After a horrendous 24 hour bus journey from Laos, involving a four hour wait at the boarder and the futile exercise of counting sheep (the ones that supposedly induce a peaceful sleep) we arrived in Hanoi the capital city of Vietnam. Here the motorbikes reign supreme and crossing the streets is a survival technique we tried to master in a hurry. Hanoi is a very hectic place, so to have a break from the craziness of the city, we ventured out to beautiful Halong Bay which is one of Vietnam's natural marvels. On the boat trip we explored a few caves and saw some of the 3000 islands that rise from the sea. It was so peaceful, sitting out on the deck feeling the relief of the cool sea breeze while watching the landscapes change. Hue was our next destination and another UNESCO World Heritage site. Here we visited the disintegrating Imperial City which although has been heavily bombed it still is impressive. Taking you back to a yesteryear of greatness and opulence. Unfortunately all that remains is a surreal world of deserted gardens and ceremonial halls. We did the mandatory boat ride down the scenic Perfume River (Song Huong(and visited some of the beautiful tombs which are set like jewels on the banks of the river. A three hour bus journey later we found ourselves in lovely Hoi An. Famous for its tailor made clothes purchased at bargain basement prices. There are tailors everywhere and competition is fierce. Needless to say, we were bombarded by offers and promises of cheap deals the minute we stepped off our bus. Our assurance that tomorrow is another day meant only that we were put on 'surveillance'. Every time we walked out of our hotel, the same people would some how crawl out of the wood works reminding us to pay their shop a visit. Initially it was amusing but then it became mildly annoying as you felt obliged to buy anything just to be left alone. Perhaps something we will need to get used to. We paid the old town a visit and were rewarded with it's enchanting streets and shops and historic buildings. It felt like being in an open air museum and you could almost imagine what it must have looked like 150 years ago. To overdose on culture and history we did a day trip to the Cham Ruins at My Son, which date back to the 7Th century. The ruins are set in a lush valley and once again is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We then hightailed it to Nha Trang, a busy seaside town, on the tourist trail because of the diving and booze cruise opportunities. We were greatly disappointed as we were hoping for some peace and quiet. The towns only saving grace was the sweet owner of our guesthouse. She loved to chat and conversations would last a while, yet no one could understand a word she had said. Like a loving grandmother she prepared a packed lunch for our onward journey to Mui Ne. Completely at her own cost. We arrived at Mui Ne and cursed ourselves for having wasted valuable time in Nha Trang. There was a lovely stretch of beach which was practically deserted and completely up our alley. It was perfect even though it was only a glimpse of what could have been. Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon was yet another busy city but somehow we preferred it to Hanoi. Even though, crossing the streets was once again another drama, the atmosphere here felt friendlier than in the capital city. We did the usual visiting of the sights, opting for a day tour as our legs were on strike and the heat was unbearable. In the Giac Lam Pagoda we were again subjected to the friendliness of some of the Vietnamese people. One of the older ladies plied us with tea and gifts and loads of friendly smiles. The gifts turned out to be food items made up of a congealed rice gelatin surrounding a sweet been paste. Yummy....not. Lets just say that it was not as delicious as a melt in your mouth steak with mushroom sauce.... Finally we arrived at the Phu Quoc Island and we were in heaven. We stayed in a bungalow right on the beach and all we could hear was the peaceful sounds of the waves crashing and feel the invigorating wind on our skin. There were only a handful of tourists which meant that at times the beach was completely deserted. Perfect. The only difficult tasks we had each day was figuring out what time to get up in the mornings.... or should I say afternoons and making it in time to catch the sunsets. Pure laziness and relaxation prevailed. The only mildly scary thing that happened was when we returned one evening from dinner to find a visitor in our room. I'm not talking about the human kind. It was a giant blue gecko with red dots and freaky snake eyes that looked straight at you. Like typical girls we squealed and flapped about trying in vain to evict our unwanted house guest. Naturally we assumed that it could be poisonous so we enlisted the help of one of the waiters. While he "hunted the beast" we hid behind him, not out of fear but curiosity... Of course several photos were taken to prove our little drama did actually take place. We were not to thrilled when the time came for us to leave but pastures new awaited us and the promise of more beach time was around the corner.