Hello there lovely people!!!

This is probably one of the last blogs we will do till we get home. Only 10 days left of the world adventure and what an adventure it has been! We are currently halfway down Vietnam having possibly one of the most amazing travel experiences yet!

Where shall we start? We met up with the lovely Jonathan in Singapore, had a night tour via the sky train then flew to Hanoi. Hanoi is as chaotic as Bangkok but a little more rural and less developed. there are few cars but so many mopeds! they are all over the place. the roads and junctions are amazing to watch no traffic lights, just a bit of a free for all, never seen anything like it.The only way to cross the road is to just walk infront of the traffic and don't stop! The bikes all expect you to keep going and they just drive around you, and each other!

We went to a water puppet theatre which was a little hard to follow as we don't speak Vietnameese, but was very entertaining non the less. We discovered just how scared Mr York was of almost everything! The situation that will stick with me for a long time was when we walked past a dark alley market where he said "Bet you're not brave enough to go in there?" to which our eyes lit up at the sighgt of the traditional fun market and we both dived straight in leaving JY in a state of shock at the market entrance! We did however find dog meat for sale. Just as you would see chicken or pork at the market, there were lots of dogs in various states of meat. Very wierd to us but very normal to them. this was a food market and not for the feint hearted tourists! Jonathan is now very cautious at every meal meal he is given at a restraunt!

We had a good few tasters of the local beer in some of the bars and prob the best nights sleep ever in the 4 months away as Jonathan had booked a very nice hotel for us all. We went for a 2 day trip to Ho long bay, Totally beauttifull and thouroughly recomended to all. the bay is just gorgeous, the weather was lovely, the food was... interesting! Great if you like seafood, I tried prawns, still not overly impressed but found that battered squid is very nice and whatever the fish we had was very tasty too. We did a spot of canoing, very pleasent, Aine unfortunately let her sunglasses go for a swim and as yet they have nor returned! We stayed in a beautifull bamboo hut on the beach, which was prob the highlight of Jonathans trip so far! WE watched the most amazing thunder storm from the cover of the bar and listened to the rain and the waves on the beach all nite. The morning was an early start to go on a bike ride, not any nice ride, a rather hilly ride which we all found hasrd work in the heat but glad when we got to the end!

Next we got a sleeper bus to Hue. That was anither interesting experience all by itself! the beds were small and compact but nacceptible,m we left 2 hur late in horrible rain and just as we thought the bus was full and all the beds were taken once we got just outside the city about 15 more people gradually boarded the bus and sat in the isles! this is the budget local version! they all brought blankets and seemed quite happu in the isles all nite!

Hue was beautifull. A little like Chiang Mai in Thailand as the old town is surrounded by the walls of the citade and the city is edged by the perfuime river. the old town is very beautifull and alot calmer than Hanoi. We did alot of pottering about, and a fair bit of lounging by the hotel rooftop pool! Been very spoilt going away with Jonathan. He's not into roughing it so he sorts the hotel and we pay him what we would have spent at a hostel as rent! We get a pool and a comfy bed, he gets a bit of luxury, so suits us all just fine!!! Me and Aine spent a day on a boat trip down the river to visit some of the tombs and monuments. very prety but the 2hr trip back on the boat was a bit long anf\d the weather was just so hot we didn't get as much out of the day as we could have done.

Next we took teh 3hr bus (which took 4 hrs!) to Hoi An which is just lovely. This seems to be the tailoring capital of the world! Every shop in the streets is either a tailors which will make you anything you can afford, and the rest will make you shoes of any design! I do have to say that we all spent more money than we planned and if you ever come here the trick is to never bring your money or make this your last stop before home and bring an empty suitcase! They will make you absoloutely anything you can think of. I have heard tales of full on spiderman costumes! Generally it is good to get a suit or an evening dress at a very affordable price. We have both got a winter coat and a smart jacket each with the most amazing lining and all the details are changable! I have some amazing trousers with a dragon embroidered on the leg. Jonathan also got a fantastic jacket allong with a few shiorts and a fortnights supply of ties. Me and Aine also got some shoes, Well Aine got shoes and I got the most amazing pair of boots ever created! Knee high Red leather.,beaurifull and so comfy! Total bargain!!! Just need to find an excuse to wear them now! Anyway that is about all we have achieved really in Hoi An. We have found some lovely restraunts and eaten rather well this week. Almost all the dinners have been lovely (one or 2 exceptions). Even Jonathan has eaten most of them!

Anyway, with an extra suitcase in tow with all the shopping and souveniers we are off on another sleeper bus down to Nha Trang for a bit of beach action for 4 days While JY does his diving.

Home comming party planned for the 9th so let me know if you want to see us and I shall let you know the finer details!

Lots of love to all of you and hope to see you soon. Jonathan send his love too.

xxx