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Published: September 28th 2009
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Russ
Luang Purbang, on the top of a hill the view from the temple at the top We have made it to Vietnam. Having crossed from Thailand to Laos via a slow (very slow) boat down the Mekong River for 2 days. Boat was a longer version of a canal boat, and used to be used to ship cargo up and down the River. Now they have very kindly shoved many hard wooden benches for all the tourists to sit on, so a comfy trip it was NOT. We sat on the life jackets to save our numb bums😊
Arrived in Luang Purbang, Laos spent a few days looking at Wats (temples) palace. Moved on to Vang Vieng and yes we did the tubing down 4kms of Nam Xong River, twice! It was wet and cold and we were sitting in the middle of a tractor inner tube. There were many bars, swings, and even a slide as we went down the river, so made the cold bottom more bareable😊
We also hired a automatic motor bike, and Russ drove us to some caves over a bamboo bridge and up a long dirt road with Carina shouting too fast, as 12 mph was too much! But we survived just about, almost got stuck in a muddy puddle
Speedy
Russ getting to grips with the scooter before Carina was allowed on! that was deeper than we thought!
From there we arrived in the capital Vientiane, not a great deal there for a capital. A very gold temple, yes with lots of gold spikes on the roof, 30! On the way we saw about 100 ppl practising a parade with flags and what looked to us like line dancing, very random! Saw the Laos version of the chanps elysees and arc de trionphe, and their oldest temple Sisaket built in 1818. Caught a local bus out of town to Buddha Park which one of Russ's best places. Its a field on the banks of the Mekong which has lots of random concrete statues, reclining Buddha, Pumkin building with statues of heaven and hell inside, random crocadile and various Gods with lots of arms! All huge, and you could climb on/inside them.
Then flew in to Hanoi, Vietnam. We decided against the 26hr bus ride to get there and paid for a flight for 1hr20mins , much better on the bottom. Hanoi very busy city that you can just walk about and look at the ppl in their shops, selling on the streets in their triangle hats and what looks to
Brummm " too fast"
Hiring a motorbike in the countryside around Vang Viang us like pj's. Saw a water puppet show. Which is exactly what u expect. Puppeteers behind a screen standing waist deep in water controlling the puppets to a live band. Lots of short stories and loads of different puppets dancing, running etc on the water! And found a KFC, and for those Top Gear fans we spent ages walking in the rain to find the remains of the B52 that was shot down in a small lake that Jeremy drove his scooter to on the Vietnam special episode. Well worth getting soaked for.
Spent 3 days and 2 nights chugging around Ha Long Bay on a junk (chinese boat) with an engine. Very scenic, spent 1 night on the main island there called Cat Ba Island (or as one tour guide told us Caspa Iceland). Trekked up another hill for the view in the Cat Ba National Park for a good view at the top of a rusty metal tower that swayed in the wind. Boat stopped at some caves, big, but all lit up different colours so not very natural. The night on the boat was good, ate lots of sea food, ppl kept rowing up to the
Hot girl
In Vientienne it was really hot, so Carina took note of what the locals do and walked around all day under the shade of the umbrella boat trying to sell all sorts from beer to oreo biscuits. Did some Kayaking around the bay trying to find good caves to go in, didnt find much. Also got on a ricketty old boat around a floating village and saw a floating school, and also went to 2 more caves. Stopped at what we were told was Monkey Island, but no monkeys were seen.
Got a sleeper bus to Hue. Bus was hilarious as Russ is about twice the size of a Vietnamese person, so in this sleeper seat his knees and bum were poking out as he didnt fit in the seat! Arrived and went around the Citadel, palace, theatre, temple. The whole area is being 'restored' but as far as we could see it was full of tall grass, weeds and the workmen were all sleeping on the roof tiles. Went to a local market that really did stink.
Last night we were woken by thunder and lightning and this morning it has just rained and rained and its been really windy. Decided to move on to Hoi An early, got the bus. Passed trees down, loads of debis on the road, broken advertising boards,
Boat trip
Getting on the boat in Ha Long bay with all our kit corregated rooves being held on by sand bags. The road was totally flooded in some parts, higher than the pavement, but this did not stop the driver who put his foot down and got us here earlier than expected. After Russ went to find accomodation in the wind and rain, Carina got talking to Austrian couple who said the hurricane, yes hurricane was going to last the next 2 days!!!!! Opps we missed that. Having used our trusty Google, we now know that its called Katsana and has come from the Philapines, having killed 102ppl, and in Manila has had the worst floods in 40 yrs. It was 500 kms of the coast of Hue (where we were!!!!) at 7am this morn!!!!!! But dont panic we are fine, staying inside and out of the rain, well except when we went for dinner. Hopefully this wont ruin our plans to visit Marble Mountain and China Beach on wed.
Please keep your fingers crossed it stops raining soon as we are fed up of drying out our kit and our sandles from walking in the river/street!
PS in Thailand forgot to say, once we got back from our 3 day
Terrible two
The top of Monkey Island, Ha Long Bay trek and sweating buckets, Carina and Kim had a massage. We went to the local prison where the women due to be released within the next 6mths do massage. It was the most painful thing Carina has ever had (but i did come down with temperature the next day so maybe i was feeling a bit fragile). Kim loved being crunched, stepped on and pulled. Carina was sure that the lady who 'massaged' her was in fact in for murder! oh the pain
Dad A-
Glad u saw the photos from Patrick via Kims camera of the Tigers, it was not any photos we sent to him, must of just thought you would like to see them and forward them on to you.
We shall keep adding photos when we can to our blog, some computers let you, others don't! We have no plans to send you any as they are on memory cards.
Glad ur feeling better and hope the hickups have stopped and you are back to normal and have stopped watching so much TV.
Food going well KFC located.
Re-hair cut had one in Jaipur India, and due another one
Chugging along
Russ on the boat in Ha Long Bay....really beautiful veiws now.
Re-shave had a cut throat in Delhi, and another in Hue, so am clean shaven at present
Kim is Brisol now, so not goin to meet up anymore and will phone home in few weeks when back in Thailand as we have a phone card valid there.
Thanks for all the results, managed to watch the utd-city in the Hare and Hound pub in Vientiane! Did have Thai commentary thou. Saw stoke - utd too in hotel room although 9pm kick off.
Yes we is really humid here, always sticky and in need of showers. Vietnam is the first place we have had air con and its really nice to cool down! And no we haven't eatern any bugs or snake yet😊
Indira- took me a while to remember what AL's was!!!!! shocking, been away too long. I think that noodle is the key to this weight loss, im eating loads of them! But then again maybe its just sweating it all off!!
Claudia- I cant believe Jasmine is old enough to be at school, im sure she is loving it thou. She looks really cute in her uniform on the pics on
Sunset
In Ha Long Bay facebook
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Sarah
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So jealous!
I keep catching up on your blogs and getting more and more jealous! Sounds like you are both having a great time, hope your trying all the local drinks! Lots of love xxx