We spent my birthday on the bus, but for a change it was through the day so we actually got to see some of the scenery of Vietnam - or at least I did as Nina falls asleep as soon as we get on any mode of transport! From Nha Trang the scenery is a lot like the South of France - pastel villas with bougainvillea everywhere, although the cows and chickens on the side or the road are a little different! There was even a haphazard graveyard on a hillside - the graves p...

We moved down to Nha Trang for New Year, as it is on the coast and we were hoping for a nice beachy new year and some better weather! We arrived at 6am, and having learnt from our previous mistake with the taxi in Hanoi made sure to get a properly licensed one to our hostel. We were quoted 100,000 kip (about 3.20) by an unlicensed man we promptly told to get lost, and paid a measly 10,000 kip for the proper taxi - you really do get screwed over if you aren't ca...

So on Boxing Day we were getting the bus to Hoi An, where we were planning on spending Nina's birthday. This wasn't coming until 1.30 - only a four hour bus journey, what a Christmas gift! We spent the morning eating classic boxing day fare of burgers and chips, then spent the rest of the day asleep on a bus! Bit different to last years house party let me tell you. Now Hoi An is a beautiful town albeit a little touristy. At night lanterns are released onto the...

We got to Hue around 8am, and it was a pleasant surprise to be dropped off right outside our hostel - no fighting with taxi drivers this time! However it seems there is always a downside, and this time our room wasn't ready! Oh dear! It was no problem though, we hung around downstairs, bumping into Emily from the ENP again so made plans to meet up in Hoi An for Nina's birthday. After we had settled into the dorm we were pretty knackered so went for a wander to f...

Xin Chao from Vietnam! We've been in Vietnam over a week and there is lots to catch up on. After getting off the bus from Hell and being totally screwed over by a taxi and being made to pay way more than we should, as well as not even being taken to the hostel we had pre booked, the trip was not ending well! At least we learnt a valuable lesson - always find out the reliable taxi firms before entering a new country! On the positive side our hostel in Ha Noi - H...