Hello people we love... :) Well.... we just arrived back in Hanoi yesterday after a very "interesting" tour through Halong Bay. Where to start. Well, we left Hoi An (as Kohley has already mentioned) and travelled for a little over 24 hours. We took two regular buses, a sleeper bus, taxi and four motorcycles to end up at a skeezy hotel in Halong Bay. First I'll say the traveling part left little to be desired- the sleeper bus was pretty cramped and freezing. They also filled the bus beyond capacity (as they usually do) so we had people sleeping on the [View Full Entry]

---

---

Okay okay, we've been bad bloggers. We're two cities behind so we'll have to do a little catching up before we can update you on our plans for the coming weeks. Last we told you we had left Mui Ne to head to Nha Trang. The bus ride was unpleasant, hot and bumpy but Anna, Kristen and I (and our aussie friend Jaimee) arrived safe and sound and found ourselves a hostel. Nha Trang definitely lived up to the reputation of relaxin' beach town by day, drinkin' party town by night and there were backpackers everywhere. We spent our days lazing [View Full Entry]

---

---

After a final last hurrah in Tianjin we headed for Beijing for a little shopping, some 5 dollar pedicures and massages, and then to the airport. The first flight was from Beijing to Shenzhen, China,for a 5 hour layover. Unfortunatly the plain was delayed and the five of us (Kohle, Anna, John, Matt, and myself) had to wait for an extra five hours. We had lined up a hostel to pick us up at the airport, but needless to say it wasn't there when we arrived at 2 in the morning. A taxi driver lent us his phone and we [View Full Entry]

---

---

Ni Hao people we LOVE! Well... the girls have been here for just over two weeks now, and we are getting very excited to move on from Tianjin to VIETNAM!!! The last two weeks have been awesome. I was really starting to get homesick, especially on my birthday, but two of my lovely girls helped to make it very special. School has just been finishing up here. It was nice that the girls got to meet some of my students, but that meant that I had to work during the weekdays. It was a little lame- since I so badly wanted [View Full Entry]

---

---

I'm up very late writing this entry because, well...China doesn't really agree with my poor body. I've come down with a case of China-itis. Don't fear, it's no swine flu but it does keep a person up late with an upset stomach and some extra time to reflect on their recent adventures in Beijing. Very convenient. Saturday morning we sped off at a reasonable 330 kilometers per hour on the fast train out of Tianjin (or Tanggu to be more specific) into Beijing. The three of us and another Canadian teacher, Celeste, attempted to sneak into first class milking the whole [View Full Entry]

---

---

We made it! After a super long flight (two layovers) we arrived in the Beijing. As we collected our luggage, Kohle and I put on our party hats (there were still 13 minutes left of Anna's birthday) and headed through immigration. After causing a scene in the airport we hopped in a taxi, beer in hand, and were off to Tianjin (the city Anna has been teaching in for the past 5 months. After a 3 hour cab ride, we headed to bed after a chat with John. While Anna was back at school Monday, Kohle and I were off to [View Full Entry]

---

---