So after my last blog entry on the 1st June, I have failed to update you all since then and I now find myself writing this from the comfort of my sofa at Billington Gardens. So at least you know I arrived home in one piece and as for the rest...here goes.

So after saying our emotional goodbyes to everyone, we arrived at our hotel in Hoi an only to see all their ugly mugs as soon as we walked through the door! There was no escaping them!

In order to explore Hoi an, the majority of people opt for the quicker and less physically demanding option - mopeds. However, me and Faye decided to choose bicycles as our mode of transport and we headed for the beach. We spent the next couple of days relaxing on this beach as it was so beautiful.

As well as the beach, Hoi An is most famous for its tailor made clothing, so we decided to just 'browse' round a few of the shops, however, before we knew it we had both purchased two pairs of leather sandals tailor made to fit us perfectly. We just couldn't resist ourselves, and I am pretty impressed this was all we came out with!

Whilst we were in Hoi An, there was a full moon festival, slightly different from the previous one that we had experienced. All the lights were switched off and all the roads were closed, and the streets were lit up with lanterns. There was a lovely atmosphere and we took a romantic boat trip down the river and set off lanterns.

Whilst here, we also dined at a restaurant called 'The Streets', where local children off the streets are given jobs and trained with the intention of them working within hospitality and catering at hotels in the future. So whilst I was consuming the best Panini I have ever eaten, at least I was doing my bit for the local community.

Our next stop was Nha Trang and what a come down this was from Hoi An. s*** markets, rubbish weather, get us back to Hoi An was at the top of all our minds. The fact we got stuck here due to buses being full probably didn't help the negative opinion we were forming of the place. Also I was ill here, so girls I think I am over my FOMO (fear of missing out), as I missed a night out with everyone, choosing to stay in bed watching a marathon of glee.

The only good thing about Nha Trang was the mud baths. Everyone else was hungover and struggling with life and I was on top form feeling fresh. We spent the day lying in baths and bathing in hot mineral pools, which wasn't ideal in the heat - for once a cold pool would have been perfect!

Also, I spent one afternoon sat on the bathroom floor (luckily our hotel was brand new and cockroaches were out of the equation), scrubbing my big backpack due to a slight annoyance on the overnight bus. As we were walking to our hotel from the bus an overwhelming smell of petrol was looming, little did I know that this smell was in fact coming from my rucksack. Petrol had leaked all over my bag whilst in the luggage compartment, successfully managing to make every item in my bag smell of petrol. So we've gone from my previous incident of a nice smelling shampoo leakage to a horrific smell of petrol. Sorry Jamie!

A plus point to Nha Trang was the find of an amazing Mexican and Indian restaurant. Can't say I am being too adventurous with Vietnamese food as they are too accommodating to the westerners over here!

Leaving Nha Trang was definitely a highlight of Vietnam and we were eagerly anticipating our next destination - Mui Ne. The majority of the others skipped Mui Ne and headed straight for Saigon but instantly regretted their choice when they heard what luxury we had lived in for five days. We found an amazing resort on top of a sand dune that usually would be completely out of our price range but due to it being low season they had a very appealing deal on that we just couldn't resist. We ended up staying much longer than we had planned due to the stunning sea views, amazing swimming pools, clean modern spacious rooms and the family atmosphere that the owners created. It really was a mini holiday from our big holiday. We spent the days attempting to work on the tans, and spent the evenings either watching the football, dining in lovely little restaurants, having a few beverages and the best night being Jacks birthday where they put on a birthday BBQ for him with an amazing array of foods ending up in the only bar/club in the area.

Other than lying by the pool we did make it to a spa for our first massage of the holiday. We opted for an hour's hot stones massage (Claire and Alison this put our group on massage to complete shame!!). Having little Vietnamese women actually sat on you working their magic with the hot stones was surprisingly nice although a little awkward at times!!

Just to enlighten you that it was in Mui Ne that I successfully finished my second book of the travels. You all know how much of an achievement this is, maybe I should add reading to my hobbies?

Next Stop - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and the bus journey here was a little more exciting than previous journeys. We witnessed our first fight between a Russian man and the bus driver - unfortunately it was in the seat in front of us so the action was a little too close for comfort. Also, a women thought it was a sensible idea to buy a durian fruit (do google it), the most horrific smelling fruit ever, which lingered for the remainder of the journey.

We only stayed in HCMC for one day, as this was more than long enough to achieve everything that was on offer. We visited the Cu Chi Tunnels, a network of connecting underground tunnels used as hiding spots in the Vietnam War. Our overly enthusiastic tour guide took us round, showing us bomb craters, booby traps, covered up hide outs, an underground kitchen/medical centre/meeting room. It is hard to imagine life within these tunnels. We had the opportunity to enter the tunnels, and during this experience I found out that I must be scared of confined spaces as it was not an enjoyable experience and at the first sight of daylight I was out of there, after a photo shoot of course!

On the way back to HCMC I experienced a feeling that I had yet to experience, one that I never want to experience again. The feeling of needing a wee so bad you start shaking/sweating/wanting to cry and feeling physically sick. No exaggeration there at all. I had this feeling for a good hour, afraid of adopting the 'child that can't control their bladder' role, until the bus driver finally allowed us to stop at the War Museum where I made a dash for the toilet and experienced the most satisfying wee to date. I will never complain of being desperate for the toilet ever again!

The next three days were spent exploring the Mekong Delta. We left our hotel, forgetting one important little thing - our passports. So spent the next half an hour in panic trying to explain to the non English speaking bus driver that we needed him to turn the bus around and take us back to our hotel. Faye took the lead and jumped off the bus while I ensured the driver wouldn't drive away - at one point I was wandering whether I would see my best friend or my passport ever again - two very important things in my life. But thankfully we were all reunited. I had successfully managed to achieve two bus dramas in the space of two days!

Anyway..these three days consisted of floating down the Mekong river stopping at local villages, a fish farm, a coconut candy making factory, a crocodile farm, a honey making factory, a Vietnamese noodle making factory, holding a python snake, visiting fruit orchards, a floating market and experiencing our first home stay by the river with a little Vietnamese family.

The next day was probably our worst day of travelling yet. A very long day experiencing a number of forms of transports, departing Vietnam and entering Cambodia, via a floating passport control office and a very strange border crossing. However all was worthwhile as at the end of it Me and Tom were reunited. A very special moment after five very long months apart.

It was in Sihanoukville that we met up with Tom and his best mate also called Tom. Day 1 was spent lying on the beach and being harassed by Cambodian children attempting and succeeding to sell us s***, and Cambodian women attempting and succeeding to give us beauty treatment. They certainly made money out of us as we opted for manicures and pedicures! The boys were not impressed as we ruined their relaxing afternoon! We went for drinks in the evening to return to the hotel and realise that we had been burgled, my first night with Tom - he brings bad luck!! So our first lie in together was ruined by a 7am visit to the police station. We successfully overcame the language barrier to inform them of the incident. After a long wait we were called in to a meeting room with the head police people and the hotel manager. The meeting got very intense and we became very uncomfortable with the situation. The police were trying to bribe the hotel owner out of lots of money otherwise they would close his hotel down - what had we started so we decided to get out of there asap! All we wanted was a crime reference number yet failed to do so! All of this hassle was met with a relaxing afternoon on a beach a 30 minute tuk tuk ride away from the main town, which was unspoilt, quiet and beautiful.

Next stop - Phnom Penh. A very cultural/depressing day ahead of us. We visited one of the killing field sites, where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime. Whilst walking around the site we heard witness stories, saw mass graves, saw bones, teeth and skulls from the deceased, and clothes that has rotted away. This was followed by the S21 prison where the deceased were held and tortured before their death. A horrific experience and to think that it only happened thirty years ago is hard to imagine. After this we felt very drained and we opted for the central market, however, got distracted by an air conditioned shopping centre and the four of us ended up watching Snow White and the huntsman in the cinema.

It was then on to Siem Reap on yet another night bus, and our three day temple seeing tour began. We saw a large number of temples over the next three days, including the famous Angkor Wat. I won't bore you with all the names of the temples as you are probably fed up with the length of this blog already - it will all be over soon I promise!! It was safe to say we were all templed out and we never want to see a temple again in our lives. Whilst in Siem Reap, other than viewing temples, we visited the night market, had a foot massage and had a drunken night out on 'pub street'.

After a week of being with Tom and Tom we said our goodbyes and headed to Bangkok for our last night of our adventure. We decided to splash out on a posh hotel and end our travels in style. We headed to a market for our last opportunity for souvenir/present shopping, and I stumbled across some cheap real freshwater pearl earrings - Sam/Steph/Dani you'll be pleased to hear I have replaced the ones I lost for my 21st birthday, I will look after these this time I promise! Anyways, back to the posh hotel talk. We had amazing views of Bangkok, with a huge room and a lush swimming pool. After our last night sleep of our travels we woke and consumed an all you can eat breakfast - most definitely the best breakfast of the whole five months and then spent the day by the pool. We made the mistake of thinking that after five months of travelling our skin was so accustomed to the sun that the need for sun cream was low. So of course we burnt to a crisp and returned to Gatwick resembling lobsters.

After boarding our second to last flight, it really did feel like we were off to our next destination. The reality that we were heading home hadn't really sunk in yet. The meal choice on the plane lived up to expectations and we were welcomed with a five course dinner - cheers Emirates! Our brief stop in Dubai seems a bit of a blur, and then we boarded our flight to London Gatwick. Time was spent attempting to sleep but getting majorly distracted by all the games they had to offer. We arrived at Gatwick hoping that everyone was at the correct terminal as we had failed to inform them, and we were met with a welcome home banner! A very emotional reunion!

Looking back, what an incredible five months we have had, visiting nine amazing countries, meeting hundreds of amazing people and creating amazing memories that will last a life time, it is safe to say that travelling the world certainly did not disappoint.

Thanks for following our adventures over the past five months, I hope you have enjoyed reading them as much as I have enjoyed experiencing them!

Until next time!