Sapa to Saigon

Firstly sorry it has been so long since I last posted but the computers in Vietnam have seemed to have some sort of firewall that hasn't allowed me to log in to post a blog until now... so here goes...

As we left the lovely hilltop village of Sapa by minibus we descended down a windy mountain road at breakneck speed to a little town with a train station that serves as the focal point for the north of Vietnam and out exit route to Hanoi... via 12 hour overnight train.

The train was a bit dirty and not like the Chinese trains we had become accustomed to so it was a bit of a letdown for the team - the food wasn't up the Chinese par and a couple of the team also contracted scabies... NICE!!!! Luckily Erin and I had some scabicide and liberally dosed it on the poor victims before they infacted the rest of us.

We arrived in Hanoi and got driven to a shocking hotel - cockroaches, droppings, dirty sheets (some with blood drops on them - we assume from bites) and the a/c not working in some rooms - picture our lovely NYC blonde entering this situation with style and panache - OR NOT - and the tears opened up again... anyway, our room was actually fine and we left it to the others to sort out theirs.... ho hum!

Hanoi is a bit of a dump - very busy, pretty messy and scooters everywhere and guys constantly hassling you to make a dollar (who says this is a communist country!). We visited Ho Chi Min's mosuleum, the musuem, the Army ("I hate America" as Erin put it) Museum and also the highly recommended Enthology museum on the back of a scooter (again at breakneck speed - why won't they just slow down). For those interested they have photos and the flying suit of John McCain in the Hanoi "Hilton" Prison during his time here.

From Hanoi we took a bus on a two day trip to Halong Bay. After boarding a dinner boat we were taken to Haong Bay island - a UNESCO World Heritage site reknowned for its caves - great place to take photos of colourful stalagmites and stalagtites in a huge cavern. We reboarded the boat and were taken to another island where we stayed the night whilst purchasing some pearl earrings which grow in the Bay itself - Happy Birthday Mum for the 30th! - South China pearls - as requested!

From the island we took a JetCat back to the mainland and our two hour bus ride back to Hanoi to the lovely cockroach hotel - I can tell you everyone was filled with dread to go back there but it was a roof over our heads so can't complain too much.

From Hanoi we boarded an overnight train to Hue - a great town with lovely friendly people (in contrast to Hanoi). We went to a restaurant (highly recommended in the lonely planet) run and owned by a deaf and mute guy - GREAT FOOD and dirt cheap - so we went back for lunch and dinner and ended up writing all our names on the wall at the request of the owner - in return he gave us all home made bottle openers - his party trick was opening five beer bottles at once. Bear in mind all communication was by sign language and you will understand the duration of some conversations. Anyway, we did find out he was an ex-soldier and fought against the US, the Cambodians, and the Chinese despite hating fighting - he was doing it to pretect his family. Fascinating guy and lovely to chat to - even for Erin as an american!

The next day we opted to not follow our tour leader and instead cobble together a trip of our own. This started with hiring the cheapest pushbikes we could find that worked (there were nine of us and two of the bikes failed the "round the block" test) after some minor alterations we were off - well, at least until the river where some deft negotiation with a riverboat captain saw us ferried 7 kms downsteam to three massive temples, pagodas and the tomb at Tu Doc of the Vietnamese emperor - all very impressive... and then we cycled back through the rice padis and rural roads guided by a wrist mounted GPS I used to use for running - very handy in bumblefuckVietnam...

After Hue we took a four hour bus to Hoi An - the suit making place for Vietnam where there are over 200 shops in VERY close proximity all vying for your business which pushes prices down to the very floor - and I mean the floor! I ended up getting a couple of tailor made suits made in Cashmere Wool for $100 each! and then went on to get six pairs of shoes made in leather for $150. The postage back to GB was nearly as much as the cost of a new suit! Bargain! I got Erin a couple of nice dresses made and also a big Winter Jacket that she saw on Neiman Marcus's website that they knocked up overnight for her.... Hoi An is definitely a great place to hang out and sit in the restaurants as well and I think it is the top city in Vietnam so far! We celebrated two birthdays here with one 25-year old in the group and one 50 year old Candian (who tried to keep her birthday a secret but her friend spilled the beans to me so I went out and got them both birthday cakes) Memo note to self - I may have indulged a bit too much in the free Rum and Coke's when, at 2am, yours truly, the 25 year-old Ozzie "birthday" girl and an 18 year old gap year student from Wimbledon were seen racing across a pedestrian bridge..............naked apart from the obligatory trainers - Lynn Helmboldt would have been proud! ;-)

From Hoi An we took a 4 hour bus to Nh Trang - pretty uninspiring place but we managed to get a boat cruise to a local snorkling place and visited a local fishing village on a nearby island that had the biggest lobster I have ever seen - in their fish farming nets! I t must have had a body of about 18-24 inches and woudl have some serious meat on it if they ever pulled it up to eat it.

From Nh Trang we got on the Reunification Express railway to Saigon (or Ho Chi Min City if you are being politically correct to the Vietnamese). The train was surprisingly good quality, comfort and clean so a great place to celebrate one of the girl's (May Yee) birthday with cake, local vodka and beer. In fact I think we partied so hard that we actually took one of her friends "out of play" today for the day trip to the Mekong Delta. Although the 4am arrival into Saigon may have tilted the scales against doing anything too much today...

Erin and I did manage to drag ourselves out to go on a day's excursion to the Mekong Delta as she really wanted to go see where her Uncle had been shot in the US-Vietnam war and where her was awarded a Purple Heart (Go Uncle Don!!!). We visited a few of the islands where we saw where the locals make coconut candy and also where they catch fish in the funnel nets. We also got taken on a random electrical horse and cart tour to a bee farm and then went on a flimsy paddleboat back to the main riverboat and the way home via lunch at an island restaurant where they served us Elephant Ear fish???!!!! what the hell kind of fish is that anyway!!!!!!!

Back in Saigon now and about to head out for dinner at the local Bintang market which we have been told is great for cheap, local, quality food - we shall see ;-)

Next on the agenda is the Cu Chi tunnels and then Cambodia - I will have to see if I can fit in the tunnels ;-) no comments Andy!

Al