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Published: December 27th 2008
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The School run - Hoh Chi Minh City (Saigon)
This is actually a light load, normally there'd be at least 3 kids on a bike winding their way through all the mental Vietnamese traffic !! During the month we spent in Vietnam, we visited so many different places its so difficult to choose the pics and what to write about ! Naths just about lost the will to live....its so tiring sitting next to me watching me update our blog apparently.....!!! So we've divided Vietnam into two parts... ooooh the suspense...haha !
We had a super smooth border crossing from Cambodia into Vietnam, arriving in Hoh Chi Minh City (Saigon). what a place ! Just when we thought the roads and traffic in Asia couldnt be any more hectic, this place was unbelievable ! There are litterally thousands of motorbikes throughout the city, the roads are crammed full of them. It is most definitely an art crossing these roads, you just have to go for it and somehow they all manage to avoid you, even though they're hurtling along at break neck speeds and usually carrying some kind of crazy load ! I think the most bizarre thing we've seen being transported on a motorbike is fully grown, live pigs, upside down with their feet tied together !!! Oh, and massive sheets of glass about 5 times the width of the bike, Nath was amazed
The Seaside !! - Mui Ne
This was our first glimpse of the coast for 2 months, so nice !!! Got ourselves a bungalow right on the seafront. !!
We spent a couple of days in the city before heading to the coast to a place called Mui Ne. Was sooo nice to see the sea after 2 months or so being completely inland ! We found ourselves a little bungalow right by the beach for a few days. It wasnt really a particularly relaxing beach though, with massive strong waves that wiped you off your feet in seconds ! It was great for people kite surfing though, guess what Nath wants to start up when we get home....!!!??!?
Our next stop was Dalat, inland and upland ! In the central highlands. When we arrived it actually could've been mistaken for a European mountain town ! The hills were covered in pine trees, and the air was really fresh and chilly, whereas in the places we'd been to so far, it had been palm trees and was hot n sticky ! Actually it didnt take long for us to realise just how diverse this country is.
Anyway, so we ended up going on a day tour of the highlands with a couple of easyriders, vietnamese guides with big bikes ! They were such nice guys, and
Easyriders ! - Dalat
We spent the day on the back of these riding through the central highlands, so much fun !! so passionate about their home town and their country. We learnt an awful lot that day about the way of life for the Vietnamese, and how the war had affected them and how they're trying to learn from us and educate themselves economically and technologically. We visited working agricultural farms, coffee plantations, silk worm farms and factories and bamboo weaving. All of these would be run by families and have each member involved somehow in order for them to make a living. Was amazing to be right amongst it and see just how it all works.
We had a great day with these guys, not just for learning what we did, but for being on the back of a motorbike through this amazing scenery too !
After a couple of nights here, we headed back to the coast to a place called Nha Trang. It was nice there, but the weather wasnt great and it was very touristy. We found a great hotel there though, really cheap and perfect to spend the day nursing a hangover while it chucked it down outside !!
Hoi An is our last stop for this part of Vietnam ! And it turned
Claire & Lulu !
This guy was hilarious, both guides were really passionate about their country and so keen to tell us all about it, this day was definitely a school day! Was great ! out to be our fave part of Vietnam. Such a pretty little town, really old with narrow cobbled streets (world heritage site) and brightly coloured lanterns hanging all along. Theres a river running through it also, which divides the old town from the new. When we arrived it had been chucking with rain, and the river had spilled over on the streets, so we entertained ourselves by visiting one of the many tailors here ! Hoi An is famous for its textiles and tailored clothes, and before long Nath had been measured for a suit, shirt and tie, and I had described a dress, picked the material and been measured also ! The next day it was all ready to be collected and fit like a glove ! Was so cheap too. And now (hopefully) making its way back home by sea !
There was a gorgeous beach a few km out of town too, we cycled there for the day and the weather suddenly changed and turned out to be an absolute scorcher ! Was perfect.
Vietnam.....to be continued.....
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carly and mike
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Aaah the hair story! Bless the lovely lady! I think those fruits are dragon fruits or lychees - we ate loads of them in Thailand too! Tasty stuff even if they look like the devils testicles! Was great to talk to you both on skype t'other day - you both look fab - diggin the new threads too very dapper!! We are looking into travelling to meet you somewhere in feb or easter so will be in touch - any ideas where you'll be at those times? Only have a week in feb so might wait til easter! Anyway, I'll be off now - love you both and miss you loads xxxxx