hello,

Alot has happened since i last wrote, il try and do it in order.

So we left Phenom Phen and our two travel companions Amy and Emma. After a casual meeting in four thousand islands (Laos) our lives became intwined and we just couldnt get rid of them. Almost 2 weeks on buses, boats and motos, from sharing rooms to practically sharing a bed. Girlies we miss you!

We soon found our natral habitat again in Sihanoukville (the beach). We spent a few days not doing much apart from swimming and enjoying the waves. It spent a whole morning raining.. it felt just like bournemouth beach but warmer and without the smell of fish and chips. The beach seem to attract the crazies though, there was one guy who just like following in people about and shouting at them. Oh and we had a roast.. very exciting after 2 and a half months of rice and noodles. And chris got ill but is now better.

We crossed the border into VietNam almost a week ago. Saigon is awsome! Its full of motobikes not all on the right side of the road, crossing the street is an experience. The police are really hot on people wairing helmets and the fine is pretty hefty so eveyone does which makes a change from the rest of south east asia. However, like eveywhere else they dont care how many people ride one bike or how much stuff you pile on them. Not sure what a helmets going to do when you'v been crushed by 5 of you relitives and a bag of rice!

The people here are friendly and seem to find us very entertaining. The women are alot more formidable (or scary as chris put it) than the rest of asia, you definatly wouldnt want to argue with them. Its awsome!

We visted the war musium in Saigon which was interesting and very gory. I think the most striking part was the chemical warfair. I hadnt quite realised the extent of the chemicals used during the war. The effects they had on the people exposed to them is drastic and brutal, the reprecussions on the next generation are hard to look at. Many children were born without limbs or are blind or deaf, sometimes all of these things together.

We also went out on a tour to see the Viet Cong tunnels and a crazy temple of a new religon called CaoDai. The CaoDai temple is the most colourful temple i have ever seen, the religon combines Buddism, Christianity and Taoism. We meet a practicing CaoDaiest and he was really cool.. chris gave him an english reading lesson under a tree in the temple grounds.. sereal experience.

The tunnels were also mad. I cant belive they used to live underground.. apparently some of the VC lived under ground for 20 years during the fighting. The traps they set were brutal! We got to have a wounder though some of the remaing tunnels and they are tiny and they have enlarged them slightly for fat westeners. However the best thing about the whole trip was our veitnamies guide who spoke english with a perfect australian axcent.. Hilarious!

To bring you totally up to date we are in the town of DaLat in the mountains. It is beautiful and feels abit like being in the alps. And it attually a bit cold.. we'v been wearing jeans. i even cracked out the woolly hat last night although it really wasnt cold enough for it (i cant resist a good bit of knit wear). Today we'v been out on a motobike tour with two vietnamise chaps.. it was bloody brilliant. They took us everywhere farms, villages, waterfalls and temples. They are totally cool and call themsevles the 'easy riders'! I found out today in one of the villages that in some minorty cultures its the women that pay to marry the men. They have to go to they boys family and arrange the price, then after the marrage the boy goes and lives with the girls family and has to do everything hes told.. quite a twist on most cultures. Chris is worth 20 sarongs and 5 water buffalo.. i think that thats quite steep but apparently for dealthy pale skin and facial hair you pay more!

Im sure there is loads iv forgoten to write but im tired!

much love

hannah and chris xxxx