Ello Ello!

Righty ho, i will first begin with the journey from Vietiane in Loas to Hanoi, Vietnam! This was by far the worst journey i have ever experienced during my 22 years since i graced this planet! Altogether the bus journey took 25 hours (including a 3hr 'sleep' still on the bus)! Its was painful, not only was it one of those bog standard buses that you used to get whilst on the way school, but no air con and rice bags pilled down the walkway, so ur were trapped! The Vietnamise people who drove the bus and were in charge basically looked at every Westerner as 2nd class citizens! p****!! So we just grin and beard it and when we arrived in Hanoi it was awesome!! Dont worry this is the only moan in this blog so you can read on safe in the knowledge, i just had to get it off my chest!

Hanoi is gorgeous. We stayed in the Old Quarter which most people do when they first arrive! We were very lucky as the hostel owner was very helpful and did all she good to make our stay enjoyable! Hanoi has bags of character with numerous stalls and markets selling imported alcohol from around the world! We had seen bottles of whisky type stuff filled with dead scorpions and cobras! Well expensive tho! The first couple of days we (Me, Stu and Uwe) just bummed around tacking in the place, just taking it all in! Then we found the infamous Bia Hoi bars/stall/corner shops! I felt like a kid again, these beers cost 8 pence a glass, 8 pence!!!!! Yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!! It was awesome, you would just drink away until, well until you got kicked out! The great thing about these Bia Hoi bars is that everyone comes here, all ages and nationalities! By the end of the night youve got a group at least 10 strong (see pics)! So the next few nights were spent there and then onto one of the clubs on offer, which is not many as the pigs get bored and close places down early for the hell of it!

Whilst in Hanoi, Uwe met two of his friends from Sydney, Timmy and Margo. They were really cool and so we spent the next couple of weeks travelling as a group. Whilst in Hanoi we visited the huge Halong Bay! This is a national heritage site and is very well conserved. We all went on a 1night, 2 day cruise through the bay! Food included but sadly not the drink! We basically started drinking around midday, and stopped around midnight! We had brought our own bottles of spirits with us (Stu had Barcadi, mince!!). At midnight we went for a swim in the crystal clear water, which started to clow when you paddled!! So overall it was an awesome trip, and couldnt ask for more!

After Hanoi, we headed south to a little sleepy town called Hoi An! This place is famous for its tailor made suits and Vietnamese silk. We arrived when it was Uwe's 27th BDay! So for his BDay,we thought we'd have a drink for every year! Anyone who has completed the Otley Run in Leeds will know that these sort of challenges are not easy to complete! We finally drank number 27 at 3.40am and got a motorbike taxi back to the hostel trying not to die in the process, i couldnt talk by the end of it! Great night! The food and restuarants there was great, and once again very cheap! Seafood was the best! So chilled for the next two days due to a stupid hangover and left for the bus to Nha Trang further down the coast!

Nha Trang was alot bigger and busier than Hoi An,and alot more expensive! For one room itcosts around 10 dollars, 5 quid which is whey more than were used to! Its more of a beach resort and so there wasnt much to see, so we went on a booze cruise to the islands! It was great, started drinking at 9.30am with a stinking hangover, but when the Tigers kicked in i felt back to normal! Oh,and anyone who visits Vietnam, anywhere in Vietnam, do not drink the vodka or Red Bull! They puts glycerine and other such chemicals in them, they have the same affect during the night, but the morning you cannot move! I still have a headache and its nearly been 5 days since i drunk the two! So, word of warning people!

So now were in Saigon, we have covered the hole length of Vietnam by bus! It is sooooo cheap,we got from Hanoi to Saigon on 27 dollars. Around 13 quid to travel the length of Vietnam, and it was an open ticket so you can hop on and off as you please! Saigon is not as nice as Hanoi, very big, very very noisy and the people are not as cool. Were currently staying above a well busy bar full of backpackers, its brilliant! All we have to do is roll out of bed and were in the bar! Get in!

2mora we going to Cambodia, through to see the Ankor Watt(spelt wrong i know). Only a couple of days in Cambodia as the Full Moon party in on the 31st on the islands in Southern Thailand, and we need to get there well early for the Half-Moon Parties! Hope you are all doing good, heard the weather has got a little better!?? When ya leave messages on this blog page, leave me your email address so i can reply plez! Right next post will be after the Parties, missing you all loads Take care Chick x