Arrived in Pingxiang 08/04. Not much happening there but we stayed one night ready for our early departure to the Vietnam border. 09/04 we caught a rickshaw to the border - Very bumpy ride for about 40 mins. We arrived and got through the borders really quick... Tearfully saying good bye to China!

Part two - VIETNAM

When we got through the border we almost got scammed by these dodge taxi drivers. We insisted they took us to the bus station at Lang son to go to Hanoi. They took us to an out of town station that tried to charge us double the price that it said in the book. After telling them where to go we walked off and wandered round this town trying to find the legitimate bus station. Finally managed to get to Hanoi by lunch time.

Hanoi was crazy...there are bikes (motor and cycle) everywhere! they never stop where you cross the road...you just have to walk and gamble. We stayed in the Old quater which is full of bustling shops selling random things from clothes to wire coils.

10/04 was a very special day....Meghan arrived! We met here at the airport at about 8pm and got a bus back. Unfortunately her first few moments in Vietnam consisted of seeing a bike accident with a girl sprawled across the road after being hit of her bike and cars just driving around her! not nice.

The next day we spent the day sight-seeing. Went to Ho Chi Minhs (or uncle Ho) museum and tomb. Unfortunately he has the day off on Fridays and we were not aloud to see the dead body...meg was devastated - sicko.

We also visited the Temple of literature but spent most of the time looking at a small turtle in the pond.

In the afternoon we went to see a vietnam special - a water puppet show. Basically a water tank (waist deep) with the top of it used as the stage. People behind bamboo screens used puppets with large poles controlling them under water.

We decided that the next day we were going to move on to Ninh Binh. we bought a open bus ticket which we can stop off through the whole of Vietnam for 20 pounds! The girl who booked the tickets for us (we have named her Amy) offered to buy us oranges to avoid the rip off tourist prices - when she came back..the oranges were actually greens! But still good.