Hanoi Day (07.07.2012): We arrived into Hanoi at 5:30 am yesterday. The sleeper train was a nightmare. It is definitely best to get a proper sleeper than try to sleep in the seats. It is so loud and uncomfortable. I didn't know it was humanely possible to snore as loud as our neighbours. The Vietnamese sure can snore! On arrival we were swamped by the usual taxi drivers who got us in such a fluster we ended up walking 2km in the wrong direction. Every step was ...

Phong Nha Farmstay Day 3 (05.07.2012): Oh do we have to leave today? We were packed and ready for breakfast by 8am then we set out in a group from the stay to visit Phong Nha Caves. We cycled for 7-10km through the gorgeous countryside, narrowly missing several cows and water buffalo. What a ride! We cycled to the river in Son Trach village where we caught a boat to Phong Nha (which means cave of teeth). The boat went all the way through the cave stopping a...

Phong Nha Farmstay Day 2 (04.07.2012): Again, I have to say - what a day! Today we went on a trip to Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park (a Unesco World Heritage Site). We set off at 9 and headed first of all to a temple to make an incense offering and to a mural to 8 people who died trapped a cave following bombing during the Vietnam War. The day was to get so much better! The drive took us through some amazing scenery along with a trip along Ho Chi Minh trail - the...

Phong Nha Farmstay Day 1 (03.07.2012): Wow this place is incredible and more than worth the horrendous journey we endured to get here. We left my very own Jade Hotel at 9:30 and headed for the bus station to get a local bus to Phong Nha Farmstay. The bus is the only bus of the day. It was supposed to leave at 10:30 but left an hour later for no apparent reason. It was a 24 seater red minibus which was packed to the max. No air-con, the door was open most of the j...

Hue (02.07.2012): With only one full day in Hue we made ourselves get out of bed early, had breakfast and were on the road by 8am. We hired some bikes and were off to the Citadel. The Citadel is 10km by 10km, inside lies the Imperial Enclosure: a citadel-within-a-citadel. The Enclosure houses the Emperor's residence and is divided into several walled enclosures with the Forbidden Purple City at its centre. After checking out the Imperial Enclosure we cycled a...