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Hong Kong
Eating at Temple Night street market, Kowloon. Hi all,
We are writing from Hoi An, Vietnam, arrived here today after a 19 hour bus trip - must say was rather hair-raising at times as people drive terribly & there are motorbikes all over the road.We organised a sleeper bus so had our own beds all the way which was great, don't think I would have made it through by sitting.It is so hot here, thank goodness our hotel has a swimming pool & will hire a motorbike tomorrow to get us to the beach which is about ten minutes away.
We left off the last blog in Shanghai, well lots has happened since then, Kris & I have been very very busy!From Shanghai we flew to Hong Kong where we met up with my folks.It was such a treat to upgrade to a fancy hotel overlooking the HK skyline after many nights in hostels so felt very spoilt.We had a great four days there doing the many sights - Aberdeen, Cental (Soho, Lan Kwai Fong), Victoria Peak, Star ferry etc and we loved it.Must be a fantastic place to work & live for a while so for those of you who have done it, we are
Hong Kong
Traditional fishing boat trip around Victoria harbour very jealous.Had the most incredible meal in the hotel - buffet covering everything from Western to Asian so you can imagine the spread.I think Kris made it to 8 courses, thats including two courses of oysters & we certainly made the most of the bottomless French red wine!
From Hong Kong we flew to Bangkok - once again stayed in a prime position right next door to MBK which is a shopper's paradise- a mall with five floors of shops & stalls selling everything from food to clothes.On the first day we took taxi boat up the river but we were too late to get into the Grand Palace so opted for some drinks in Ko San road, the backpacking street full of shops, agencies, bars etc. There were some interesting characters there so made for good people-watching!!Kris & my folks also experienced their first Pad Thai (I had it previously in Thailand) here which they were hooked on immediately.And of course the first taste of Singha beer.
The next day we went to the Chatalak market (if you are ever in Bangkok on the weekend you HAVE to go here) - out of all the markets we
had been to this was the best. It is huge, never seen such a big market in my life & it is like a maze inside so can get easily lost.We all got seriously carried away with shopping.
That afternoon we managed to find a pub showing the Super14 rugby - an you know there is always an Irish pub to found in any city!So we went to O Reilly's & watched the Sharks lose - while the Aussies around us were beaming.
Fortunately the pub was close to Patpong so off we went to see if we catch a glimpse of a show (on the way had dinner in a gay restaurant - only realised later on in the meal while wondering why there were so many guy couples around......hahaha)Well we got completely ripped - got conned into a show, watched some interesting movements with chopsticks for 5 mins then were asked to pay a huge entrance fee so left & that was the end of that.
From Bangkok flew to the islands- first up was Ko Samui.Stayed in really nice resort on the beach - spent our time there riding around the island on motorbikes, swimming,
sundowners, relaxing etc.From here took ferry to Ko Tao (one of my favourite places so far) - Kris & I immediately enrolled in a dive course.So spent the first 3 days in the pool, classroom & diving - we absolutely loved it & the diving was incredible.Didn't get to see the whale shark which apparently had been seen that week but saw the most incredible fish, turtles, coral etc- it has got me hooked after not being so keen to do it!My parents really enjoyed the snorkelling too!You can see as much beautiful sea life as diving!
We also treated ourselves to many Thai massages, great Thai meals & sundowners on the beach.We really didn't want to leave!From here we said good-bye to my folks and caught a train back to Bangkok then a flight to north Vietnam, Hanoi.
Hanoi is absolutely crazy - never seen so many motorbikes in my life & everyone hoots all the time which can be very irritating after a couple hours strolling around the Old Quarter, enough to drive anyone mad.Spent the first day doing the the sights - saw Ho Chi Minh's body in the Mausoleum, walked around the Old Quarter
which is full of character - each street sells something different i.e. straw mats, toys, fruit shakes, spices.We also walked through the food markets & saw some dodgy things accompanied by some nauseating smells.
That day for lunch, Kris & I decided to try Vietnamese food so opted for an authentic restaurant - the north is well known for Pho Bo which is rice noodle soup with beef or chicken so opted for this simple dish after spotting cat on the menu.Kris even asked if it was "meeouw, meeouw" & she said yes!I must say its really cool to see the Vietnamese sitting on tiny plastic chairs eating food & drinking beer all day long.
That afternoon took a stroll to Fanny's ice-cream - Kris really enjoyed this & of course took a photo!We then went to watch a Water Puppet show - this is something typical of the north & very famous.It is a show done by puppets in water & although didn't understand anything (as in Vietnamese) it was still very cleverly done, apparently has won global awards.
In Hanoi we stayed in a great hostel run by Aussies & packed every night during happy hour.It was
Kho tao
Long tail boat in Mango Bay great as got to meet lots of people & chat to them about their travels - best way of getting recommendations & tips.
We then took a three day boat trip to Halong Bay - was awesome. Halong Bay is a World Heritage site,the bay consists of thousands of Limestone Islets rising majestically out of the ocean.Spent the first night in the boat on the bay, stopped off at caves, kayaked through the Limestone Grotto's, swam etc - really beautiful.We had some really fun people on our boat so that night was spent singing karioke & drinking cocktails.Next day we got dropped off in Cat Ba Island - went to visit more caves & then had the afternoon free.It was raining but Kris & I hired a motorbike & took a ride around nevertheless - we found the most incredible beach & also drove out to the National Park.Wish we had had a little more time here to explore but it was a great trip organised by the hostel.
So now we are in Hoi An, on the coast in Central Vietnam - Vietnam has been fantastic so far. In particular the food is delicious and the beer
always cold and incredibly cheap. A meal including a couple of courses and a few beers never costs more than a couple pounds. Every region has there own particular speciality which is always the dish to go for. You have to just be careful of cat and dog, dog especially is pretty popular with the locals.
We have decided to skip the South & are going to chill here before heading to Ho Chi Minh city & then onto Sydney!
Sorry for the novel, will be in touch soon!
Kath & Kris
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