We got up early for breakfast in Dalat before leaving for Saigon and went to a cafe - telling them we didn't have much time as we had a bus to catch! In the end the lady managed to get someone to pick us up in a mini-bus and then took us to a bus (which wasn't where we had to meet!) We were a bit dubious at first but we got to Saigon and no questions were asked so I'm not sure what sort of deal was struck!!!! It took us 8 hours and we stopped a few times for food, toilet etc. We arrived in Saigon with nowhere to stay as everywhere we had tried to book the night before was full! But we were quickley taken to a hotel by a tout, and the rooms were clean so we agreed to stay. We planned to wander around but it started raining so we spent some time on the internet before going out to book a tour to the Cu Chi tunnels the next day and get some dinner. We had a few drinks out then went back to bed.

New Years Eve - We spent the morning on the Cu Chi tunnel tour which was interesting. We saw loads of traps used against the Americans and went in the tunnels which were much smaller than those in the DMZ near Hue. I had to crouch down so I was almost bent over from the hips down....they were so dark and as the day was really hot they were really stuffy and quite clostraphopic. There was even a chance to shoot some machine guns at a cost - it didn't interest me in the slightest but a stereotypic American family seemed really keen - even the mother was telling the son who must have been 8 or 9 to tell the guide he wanted to shoot! Back in Saigon I went back to the hotel to chill before the night's events. The boys went to a museum which they said was really gory and I probably wouldn't have liked it!

In the evening we went out for dinner and we had the most amazing Italian. Karl and I also shared a bottle of wine an between us we had a bottle of vodka before going out. Just as we were contemplating going out a couple of girls from a room upstairs came down and started chatting - in the end we spent the whole night with them. We went to a bar that was on the corner of the street our hotel was on. It opened out onto the street and had a club upstairs. So we split our time between the air conditioned club and downstairs. Just before 11 thought the bar doubled their prices and we were stung! Paying 260 dong (10 pounds for 2 beers and a vodka and lemonade - far too much when we had been used to 3000 dong a beer in Hanoi!!!). At the strike of midnight we were downstairs and 'Happy New Year' by ABBA came on full blast for about 10 minutes! None of us had ever heard that song before but we can't get it out our heads now!!!! We spilled out on the streets and there was loads of glitter and foam being thrown about!!! Karl and I lasted until 2am whilst Sam went out for at least an extra hour with an Australian guy we had met on one of the buses (from Nha Trang to Dalat).

The next day we chilled, I went to the Post Office to send stuff home - it was an amazing building! Then we changed some money into US$. I got 1 million dong (50$) out to change but they wouldn't except one of the notes as it was slightly torn so I spent the rest of the day trying to get rid of it at restaurants etc.....but no luck! In the end I thought I would have to accept losing 20 pounds!!! But the hotel accepted it so I was relieved!!!!

We got the bus from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) to Phnom Penh yesterday (Jan 2) and it was the easiest border crossing we have done so far (as easy as Europe!). We handed over $25 for a visa application - gave our passports to the guide and waited all of 30 minutes while we were eating lunch before our passports were given back with visa!!!! We were then on our way!!!!

I have now been on the internet for well over 3 hours and a guy who claims to be a football player for Taiwan has started talking to me! Telling me all about his game, showing me videos on his ipod which I am obviously not remotely interested in so I will bid you a fond farewell and get back to the sun!!! (It's not raining here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)