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Published: January 30th 2006
Mui Ne Beach hut
This was our home for a few days!Hello again everybody! PLEASE ONCE AGAIN IGNORE THE RANDOM PLACING OF PICTURES!
We are now preparing to leave Vietnam. We have seen some amazing things here but quite simply don't feel as relaxed or welcomed as we did in Thailand and having heard such great things about Laos and the people there, we are soon to be jumping on a plane and heading to Vientiene for a ride down the Mekong River in inner tube rafts (for fun) and on a slow boat (for pleasure).........but that's another adventure yet to come!
Here's what we've been doing in Vietnam!
We brought a $22 open tour bus ticket that runs North up the east coast of Vietnam eventually arriving in Hanoi for their New Year or "Tet" as they call it. This year is to be the year of the dog (just as well it's not the year of the chicken eh!).
Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon)
We arrived into Ho Chi Minh City from Pnom Penh after a 9 hour bus journey. Although the distance is only 245km, you make so many pointless sops that the hours keep adding on! We crossed the border into Vietnam
Mui Ne Beach
Another nice sunset! and picked up another bus run by "Happy Tours" where a truely happy girl sang to us on our journey to the City....they sure do LOVE their Karaoke! We learned quickly that the Vietnamese will try and scam you wherever possible! I handed in some laundry and when I tried to collect it the next day it still had deodorant marks on and clearly had not been anywhere near water just sprayed to smell nice. I refused to leave he shop until I got some money back and told every westerner taht came in not to use the. She soon threw money back at me. Continued to hand wash our things!
Richard had some cool linen trousers made and I had some very cool silk Thai trousers made (not like fisherman Thai trousers, way cooler thank you!).
The market places are ruthless here! If you so much as have eye contact with an item they are on you like a shot and digging their nails into your arm as they pull you into the shop. I had 3 on me at one point until I said "Get OFF me!" and ran away!
Mui Ne
We arrived after a 6
Richard - Easy rider!
Don't worry he was very responsible! hour bus trip which really wasn't so bad at all. Richard wanted to stay at the hotel that boasted "a monkey on a chain" (nice) but we found that accommodation was a bit more here at $15 dollars and up. Eventually found a sweet beach hut for $12 and sacrificed having hot water....nice and near the beach though!
The beach is very long, very white and no people trying to sell you things! Perfect! There is soon to be a windsurfing competition and kite surfing ha hit this place by storm with hundreds of the blighters soaring through the air above the water dragging their owners along the water on their mini surf baords. The water was rather rough and you get pulled in and then violently spat back out and beaten as you run for shore......guess that's why they hold the wind surfing at this time of year! Waves so bad that managed to flash a shocked looking vietnamese ladie who smiled at me and then looked shocked and turned away....when I looked down I realised that the waves had pulled my top right down....rather embarrasing!
We hired a motorbike and went to look at the sand dunes although
Da Lat Market
Richard is ruthless in his bargaining! could not find the wtaerfall and anyone we asked wanted money for the information. We didn't bother looking any further. Richard turned out to be very good on the bike! He knew exactly when and how to gear change and was very competent and safe. He drove out and I drove back!
We stayed in Mui Ne and topped up our tans before finally deciding we wanted hot water again!
Da Lat
After a 6 hour bus journey winding up the mountain for the final 2 hours, we arrived in a beautiful village called Da Lat. We were advised by locals that "o my word it is FREEZING in Da Lat! So cold!!" so we wrapped up warm. When we arrived we saw locals in hats, scarves, gloves, massive winter coats etc.......it was so NOT cold! If this kind of weather sprung up in Britain it would be car roofs down, shorts and T'shirts out and time off work to enjoy it whilst it lasted! It was by no means scorching but was certainly warm enough that we could wander around after sun down still in t-shirts.
We rented mountain bikes and cycled around the town and it's
lakes and up to it's small waterfall. We both had boys mountain bikes.....is it just me or do boys bikes have REALLY uncomfortable seats? I was left feeling rather bruised for days although really enjoyed the freedom of just cycling wherever we liked. We also visited the HUGE market place and purchased some fruit and some Da Lat red wine...yes...finally a red wine we could afford that did not taste like a shot of aftershock!
We stayed for two nights jumping on the bus again to head for Nah Trang.
Nah Trang
The weather was not brilliant and deffinately a little cooler.
We visited a spa so we could have a mud bath and bathe in the natural mineral water as felt we needed some pampering with all these cramped bus journeys!
It was lovely and we wallowed around as happy as pigs in....well mud actually! I brought a tub of mud to send home!
Left after just 2 nights.
Hoi An (and getting colder!)
This, I think we both agreed, was our favourite destination in Vietnam. A beautiful, ornate and relatively untouched village. We purchased a beatiful set of x10 chopsticks for about $6 which are
Clean behind those ears!
Mud does not taste nice. made of mahogany and Buffalo bone! We also had our best meal in Vietnam here in a small riverside family run resaurant.
I loved the little shops here although was chased around a shoe shop by a randy dog who everytime I stopped for breath launched himself at my lg until I eventually shook him off. Stupid mut.
We would have loved to stay longer but with the run up to Tet the locals are taking over the buses and soon everything would close for nearly a week and we'd be stranded for several days before being able to move on.
Relucantly, after just one night we moved onto the next journy to Hue.
Hue
Another 12 hour bus journey and arrived to weather that reminded us of home! Cold, drizzle (that fine rain taht soaks you through - love Peter Kay) grey and....well rather British! We brought plastic rain mack and went off to see the sites anyway.
One night here and off again....got to beat the race for people getting home for Tet!
HaNoi
We arrived here the day before the eve of Tet at 6am after a 12 hoir bus journey throughout
the night and having no sleep. We really wanted to go to Ha Long Bay but were told that the tours after today would stop until 31st for Tet but that we could go for an overnight stay if we get on the bus in one hour.....so off we went for another 4 hour bus journey to Ha Long to stay the night on a boat and visit caves etc!
Ha Long Bay
This place is stunning! We went into caves and met some great people and I went Kayking with a girl called Laura. We wanted to Kayake through the caves. We were very determined despite the distance from the boat to the caves and we soon had a good motion going between us (2 people per Kayake you see) and once we had made it to the caves we headed back....and then the current changed and started pulling us to sea! Everytime we managed to go straight the boat would suddenly spin the other direction! We lst sight of the shore! I began getting very annoyed and swearing a lot ad Laura just kept saying "It's OK, don't get mad, we'll make it....just look at the sunset
it's amazing!
I have e-maied some people this story but here it is again....conversation on Kayake was something like this:
Amber: Sunset! Bloody sunset! We are drifting out to sea! Sod the sunset!
Laura: They're bound to notice we've been gone over an our and will send help!
A row boat came over with a Vietnemese girl on....
Vietnamese girl: Hello!
Amber: O thank God! Can you help us we can't get back!
Vietnamese girl:You buy something from me!
Laura: We just want help please!
Vietnamese girl: O....ha ha! Bye! (girl rows away)
Amber: ....BITCH!
Laura: Well at least this is a friendship building experience!
Amber: ....I liked you perfectly well before we got on the Kayake but do not wish to die with you you crazy Liverpool accented girl!
Laura: (starts laughing hysterically) Amber stop making me laugh I can't row and laugh at the same time....I need a wee!
Amber: Good timing.....please don't wee on me!
Anyhoo....we kept rowing, and rowing and I we FINALY made it back to the shore. We were about 30 feet so I jumped in to pull us ashore and landed a rock just half a foot below the
New Friends in Ha Long Bay
Richard, Laura (travelling alone from UK) and Ray (Canadian on vacation from his teaching in China).
boat and cut my foot. OW! I layed in the water in a fetal postion on my side holding the boat to stay a float and O my God I dropped the oar! I's OK I'll swim under and get it (thinking I'm in about 5 feet of water) and so I peer down and say "Oh....ha ha!" and Laura says, "what, what's wrong!" and then I come out of my side on fetal position and stand up....in about half a foot of water! Doh! Oar is actually right in front of me! We come ashore and go back to the boat and I'm thinking "Richard is going to be sooo mad and worried" and there's Richard, on deck with a beer! "Hi ladies! how were the caves!"........Men! I had blisters on my hands I rowed so hard! My arms and back is still killing me! There is a LOT to be said for determination. Glad Laura was so calm!
A nice sleep on our boat and ignoring the rats that were running around on deck (at least they weren't in our room!) we got up and had an exciting breakfast of jam and bread! We had to head
Caves of Ha Long Bay
Picture NOT taken from stupid bloody Kayake.
back earlier than normal tours as today was the eve of Tet! Another New Years eve yay!
We checked into a hotel and tried to nap as were exhausted. We ventured out to the lake as were told that there would be a fireworks display at midnight. Amazed by the sheer amount of people here! Thousands in the streets all milling around, watching the shows on the stages that had been erected around the lake and generally throwing fire crackers around and scaring the crap out of us (well I jumped a lot anyway). We fuelled up on coffee and redbull to keep us awake and then stood ready for teh fireworks. We are agreed that we have NEVER seen sucj a huge display! It just kept going and going and going! Was like a huge kalediscope in the sky! Once it was finished we headed back wondering where the hell all these people were going to go now?
Awoken ridiculously early by the staff shouting up and down the stairs we decided to find a quieter hotel and once checked in were warned by other people staying there that they had been ripped off with currency exchanges and
Boat that did not make me sick!
Ha Long Bay has VERY still waters! had things stolen from their rooms. We decided we had had enough and wanted to goto Laos sooner rather than visiting Sa Pa (further north) as planned. Everyone we have spoken to has told us how lovely the people are in Laos and taht no-one tries to scam you.....that would be nice!
We have booked a flight out first thing tomorrow and in the meantime have locked all our belongings up!
Of to Laos.............adventure continues!
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Wrighty
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