Vietnam

Hey all,

Now for those who have done a RTW trip before of course my life at the mo is nothing out of the ordinary than any other back packer. However, I thought I would write a blog just detailing my last week.

30th December 2006 - Arrive in Saigon:
Totally mad city. Arrive and straight away we spot other backpakers we keep meeting and stayed in the same resort as us in Muine. After checking out at least 20 guesthouses, Lucy and I are tired of trapsing the streets being told everywhere is full. Finally we find a guesthouse that owns several others in the city and they offer to take us to one that has a room. Lucy and I jump on the back of a bike (oh yes thats both of us with our 15 year old driver!)Finally we get settled in and we go straight out. In typical fashion, even though it is the night before the day of the year you traditionally stay up till the small hours, we decide to stay out till 4am!

31st December 2006 - A stroll around Ho chi Minh City:

I ventured out earlier than the others and took in the sights of the city. First stop the market where i see a bunch of frogs on a silver platter which have been skinned and had their heads chopped off. Thats not the worst of it...their reflex muscles must still be working as all 4 legs are thrashing backwards and forwards! The lady owner sees my reaction to this, finds it hilarious and so decides to pick one up to give me a closer look. Just to try and make out i wasn't such a wimp i touched one of the eels she also shoved in my face! After muchos wandering around, seeing the the contrast of the wealthy grand hotel area by the riverside and the haunting reality of people begging on the street who have been effected by the agent orange and napalm in the war, i head back for NY eve celebrations to begin.

I can't tell you how fantastic it was to be somewhere that you don't have to pay to get in anywhere and that the city provides a free street party. At the strike of midnight silver glitter is thrown everywhere. I was close to the main stage so i was gestured on up to which i then proceeded to jump around like a mad man wishing all a happy new year and being picked up lots as far as i recall! I had been carrying a plastic cup like kids had full of vodka and coke so it is hardly surprising my recollections are vague! On that note somehow it is light outside I am in another bar, i look at my watch and it is 11am! Not quite sure how that happened! Breakfast is from a street vendor, sitting on little plastic chairs (which one of the guys we were with couldn't sit on due to being both one, too big and two, too drunk and kept falling backwards into another cart!

02nd January 2007 - Sightseeing tourist tastic:
Go to the Cu Chi tunnels and the war museum...all pretty chilling stuff. Oh yeah and watch Borat in a cinema above a coffee shop, the power going off midway through...check out downstairs and watch as one of the pylons in the street is sparking and on fire! A guy on a balcony sprays it with foam but that just created more fireworks!

03rd January 2007 - Cambodia here we come:
Bus to Cambodia at 7.30am. No photo no forms required just $25...sweet. Children banging on the window as we make the ferry crossing, pointing at their mouths. On the ferry crossing, look out of the window to see a minibus crammed full of Cambodians (we're talking 3 to a seat crammed, 6 or 7 in the front seat) and then 20 people on top. Get touted as soon as we arrive and the lovely Ken (yes ken...they all seem to adopt western names in Phnom Penh)takes us to Green Lake. Chill out on the lake terrace and watch the sun set.

04 January 2007 - A day of horror:
The killing fields and S21 museum. The latter is where people were interrogated and tortured if believed to be against the Khemer Rouge and the first shows where the victims were then taken to be killed. This site holds a building with all the skulls they found in cabinets and is the location of the mass graves.

05 January 2007 - The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda:
Not very exciting, general touristy stuff. I failed to wear the right attire so buy a fetching blue t-shirt and borrow a claret pair of fisherman pants! Look like a total backpacker!!

An evening of chilling out on our guesthouse terrace and a few drinks in some of the bars and guesthouses along the street we were staying in. After a few games of pool, the need for Jack Daniels kicked in. We headed to our guesthouse and woke up the staff who were sleeping under mosquito net tents on the lake terrace (a lost battle near still water for us as we have all been bitten to death!). We finally got a drink and headed to bed at 3.30am.

06 January 2007 - Tour of the city by Bike & nightclubbing Cambodian style:
Lucy wanted to shoot another gun now she has got the taste for it in Vietnam so i offered to join her as long as we could stop off at the central and Russian markets on the way back.It was about 20km away and our drivers are a guy in his 30's and a 15 year old (can i just emphasis that he looked about 12!!). Lucy took one for the team and went with the kid. This was probably one of the best $3 i have spent on my trip to date. I got to see so much. We weaved amoungst the traffic and soon we got out to the more rural areas where there were markets along the street. I saw up to 5 people on one bike and truck loads of people standing up in the back. Many minibuses were crammed full of people and again with 20+ on top! At a cross roads traffic slowed down as people were rubber necking at a van that had crashed into the side of a building. So many sights to describe but an amazing experience none the less. Never made it to the market as

The heart of Darkness was its name and it once was a brothel. I was sceptical but we walked in and they were playing Justin...can't be bad. A whole other bunch of tunes played out till 4am. A very small club filled to the rafters with locals and Cambodians...who deffo like to party. Dancing up on the stage was done by all of us and i think some piggy back dancing was also thrown in the mix!

07 January 2007 - Cambodian bus fun!
30 minutes into the bus journey to Siem Riep and the bus stops. We think maybe a toilet stop for the driver, no such luck...we sit and are not told anything. After working out that the bus is kaput we wait around for nearly and hour for another bus. This bad boy is like a 70's caravan complete with flower lino on the walls and celeing and green, red and orange lighting along the celing! As soon as we arrive a piece of paper with 'TINA, 4 PAX' is thrust against the window...our last guesthouse have made some contacts and told their buddies of our arrival. Makes our life simple as we are driven to a guesthouse in a tuk tuk!

08 January 2007 - Angkor Wat
First day at the famous temples. Undescribable, something to be seen. Stay for sunset.

As you can see, not a bad life eh!!!!

xxx

Hey all,

Just to confuse you I am having to write my blog from christmas day again as i appear to have deleted it!

So we woke up on Christmas morning to a sack full of presents that we had got each other. I had made the sacks from the bags we had got our tailored clothes in and decorated them with christmas pictures and toilet paper for snow...how very blue peter!

I had bought Kelly a bag for the beach and a bowl for her cereal, Emily a pair of nice earings and some christmas decorations that i made into earings for her to wear like pat butchers for christmas day! For lucy i got her a notepad as her current one is nearly full and a bunch of bananas!

I recieved some choco pies (like wagon wheels) 2 sets of chopsticks (a set from 2 of the girls, wth the same design on the top...spooky!)artistic pictures of street life in vietnam, some factor 81 sun screen (due to my doxy causing me to burn) and also a pack of cigarettes (as i'm the only non smoker so i can have a pack for when they run low on a night out) and a tin of passata (for my hatred of tomatoes!!)

After the present unwrappng we had a feast of fresh baguettes with lots of types of cheese, salami, ham and lots of crisps and snacks that we had got from the supermarket. We washed this down with a bottle of champagne that tasted of sherry...perfect for christmas morning!

We then headed to the beach, listened to music and chilled out in the sunshine drinkng wine.

Later we plan to head to the bars and find ourself a christmas lunch. I shall let you know how our christmas day in Vietnam turned out!

T xxx

Hey,

To make the travelling easier we decided to stop off in Muine for a few days before heading onto Saigon for new year! We had read that it was a quiet fishing village that had beautiful beaches.

Well there really isn't much else to say. The beaches are beautiful, white sands, blue sea and palm trees as far as the eye can see. We stayed in a beach hut right on the beach within a lovely resort. This is the first time we have had to use the mosquito nets over our beds...very cosy being in a doble bed with Emily!

I took long walks along the beach in either direction in between sunbathing and of course my favourite passime...eating!

We headed ino town on our first nght which is about 5km, so we jumped on a bike. There are many restuarants and two main bars, Jives and the sailing club. It is safe to say that we made the right choice in going to Nha Trang for Christmas as everywhere appears to close around midnight.

A very nice spot to visit for a couple of days for pure relaxation.

T xx

Hey all,

Well this is going back a bit so apologies if it is a bit short and sweet!

As mentioned in my last entry, we were experiencing less than perfect weather in Hue and were planning to go on a motorcycle trip the following day.

Well we did and it was one of the bst things i have done so far! I was really worried about jumping on the back of a motorbike with no helmet and the mad vietnemese traffic but i was soon loving it. To begin with we were having to travel through busy streets, squeezing through tight gaps and dodging other motorbikes. Soon we ventured into dirt tracks and through woodland. We drove past a temple where there were many tourists so we headed onto the next sight. This was the bunkers that still stand from the Vietnam war. There was around 5 of them and they were located right next to the perfume river. Across the river is the famous 'Hamburger hill' from Apocolypse now fame. By the bunkers are tombs of the dead rich and the mounds of dirt for those buried there who were poor.

Onto the next sight which was the Tu Hieu Pagoda. In itself it was a building of beautiful architecture but we then were treated to the rare sight (due to having a good guide who liked talking about bananas and coconuts...use your imagination!) of monks coming to prayer. We saw the families and friends of the monks and they were dressed in grey. One monk at the top of the hall spoke (over a microphone!) and a bell was rung several times. They then all ate.

Next up was Tu duc's Tomb, the king of Vietnam. The weather really did start to get worse. Luckily there was lots of rooms and relics to see under cover before we walked around the kings, his fiorst wifes and his nephews seperate tombs. For sheer enteretainment you could get dressed up in traditional Vietnemese dress. Emily and Lucy endulged and looked great. They wore long robes, baggy trousers, headdresses and pointed clogged shoes! They looked hot. There was a carriage and a throne to sit on for photos.

We then went to Thien Mu Pagoda. This octaganal roughly 50ft tall building was vibrently decorated and surrounded by 5 much smaller buildings which each contained a bell.

We were told the story of the monk that belonged to the Pagoda who set himself alight in protest. The car that he drove is held at this temple and the original photo of him on fire is also there. There is also a tomb of a young monk who died recently.

I enquired if we could be dropped off at the Citadel rather than back at Thu's. The guide took this as visiting it next so we drove into the Citadel and had a chance to take picture of the main square and the main building within it. The weather really did start to chuck it down by this point. We were now driven to the countryside to see the Japanese bridge. The ride to it was amzazing as I could see all the others on their bikes ahead of me across the land on the country lanes. We went through a village which had a small river running through it. Seeing the locals going about their daily business and driving through the paddy fields was such a great buzz.

By the time we got back we were all soaked through but had all had a fantastic time.

The evening was spent in Thu's, chilling out, eating and drinking preparing for our early morning bus journey to Hoi An

After a 4hour journey we arrived in Hoi An. We were taken to a nice hotel that in hinesight i wish we had stayed in but we checked into a place not far from there (this was after checking out a few other places across town) called Greenfields Hotel. Can't complain though as we had a swimming pool, free cocktail hour each night and free internet access.

There isn't much to tell you about Hoi An apart from it was evry girls dream (apart from the wind and rain). For 4 days all we did was shop, eat and drink!

We had been told it was the capital for tailored clothes but i don't think anthing can prepare you for the amount of shops there are. The streets are just store after store, each only a few metres by a few metres big crammed full of fabric and examples of the clothes you can have specifically made. The first day we just checked out the actual shops but the econd day we ventured to the market. Not only was there your normal maze of markets that we have become accoustomed to in S E Asia, selling everything from fruits & veg, plastic cups to knocked off designer label clothes and an assortment of souveniers, but also like a sweat shop market hall of stores. There must have been about 50 different shops within a building smaller than your tesco's local. At one point i had 4 ladies round me telling me that i was beautiful and that they could make me this that and the other. I coldn't take it and had to get out of there! The main difference with the market is that there are no samples to go from, here they just show you clothes catalogues. From my experienc of home shopping i decided to steer clear! However me and Lucy were talked into having our legs threaded by a little lady, maybe a relative of one of the store owners in the market hall. Now threading is a way of de-hairing the legs, by means of a piece of thread pulling each one out! It really wasn't the most pleasant experiences but left my legs silky smooth..and also saved us from the terrential rain. The beauty parlour was about 1m x 2m big and again there was a whole two lines like a street of them. They are literally big enough to have a small storage area and a bed. All very strange but at the price of $2 who's complaining!

The deal is that you find what article of clothing you want, you then chose what material you would like, they take your measurements and then you go back for a fitting the next day.

I ended up having a pair of 3/4 length linen black trousers, a strappless billabong style print top and a chinese style dress made. All three cost me $30. Amazing!!!

The nightlife was ok in Hoi An. We had one really good night out. We asked to go to one bar but were taken to a latin/mexican stle bar that we had already been to for breakfast. There was a pool table and a football table which i had a very drunken match on! Needeless to say i sucked! We were then taken by motorbike to the full moon bar which again had the main feature of a pool table. A crowded dark and small bar where a few more drinks were consumed.

Hoi An's best feature was the old town It was so very beautiful and we got to see it slightly flooded and then when the sun had come out to play. There was so many quaint art shops and cafe's which filled the narrow streets. The buildings were painted a yellow color and many looked ready to fall down. It really was a maze of streets of identical looking shops selling an amazing range of clothes, bags, art, dinner wear and lighting. Being by the river also added a certain charm and we had a few meals at the restaurants with balconys overlooking it. One waitress invited us back to her home to meet her family. She and her 2 teenage children lived in one room 5m x 5m. They had a space to sleep, an area to sit and the rest was taken up with a wardrobe, desk and tv stand, complete with tv, dvd and telephone.

The girls decided to escape the 12 hr journey to Nha Trang by getting a flight from Danang. I decided to get the bus as I would be able to sleep as we were travelling through the night. Before I left I had the best meal that I had eaten in Hoi An. Just a simple chicken with rice but it was amazing. The owner, Mr Chong seemed like a well liked man judging by all the nice notes i read from other people which were under the glass on the table. I had a chat with him and his wife brought me a vietnemese tea to drink. What a lovely way to leave Hoi an.

Hello all,

Hope you all had a fantastic christmas and Santa brought you everything you wished for! Hope you have eaten yourself stupid, drunk yourself into a stooper and getting ready for new year merriment!

Just want to say that i had the most Sober christmas eve that i have had in years if i didn't mention it in my last entry. We just went out for a lovely meal at a seafood restaurant after we shopped for christmas presents and i resisted having spaghetti and had mussels with rice, steamed veg and potatoes instead. During the day we went to a mud bath and hot spring spa resort. Getting into a pool of cool mud that smells of tea tree is very bizarre but makes your skinn feel great. Once I got out i let it dry on my skin...imagine that girls (and some of the boys i know!) like the mud pack you put on your face, but all over your body and leave to dry...crispy!!!

So I told you i would let you know how the rest of christmas turned out....Well I think we can honestly say that we celebrated to the extreme this christmas day. After heading to the oh so local cultural bar... the Shamrock for a beverage or too we made or way to Shorty's for a traditional christmas dinner, or in my case sauage and mash (sorry mum, you know my love for the roast dinner isn't strong).

Every bar had 2 for 1 offers so within a few hours it became slightly messy. Emily and I got accousted by the Vietnamese biker bitch thiefs we had heard about. Their trick is to come over in a gang and one picks you up telling you how beautiful you are while the others try and fleece you of your purse! I was on the ball and told those tramps to politely go away!!

We ended up in the Sailing club as it is the only place to go after 1am. We danced, we drank and in Emily's case she pinballed her way home. At 5am, Em and I got a motorbike back home and had the traditional omlette baguette (best hangover prevention if you ask me!). It if it wasn't for the promise of cheese back in our hotel room i am unsure whether i would have been able to get Emily up the stairs!

At 10am boxing day morning, Lucy and Kelly rolled in. They had carried on drinking through the night and were trashed. I couldn't cope with the drunken antics so i headed for the beach. Boxing day was spent at a nice secluded spot under a palm tree with my book and the beautiful scenery. All 3 girls did themselves proud and continued the binge all through boxing day until about 3am in the morning. I went on a boat trip the following day, you can safely assume correctly that they all stayed in bed with monster 2 day binge hangovers!

The boat trip was brilliant. We went to four different islands. At Mun island i got to go snorkling. Even though the equipment was rubbish I got to see a blue fish, a couple of yellow fish and a black and white stripy one! The sea was quite rough so it was hard to swim back to the boat. On the way to the next island i dried off in the sun on the top of the boat. Mot Island was where we ate. The food was lush, rice, noodles, bread, beef, tofu, spring rolls and bananas. We then got to get in a ring and float around the boat. The boats crew made up a band and sang and played a DIY drum kit and guitar! They sang a few vietnemese songs and then some English ones including yellow submarine! The floating bar then came out. We had to jump off the top of the boat first to get a drink which strangly i was scared of to start with...stupid after all the lines and swings in Laos, tubing! The dodgy dalat wine which looked like cough medicine was quite potent after a few cups. We then sailed to Tam Island where we just went to the beach resort and had a few beers. When we got back to the boat there was a whole array of delicious fruits for us to try. Watermelon, green oranges, dragon fruit, pinapple, mango and of course bananas! The last island was where there was Tri Nguyen Aquarium. It was full of strange looking fish and some amazing tortoises which i loved. Tried to take lots of cool pictures of them. We then sailed back to the harbour and all taken to our hotels.

So Nha Trang was spent on the beach and in Bars & restaurants when i wasn't on a boat trip. Not a bad way to spend christmas I think you'd agree!

T xx