Vietnam!! The single craziest place we have visited in the last 9 months, in fact we have ever visited. We flew in to Hanoi with AirAsia, (our favorite low cost airline) again and within minutes we came to appreciate a whole new meaning to traffic congestion. I know that Ken Livingston is out of a job, well maybe he can try and have a go in Hanoi. There are road rules, it's simply that you give way to anything bigger than you are...simply put Trucks don't stop for anyone. Many travelers fear their first attempt at crossing the road, but you soon learn to just walk out slowly without looking either way and the traffic tends to avoid you. Just make sure that there are no trucks in the vicinity. It really is impossible to truly convey in words how chaotic the traffic is, but we will upload a short mpeg for you to enjoy (as soon as we find a decent Internet cafe)

However, we did enjoy Hanoi but we soon yearned for fresh air again so set off in search of the tranquil HalongBay, and the Hill tribe regions of Sa Pa. We sailed in HalongBay for two days in a traditional Vietnamese Junk. Lucky enough to have a great group of people. (except for 2 miserable Dutch boys!) We took the night train up to SaPa. It was a very odd feeling being stuck in a 4 bunk bed cabin with 2 Vietnamese, not being able to say a word to each other...but being half a meter away from them for 12 hours.... SaPa was great, on the border with China, beautiful up in the mountains. We did hikes through the villages and saw their day to day life. ( not such a great group of people this time...)

Vietnam is the first country where we initially struggled with their food. It's the only time Phil been grateful to the French for something! Leaving behind their baguettes and pastries. Southern regional food was great though!

We have to tell you about a whole new travel concept...THE SLEEPING BUS!Picture a double decker bus, stripped out and fitted with 42 bunk beds divided in to 3 rows. Designed for oriental people, they simply don't accommodate westerns. We got on the bus late and ended up on the "upper" level right at the back. Phil by the window and I (Sofia) in the middle with aisles on both sides. I felt a bit scared with the 1.5 meter drop on each side, my seat belt was broken, but I could tie it around my ribcage. In theory the concept is a good idea, however in practice it's something entirely different. Especially with the lack of traffic rules and the state of the roads. Imagine lying on a half meter wide bed made of wood when the bus is hitting speed bumps at 90 km/h for twelve hours. Half the journey you are air born! I ended up being thankful for the seatbelt I had tied around me.The saga doesn't end there though...Oh No. Our co-travelers were a motley crew comprised of hocking and spitting locals, an oversized Aussie Santa Clause look-alike (starting on upper level, but was moved below for 'safety reasons') and a completely psychotic middle aged Russian couple who proceeded to argue non-stop the entire journey. Only taking regular breaks to use the appalling bathroom facilities. I think you can start to get the picture?

Obviously some of these aren't the highlights of Vietnam. But we ended up loving the country and never met such accommodating and friendly people. We traveled from North to South and had a fantastic 2 weeks! We'll let our pictures do the rest of the talking.