Hey hey,

Since our last post, we have covered a fair bit of ground. So i'll try and make it quick ...

We jumped on a bus from Da Lat and headed to Nha Trang which was all but uneventful... awsome scenery on the way down through the mountains and along the coastline, while stopping for lunch the driver noticed a flat which we had been riding on 2hrs down a 60degree decline under contant breaks- but this was changed & no harm done. Then we blew a tyre 7kms out of town and finally got into town 2hrs later- all good fun.

We had 1 night in Nha Trang where Gina's aunty Jann showed us around. Was great to have a 'local' to take us to all the hot spots- ironically we had the best kangaroo meat ever!! The beach was beaut and the mud baths even better!!! definatley can see why someone would choose to live there...

We got a sleeper bus from Nha Trang to Hoi An...another 'great' experience. We arrived 6am feeling like we'd been run over by a bus rather than 'sleeping' in one. Feeling zonked out and looking forward to a quiet evening...we somehow ended up being dressed up in 'visitors uniforms' and sitting in 2 very decorated cyclos with 2 ancient vietnamese fellas peddelliing us 5kms to the beach to watch some weird type of volleyball and tug-of-war (we have pics comming). Turns out we ended up being part of Hoi An's independence day festival celebrations without much of a choice... now we know how the vietnamese people feel about people taking random photos of them... so many laughs & weird looks- definatley felt like we were the laughing stock of the whole town! Overall- Hoi An was nice... lots and lots of tailors- a shopaholics heaven. Amy got a traditional dress made and a pair of boots...bought a few other things. We only had one night in Hoi An as we felt like we were running out of time and that central vietnam would probably have to be covered properly in a return trip sometime in the future- so we jumped on a flight from Danang (1/2hr from Hoi An) to Hanoi- the capital of veitnam.

So we stayed 2 nights in Hanoi- sleeping in, doing a few sights, checking out the water puppet theater etc etc. Hanoi is a lot more dense than south veitnam and we havnt seen blue sky yet... so much moisture in the air it is always overcast and muggy.

From Hanoi we caught a 'tour' out to Halong Bay. The 'tour' started with a 4hr bus trip east to the caost to Halong City where we jumped on a chinese junk (boat) and had lunch, cruised around and looked at a awesome cave with massive stalictites and then some more crusing through the grotos until we got off the boat at Cat Ba Island (where we are now). Spent last night on Cat Ba...in probably the most s***ty guesthouse yet- no hot water, grubby sheets, etc etc. Tonight should be interesting- we were ment to stay on the boat overnight but we refused to give them our passports so we're not sure if they are going to let us on!! Very unorganised- worst tour so far!!!

Anyway- back to Hanoi tomorrow and are planning a day & night there with some more touristy things and wandering around and then are heading out to the hill tribe village of Sapa for 3 or 4 nights...

will post another blog when we are in Sapa & yes the pics are on the way...

hope all is well- missing home a bit (a little...mainly the clean sheets) love andrew & amy xxxxx