We originally planned to fly back to mainland Vietnam from Phu Quoc but all the flights were full. Lee is rubbish on boats so we wanted to avoid the sea but we had no other option. Our only way was a 2 hour ferry from the port to Rach Gia (south) or Ha Tien (more towards the Cambodia border), so we booked a ticket and headed to the port. When our minibus dropped us off outside a huge, hi tech speedboat, which looked super steady on the water Lee gave a huge sigh of relief, only to be told that wasn't [View Full Entry]

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We took our first internal flight and we were both quite nervous...expecting a cranky old aircraft so we were pleasantly surprised when we boarded our snazzy plane (even though it still had propellers rather than a traditional engine) A quick 1 hour flight to the island and a 10 minute transfer to our resort we were soon in our beach gear and virtually ran to the beach!!! Long beach stretches for around 15 miles and is lined with top end resorts with bungalows on the beach for around 90 quid. We managed to secure a bargain room in between 2 posh [View Full Entry]

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Ho Chi Minh city formerly known as Saigon is the busiest place ..EVER! 8 Million people live here and 7 million of them own motorbikes.. so you can guess how difficult it was crossing the road! The City is really different from Hanoi in the north and feels like it should be the capital hosting skyscrapers, large neon flashing lights and it bustling population all eager to be the next Richard Branson. We checked into the highly rated Madame Cuc's guesthouse (sounds dodgy but its all above board!) The owner has a chain of three and we got told the main [View Full Entry]

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After racking up 65 hours and over 1000 miles on buses in the last 2 weeks we decided to stay in the beach town of Mui Ne for some R&R but like Nha Trang we didn't end up staying long. Mui Ne is billed as being a top end luxury resort with lots of swanky accommodation, and we knew finding a budget place to stay was going to be a challenge. We decided upon a place called the Sunshine beach resort which on the net was 7 quid a night... only when we arrived prices had changed to 26 quid!!... NEXT.. [View Full Entry]

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Dalat in Vietnam means luxury..... (it doesn't really but it did for us!) Another bus journey from Nha Trang to Dalat and 7 hours later we were on the look out for somewhere to stay. Dreams hotel was Lonely planet's pick (the travel guidebook for those who don't know) .. which usually means the price has doubled or its full. We landed on our feet and took the last room. A TV in the room usually is a little luxury... hot shower... maybe a toilet that flushes is nice... but this guesthouse was... well... FLASH!!! For 20 USD (14 quid) we [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Hoi An after an easy 4 hour journey from Hue (we are hardcore bus journey .. people now!!) We found a little bar where Lee sat and guarded the bags (while drinking a beer) and Michelle ventured off to find some digs. It's much easier than both of us walking around with our backpacks on, and Michelle actually has found this process a nice way of replacing her shopping habit back home!! Michelle ventured down the street checking out a few rooms until she came to a place called the Hoa Binh guesthouse (which we ended up staying [View Full Entry]

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The distance from Hanoi in the north of Vietnam all the way down the coast to the southern city of Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) is around 1760 km's (1093 miles) and is a mammoth journey. The first leg from Hanoi to Hue was around 14 hours on a sleeper bus. It was to be our first sleeper bus so we were both in a strange way excited !! (odd I know!!) The bus left Hanoi at 6pm and we arrived in Hue just after 7am. The beds on the bus were quite weird!!! it felt a little strange at first but [View Full Entry]

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There are soooooo many tour shops in Hanoi each offering 'exclusive' cruises for peanuts, and so many stories on the net of bad experiences. Some people had encountered rats on board, overcrowded boats, crazy tour guides and lots of other bad experiences. We opted for a cruise with a company called Handspan, who promised a luxury boat (called the Lagoon Explorer 2) with a maximum of 8 passengers, a la carte meals, English speaking guide, and a really good itinerary, ... and they didn't disappoint!! Our journey began on an air conditioned mini bus that took 4 hours to reach the [View Full Entry]

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Hanoi is amazing. So far its Lees favourite place .. Michelle's still holding a candle for Vientiane in Laos. Hanoi is Vietnam's capital, it was occupied by the French for over 50 years. It's really difficult to put the city into words, With its mazy colonial streets in the old quarter, the aromas of incense and fresh coriander from the street markets, the busy Vietnamese street life that seems to happen all around you and the pure pulse of the city captivates you each time you step outside of your guesthouse. We spent 5 nights in the city. Our days were [View Full Entry]

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As we have been on the move recently we have included in this blog Udomxai (Laos), Muang Khau (Laos), and our entry into Vietnam at the border of Dien Bien Phu. We stepped of the bus into Udomxai with a smile on our face. After braving the cold for a couple of weeks it was nice to have the sun beating down for a change. As mentioned in the last blog, we had 12 days of our Laos visa to kill, and not wanting to head back on ourselves and go south we didn't have much choice but to stay in [View Full Entry]

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