Hi all, This is a long one so I have broken it down into sections (IN BOLD) Well to begin with the website as no default photos of Vietnam, so I've had to opt for tiger here! I'll put some good photoss of Vietnam on in the next week or so. VIETNAM SO FAR.... I arrived here on Tuesday afternoon and checked into a hotel that I can only describe as the Ritz. Well it wasn't that nice, but very clean, massive king size bed, sofas, balcony on the top floor, desk and jacquzi bath! I could have some fun here and all for the costly sum of $30 a night. I could only stay there 1 night though, as the hotel was booked out for the next three nights. I hadn't known up to this stage but Friday 2nd September (today) is independance day in Vietnam. It was 60 years ago this very day that Ho Chi Min declared Vietnam an independant state after defeating the French. Unfortunatly for the vietnamese they would have another more infamous battle on thier hands a few years later! My first day in Vietnam I opted for the city tourand was at the travel agents at 7:30. No one else had booked the trip so it was going to be just me and the tour guide on a motorbike. My first thoughts were shock horror. If you seen the number of bikes on the road here and the fact that they drive on what ever side of the road they feel like then you'd understand. After that I then thought of the thunderstorm that was bucketing it down. That didn't deter my guide so I jumped on the back of the bike and got a complete soaking. Why worry hey? The first stop was the masoluem to see Ho Chi Min. The Vietnamese great leader was embalmed when he died (on the 2nd september 1969 I think) although he had asked for his ashes to be spread over the north, south and middle of the country. It was a bit like going to a funeral (removal) as you walked through this room and seen his body. Very strange, but you could tell that this whole country think extremely highly of him, by the number of visitors and the amount of celebrations today. I then went to his museum, the house where he died, the house where he worked and to the one pilar pagoda on the same grounds. In his study there was a picture of Lenin and Marks. You learn some thing new every day, but for some reason I never knew Vietnam was a communisist country and still is. That a side its a brilliant place. hanoi is very clean for a big capital city and the people are very firendly. Just this morning I met a 2nd year english student called Thrang. He was full of questions and wanted to know every thing about england and Irleand. He was with two friends enjoying the celebrations of the day. He wanted us to get a picture taken from the photographers that walk around, but we could see one, so I took out my disposal camera. We took a few pictures and it was strange as at first I couldn't get any one to take a photo, so I took one. Thrang's two friends had never used a camera before, so I showed them what to do and then they had a crack at it. I will email them the photos when I get them developed. Yesterday I went to the perfume pagoda which is about two hours out from Hanoi. It would probably be 30 mins but the trafic and roads aren't the best. Once there we had an hours boat ride along a river. There was 4 of us in this small boat with an old woman rowing it. I felt really bad for this poor old woman having to row us in this heat. I thought I would die on the hike to the pagoda as it was so hot. The hike its self was not difficult, but it must have been 36 or 37 degrees. It is very hot again today. Tonight there are more celebrations by the lake with music etc so I'll and have a butchers at that. VIETNAM FOR THE NEXT WEEK... I've also made plans for the next week which seem like a lot of fun. Tomorrow I head to Halong Bay which is to the east of Hanoi and is made up of some 3000 islands. I spend one night sleeping onboard the boat and one night in a hotel in Halong Bay. I arrive back to Hanoi on Monday afternoon and get on a night train to Sapa. This is in northern Vietnam and I will be staying with a vietnamese family on Tuesday night before getting the night train back on Wednesday night. Thursday I then fly down to Hue and from there I'll just go with the flow... I hope to have many beautiful pictures on the site by then, but this is probably the last time I'll update the site for a week or so! Hanoi is so chaep with most of my dinners (starters, main course and a few beers) costing $5. This is usually in a really nice restaurant and the food has been fantastic. I have also eat at some street kitchens but the same again the food is just georgous. I don't think I've eaten snake, rat or dog yet, but these are all vietnamese dishes so I may try them soon. HELLO's... ACCESS: Thanks for all the messages. Liverpool to retain the european cup and that's without Owen. He moved to real to win medals? Well he won't win many with newcastle!!! Hope all is going well for all you guys at Access - Gunny, Mrs R, ADM, Cucchi, Jacks, Martin, the I.T crew and my old side kick Mr Neill? As for your PC gunny all I can say is throw it out and go travelling around the world! Its the best think I ever did! THE FAMILY... Hey guys missing you all but it won't be too long till I'm back and yer all sick of the site of me. Only 5 or 6 weeks or maybe less? Have a great time at baby donal's christening - can't wait to see him, Debbie and there will probably be two more new arrivals by the time I get back. Hi to Col, Ang, Katie, Jo, Carmel, Ray, TJ and co, Francis, Ian, Abbigail, Liam and my godson Matthew, Shaz, Aidan and baby donal, Phil, all the gang in Gurranes and glen (did you hear my request on the radio last week for you all during the cork kerry match?) Any wya love to all the O'Connor's and Sexton's. Will see you allfor Martin's wedding. MORGANS and friends... Hope you had a good stag week end with Denise and didn't get him into too much trouble? I'm sure you did. Looking forward to hearing all of the story's when I get back and looking forward to a session or two. Any way Take care all and keeping checkingin now and again. Mick