After being woken at 7 am...again...by the locals practicing their karaoke in their tiny houses (think cats screeching mixed with the determination of a weight lifter), I decided I would write a little update!

We are now in Ha Noi, capital of Vietnam. I'm very excited to be here as Vietnam is one of the mainn countries on our list that I have wanted to come to all my life! After a nightmare journey (27 hours on a bus with the same karaoke and music DVDs that I'm blessed with now, at full blast) we arrived in Vietnam and collapsed in our hotel! We'd both been sick in Laos and are still recovering now, but yesterday we actually managed to brave the crazy streets (if anyone has been to Shanghai - its almost as hectic as there!) and explore some of the sights. There's some fantastic history, we actually spent hours in the military museum (dad would be proud...and would love that place!), were careful not to 'laugh' and get arrested at Uncle Ho's mausoleum, and were warned off wearing Pjamas inside the Temple of Literature (we have actually seen a lot of locals walking the streets in their PJs - a good idea if you ask me, and very comfortable!)

We're off on the overnight train next, up to Northern Vietnam, in the mountains to a region called Sa Pa - laden with paddy fields and traditional villages to trek through. I can't wait! Hope everyone is well back home, and no doubt getting better weather than us! Enjoy it and have a fabulous start to your summer.