We're sure you'll all be amazed to know, after all your comments about us being a bit detailed in our blogs, that we forgot to write down some of the things that really stood out in South East Asia. Firstly the bikes.  Bikes are everywhere (apparently six million in Hanoi alone), but it's not just the sheer volume of bikes but the things that happen on them too.  It's not unusual to see whole families on bikes, and I think the most people we've seen on ...

Arriving in Hanoi after a night on a bus was like a scene from an old war movie or George Orwell's 1984, as the streets were deserted and propaganda-sounding music and messages were played into the streets over loud speakers. This was our final experience on the open bus, which took us from Saigon to Hanoi (about forty hours of travelling) for just $17 each, and we were glad as they were anything but comfortable.  The air-conditioning barely worked, the drive...