Oh blimey I can't believe I haven't written a blog for so long! I feel very bad!

So where was I......Ah Louise' birthday. Our night out was rather good, I had possibly the best Spag Bol in my life (made of sun dried tomatoes!) and half of us finished the night by going to a club on top of a swish hotel. The bar was outside and across the river you could see Thailand. All good fun!

Next day I had a nose around Vientiane before catching the 'bus from hell' as described by Lonely Planet to Hanoi. It was fine I think it just proved our weather we are to travelling for long periods of time without Air Con because you should have heard some of the other folk on the bus moaning! The boarder was a breeze no problems but again for some people it all seemed a little too taxing! But hey ho so 24 hours hours later and a little sweaty we rocked up in Hanoi. We found three rooms in a small hotel in the Old Quarter each paying only $5 a night! ( I was with Sos, Grant, Ave, Alex and Tom) That evening we had a fantastic dinner at Restaurant 69 (yes it was called that!) where we all got our first tastes of Vietnamese cuisine.

Up bright and early we booked our tour of Halong Bay before exploring the city. I visited Ho Chi Minh in his mausoleum which was a little strange but worth doing and also the Prison museum where the American Prisoners of war where kept. That evening we all got dressed up for a swish dinner at 'Green Tangerine' restaurant. It was a really nice evening full of gorgeous food, excellent wine and even a cheese board! I'm sure a meal of a similar standard at home would have cost a great deal more than we paid!

So the next day didn't stat so well for a me....I couldn't find my departure card (it had fallen down the side of the bed) and then I realised I didn't have my debit card in my purse! Panic stricken I ran through the streets of Hanoi crying and saying that I would have to go home! Luckily for me what had happened was I had taken cash from an ATM but not my card which in Vietnam comes out after your cash however if it is not taken after 30seconds it goes back in and is then taken to the bank. Even luckier for me I had an excellent tour guide who rang up the bank for me and kept ringing till 30minutes mater my card turned up on the back of a moped! From then the day only got better! Our boat, a traditional junk, was proper swish! As we arrived we sat down to a seafood lunch (yes I like fish now!) before cruising through Halong Bay. Halong Bay is just beautiful so stunning it's untrue. Apparently it's even been used in a few Bond films! Whilst in Halong Bay I explored a couple of island caves (including a hospital cave that the Americans didn't know about), went kayaking, swam in the beautiful bay, sunbathed and ate lots of seafood! It was a wicked three days, I was not ready to go back to the mainland!

Once back in Hanoi I hopped straight on an overnight train down to Hue. In Hue I was on my own having left Sos ad Grant on the train bound for Saigon and Ave, Alex and Tom staying on for a little longer in Hanoi. I loved being on my own finding my own little guesthouse and exploring the citadel. It was also a great opportunity to meet new people. I ended up having dinner with a dutch couple that I had met on the train and then whilst on my DMZ tour the next day met 3 really top English girls who had lots to tell about their time in Cambodia and also teaching in South Korea. As much as I love the people on the truck it was nice to have fresh conversations and opinions. Whilst on my tour of the DMZ I visited Vinh Moc tunnels where villages lived underground for up to 5 years during the conflict and also Khe Sanh US Combat Base. That evening Alex and Tom had arrived from Hanoi and we ate at a garden restaurant along with Kat and Emily who I had met on the DMZ tour. For $8 we had a 7 course set menu of traditional Vietnamese and Hue cuisine. The spring rolls were served on a peacock made from a pineapple and carrots! Very clever!

Next was the old town of Hoi An which was very 'french' set on the river it was a fantastic place to explore and eat fantastic food (do you notice a pattern at all?!) It must be the in the world book of records for town with most tailors in it! It was crazy! Streets and streets of little shops who will make you made to measure clothes for pittance. Of course I couldn't resist! Winging it's way home is two pairs of trousers and a winter coat (well it'll be cold in December!) and I've kept with me two skirts and the dress to wear for my birthday. And I didn't spend more that 50quid! Hoi An also has a wicked market full of fresh fish and veg a plenty it was great fun to walk through in the mornings! Three days was not enough I didn't even make it to the beach!

I caught the train down the coast to Saigon where I spent one day visiting the horrific War Remnants Museum which just when I was on the brink of tears I bumped into 3 EOE folk who I hadn't seen sine Laos. The Americans involvement in Vietnam was horrid, some of the photos were hard to look at. In particular the photos about Agent Orange and Ma Lai massacre victims.

I only had one day in Saigon because I moved on very quickly to the Mekong Delta for a three day tour and boat trip up river to Cambodia's capital Phnon Penh. Whilst on the Delta I visited floating markets, a coconut candy farm, a rice paper factory, a crocodile farm, and Sam's mountain. For the first night we stayed in a Homestay which was bungalows built on a Vietnamese villager's land. It was a good experience of Vietnamese home life and a nice change to hotel rooms!

Once in Phnon Penn I was back with the group. Again I only had one day so I hopped on a bicycle and road out to the killing fields. This time I was seeing first hand the genocide site of the Khmer Rouge rather than looking at photos. There is a very striking monument at the site consisting of a tall pagoda full of skulls from excavated from the mass graves. Not all of the graves have been excavated and you can still see clothes and bones sticking out of the ground. Sadly you don't have to look hard to see them. Almost 10,000 people were executed at the killing fields 15K outside of Phnon Penh. It was a very sad place but in such a pleasant setting with birds and trees etc that it would be easy to forget what happened there. I then rode back into town and ate at a fantastic restaurant called Friends. It is a Non Government Organisation that provides an unbelievable amount of service to former streets kids and their families including education, homes, healthcare and work! (Whilst in Hanoi I visited a similar restaurant called KOTO) The service that you receive in these restaurants is top notch because all of the staff whether cooking or serving your food are in training for tourism jobs at the top hotels and restaurants in the city. It is a fantastic cause and excellent food! I was almost tempted to go back for dinner! In the afternoon I visited S-21 the former school that was used as a detention prison by the Khmer Rouge. The photos in this museum where again shocking. The forms of torture that many prisoners died from turned your stomach as did the rows and rows of mug shots of prisoners all of which (minus 7) were either sent to sent to their death at the killing fields or died during torture. The prisoners were kept i appalling conditions not seeing sunlight for weeks at a time. I had a guide for my visit to this museum and it was particularly sad to find out that she had been sent to work in the countryside by the Khmer rouge with her family. Though she survived her father and brother were taken away from the fields by the Khmer Rouge and executed. She never found their bodies. I was impressed by her courage to retell her story of life under the Khmer Rouge regime multiple times a day every day of her working life. I didn't know what to say.

After my short stay on Ping Pong as it is more affectionately known we drove to Angkor Vat which is where I am now. I was up early this morning cycling round the various vats which were all very impressive. One Vat has even been used in Tomb raider 3, as soon as I find a computer that will uploads from my card reader I will add pictures.

We have another day here before moving on to Thailand. Our first stop will be Bangkok where I will celebrate my 22nd birthday! (I'm getting old!) If you would normally buy me a present please can I make a request that this year you donate the money to either of the street kids charities that I have come in contact with. They are both fabulous charities changing disadvantaged children's lives. Thank you! www.streetvoices.com.au or http://www.friends-international.org

I have not been able to get my photos off my memory stick yet (the computers in Cambodia don't seem to like it!) but I've managed to steel a couple off of Grant to give you an idea for the meantime.

I'll try not to be so long in writing my next update!

Lots if love Nicole xxx