Beep Beep

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So two pairs of shoes, three dresses, a skirt, three tops, about 20 visits to the tailor later, you could say I’ve succeeded in expanding my wardrobe.. and reducing my bank account. Cammy didn’t do too bad either, getting a cashmere suit for only $160 as well as three pairs of shoes, two pairs of shorts and a pair of “chinos”. You’re probably thinking there isn’t anything to Hoi An other than getting clothes made (and “what about your credit card?”), and though every third store is a tailor’s shop there is still loads to do.. like going in the remaining stores consisting of restaurants (the Cargo Club in particular) and tourist souvenirs!

Other than getting clothes made, eating at the Cargo Club and going to souvenir shops, we ventured out of town and visited the My Son temples (pronounced “me son”) and the beach. The My Son temples were discovered by French some time ago. The scenery was gorgeous, but to be honest it was too hot to be interested in what they meant.. plus I’ve seen a million temples now and after Central America, I don’t mind if I don’t see another one for a while. The beach was really nice too, though Julia Black disappeared and was temporarily replaced by Julia Pink which turned into Julia slightly Brown. I suppose I can’t complain.

Hoi An is super hot during the day so everything comes alive (or more so) at night. The lanterns light up and candles float down the river creating a really pretty picture. You’ll find more street restaurants with the owners screaming at you to eat there, local artists, and even more traffic than usual. More beggars come out at night too. It’s hard to believe some of these people survive on people taking their pictures. So when you go to a developing country, give them a donation amigos!

By this stage of our trip, Cameron has taken to eating two meals at lunch and dinner as well as dessert. He is really annoying to sit next to at the dinner table, in a taxi, or on a plane because he simply the biggest boom boom I know. That’s right Tanz, you’ve been overtaken. Also, everyone other than the best quarter of the family (me) has been sick.. I find this hilarious as they tried so hard not to be sick by taking precautions such as not brushing teeth with the local water which I do every day. I do sympathise though. Mum can now cross the streets without holding Dad’s hand, and I can find my way back to the hotel without getting lost. This is a big deal.

Anyway, after five nights in Hoi An, we took a taxi for 30 minutes to Denang and boarded the plane to Hanoi. We landed in Hanoi pretty late, so we walked around to find some dinner and went to bed. The next morning we woke up really early to go to Halong Bay. Halong Bay is dotted with hundreds of rocks rising from the green water, in other words- stunning! I think a James Bond movie could have been filmed here too, but I could be wrong. When we got to the boat, they took us on a tour to a floating village, taught us how to cook spring rolls and went for a swim. The next day we went on a tour to the “Amazing Cave”. It’s such a pity they haven’t preserved this cave well, but nevertheless it was still pretty nice. The food on this boat was probably just as amazing as the cave by the way.

That afternoon, we headed back to Hanoi. I was an idiot and plucked out an ingrown hair causing my leg to swell ridiculously. As you can imagine, it was a massive pain walking around for ages and getting lost (thanks to Dad’s directions this time) only to find a restaurant that was too expensive to eat at, turning around and heading back to the hotel. At least it was nowhere near as hot as Hoi An or Ho Chi Minh.

This morning we got up nice and early again to fly to Kuala Lumpur, which is where we are now. In about half an hour we’ll be boarding the 9 hour flight back home. It’s definitely been and interesting, but fun trip with the family!

I don’t think I’ll be making another journey until January, so until then zài jiàn, au revoir, and buenos noches bitchaz!

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Comments

[Bunti]

What what what? I didn't know you were coming back now! I had the 14th in mind... Rofl at Julia Pink and one ingrown hair causing you so much trouble! Hahaha xxx