vang vieng

We arrived in Vang Vieng in the early afternoon. We had to walk through what I thought was a big car park to get to our hotel, but it was actually the air strip! A few of us hired bicycles and rode 7km out to Blue Lagoon swimming hole. Our bikes were definately not designed to ride on bumpy dirt roads! At one point I passed a group of young school kids, and before I knew it one of the little boys had jumped on my bike on the back seat! As he was getting a free ride, the rest of them ran along side, hanging on to him. They all took turns, getting off when we passed their houses! Was hilarious, but very hard work up the hills. The pool was really cool & refreshing, just what I needed. We couldn't stay too long, as it was getting late & I wasn't too keen to ride back in the dark. It was a very beautiful sunset, with the huge cliffs in the distance. At dinner that night, after waiting over an hour, I asked whether my meal had been started yet, and all I got was a blank look- they had totally forgot my order! Was fine though, because I had a milo, chocolate & banana pancake from a street stall instead! We headed out for some drinks, but there is a curfew at midnight, and if you are caught out afterwards the police can fine you hundreds of dollars. We were told about one place that stays open by paying off the cops, so we checked it out. It was quite seedy, and also part brothel, so I didn't stay very long! The next day half the group went kayaking, whilst the others (including me) went tubing down the river. It doesn't sound like much, floating along with the current in a huge tyre inner tube, but it was the best day of my whole trip! Firstly we walked through a small village to get to a swimming hole, and we relaxed there for a while. We then went on our tubes into a kilometre-long cave. We were decked out in head lamps with huge battery packs around our necks, that were thankfully waterproof, although looking at how ancient they were I am not sure how. The entrance to the cave was only just big enough for the tube, so I had to duck very low. It was really cool inside, it opened up a little bit, but it was still slightly claustrophobic. We got off our tubes at one point and had a walk around to explore, and then we floated back down to the entrance. Lunch was delicious, including a little taste of dog (it was actually good!). Then the real tubing began. For the rest of the day, we bobbed along with the current down the river, while soaking up the sun. There were a few mini rapids, but mostly it was a very relaxing pace. There are bars scattered alongside the river, so we stopped at 2. Because its quite difficult to control where you are going against the current, the people at the bars throw ropes at you to pull you in, but I struggled a bit! The first bar had everything- music, volleyball, boules, drinks, and best of all, a trapeze jump swing, 12m above the river! It took me half an hour to work up the courage to have a go on the swing, but I was so glad I did it- so much fun! (scary though) After meandering further downstream, slightly tipsy, we stopped at the Last Bar. It had another swing (not as high), but we just sat back and enjoyed the scenery... and a drink or 2. As we left the bar, the day was getting on, and it was a bit chilly sitting in the water when the sun was behind the cliffs. I had such an amazing day, its very hard to explain why it was so good! The next morning I was very sad to be leaving Vang Vieng, I would have loved to stay longer. We boarded the public bus again for about 8 hrs of travel.

laos- vientiane

My entry into laos began with a 6 hr train journey to the Vietnam-Laos border, then a stopover that night at a random border town called Vinh. The hotel was a bit strange- a few stuffed deer & cats in the lobby, and what I assumed to be prostitutes going into the back room with different Vietnamese men. We left very early the next morning, arriving in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, after almost 12hrs on the minibus!! Laos was already so different to the rest of Indochina that I have seen- it is a lot quieter, with no constant horn honking on the roads! It had a really relaxed & chilled atmosphere. Walking through the centre of town on our way to dinner, the streets were almost completely devoid of traffic & people- was bizarre, particularly compared to Hanoi. Our first dinner was an introduction to 'Laos time' as our guide Pauline called it- slow, slow, slow meals! Some people waited well over an hour, to be given the wrong meal in the end (this trend continued for the whole country, with one girl in my group being the last person to eat every night!). Some of the group headed out to the only club open after 12pm, which was within a huge hotel. As we arrived, 2 very drunk, old Laos men were being dragged out the door. Was quite a fun night, although there was a red light section at the back of the bar! The next day, we headed out for the day on a jumbo tuk tuk to see the sights of the city. My favourite was the Buddha Park, which had heaps of huge, unique sculptures & buddhas, in a big green park by the Mekong River. It was really cool. We also saw Phra That Luang (a massive gold temple) and Patuxai (Arc de Triomphe), which had a great view of the city. That afternoon we cooled of in a swimming pool we found at another hotel. Dinner that evening was great, although we didn't leave till after 10pm, by the time they had sorted out the bill for us! The next morning we boarded a public bus for a 6 hr journey through very stunning scenery.
P.S. I broke my camera at Phra That Luang, so I couldn't take any more photos!!! And I am onsessed with photos. So I don not own the copyright to images taken after that point...

quick update- ninh binh & hanoi

hey everyone. just wanted to let u know that i am ok (nowhere near the phuket crash)! i have had a busy few days. visited a place called ninh binh which was ok, not excellent though! it was a pretty boring town, but there was some cool sights to see. I visited Tam Coc, which is a section of the river surrounded my massive limestone cliffs, similar to Halong Bay. I also saw the national park which was good, although the long motorbike ride to get there & back was quite painful! I spent 2 more nights in hanoi, had a really fun time staying at a backpackers hostel, its run by 2 Aussies so everything is really clean & set up so well. I was pretty lazy this second time in Hanoi, but I arrived at the hostel on free beer night, so I couldn't resist! Had bit of a drama yesterday when i was checking my net banking, somebody stole my credit card details somehow, but not my actual card. they spent about $2400 online! had to cancel the card & now the investigation into the fraud will take about a month. but it should all work out, there is no way i am paying the bank the money! i am leaving for laos this afternoon, just met my new tour group- 16 people in it! don't know how i will go learning all the names! I will update soon with more photos & news. :-)

sapa

I have just returned to Hanoi after 4 great days in mountainous Sapa, which is 400km north. It took an overnight train to reach Lao Cai, which is on the Chinese-Vietnamese border. This was followed by a 1hr bus trip, which was delayed for a while as a big mudslide was cleared off the road! I met 2 Dutch girls on the bus, and we shared a room together for the first night. The town of Sapa is used as a base to trek to & visit nearby ethnic minority tribes. All the surrounding scenery is so different to the rest of Vietnam that I have seen on my trip. Parts of the mountains are cut into stunning terraced rice paddies. The climate is much cooler here (I had to wear a jacket!) and there are lots of clouds & mist as we are so high above sea level. We walked to Cat Cat village which is quite close to Sapa, and saw the powerful waterfall. However, the water was really brown from heavy rainfull the night before. We headed back to town & wandered around the shops, and were harrassed by the local tribeswomen selling handicrafts. They dress in their traditional embroidered clothes, but I did see one of them talking on her mobile, so I don't know how authentic everything is! The next day we bumped into 2 guys (Aussie & British) that the girls had met in Hanoi, so they joined us on a motorbike ride out to Ta Van & Lao Chai villages. We trekked between the two places, seeing the different minority groups along the way. Some of the villagers trekked the whole way with us in the hope that we would buy something, and I felt so guilty in the end that I gave in! Our drivers then took us out to Thac Bac (Silver Waterfall) which was really cool. We were going to continue along the road, which is supposed to have awesome views but there was too must mist. When we got back into town I had a TINY ride of the motorbike in the street- I didn't crash into anything! Was lots of fun, I can't wait to learn properly, but on roads that don't hug the cliff edge! The girls headed back to Hanoi in the afternoon. I discovered an amazing cafe that does the best desserts (ended up going there 3 times while in Sapa!). The next day Chris (the Aussie guy) & I went out on a bike to see Ban Ho village, which is a little further out from Sapa town. At some points the road was a bit muddy & wet, had to close my eyes cos I was scared! But we made it down safely. This village was a bit less touristy, the people seemed much friendlier & were just in normal clothes. A local showed us how to get to a waterfall (had to climb over the school yard fence!). It was really cool, with a big swimming hole underneath. I was so keen to swim in the cool water but didn't have my togs with me. That night I bumped into an Aussie girl that I met at the swimming hole. On my last day in Sapa, the 2 of us visited yet another village, Ta Phin, via motorbike. We had a little walk around, and got invited into a lady's house. All her friends turned up, so it was cosy sitting around in little chairs! Luckily Therese bought lots of stuff off them so I didn't have to feel guilty. As we were leaving the house, the lady gave us a cob of corn each- was delicious! Her daughter guided us through the caves, which were marked on the tourist map. Wasn't a whole lot to see though! Was very dark & slippery, and we had to crouch down most of the way, but I'm glad I saw it (my legs are still a bit sore though!). After heading back to Sapa town we ate lunch, then relaxed before catching the night train back to Hanoi. I arrived here this morning at 4.30am so I am pretty tired! I still have a few days to kill before my Laos tour starts on Tuesday, so I am heading to Ninh Binh tomorrow morning.

hanoi & ha long bay

Somehow walked around town when we arrived in Hanoi at 6am. Saw Hoam Kiem Lake, but couldn't be bothered to walk around it- seemed too energetic for me. We explored more of the town including the Old Quarter. We watched the Water Puppet show, which was hilarious, and so clever! Bizarre as expected, but impressive. The puppeteers have to stand in a pool for about an hour during the show, to make the puppets appear as though they move through the water. All the songs were in Vietnamese, but I had a bit of idea what was going on thanks to the program. The next morning we headed out to Ha Long Bay. The landscape was so stunning, with huge cliffs jutting out of the calm water. Photos can't do it justice. Had a big seafood lunch, before exploring one of the caves on a tiny island. The cave was massive inside, with beautiful limestone surroundings. We were able to swim at a sheltered spot in the bay. I can proudly say I was the first person to jump off the top deck into the water, even beating the 3 guys in the group! The water was so refreshing. We reached Cat Ba Island, our port for the night. Went for a walk around the cliffside to see the beaches, and caught the brief sunset, before it disappeared behind the clouds. We attempted to have a big night out, but with lack of good bars & our exhaustion, we piked out pretty early! (What a party animal, hey) It was quite overcast the next day, which was a shame beacuse there wasn't much to do apart from sit on the beach. Instead we got some moto drivers to take us around part of the island, saw the view from the top of the mountain & visited another beach. However, when they tried to make us pay more money we decided to walk back! Lazed around for the afternoon, before catching the ferry & bus back to Hanoi. It was quite sad, being the last night of the tour! Very strange to be leaving Hannah, Aideen & Ben, as we have been hanging out together for the last month! The next morning most of the group left early apart from Hannah. We went for a huge walk around Hanoi (my thongs felt much thinner afterwards), and organised our transport out of the city.

hue

It was Vietnam National Day when we arrived in Hue, so we visited the Citadel (Forbidden Purple City) as it was free! However, this meant that it was VERY busy, and adding that to the heat & tiredness meant I didn't enjoy this massive walled city as much as I could have. Some very cool architecture though. We watched the Miss Vietnam pageant on TV, which was pretty funny. The next morning walked around the town early to avoid the heat, saw the local market. Caught a boat across the Perfume River back to our hotel. Went to the beach, which was totally empty apart from shade huts & people trying to make us buy overpriced food. Was pretty nice & relaxing, although I think our taxi driver scammed us a bit, by taking us to his mate's section of the beach. When he dropped us off, he simply lay down & began watching TV with them! Tan took us for another cycle in the afternoon, which was great as always. Passed through small villages before reaching the open countryside. There was just green for miles either side of the road. A huge storm began building as we reached the middle of nowhere, was very eerie. Somehow we managed to ride around it and avoid getting drenched. Stopped at a poor village and gave some families basics like noodles & cooking oil, and schoolbooks & pens. Over 15km riding in total! On the Tuesday we went for a motorbike tour, which was great fun (I want a motorbike!). My driver was very helpful, pointing out things for me, like hospital, school, pagoda... dogs! Visited Tu Duc Tomb, where the King spent his holidays, before being buried there. Was a very extravagant complex! Went to a pagoda, and saw monks doing their twice daily chanting. We visited a village to see how conical hats are made (there is a secret picture in some of them) as well as incense. THEN, yet another overnight train!

hoi an

Arrived very early in the morning, to see the Vietnamese people out doing their daily exercise- running, walking, badminton, swimming, stretching... very interesting. Tan took us for a walk around the Hoi An Old Quarter. LOTS of tailors here, but unfortunately my money doesn't stretch that far- postcards are about the limit of my spending! Saw the local markets and walked along the river. Had a pretty lazy day, as I was quite tired from the overnight train. Had a delicious dinner at the Banana Leaf Restaurant. Awoke early the next day to go cycling in the countryside- I loved it! At some points we were on a dirt track only wide enough for a bike or moto. Very beautiful scenery. Also passed through small villages, which was great. Afterwards, we cycled down to Cua Dai Beach, which was picture perfect! Warm clear water, and palm trees for shade... paradise! When we got lunch at a little restaurant, I think the chef had been napping, as the meals took quite a while! Had a cooking class in the evening (I didn't burn the place down!). Our teacher took us down to the markets to show us how to select fresh vegies & fruit. We made 5 dishes: papaya salad, fish in banana leaf, spring rolls, country pancake and pumpkin soup. However, halfway through it began to rain really heavily. In the old part of town the wiring is not great, so when it gets too wet the power is automatically shut off to prevent fires... so we were cooking by candlelight! (the power eventually returned) The food was so fresh & delicious; I couldn't pick a favourite! I am excited about trying the dishes at home (I hope they taste as good, but don't like my chances!). Had a few drinks that night, inluding beer for 25 cents a glass! The next day was spent lazing in the sun at the beach, before meeting up with a girl from our Cambodia tour for dinner. I tried a few Hoi An delicacies, which were yum. Got up at 5am the next day to see the sunrise... so glad I did! Was a perfect morning, and I got some great photos. The waterwas like a lake, not a hint of a breeze around. Again, all the locals were out doing their funny exercises! Headed down to the fish market, where there were so many people out with the morning's catch. Too busy! We left on the bus for Hue via Danang, stopping along the way at Marble Mountain (killer steps, especially after the morning cycle!) as well as Langco Beach for lunch & a swim. The drive to Hue was very picturesque.

nha trang

As we awoke on the train we passed through some very scenic countryside. We headed straight to Nha Trang beach- very refreshing in the water. It was so hot that we hired some sun lounges for the day. The wind picked up in the afternoon, and brought in a bit of rubbish from the stormwater, which was pretty gross. Visited the mud baths, which was loads of fun! Firstly a soak in the mud pool, then hot mineral water bath, followed by shower, water jets, waterfall & 38 degree swimming pool. My skin was so soft afterwards! We feasted on a massive fresh seafood dinner that night (hmm, what budget?). The following day we went on a boat trip to the surrounding islands. We were rowed to the shore of a little fishing village via small basket boats. The local guide walked us around the village, which was great. I love seeing daily Vietnamese life. The kids were so gorgeous as always, although they got cheeky, asking us for money! Visited the local aquarium, which was just really an enclosed section of the ocean, crammed with too much marine life. Was very sad to see the big sea turtles trapped in there. Snorkelled around part of the bay, but the water wasn't very clear, so was a bit disappointing. The water was nice and cool though. Pigged out again on a big seafood lunch! Relaxed under umbrellas on the shore of another island, before heading back to the mainland. We prepared again for another overnight train...