Anybody for Saltire boardies?

Oh Hoi An, with your 1001 tailors and delicious cafes serving up delicacies of cau lao (noodle soup with crispy wontons) and white rose (wontons stuffed with prawn - ref last blog) - what a trial to leave! But after taking some time to see the local sites (My Son - religious heritage site) and have a few items of clothing whipped up (Steve's Saltire boardshorts are a thing of beauty!) we managed and hopped (literally) a local bus to Danang. Our kindly conductor reminded us of our foreigner status when we challenged his pricing strategy, pointing eagerly to the sign stating the 10,000 dong fare. "Not for you!!!" came his honest reply and we reluctantly paid the extra 5 grand each. Note that 15,000 dong is just short of 1 US dollar so it was hardly scam of the century. In any case, we were now en route to Danang rail station where we were excited to be catching a train along the very scenic cliff top route to Lang Co Beach.

"Excuse me, we've come on holiday by mistake"

Arriving late evening by moto, tired after our journey - especially the jump from the train (no platform!) we found ourselves in an old resort in Lang Co Beach. As it was getting dark and with a storm brewing, we took a room and settled in for the night. Joking that the scene was something akin to a d-grade horror movie (deserted/rundown resort, storm rolling in, right next to a graveyard) we ate our meal in the beachside restaurant as we listened to the waves crash on the beachfront. Ok - boring, so time to call it a night. Steve assembled the mosquito net as Anne proceeded to the bathroom to fill the water bottles we use to weight the net (thanks Brodies!). With a bathroom mirror in front of her and two small windows behind, she looked up to see the fingers of one hand at the window...and then the fingers of another, and then the top of a head. The ensuing shreik ensured jolted Steve into action and he was able to extract himself from under the net in record time without bringing it down on his head (previous record: 11 minutes 43 seconds!) but alas our would be intruders had fled and Steve took on the role of watchman for the night (watching the FA Cup Final on the telly, to be exact) so that Anne could sleep in peace.

Sunrise - day two: we pack, we get the hell out of dodge!

Civilisation!

Relieved to be in civilisation, we take a penthouse room complete with multiple door and window locks. Come on buddy - I dare ya to climb up to that window now! We happened upon Gary and Sue (our Irish buddies) in the cafe across the lane. We spend a few fab days exploring the city transported by cyclo and moto. We love love love the little streets of the citadel and its gorgeous children playing in the streets. Have to say though that the 50 billion koi carp fighting for food in the pond at the palace is mega gross.

Next stop - the big smoke!

Hanoi - the home of Colonel Sanders

Home of Ho Chi Minh (Uncle Ho) - yep, although dead since 1969 you can still see him in the flesh (we passed on this adventure), Hanoi is manic with bustling streets and people harrassing you at every turn "you buy from me". Has to be said that this is not really our place (especially not being dropped 7kms from town and also taken in the wrong direction by a taxi driver). So we sorted our Laos visas and took the recommendation of some fellow travelling mates and booked some tours to see the world famous Ha Long Bay and mountainous Sapa.

As an aside - we bump into Gary and Sue again in the street...are you stalking us? Hehe..is great to see some familiar faces and spend another fab night with our buds.

Junking it - Ha Long Bay

Our trip incorporates some cruising about the bay in a "Junk Boat", one night on the boat, some kayaking, cave walking, trip to monkey island, cycling through an island village, giving snake wine a go, and spending a night on Cat Ba island.

What's to be said? Gorgeous scenery, a boat full of fab people, fun and laughs jumping from the roof of the boat into the water and fishing for squid in the dark of night with a few brews. If you get the chance to do it - do it!

And again - whilst changing boats mid trip...whom should cross our path? Hehehe - Gary and Sue have the luck of the Irish to keep bumping into us! See you in Laos guys!

Head in the clouds - Sapa

Located in the clouds of Northwest Vietnam, Sapa is a gorgeous mountainous area known for its trekking and hill-tribes. Our time here includes a visit to a local market (actually turns out to be not so local - a three hour bus ride on what can only be described as a bumpy track) and some trekking in the region. The pics of the stunning scenery speak for themselves! Oh yeah, and the cool mountain air doesn't go amiss either!

Avanti

Our adventure continues tomorrow with a trek through the mountains passing through several highland villages. Then it is back onto the sleeper train bound for Hanoi before flying across to Vientienne in Laos. Yes, hate to be the one to admit it, but we chickened out of the 22hr bus ride across the border..oh what sooks we are!

7 1/2 weeks to go - yikes!

Love to all and happy travels, A & S

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