Hi all so just a quickie today (yes i tell everyone that!)

i spent one day in hanoi wandering around and seeing sights, didnt really like it much, thought it was a v dirty, poluted, unfriendly place. lots of unsmiling people trying to rip you off for being a tourist, no bargaining, average samey shops etcc etc.so the next morning got on a bus for four hours to halong bay which is a beautiful place of limestone cliffs and rocks sticking out of emerald sea. went there with brenda and anton who had come to hanoi that morning and also with a girl called jane from oz who was lots of fun!

the next three days were spent kayaking, xswimming, lazing, sunbathing and relaxing, had loads of fun and we celebrated brendas birthday also.tho it was werid cos the tour companies made a total has of our tour and we all ended up being totally separate from the rest of the group, especially at meals.

went to monkey island to see monkeys and maybe smuggle one home instead os a cambodian baby (its the latest thing to do apparently) but only saw two and they were ugly fat and ill tempered, so much for monkey island.more like let doe\wn island,tho the beach was beautidful, was made up of millions of pieces of coral over the sand and was white, cream and pink (my favourite!!)ha ha.

anyway, so got back to hanoi at 5 in the afternoon and then rushed to post office (after sad farewell to anton and brenda) to spend 105 dollars in posting my stuff from hoi an home, ARGH, painful postage costs!! but atleast its all done now, woo woo!!

then got on a bus to vientiane in laos at six thirty.tight!!

BUT, the bus was an hour late

then it was a five hour trip to vinh where we changed bus at which stage i realsxied my rucksack and everything inside was soaked cos the door had not been closed properly

then we changed to an old bus with broken air con full of non english speaking laos people and a whole load of onions with all teh bags and trunks piled at the back

and it took 24 hours altogether to get to laos

yes...24 hours on a bus!!!crazy, i feel weirdly jetlagged, almost like a day has just disappeared!

lots more to tell but cafe is closing, so will be back soo, and internet is fast here so maybe for some photo uploading also!!

byew!!

xxx