After a beautiful journey through the southern hilly country of China (unfortunately at the hands of a mad bus driver who seemed determined to overtake only on blind hairpin bends!) we crossed the border at night into Vietnam. We crossed over the mighty Red River into sweltering humidity and suddenly found ourselves in a strange border town in Vietnam. Contrary to the warnings we had been given of being swarmed by touts we actually had to roam the streets to find a minibus the next morning. We quickly headed up to Sapa which is a mountain region close to the Chinese border. The air was beautiful in the mountains, feeling like a warm spring day in England. Far different from the humidity in the rest of the country. We spent some great days there trekking and relaxing in the hills. The scenery was stunning with endless views of terraced hillsides with local farmers working their water buffalo as they prepared to plant a new rice crop. We were guided on our trek by one of the local guides from the H'mong hill tribe and spent one night in a local house in a village. We were fed like kings and spent the night in a converted barn loft where the rice used to be stored. The H'Mong people were unlike any we have ever encountered in that their entire sales technique relied on finding out about your family history and then giggling non-stop. They were persistant but very good fun. After a journey on a night train we arrived in Hanoi with food poisoning and so spent a few days weakly stumbling around the city seeing the sights - and enjoying the creature comforts provided by the hotel. Pretty much all accomodation in Vietnam is hotel rooms and most are cheap as cheaps and really quite posh. It certainly doesn't feel like we're slumming it. We then took a 3 day trip to Halong Bay which is in a different league from the Bay of Islands we had seen in NZ. This National Park and World Heritage site has over 3000 karst limestone outcrops rising from the sea making for truly dramatic scenery. We spent a comfy night sleeping on a boat out in the midst of all these islands. Swimming and Kayaking enabled us to explore more as well as a trek on one of the islands. A few days later we were in Tam Coc which is an inland version of Halong Bay. Here we paddled up a river ( in intense heat, aided only by Janet's hastily bought umbrella) through rice fields surrounded by more stunning limestone mountains. We then made an excursion to Cuc Phuong NP to see a primate centre caring for really rare gibbons and other primates. We spent a couple of days exploring the wilds of the park trying to find some wildlife. After staring at trees for 2 days we retreated a little dejected. It is apparent that trying to see any wildlife in the jungles of N.P.s in SE Asia is almost impossible. In the city of Hue we did a great motorbike tour of the local pagodas and temples as well as the serene countryside surrounding the city. Minh, our guide, was a really lovely man who gave us a good insight into the local life here. He had been heavily affected by his time as a soldier during the American/Vietnam war and could not understand why so many tourists came here to see all the old military sights when there was such other beauty on the doorstep of every city. In the countryside here ( now about mid way down Vm) the rice was being harvested and we saw rice spread along the sides of the hot roads to be dried. We decided to hire a motorbike ourselves for the first time and did some more exploring. I have not been put off by the fact that I crashed the motorbike into the hotel (literally) at the end of our ride! A few miles further south again we spent a couple of days relaxing on the beach at Lang Co. It had that true paradise feel with white sands, palm trees and turquoise waters. Absolute heaven. Another trip by motorbike to another N.P. in the mountains gave us some great views as we were high up in the Truong Son mountains. Once again no wildlife to be seen. Hoi An was the next city we visited. Unfortunately I spent days trying to deal with a nasty flu that has been bugging me ever since. This gave Janet free reign to go shopping for days on end. Hoi An is famous for its tailors and every other shop will make clothes from just about any western catalogue on the market. So daily Janet returned with her latest set of goodies. (Bag now too full to lift easily but only 7 weeks remaining and "no pain no stunning new wardrobe" - J) While in Hoi An we visited the ancient temples of the Cham Empire which ruled this region a thousand years ago. The temples were overgrown and sitting almost lost in the surrounding jungle which gave them a very lost civilisation feel (all a bit Indiana Jones). Now a world heritage site I hope they are not restored too well as they will lose that sense of mystery that the jungle added. Another dreadful 12 hour overnight coach trip and we have made it to Nha Trang the beach capital of Vietnam. We fully intend to rest and feel like we are on holiday here, so lots of beach inactivity for the forseeable future. Hope to get some good snorkelling too as its supposed to be the best here. We'll keep you posted again soon. Time for a swim. xxxx Peter and Janet.