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Published: November 20th 2009
Before I start for those who have commented on my spelling (not naming names - Peter Timothy Hudson!) I dont have the time to re read what I have typed and we all know I cant spell (still got first for my diss tho so works for me)
Right so after arriving to a very hot Vietnam we booked a trip to the perfume pagoda which involved a poor little woman rowing us 1 hr up a beautiful and calm river for us to then walk hundred of steps to see a shrine like thing in a cave - a bit of a let down but worth it for the river trip. The weather was a lot colder today. Hanoi is a mess of millions of little streets that all look the same but aren’t quite straight so you think you are walking in line with the street you want to be on but you aren’t we managed to get completely lost walking around and got very annoyed so when we stumbled across an old friend the cornel we couldn’t keep walking....KFC seemed to come out of the gloom like a mirage and beckoned us in so we had to.
Photo 18
Halong BayThe firs one of the trip I was actually quite impressed we hadn’t had one sooner!
The next day we went on a 2 day trip to Halong bay, the weather had completely turned now and as grey and drizzly not very impressed at all....the bay was still beautiful just not quite as turquoise as in the pics! Our boat was amazing tho a really old looking wooden boat with about 10 rooms and a sun deck ontop - for when there is sun. Our tour guide was called Tony the tiger! and a complete crazy man they all seem to think they are working on 18-30s holidays. Jim and Charlene were booked on this trip too so it was nice to have some friendly faces to drink with we haven’t met many English yet....just a lot of grumpy Germans ah!
We toured the bay on the boat and went Kayaking (yes mark it was a kayak not a canoe) However they were two people Kayaks and lee did not take kindly to me treating him like one of the kids and teaching him how to improve on his technique.
The evening on the boat we got quite a
Photo 17
Our room on the boat bit drunk and played cards and drinking games with Tony and Jim and Charlene. In the bay were lots of other boats doing the same tour and there were obviously boats full of larger louts...part of us wished we were on one of those however when we saw the state of some of them the next day Im glad we weren’t.
I’m glad we did the trip but it was dampened by the weather. To make matters worse we were put on a bus back full of loud Americans who had to stop for an hour for lunch when we were told we would be back at 4 we were back at 6 we had a night train booked for 7 so was really pissed off but we made it in the end. When we were finally on the train we were quite proud with ourselves as this was the first train we had booked and actually managed to get on ourselves - aren’t we clever.
We arrived in Hue (said Whey) the next morning and went to our hostel where the lady on reception asked if we were brothers! I was quite pissed of that she was implying
Photo 22
boats halong bay I was a bloke then she said brother sister as we have the same sur name.....as if being married was the last option damn Vietnamese.
Today was still overcast but a lot hotter again we walked round some temples which said it had a part called the purple palace which got me a little excited as you can imagine after walking around looking for it we realized it had collapsed years ago!
That evening we walked along the river hand in hand ahhhh like a couple on their honeymoon...oh that’s right we are!
The next day we went to the De Militarized Zone where most of the fighting went on. Everywhere you looked there were bomb creators at least every 3 foot it was amazing to see just how much devastation was caused. We went to the Vin Moc tunnels. These tunnels were built by hand by villages who did not want to evacuate during the war even though they were in the worst part. The villagers lived in these tunnels for about 6 years, children were born there and didn’t ever see the world till they were six. We went into the tunnels and couldn’t believe the conditions
each family had a room smaller than a mini and the height everywhere was just about high enough for me to stand (only me though) There was a man there who was about 50 but looked about 10 and was about 4 foot tall who had been born there his parents had been killed leaving the tunnels to get food and he had been made deaf they think from an explosion so he has spent all his life just hanging around the tunnels even after the war was over and they were turned into a tourist attraction. As we were shown round (in the pitch black I may add) he would run in and out of parts we weren’t aloud laughing...it was so eerie and a hash reminder of the lasting effects of the war. The tunnels were right on the sea so sometimes you would come to entrances and just be on the beach...it reminded us very much of that scene in Forrest gump where he pulls everyone out of the jungle. And forest had it right when he said there is fat rain and stingy rain and rain that seems to come up from the ground because it
pissed it down all bloody day and we have experienced it all!
As the weather is so bad we aren’t spending as much time in each place as we had wanted to so the next day we got an early morning bus to Hoi An the bus collected us at 8 but then sat up the road for 2 hours before we actually left again bloody Vietnamese!
Although it was still raining we went around the town...it has a really nice feel better than anywhere else we have been if it was sunny we could have spent days here. There are stalls everywhere making made to measure coats and suites and shoes and dresses actually just about everything...if we were only here I would have had so much made up but we just cant carry it however I have had a very nice dress made for Petes wedding...I wont spoil the surprise but Im sure you can all guess the colour!! ha ha
Hoi An is near to china beech where the soldiers were sent for rests in between fighting and apparently was in a famous series so I have been told but I haven’t heard of it. We would
have gone but with this bloody rain we didn’t bother. Really did love this place though and we kept saying it would be a brilliant place to go for a week or two with a group of friends, with lots of friendly bars and laid back streets to explore.
We went the next day to My son some ruins that were even more amazing before the Yanks bombed it...it was pretty to see and we got a lift there in an only army tank....but it just seems a shame that all of Vietnamese history has been taken away and left nothing but the history of the war.
We got our first night bus that night to Nha Trang....imagine a double Decker bus with about 20 bunk beds in head to toe....it was an experience but I think I prefer the trains a lot less hash breaking and violent beeping of horns. We arrived here this morning and have walked along the beech and it isnt raining but still not so nice. We are thinking about skipping the rest of Vietnam and going straight to Cambodia we dont want to but there is not much point seeing beautiful beeches
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Jeep to My son in the rain and its really starting to get us down...we know that we will probably be begging for rain in a few months but it sucks to be honest.
Lee is having a sleep...he isnt too good at power naps yet so keeps getting tired but he will learn.
I hope these all make sense and isnt too boring I just start typing and cant stop...I dont even look up at the screen which some annoying man just pointed out! ha ha I say followed by other things under my breath!
After all those years of hating Lee playing Playstation it has finally paid off...we have just discovered that his play station portable can be connected to the internet and all the hostels have wi fi so we can connect for free....its great for skyping people so we dont have to sit in reception with annoying weirdoes joining in...seriously if I haven’t said it before bloody Vietnamese!
If I don’t manage to get hold of Amber and Monty happy birthday we love you both lots big hugs and kisses from auntie Katy and uncle lee
I hope you are all well and love the messages....and
Photo 6
At my son yes we are very jealous that there are x factor parties going on at ours however I hear della is being typical Della and not turning up after she begged for it...glad things aren’t changing to much.
Also want to send extra special love to a certain expecting mum to be hope you are well and we are think of you.
Right that’s it from us for now hopefully next time we blog it will be a little sunnier fingers crossed (for you and for us)
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Colin Robinson
non-member comment
Hello
so sorry the weather is not too good, we have got the same but with added wind ! The history of Vietnam is interesting and col would like to see the country. at least we can see it through your eyes. Don't worry Katy you don't look like a boy. Tell Lee to practise on the pool table can't have him being beaten by foreigners. Luke thought he had broken his wrist mucking about at college. Xray was ok but he has a support on it that he has to take off and exercise his fingers and wrist......Col was going to get him a dirty book ! Do they celebrate xmas over there. All the xmas ads are on the tele and its beginning to piss us off. Enjoy Cambodia.....will Lee be wearing a sarong ? Lots of love to you both. Dad and Babs xxxx