Helena and Ian's New Adventure

Sorry for the wait.....enjoy!!!

Enjoy the video we've made from Vietnam!!!

Well it's been a while since the last blog entry and we've managed to pack so much in. We've also compiled another video so it's probably best to watch that rather than read me waffling on!!!

Following Hanoi and the amazing Ha Long bay we flew down to Nha Trang. We were only spending one night here to prepare for the early morning bus journey south to Mui Ne. The weather was terrible when we arrived. Probably the worst rain the whole time we've been away and Nha Trang was really geared up for tourists. To be honest I'm glad we only spent the night here but our stay there probably didn't give the place justice. The beach was gorgeous so I can see why so many people visit the place. Our hotel was great though. We ended up staying in a place with roof top terrace bar over looking Nha Trang. It was great to relax up there for the evening with a couple of beers.

We were dreading the bus journey because we'd heard horror stories but it actually turned out to be amazing. It was 5 hours long but enjoyed every minute of it. The Vietnamese countryside was incredible and it was a great way to soak in the country rather than flying as you do not appreciate any of it from above the clouds! It was quite funny because Helena was tracking us on the map in our guide book and got really worried as we shot past our hotel (they were supposed to drop us off there). I refused to believe it but she made me go up to the front and ask (quite a bit further down the road). Sure enough they'd shot right past and literally just chucked us out with our bags and continued on their way to Ho Chi Minh City.... We had to get a taxi back to our hotel but it was lucky Helena was on the ball. I'd have been half way to the capital before I would have noticed.

We were staying at the Sailing Club in Mui Ne as it was recommended to me by a work colleague. Wow is all I can say about the place. It was the first time in our trip that we experienced good weather and it was perfect timing as Mui Ne is incredible. The hotel we stayed in was pure luxury compared to all the other hotels we'd been in previously. We spent three days recharging our batteries chilling out on a golden sandy beach, eating tropical fruits and other exotic delights. Sadly our time in Mui Ne was up quicker than we'd have liked and we had to board another bus for a further 5 hours to the capital Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon to everyone else!). Again the bus was great and the scenery was incredible.

We arrived in HCMC at around 8pm and the place was pumping. We found our hotel and discovered we were staying on the main back packers row so it was pretty mental. A complete contrast to where we had just come from. The city was nothing as I'd expected. I was thinking of our experience in Hanoi in the north but it was more modern than I'd image with larger, modern office blocks and neon advertising like you'd see in London. HCMC still had the mental road situation were all the bikes look like swarms of bees and you just have to go for it to get to the other side. It brought back memories of playing Frogger as a kid.

We only had a couple of days in HCMC so had to make some tough decisions on what we were going to see. We went to the War Remnants museum and that was quite an experience. It makes you realise how much stuff is censored in the west as the pictures and details in the museum didn't hold back at all. There were some very shocking photos from the Vietnam war that affect you quite badly but it is definitely something that you have to make yourself see. This had an impact on our second decision as our final day was either going to be the famous Cu Chi Tunnels or a tour along the Mekong Delta. We decided to opt for later as our shockometer had gone off the dial. We are planning to visit the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh in Cambodia as well so thought we'd enjoy a boat trip along the world famous river.

I'm glad we did because we had a great day. We visited a few islands on the delta the were famous for coconut sweets and we ate elephant ear fish. The rowing experience along the small inlets off the main delta was interesting. They kept saying to keep your hands in the boat as there wereVietnamese crocodile in the river but it becamse clear that it was probably because they've had so many tourists break their fingers from the amount of boats crashing into each other enroute!

Anyway our time in Vietnam had come to an end but it is definitely a place we'd love to come back and explore some more. We've had an incredible time here as you'll see by the video clip we've made. We are now enjoying Cambodia which is an incredibly enchanting country. We'll tell you all about Siem Reap in the next few days.

Loving all your comments and thanks for all my lovely birthday messages

Lots of love

Helena and Ian
xxx

It was still pouring with rain as we got on the coach at 8am on Saturday morning. Somehow a people carrier had managed to navigate it's way down the laneway to our hotel where we joined another two couples, one American and one Australian. It took 3 1/2 to get from Hanoi to Ha Long City, where we were greeted by our tour guide.

But firstly, Ian and I booked this trip when we first booked our tickets to Vietnam. After doing so, we found that many people we knew had done a Ha Long Bay Junkboat tour just like we were about to embark on. All of them shared their disappointment, hatred and disgust of the tour with us, so we had reservations about whether we doing the right thing.

We totally did the right thing. It was an amazing two days and we left feeling privileged to have seen such an incredible corner of the Earth.

Our first part of the journey was a five course lunch while we cruised to one of the many rock islands. The lunch was incredible and we were torn between enjoying every mouthful or taking in the stunning scenery. You would think over 2,000 giant rocks would get boring but when you're there they are all special in their own way.

After lunch we took a smaller boat to an island with a beach and cave. The cave wasn't of the same size as other caves I've seen but then I'm not massively into caves anyway...the fun started when we got to Kayak around the rock islands, Ian in the back giving us some power against what we though were tidal waves (but were more like ripples when we were on land).

Dinner was a ten course meal complete with ornate carvings of cranes and eagles and boats made from vegetables. The best part was that day two...we finally woke up to full sun! Ha Long Bay hadn't had sun for over two weeks so it was a real treat for us. We were quite far into the bay and visited a floating village, where small shed-like houses literally float in clusters nestled by the protection of the rock islands. Villages come complete with schools, toilets and most importantly - karaoke! Our arrival was greeted by blaring Vietnamese pop music reverberating off the rocks.

After visiting the village, we made our way back to the mainland, enjoying some sun on the deck chairs before some lunch. The trip was made all the more enjoyable because we got to meet some great people including Andrew and Caitlin from Sydney, Kelly and Mike from Chicago and Kathy and Bob from Toowoomba (Aus). We shared a few 'tins' on the Saturday night where the moon came out and the temperature actually rose ready for the next day.

Next stop...Hanoi's stunning South Central Coast. Let's pray for some more sun and a decent bus ride!
xx
PS Make Ha Long Bay one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World here

I thought it was about time I wrote an entry and convinced Ian that Hanoi was a great start to write this post. We're not actually in Hanoi anymore, we're sitting in a rooftop bar in a coastal town called Nha Trang. We're both drinking a beer (Bier Larue) waiting for some fresh vietnamese spring rolls and keeping cover from the heavy rain. Taking you back to our arrival in Hanoi, we had a similar experience - constant rain. I couldn't believe it, we've left the UK to get some sunny weather and hit an unexpectedly late typhoon season in Vietnam. It's warm though, like a temperature that wraps you in an egyptian cotton blanket that's comfortable enough to dry you out from the water assault that comes with leaving the shelter of the street side. When I say 'street-side' it's more like a car park for vespa's, bikes and other various innovations in getting you from A to B.

After checking in to our hotel, we wandered to the lakeside of the central Ho Hoan Kiem lake, where the Old Quarter and French Quarter meet. We had a late lunch of Pho Ga, a chicken broth noodle soup that's a staple of the Vietnamese diet and something I'll no doubt miss having as my breakfast. But getting there was an experience, it was literally across the road from our hotel but traffic lights are virtually non-existent in Hanoi. I'd been told by someone that the best way to cross the road in Vietnam is to close your eye and walk at a slow pace. Haha very funny I thought, but several attempts of a 'normal' crossing and with hungry belly's we gave it a go...and it works! The traffic system is mental, it's like a swarm of bees heading towards you, and then you realise they're after a pot of honey beyond you and whip past leaving your head in a spin.

There's so much to say about Hanoi, too much to sum up in a blog post so here's the highlights...

Eating - Forget about anything that resembles a Western restaurant, the best food is found crouched amongst Vespas on the footpath. Vendors operate out of shuttered doorways and usually serve one type of food, but do it bloody well. Highlights were pork ribs, deepfried spring roll and pate.

Beer - It's £1 for a large bottle of local beer, in some cases cheaper than water! Highlights were being sat on a corner kerb drinking Bier Hoi - a beer brewed and consumed in the same day. An ice cold one costs 8,000 Dong (£0.40p) and we got to sit and watch the world go past at a Vespa rate.

Uncle Ho - Ho Chi Minh (Former President of Vietnam who unified the South and North after the long war) being a Communist was (against his wishes) embalmed and placed in a large mausoleum on the outskirts of central Hanoi. Not wanting to miss the chance to see a dead body that has been dead for 42 years we hopped in a taxi at 8am to beat the queues. What queues? This was a doddle. We whipped through most of the museum exhibition, a bizzarre display or random moon like structures and unrelated objects (don't know what a giant banana on a table has to do with the unification of a country) and ended up back in the main lobby. It was only then that we realised we weren't in the Mausoleum and that Uncle Ho has been flown to Russia for three months for repairs!!! Jokes aside, his positive influence is what's made this country amazing and it would have been an experience to see local adoration for him. We had a long walk home in the rain, getting lost on several occasions. To avoid disappointment I have put a link to an image of Uncle Ho in the Mausoleum anyway.

Water Puppet Show - Finally, Ian and I 'splashed out' on seeing a Water Puppet Show, an ancient Hanoian art of, well, puppets in water! It was fantastic, partly for an appreciation of live traditional Vietnamese music and partly for comedy value. We'll have to put a video up to show you. Not everyone was a fan, the guy in front had his hands over his ears the entire show. Watching him was just as fun.

Next stop...Ha Long Bay
xx

Note: Our Spring rolls have arrived to the sounds of G'n'R blaring out of the stereo (for Austen Finch).