BallingerLewis

Our time in Vientiane was short as we aimed to cross the border the day after we arrived. Despite this we still managed to cram in a few things. First we visited the Buddha Park, a field full of concrete Buddhist statues, with an enormous reclining Buddha statue. This was a quirky little place, made better by the entertaining bus journey there. We are by now used to people's reactions towards us when we travel on public transport, the usual stares, smiles and attempted conversations in the native tongue. But for once it wasn't us who were centre of attention. A particularly large child got on the bus with his mother and immediately became the focus of amusement. We felt a little sorry for the boy who was poked and prodded and had his cheeks pinched! ... read more

Our next stop was the town of Luang Probang in the centre of northern Laos. This town is a world heritage site and it’s hardly surprising. Its magnificent surroundings of mountains and river create the perfect setting for this beautiful town. Luang Prabang's buildings are heavily influenced by French colonial architecture. Bakeries spring up all over the place amongst the pretty French designs. On our first day, we enjoyed a walking tour of the town mapped out for us by our guidebook. We looked in at the Royal Palace and observed a multitude of Wats. The most special being a steep climb to the top of a hill, where a picturesque Wat overlooked the whole of the Luang Prabang Province. In the evening we perused the night market. The stalls were laid out on the floor, ... read more

Hanoi is Vietnam’s capital, although smaller in population than the south’s Ho Chi Minh. Hanoi’s streets are narrow and crammed with all sorts of stalls, which consequently made it so difficult for us to navigate. Everywhere looked so similar that we were constantly getting lost. For us, the most wonderful thing about Vietnam is its people. We have been greeted with nothing but warmth and smiles and made to feel so welcome throughout our time in the country. We were therefore a little disappointed by Hanoi’s cooler reception towards us. People endlessly tried to rip us off and one lady refused flatly to serve us. We’re not sure why there was more coldness there; we suppose it maybe down to the fact that there were so many tourists around and city life is always that bit ... read more

Hoi An is pretty much a half way mark on the east cost of Vietnam. It’s an extremely pretty town with a river that separates the old town section. The French colonial influence is highly apparent in the picturesque architecture and little crème coloured boutiques and cafes. On our first full day in Hoi An we hired a cyclo (bicycle taxi with a carriage for two at the front of it) and were peddled around the delightful old town. It was so relaxing to sit and absorb this old fashioned town within a more modern town, where the Vietnamese people carry out their traditions. We saw the familiar conical hats sported by women rowing their boats and some men working hard at building a fishing boat and drinking some fresh beer. Apart from its aesthetical appeals, ... read more

From Cantho we took a long mini bus journey up to Dalat, via Ho Chi Minh City! The bus conductor tried to fit four people onto every three seats - not something you want when you are spending 20 hours on a bus! Bex wasn’t too pleased with the wandering hands of the drunkard sat next to her. Eventually we arrived in Dalat at 2am and were whisked off to a hotel by two helpful Moto drivers. Luckily Vietnam has a 24 hour reception system, where someone sleeps behind the desk, so if you bang hard enough and long enough on the door you will get in! Dalat is situated in the central highlands and off the main route north which runs along the coast. Because of the higher altitude (approx 2000m) it had a refreshingly ... read more