Hello Again!

Well I know Caroline updated for the first time only yesterday but we have some time to chill for the first time yet and I thought I would add some more details about what we've been up to!

So we took an 11hr flight to Bangkok last Monday. Things got off to a wierd start as I saw a couple at Heathrow that I had talked to on the way to get the Vietnam visas in London a week previously. The hotel didn't look quite like it did on the internet but I quickly realised this was something to get used to. We ate at a place where there was some Thai karaoke going on, we were impressed.. the singing was certainly better than your average English pub karaoke!

The next day we caught a flight to Hanoi and realised we had been ripped off when we paid less than half the price to get to the airport than we had the day before!Nevermind. Arriving in Vietnam we immediately saw the difference to Bangkok, very lush and green, and everyone drives motorbikes. Hanoi was crazy, a city on steroids, the traffic is relentless so the only way to cross the road is to jump out and hope you don't get hit, like a game of 'chicken'. Once we got used to this it became great fun and often we took the route that involved crossing the road as many times as possible. We stayed at the Ritz (yeah, take your mental image and divide by 10!) and left to explore the Old Quarter. After being chased by a lady selling hats for about half an hour we visited the Ngoc Son Temple, home to the embalmed remains of a giant tortoise (that apparently returned the sword that repelled the Chinese out of Vietnam back to its divine origins), got some dinner (ashamedly at the most Western place we could find...'Le Pub' haha!) and caught a showing at the Water Puppets Theatre. This was set to traditional Vietnamese folk music, and was definitely something different.

The next day the jetlag caught up with us and we didn't materialize until about 3:00 in the afternoon. This pretty much meant it was too late to do anything so we explored more of Hanoi (read: got lost) until we found St. Josephs Cathedral (which, it was good to see, is still functioning rather than being some outdated ruin of a time long past). In the evening we had fun at the supermarket and ate on Hoan Kiem Lake. Hanoi was a real culture shock, from the beautiful architectural designs of the French colonial buildings, to the traffic, to the constant attention from the local people. So we decided to head for the sea and book ourselves a 3 day trip to Halong Bay.

An early start for the minibus that was to take 3 hrs to get to the boat. Onboard we met a crazy French couple, some Belgian girls and Bec, a traveller who'd already been out here for two months and taught us much of the traveller ways (though the 20kg bag will forever remain a mystery!!.....mine and Carolines are only a pathetic 10kg). The boat took us to Surprising Cave (so called because of a 'finger' that sticks out which looks much more like something else that I''ll leave to the imagination) which was very big and then to one of the islands which we climbed and that nearly finished us off. It was worth it though as we were afforded spectacular views of the surrounding bay which is comprised of dramatic limestone cliffs that jutt out of the water. After a huge seafood platter for lunch we kayaked around part of the Bay.

The next day we sailed to Cat Ba National Park where we went trekking through the jungle, as Caroline said a bit like Lost but much more difficult terrain Id like to add!! Halfway through the trek we came across a settlement where an old couple live in solitude surrounded by towering cliffs. They make a living by selling the produce they farm (peanuts and bananas etc) and use it to buy other essentials. When asked what they will do when they are too old or infirm to work the lady replied they "will work there until they die". We felt very privileged to be let in to see their amazing way of life and Caroline was allowed to hold one of the hundreds of baby chickens. To say she was excited would be an understatement (and ok i might have had a hold too). The lady gave us tea and bananas (the best goddamn bananas I ever had) and we went on our way. Later we kayaked again but this time to a secluded beach (like in 'The Beach"!). That night we stayed on Cat Ba Island in a plush hotel.

The last day consisted mainly of jumping from boat to boat to get back to Hanoi. We had initally thought we would be staying at the Ritz again when we got back but chose instead to get the sleeper bus to Ninh Binh. Unfortunately this meant telling our hotel that we weren't going to be staying there anymore and they weren't best pleased so I settled on a 50% cancellation charge. This was our first bad experience yet and it was a shame to end our stay in Hanoi on a bad note. We parted ways with Bec and caught the new strange and exciting bus to Ninh Binh. Sometime during the trip a Vietnamese bloke came up to me curious about my headphones so I gave him a listen. I didn't understand his response but he must have got it since he came back with a copy of Lord of the Rings for me. So if Sigur Ros make it big in Vietnam it's all down to me. Once we arrived we were lucky that some hotel staff had come to meet us and help unload our luggage whilst parked on the highway! It was pitch black so don't know what we would have done without them.

Their kindness extended into the next day when two guys drove us around on motorbikes throughout the day dropping us off at various locations. First up was Tam Coc where the scenery was similar to that of Halong Bay except we were rowed down a river by two ladies. The scenery here also was breathtaking and the ride was only slightly let down by the hassle we received on the way back. I ended up buying the two ladies food, buying a bag and a Tshirt from them, and tipping them. I wouldn't mind but id prefer it to have been a gesture of goodwill rather being told to do it. Still, better that than a crazed Marlon Brando waiting for us though. Next up was Hang Mua where Caroline and I were left on our own to climb a huge cliff which absolutely knackered us but again was worth it for amazing views. Lastly we visited Hoa Lu which many centuries ago was the capital of Vietnam. There wasn't all that much to see but was nice for a gentle stroll before ascending yet another cliff (you can't really call them mountains or hills). Exhausted, we returned to the hotel before catching another 10hr sleeper bus all the way down to Hue where we are currently.

Hue is much more laid back than Hanoi so today we hopped on the back of some motorbikes and visited the ruins of the citadel which was bombed by the Americans. Tomorrow we will hopefully be going on a boat trip that will include a stopoff at a pagoda that was the home of Thich Quang Duc. For anyone who knows Rage Against the Machine he's the one that publicly burned himself to death in 1963 to protest against the policies of the president. The image is used as the front cover of their first album.

Anyway that's about it for now. Right now im in a cafe with better music than anywhere back home (we've just had Dylan, AC/DC, Bloc Party, the Doors, At the Drive In etc etc), and now we're off to eat. Thanks very much for reading.

Tom

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