Christmas Letter From Hoi An, Central Vietnam

So this is by way of an "Extra Ordinary Blog" or more a note to wish everyone a heartfelt Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Hopefully, you were able to open the video; its slightly longer than initially planned but then it had an amateur camera man as well as amateur actors ( and no the Santa isn't Fiona in drag - but maybe there is a passing resemblance? Ho Ho Ho)

And how strange is it to be sending Christmas messages from a palm fringed beach; would you believe that Dean Martin is crooning Let-it-Snow in the background. But then we’ve seen forecasts of all that snow settling in Europe and clearly we’ll be missing a fine ski season (damn and blast all of you who will soon be ski ing)

So, on Christmas day we'll have been on the road just six days shy of nine months (assuming that the two months we spent skiing before we left don’t count of course) and are still loving it but have to confess to feeling a bit tired. Amazingly, even with a two year break, we never seem to have enough time to visit every where we want to go and can’t wait to get to Melbourne where Jenny and Neil (Byrne) have extended us a most warm invitation to stay.

The hairdryer is long forgotten and even the weight of our bags is now more under control. Daily hand washing of clothes has become second nature; but admit freely that the definition of dirty has altered (its all just different levels of clean). Well, after all, if you only have three tops and three bottoms its so much easier to shower three times a day than to keep washing clothes.

And for those amongst you who like numbers ( and we know who you are….) by Christmas day we will have travelled 17,735 miles (including the thirteen flights taken either to cross water, re-trace miles already covered overland or because we couldn't get visas) These miles were travelled in 245 hrs on the road, 131 hours by rail, 26 hrs in the air and most memorably, 119 hours by boat. In between all that we've slept in 96 different beds, not counting the numerous overnight bus and train journeys and eaten some memorable food. All our photos are on Flickr.com, should anyone be interested in seeing them.

So again a long distance wish that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a financially sound new year.
We will be thinking of you

All Love

Christine and Terry xxx


PS
Santa appears in our clip, courtesy of Tony and Turic of the Merino Guest House, (hthientruc@yahoo.it). We had a relaxing stay in their lovely clean newly opened guesthouse in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Santa stands in the doorway and has proven such a hit with the local children that thankfully, he is now turned off most of the time.

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