturiser and this will remail a staple but aside from that I think I'm doing quite well. Wouldn't really be much point doing the whole make up thang anyway as it'd all have flowed off my face within 5 minutes of being outside in the heat - even in the evenings!! Anyway enough girlie stuff over to Mik for manly climbing stories.....

Cara

Okay, back to the important stuff

With reference to Cara's last post, we never managed to make it to the My Son (pronounced Meesun) ruins that afternoon. The helpful folk at the hotel told us that although they had arranged for us to go in the afternoon and see the sunset over the site, the ruins themselves actually closed before sunset. This did not appear to be a problem for them, and they could not understand why we were a little put off by the whole thing. We rearranged the tour for the following morning, despite cutting it a little fine for our train, departing our hotel at 5am (yes folks, that is five o'clock in the morning) so we could get there for sunrise. A little dramatic I'm sure you'll agree, but well worth it we were assured. Can you see where this is going, yet ?

The next morning we were up and ready for 5AM!!! A time of the day that should surely be outlawed, sealed in a lead lined box and dropped to the bottom of the ocean. It was very dark outside, but the helpful folk at the hotel assured us the sun would be up in 15 minutes and we would be able to see everything. It was at this point we reminded them that it took an hour to get to the ruins. No emotion crossed their serene faces. We pointed out that if the sun came up in 15 minutes, and we wouldn't get there for an hour, it might prove to be a little difficult to see the sun rise. Again, not a flicker. They kindly pointed out that the sun would continue to rise until noon, and providing it wasn't cloudy, we would be able to see it.
You see, technically accurate but not enormously helpful.

Anyhoo, we went to the My Son ruins (apparently are a UNESCO world heritage site) which date back to the 4th century (so pre-date Angkor in Cambodia by many centuries) and are built amidst jungle coated mountainsides and valleys. They look spectacular, and were well worth the visit. Taking our private, air-conditioned car back to the hotel (flash gits), we just had enough time to get showered and changed before checking out and getting whisked off once more to Danang train station for our 16 hour journey to Hanoi. Zippedybloodydoodah !

And by the way, yes you can get some very cheap clothes in Hoi An, but 'tailormade' is being a little kind. 'Thrown together in a back room by somebody who has no intention of giving you what you requested' would be a more honest description. It seems that when it comes to business, once the transaction and price has been agreed, everything that comes after that becomes a chore and best avoided. I ordered a pair of baggy linen trousers and was given a small, pink, babygrow. Tell me that's good service !

It was in the taxi on the way to the train station that Cara, fast becoming known as Professor Hindsight, pointed out that if we had flown between Danang and Hanoi, it would have cost little more and saved us 15 hours. Fansoddingtastic ! I had a bit of a tantrum in the car at this insight and for the rest of the journey would only communicate in Swahili. As it turned out, the train journey was brilliant and I'm glad we did it rather than the plane. We had a couple of bunks in an air-conditioned compartment which we shared with a Vietnamese guy who worked for the Vietnamese Railways trade union, and an elderly Vietnamese lady who spoke no English and was visiting relatives in Hanoi. The compartments were very comfortable and we spent most of the day chatting away about stuff and watching the amazing scenery pass by the window. With the union chap interpreting, we learned how to haggle in Vietnamese and discovered some strange and unusual fruits that were getting passed around. Our ticket included dinner which was brought to us in the compartment which turned out to be very good. Union chap was a bit embarassed and felt the need to point out that Vietnam was a poor country and couldn't afford to provide food like we would be used to. I politely pointed out that we were from England, and British train food had recently been reclassified as a hazardous biotoxic waste product renowned thoughout the world as the most hideous mess ever to be offered for human consumption. He appreciated this very much and bought us some excellent spring rolls off a vendor on the train. After this, I slated British rail at every opportunity to see what else we could get out of him, but I wasn't further rewarded for my efforts. We ate a bit more fruitlike stuff before settling down to watch the sun set over the mountains and have a seriously long sleep. Next thing we knew we were in Hanoi and whisked off once more to our hotel. Marvellous stuff.

Finally, I feel obliged to tell you about my new hobby : Sweating.
I love it. I just can't stop. It seems like every single moment of the day I feel the need to sweat profusely. No ordinary light perspiration for me, oh no. I'm up for the full-throttle, spurt-out-of-your-forehead, look-like-I've-been-swimming kind of sweats. On the downside, my clothes get a little tacky very quickly. But on a positive note, if we ever get short of a few quid I can hire myself out as a sprinkler to water the local municipal parks. That's got to be worth something wherever we are.
I admit, it's not the cheapest hobby. Just to keep in basic raw materials I've had to get a local lake intravenously hooked up to my arm, which can impede movement somewhat. But this is more than made up for by the admiring glances I constantly receive from people as they step back to appreciate the walking waterfall passing them on the street.

This has been a bit of a longwinded write-up today, but Cara and I are having one of those days when we just can't be bothered dragging our sweaty backsides around some more temples. So here I am, killing a few hours and a few beers. I'll leave Cara to fill you in on what we've been up to in Hanoi some other time as she's currently back at the hotel having a nap. Bless. We have another early one tomorrow as we're off to Halong Bay for a bit of a cruise on an old junk for a few days. I'm not entirely sure why we insist on arranging these things for the crack of dawn every day, but there you go.

I'll get the photos up as soon as poss
Cheers for now

A few technical points :

Hi,

Before we continue to regale you with our overhyped, badly spelled, self-congratulatory tales of wild adventure, I feel the need to make a few technical points :

Firstly
Thanks to all those who have pointed out our 'route' page is somewhat lacking in content
Sorry to disappoint everybody, but it looks like I never got around to finishing this page. Ah, well. It's a shame really, as it was going to look fantastic ! There was going to be an interactive map, brief highlights of our route around the globe and incisive, yet witty, observations of the wacky cultural differences that manifest themselves. Sounds inpressive, eh ? Instead, all you get for your effort is a crappy looking , badly labelled map. I would feel fairly let down if I were you.
I did contemplate setting aside one afternoon while we are in Vietnam to sort it out, but then I thought sod it ! What for ? I'm clearly having far too much fun to waste my time buggering about with a silly web page. And I'm certain you have something more constructive to be getting on with, rather than read this nonsense. So let's just call it quits. eh ? No hard feelings ?

Secondly
The more observant of you may have noticed a few of the posts have shifted around recently. This is not, as you I'm sure you all thought, because you are going mad. It's merely a slight hiccup with our web logging account which is now repaired.

Thirdly
Our 'Diary' page disappeared recently. It's now back. That's all I'm prepared to say on this matter.

Finally (Can I say Fourthly ?)
We have been asked where all the photos are. There are many, many pictures we could use. Some of them (the ones I took) of professional quality. Unfortunately, they occupy file sizes too large to post them online. Since Mui Ne, I have been unable to locate an internet cafe with photoshop or other software that would allow me to hack them up and chuck them on. When I do, you'll get a glut of cheesy snapshots of us looking smug and sweaty.

Thank you and goodbye for now

p.s. Mik is still well ahead in the mozzie sweepstake

Shopping Heaven.........

YES! After 4 long years of waiting I have finally returned to tailor shop paradise and have hit the shops with a vengeance - or at least for as much as my already heavy rucksack can take!
Hoi An - on the river near the coast in central Vietnam and a place where they'll draw round your feet on a piece of paper (a very large piece in both our cases!) and make you a pair of flipflops in a few hours! Bliss - anyone who has ever been shoe shopping with me will appreciate my excitement!

Much to Mik's exasperation I have also had just a couple of items of clothing made - it's very hard to resist when it costs you $7 for a pair of made to measure linen trousers. The funniest thing was that I managed to find the shop I went to the last time I was here (4 years ago), and they still had a photo of me and Julia dressed in the posh frocks we had made - very amusing. It also got them my business - because with more than 200 little tailor shops in this small town now competition is fierce. We probably say "No thank you" a hundred times a day with smiles on our faces so as not offend, and only occasionally do you get a "Why not?" thrown back at you.

Yesterday we took a break from shopping - Mik by the way has also succumbed - and cycled to the beach, which is only 5km away but when you don't get up early enough and end up cycling in the midday sun can prove a very sweaty experience. Even I was glowing slightly when we got there! Beautiful beach, and noddles for lunch and we both managed to get a bit of colour - what more can you ask for? There is such a lovely feel to Hoi An that it has been a place I have thoroughly enjoyed coming back to.

Everything is proving to be so cheap around here that we are still managing to mantain a good standard of living really and haven't succumed to skanky clothes, newly made tailored ones actually, or rooms without aircon. Mik continues to enjoy a few beers as they are the same price as a coke - 28p and you get a larger bottle! I obviously haven't been having too many of the 80p vodka tonics....! Only when we happen to bump into the same travellers doing the same route in each different place we visit - so not much then. Besides tonic water helps ward off mosquitoes (a doctor we met did actually point out you'd need to drink rather a lot of the stuff - sounds like a challenge to me!)

The money here is quite amusing. You walk around with great wads of cash in your pockets then work out you actually only have about 4 quid on you (that will however usually last the day!) the largest note you ca get is 100,000 dong - sounds a ot but it actually worth little over 3 quid! Smallest denomination we've seen has been a 200 dong note - not worth the paper it's printed on to be honest - even the locals don't seem to want then as we've seen a few lying aorund the streets!

Time to head back to the hotel now having for once stayed out of the midday sun - we quite frequently seem to be the only idiots walking arond the streets between 12 & 2pm! No wonder we are getting through about 6 litres of water a day - each! This evening we are going to be a bit cultural and go visit the Cham ruins for sunset - I'l let you know all about them next time!

Weather update : It's still hot !

And I'm still eating like a horse. Or is that : I'm still eating a horse ? It's so difficult to tell here.

Well, the rest of the time in Dalat was great. After the day tour on the back of motorbikes, we started to get a bit cocky and decided to rent a couple of mountain bikes from the guys at the hotel we were staying at. I say they were mountain bikes, but only in the sense that they were a rough approximation of bicycles, and we were on top of a mountain. All similarities end there.

WHAT WERE WE THINKING !!!

Okay, the scenery is breathtaking and it is nowhere near as hot as the lowlands, with low humidity too, but we were up a bloody mountain. If a road had only a 1 in 4 gradient it was considered flat. And we kept getting lost (that was entirely Cara's fault as everybody who knows me knows my impeccable record on map navigation). Needless to say we spent many an hour puffing and panting our way up and down very steep hillsides. We eventually found the old royal palace we were looking for, which turned out to be a 1930's art-deco house like one near the river in St Margarets back home. And they made us wear bags on our feet which smelled of cheese (the bags that is. Well maybe Cara's feet too). But the best part of the whole episode was trying to ride a bike that was clearly built for a six year old, and that was the biggest one they had. You'll all be glad to know that I continue to frighten small children simply by continuing to be this tall. Apparently there are small ethnically isolated hilltribes in the highlands that have started singing folksongs about an enormous white/grey ape creature that has been seen wandering the forests on a small squeeky tricycle. Cara however, remains a smiley figure of fun and interest for everybody. There is no justice in the world.

After Dalat we caught a bus to Nha Trang, which was only 6 hours away. After coming from the cool, temperate highlands back down to the coast, the heat slapped us in the face as we got off the bus. Fantastic ! Nha Trang is a resort town on an enormous stretch of beach. The beach is fantastic but the town itself seems to be undergoing some fairly hefty development and enormous highrise hotels are springing up everywhere along the seafront. I imagine in a few years it will resemble Miami Beach. By then, travellers who have been there now will hate it and say it has bespoiled and commercialised a natural beauty. The locals will love it and make a shitload of money after decades of financial hardships. You make your own mind up.
Long story short, we had a cracking days diving, met a few other travelling types, got drunk and ate more. Same, same. Nice place, enjoyed it, won't go back.

Departing Nha Trang we took the open tour coach to Hoi An. The very helpful chappy at the booking office told us the bus had only 20 people booked onto it for that night, so we should be able to stretch out (it's a 13 hour journey). What he didn't mention was that if the buses are not full, they flog off the remaining seats to locals for a few pennies. Our 45 seater coach set off with 50 people on it. That was, of course, after driving round town to every hotel, twice, checking everybody's tickets, twice, to find the one person who was supposed to be going to Saigon (HCMC) but had got on the wrong bus and finally, waiting to find out the outcome of a fight that broke out at the booking office between the ticket inspector and a disgruntled local chap who wasn't getting a seat on the bus (the ticket inspector won, despite being just 4'6" and only having one hand, and only two fingers on that hand. Tough little guy. We readily gave up our tickets for inspection after that). We eventually set off out of Nha Trang after sitting on the bus for 90 minutes without going anywhere. It was a really crappy journey. There was no room at all, and when the guy in front of me put his seat back to go to sleep, I had to put my legs in the aisle as it was physically impossible to get my legs behind the seat. After desperately trying to get some sleep, I finally managed to drop off at about 4.30am. Fortunately for me, the very kind gentleman driving the bus decided it would be better if I stayed awake at that point, so at 4.45am he started playing Karaoke videos at very high volume. Lucky for me he did, otherwise I might have had up to 2 hours kip. Bless him. Despite being hot, cramped and noisy, it was an interesting experience, and seeing the Vietnamese countryside as the sun came up was amazing. As it started getting light, people were already busying away in the paddy fields and riding water buffalo down the streets. You don't see that on the A316.

p.s. On the bus, Cara slept for 6 hours. There is no justice in the world.

I'm sure Cara will fill you in on what's happened since we arrived in Hoi An

Did I mention....

...it is hot ? Very hot. And humid. It's so humid there is only a 2% difference between here and underwater. And that's on a good day !
And another thing, they have huge bugs the size of helicopters that swoop down from the treetops to snatch up puppies and small children and make off with them to secret hideaways in the mountains. That is why southeast Asian people are so short, they take the tallest ones first ! Darwinism in action.
And another thing, there are geckos everywhere. They poo and have sex in front of you while you're trying to write emails on the computer. It's very distracting.

Howdyhoo, this place is fantastic ! We've just spent the day riding on the back of motorbikes around the mountains in Dalat, central highlands. We've been to lush, exotic waterfalls, calm temples of meditation, a hilltribe village that has a 20 foot high concrete statue of a chicken in the middle of it (where Cara ate passion fruit plucked directly from the tree) and many other fascinating things. Back in town we bought Chinese steamed dumplings off a very old lady in the street and retired to our funky hotel room which has a balcony with 4726 potted plants and palms on it. All very pleasant.

It seems in Vietnam there is very little to do between 4.30pm and 6.30pm, so we tend to sit on computers and write crap on this website. That is why there is so much on here already. As soon as we get a hobby, that's it stuffed ! I'm off now to get some aftersun out of the fridge for my burnt neck.

Bye
Mik

p.s. Everywhere we go, people seem to want to have their photo taken with Cara, and they all say hello to her and smile a lot. When they see me, however, they just make a funny squeeking noise and hide behind bushes. I can't help but take it personally.

Mik is quite right we have eased our way into this flash packing by taking the 'flash' to the extreme and therefore both still feel like we are on holiday - I'm sure reality will sink in by the time we've stayed in a few guesthouses with no aircon and no mosquito nets! Being 'flash' hasn't meant that we have escaped the mozzies though. I have however found that by sticking close to Mik I don't get bitten as they seem to prefer him! Latest score has it at 18 to Mik, 9 to Cara!

We did get up very early on Wed morning to go do a bit of a tour of the area which started with sunrise at the Yellow Sandunes - unfortunately we missed the actual sunrise (Mik was doing his hair!) but it didn't stop us boarding the dunes at 5.30 in the morning. Photos to follow (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23354326@N00/) We also went to a local fishing village where they had the most enormous catch of fish we have ever seen. I've also never seen anyone shell a scallop quite so quickly. It was very smelly though - but we are getting used to that as Mui Ne is famous for it's fish sauce!

Food has been great so far as even dishes with chilli in the name aren't hot and I can eat them! It's just the raw chillies they serve on the side that I'm having to avoid!! That's Mik's favourite bit and he asks for seconds! (nothing new there then)

We are off into the central highlands tomorrow so the real backpacking should (!) start tomorrow when we no longer stay in fancy hotels or continue to have starters, mains and deserts! But for now we are off to dinner in our fancy hotel to make the most of it while we can.

Laters, Cara

Finally, we're off..

Sorry we didn't post this sooner - powercuts interrupted us (or maybe we were on the beach...!)

Okay, this is where the fun part begins. We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon and hereonin referred to as HCMC) in sunny Vietnam on the afternoon of Friday 3rd June 2005. It had taken the best part of 20 hours to get here so we were pretty shattered and very jet lagged, so we were not looking forward to getting into HCMC and hunting down a cheap and cheerful guesthouse for the night. Fortunately for us, and to our delight, we were met at the airport by Cath Jacobs (a friend of Cara's whom I met for the first time at a wedding in the UK last weekend). We were chauffered back to her very nice house north of the river to freshen up and dump the bags before heading off out again to a Vietnamese BBQ restaraunt in the city where we met up with Jake, her husband. We had a superb evening eating the freshest seafood I will probably ever have (!) and drinking far too much beer than is healthy for a human being in this climate. The night ended only after we were castigated by a couple of American teachers for being a bit too loud with our rendition of Elvis songs whilst standing at a bar and wobbling from side to side to confuse the mosquitoes.
After that we retired back to the house where Jake kindly showed me how the careful, scientific application of several variously aged single malts can remove your capacity to speak coherently or function as a biped. After that we slept for a very long time.
So far, so good.
We stayed with Cath and Jake for the next three days and enjoyed their fantastic hospitality, eating and drinking far too much and generally easing ourselves into our new lives. A very big thank you to both of them for everything and we'll see you again in four weeks.

Cath and Jake regularly visit and help out at a local orphanage in HCMC, and we went with them on Sunday morning to see the kids. The ward we visited was for very young infants from newborn to 6 months, and unfortunately they were on a seperate wing as many of the babies were HIV+ or otherwise very ill. They are either orphaned very young or alternately their parents cannot afford to give them the care and treatment their illness demands. A couple of nurses have to deal with a lot of kids, and despite being incredibly efficient, they can't give them all too much time so it's good when others can come in and give them a bit of one on one interaction and stimulation. It was certainly an experience we won't forget in a hurry and one I hope to remember next time I get stroppy and impatient (which apprently happens a lot). Howdyhoo, I managed to feed two very wriggly little fellas and I only got puked on once, which is a ratio I'm particularly proud of given my track record with babies. The nurse managed to feed about nine kids in the same time it took me to do one, but she's a professional so I don't feel too inadequate. Cara didn't get puked on at all, but I reckon that was beginners luck.
Despite an obvious lack of resources, the orphanage seemed to be very well run, and by staff who, like nurses everywhere, are probably under-payed and under-valued. Thanks to them for their patience with the tall pasty white guy and thanks to Cath and Jake for letting us tag along with them that day.

Monday morning we had to up at some ungodly hour to catch the bus from HCMC to Mui Ne, a small coastal village 4 hours to the north. We had been booked into a very nice beach hotel by the Jacobs who got us a cracking rate, so we are still to actually start living rough. This backpacking lark is a doddle ! Okay, so we haven't exactly immersed ourselves in the local culture yet, but we have months of that to come so why make life difficult for ourselves. So far we have basked in the sun, swam in the pool and enjoyed Vietnamese cuisine, which is fantastic by the way. The traditional breakfast here is a dish called pho, which is a beef broth filled with noodles, meat, vegetables and fresh chillies. I could eat it 3 times a day and not get bored (I had two for breakfat today and it'll be lunchtime soon !). Even Cara likes it - she just doesn't add the chillies!

Anyway, I've managed to while away most of the midday sun, so back to the pool before the rains come in (Cara's been in the sun since breakfast but she's not the pasty white/green colour I am and tans a little easier)

Below is a link to some of the photos we've taken so far. I'll probably be putting them on this website rather than this one so the pages don't take too long to download.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23354326@N00/sets/425015/

Bye for now