Our flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh was delayed so it was about midnight by the time we got there and we were up and out early as we were going to the Chu Chi tunnels.

Whilst we were sat in the travel agency waiting for our bus a guy came in selling sun glasses so Casson decided to buy some (after breaking his last ones). As always the price started off really high so when he'd got him down to half price he thought he had a bargain so bought them for 200,000 dong which is about £6 (why he paid this much in the first place none of us know, even Casson can't work it out, we're putting it down to lack of sleep). Anyway, after he'd bought them the travel agent told him they only cost 50,000 (£1.50) so he was gutted, especially as we were all taking the pi%s out of him.

The Chu Chi tunnels were really interesting, you could see all the different types of traps the Vietcong used, they looked pretty horrific and then you got to go into a tunnel albeit one that had been enlarged for the western sized person. Afterwards we all had a go at shooting an AK47.

Once we were back in town Casson saw some sunglasses in a shop and when he asked the price they were only 50,000 like the travel agent had said so he was fuming and right at this point the guy who sold him the glasses walked past us all smiles saying "hey, how are you?" with his hand up to high five him. Needless to say Casson didn't reciprocate the high five and responded with "you robbed me, you ba%#ard". It couldn't have been timed better and was my amusement for the day.

That night we went for a drink and there was a boy who was about 10 years old selling bracelets, lighters, fans etc, basically tat but he was absolutely brilliant at it. He worked the whole bar and everyone bought something from him including us. He was a Vietnamese child del boy with the gift of the gab and he knew it.

I should have known the night wasn't going to end well when I asked what the difference was between a bottle of Saigon red beer and a Saigon green and the answer I got was "red is stronger" and without even taking a breath or asking the others I replied "we'll have 4 Saigon reds please"

Maybe it would have been ok if we'd stuck to that but we went on to share a large jam jar of rum and coke per couple and whilst Kellie and Barry went back to beer Casson and I had another 2 (and I'm sure I drank most of them) so the night ended with Casson and Kellie doing the Macarena in the street and me feeling rough as a dog.

The next morning it was woman down and I bailed on going to the war museum, Kellie stayed with me so the boys went on their own ...... big mistake!

When they got back it was clear that something had happened as Barry looked like a naughty school kid and Casson looked like he wanted to tell us something but didn't at the same time. Their story went like this ... they got a taxi to the museum and Barry was in the front seat so was getting his money out of his camera case, the taxi driver put a newspaper over the case and was pointing at the price he'd written down on the paper (even though it was on the metre). Casson had the right money so he paid and they got out. At this point Barry realised that all his money had been taken out of the case (about £30) and the taxi was nowhere in site. Obviously he was gutted.

THEN on the way back they got another taxi (both sat in the back this time) and they could tell the metre was rigged as it was rocketing up way to fast so they told the driver to pull over. Casson handed over a 500,000 note as he had no change but then found a smaller note so got his 500,000 back paid and they got out. It was then he realised that the driver hadn't given him the large note back he'd given him a 20,000 instead (they look similar) so he'd been robbed of £15

It was so bad it was funny but you know who they blamed it all on? Me! As I was too hungover to go with them they said they were defenceless without their tour guide!

Thay same afternoon we were heading to the airport so once our taxi arrived Casson picked his bags up and left his really expensive glasses on the table, Kellie picked them up and I stashed them in my sunglasses case until he realised. We were about halfway to the airport when a voice from the front said "oh no, I haven't got my sunglasses" obviously we let him think that for a bit! Unfortunately, when we got to Phu Quoc I got the glasses out only to find an arm had snapped off in transit! Obviously I got the blame for breaking them but as far as I'm concerned its irrelevant as he left them behind in Ho Chi Minh first :-)