An interesting time in Sapa, in the hills of northern Vietnam. The train was smarter than the rather grubby 'Reunification Express'. It was good to get out of the city, and 'see' the countryside, although we didn't see much. Sapa is shrouded in fog for 99% of the time in the winter, which also made it very damp and cold. It was difficult to find anyway warm, especially when the hotels leave all their doors open. The trekking was rather farcical- we spent mos...

We have moved on from Cambodia to Vietnam and the frenetic pace and heat of Hoi Chi Minh City followed by the more gentle pace in Hoi An. We only spent 2 days in HCM City but it felt longer. I guess that it is no worse than other big Asian cities, but it came as a bit of a shock after New Zealand and Siem Reap. The streets are continually full of thousands of vehicles, mostly motorbikes, and probably the most memorable thing about the place will be the experie...