FlipACoin

Mui Ne was so hot! We opted for a fan room the first two nights to save money but after getting little sleep moved to the Hong Di and Air con right on the beach. Unfortunatly the power went out during the days so we could only cool down at night. But we spent the days exploring the beach and watching the kite and wind surfers show there stuff so we had a great time. The town is along a long narrow strip of land and without a motorbike its hard to get around. We got one and explored the sand dunes. We attemped to sand sled down the White Dunes. Is it even possible? I don't think so. We spent one hour that seemed like 4 making fun of eachother scooting down huge dunes and ... read more

The sleeper bus to Nha Trang was another great ride. We met a family with a little girl and she and I played backgammon for hours. Then we moved on to Connect 4 and finally I had to tell her it was time for bed. She sat in front of Alex and kept messing with him. It was quite amusing for me and her parents were thankful for some quiet time. Unfortunately as we were travelling Alex got the cold I had left behind in Hoi An, or perhaps something from the bus full of travellers. We stayed in a backpacker area of Nha Trang which is full of about 40 places that are almost all the same. Alex went to sleep when we arrived but I walked around the town and beach until about 9:30 ... read more

Hoi An must be my favorite town so far. The journey there was very pleasent as we were on a sleeper bus and didn't make any stops to pick up locals. When we arrived I had a few ideas of places to stay but only one was near where the bus let us off. After wandering around some motorbike taxi guys promised us a great place for $12. Usually we stay away from these guys but this time we made and excellent decision. I can't remember the spelling of the place and will have to look it up to give raving reviews but its something like Phuok An hotel. For $15 we had a large room with a fridge, tv and very comfortable bed. The best part was that our sliding glass door opened up to ... read more

On a rainy evening in Hanoi we boarding the overnight train bound for Hue. The train was full of Vietnamese and they had a great time looking at us. We met and English speaking couple who helped us with our seats and baggage as it was a bit confusing. I must've been tired as I fell asleep shortly after we took off at 8pm. Alex went to dining car and spent the evening with fellow travellers. We arrived in Hue around 7am on a lovely morning and walked from the station to a guest house. Along the way many tuk-tuk drivers tryed to pick us up and were shocked that we wanted to walk. The town is lovely but more expensive than we hoped. It appears to cater to a french crowd-the food was delicious! We ... read more

Halong Bay...when you arrive at the ferry terminal and look at your ticket you find that you can vote to have the area become one of the "7 wonders of the world". Unfortunately the massive tourist industry along with the local disrgard for the environment is turning the area into a wasteland. We heard from many travellers that they were overcharged for their trip, didn't get enough or any good food, and didn't see the sights they were promised. We also heard that if you pay under $80 you may as well pay $15 as everyone is thrown together. The agents say you get what you pay for and they all say theirs is high quality. Shopping around became so strenuous that we decided to go with Sinh which has agencies all over the city and ... read more

We love Hanoi! The districts are seperated by the many lakes that give the city more of a puget sound area feel than anywhere we've visited. Ofcourse the traffic is totally insane and one can spend hours contemplating the magic that keeps traffic moving in an organized chaos amongst cars, trucks, tuk-tuks, cylcos, bikers, and the massive amount of tourists strolling the streets. Our first evening we strolled the Hoan Keim Lake area and after gawking at the fancy hotels and boutiques ate at Pepperoni's. Its a pizza chain that we thouroughly enjoyed after eating morning glory and water buffalo in Laos. We spent several days strolling the old quarter and mixing in with the chaos on the street. Once we left the backpacker area and ventured from one lake to another we got to know ... read more

Our ride from Phonsavon to Vinh was another long ride. We left the terminal around 6:30am but didn't leave the actual town until after 8 as the driver stopped every 100 meters to pick up people, rice, and who knows what else. We arrived late in the evening and stayed at a dingy guest house within walking distance of the station. I"m sure many a weary traveller has ended up at this place. In the morning we walked into the bus area and were immediately grabbed by 2 men saying the bus to Hanoi was leaving. We were a bit confused as we were there early but got ready to get on. While we were asking how much the fare was they were busy pushing us on the bus and closing the door. The bus was ... read more

After several days of debating if we should suffer through another long bus ride or fly to Vietnam, we opted for the bus which stopped at Phonsavan-the starting point for the Plain of Jars. The flight would've been a 1 1/2 hour ride versus what turned out to be 2 days of 13 hour bus rides through windy roades and small villiages. The cost was the deciding factor. Bussing it was cheaper-and certainly more of an adventure. After our long ride to Phonsavon we planned on leaving for Vietnam the next morning. Upon arrival at the closed bus station we discovered that the bus only goes 3 times per week and we end in Vinh, Vietnam, a traveller stopover/hell from what we heard. At that we decided to spend a day exploring the famed Plain of ... read more

Since we began our travels fellow backpackers were telling us about a small villiage in northern Laos called Muang Ngoy that can only be reached by boat-and that only when the river is high enough. We took a trip up to Nong Khieo in a mini van and then waited with other travellers for the ferry. The trip up to this villiage is very popular with Israelis. So many young travlellers have recommended the place and we were told that this villiage is part of a dissappearing trail that many of them visit. Our boat was packed and so heavy that we had to get out and walk about one mile through sand dunes while the boat found its way up the rapids. During the walk, the Lao woman leading us starting screaming as did several ... read more

The bus trip to Luang Prabang was grueling and uncomfortable, but at least we had a seat. Some people had to sit on plastic stools in the aisle for 8 hours through winding mountain roads. I almost throttled this Dutch guy who wanted 2 seats for himself because he wanted leg room. Everyone on the bus thought I was pretty cool for confronting him on it. It was terribly hot that day as we passed through mountain villages that were so desolate and primitive, clinging to the edge of cliffs 10 feet from the road. I wondered where they get their water and how they survive windstorms. What a tough life. Julija had a woman with a duck pooping in a bamboo cage sitting next to her who, after eating a whole fish, kept putting her ... read more