Blogs from Vietnam, Asia - page 1328

Wednesday 21st June Laura - A very early start, which was not fun after getting up to watch the England game at 2 in the morning! We were surprised to find that the bus was actually there on time. The driver wouldn't let us go and grab breakfast, even though we ended up sitting on the bus for an inexplicable 40 minutes before he decided to leave. Paul slept and I read my lame book. A couple of hours later we arrived at Cai Be, and transferred onto a boat to go and see a floating market. For the local people, the river is their life. They live on it, bathe in it, use the water for cooking, clean their clothes in it... It was really interesting to see. It's such a different way of life ... read more

The 5 hour long bus trip to Hue was relatively painless and we checked into a nice family run guesthouse (where the owner brought me a portable tv just so that I could watch the footy). Hue is a really pretty and relaxing city situated astride a river and with loads of trees everywhere. However, even with the breeze from the river and shade from the trees it was still horrendously hot which made exploring somewhat tiring. On our first full day we wandered around the central part of the city inside the city-walls which is known as the citadel. Within the citadel is another walled area called the Imperial Enclosure which was originally for the emporor's official functions (such as entertaining his concubines in an area called the Forbidden Purple City where only eunuchs were ... read more

Here are some photos from our final leg of Vietnam (we are currently in Laos). So much to tell you but have just come back from several days trekking in the jungle and are pleasantly knackered. So hopefully it is true when they say, " A photo speaks a thousand words," because we are too tired to type them. Enjoy the pics because we have a whole load more to add soon! Love Roy and Natalie... read more

Having read the fascinating 'Tunnels Of Cu Chi' I decided that a visit to this famous site was in order. I signed up for a trip out there, and way I went. Just to give a brief background to the tunnels - they form a network of over 200km in total, and sometimes are as deep as 3 levels underground. They allowed the Communist Viet Cong (in wars against both the French and the US) to move around undetected by their enemies, thus allowing them to fight even with their limited firepower. Entrances to the tiny tunnels were well hidden, and in some cases came out into the Saigon river, even inside a US base! The actual tunnel site is a horrible tourist trap, with plastic mannequins and artificially enlarged tunnels. The sense of history is ... read more

It's been a roller coaster of a time here in Vietnam so far. I've been on many beach vacations, river boat vacations, to water parks, zoos that made me cry, made lifelong friends, lost friends who've moved away, and made new friends. I've eaten at street stalls on blue plastic chairs while I was surrounded by an army of rats ready to take me out at the knee caps for finishing my meal without sharing. I've learned to drive in the worst traffic in the world, without understanding a single street sign (not that anyone pays any attention to them anyways). I've mastered the heat, learned to navigate my way through Ben Thanh Market, and have even learned enough of the language to communicate with most people I come across in common situations. None of these ... read more