GOOD MORNING VIETNAM

Spent a lovely two days back in Tokyo - stocked up on Manga books and went for a crepe in Harajuku. We made a final attempt to visit Mt. Fuji but it was still too cloudy. We gave Chungking Mansions a swerve on our return to Hong Kong and instead opted for Mirador Mansions (fractionally better but still a very optimistically named building).

It's very hot in Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City is one of the busiest places I've ever been. I've never seen so many motorbikes in all my life. We're staying in the main backpacker area which does have its down side - namely too many other Westerners. We haven't ventured too far since we've been here as we are trying to make up for the over spend in China and Japan. Sadly it means that we've had to scrap our plans to travel up the coast through Hoi An, Halong Bay and Hanoi - still, it's a good excuse to come back and see them next time. We've wandered around the local markets and seen the Cathedral. We've spent most of our time relaxing rather than sightseeing but we did take a boat trip through the Mekong Delta which was amazing. Once you get into the more rural areas of Vietnam it's very tropical and very beautiful. We spent about 3 hours in a speed boat traveling past lots of tiny villages. It was nice to spend a few hours just taking in the sights and waving to the kids we passed on the riverbank and all the people working on the river boats.

Next stop Phnom Penh…..