Sometimes, not always, but sometimes things just work out better than expected. After a thrilling but tiring bike trip in the Mekong Delta, we were unsure how to spend our last few days in Saigon and Vietnam. The kids had booked Sunday afternoon for a play date with their friends from Mui Ne. Monday we had to make it to the airport at a decent hour to catch our flight to Bangkok. I had tried in vain to take in a Vietnamese cooking class since I arrived. Afte...

Arrived Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) safe and sound this evening. After being here less than two hours, we saw someone waving to us from a crowded sidewalk bar in this city of 9 million people. It was Frank, one of our new Dutch friends that we met in Halong Bay and have been bumping into ever since! What a crazy coincidence. Love this vibrant, crazy metropolis so far. Thanks to Storm from Sweden who gave us great advice on India and Nepal over Saigon Red beers ...

Well Christmas has come and gone here in Vietnam. Of all the days of the year we were worried about being homesick, this was the big one. It's only the second time I've spent Christmas away from home and I wasn't thrilled about it the first time. As it turns out, it wasn't too bad. It probably helped that all my family are on a beach somewhere themselves. Best of all, though, the resort we are staying at took a very low key approach. They had some classy deco...

Dear Santa: Hi. How are you? I am fine. It's only four days until Christmas so I thought I should remind you that we will not be home when you come this year. Please do not come down our chimney and leave any presents as it might alarm our tenants. Also, they are under no obligation to store any of our effects while we are away. Right now we are on the other side of the world in Hoi An, Vietnam. It is a lovely place close to Danang - you remember, where the first...

We're on a 9 passenger mini bus traveling a winding mountain road from Sapa Village to Lao Cai on Vietnam's northern border with China. As the bus speeds along the pitch black road, I'm thinking about what it takes to be happy. After the last two days, I'm convinced it doesn't take much. Right now I am warm and dry. I'm not hungry or thirsty. I'm not in any pain. My family is with me and are safe and comfortable (one is a little po'd that I wont let her wat...