We arrived in Australia at midnight and it was great to be met by our friend Chris who took us to their lovely home in Duncraig - half hour north of the city of Perth. We enjoyed a nice cup of tea with Diane and Chris, whilst we said hello to the new addition to the family- Diesel the border collie cross husky, who's gorgeous. It was nice to enjoy some creature comforts and we soon felt at home. It's winter here, but not that you'd know. Its lovely and sunny dur...

Sleeper bus journey was fine as it was four hours in the day, wouldn't want to do an overnight as the beds are Vietnamese sized! Stayed at the Botanic Garden Home stay which is more like a good guesthouse. Hoi An is wonderfully flat and so we spent a lot of time on the free bikes. As the weather is really hot, cycling gives a refreshing breeze. We spent a morning with a local family, there was a sign outside their house inviting you in to see their house and how ...

Hue is a lovely city set on a River and the town is decorated in national flags to celebrate Liberation day- the end of the war for independance from the french in 1954. We booked a car and driver to take us to visit the royal tombs that are dotted around outside of the city. Hue was the ancient capital of Vietnam and many emperors from the 18th and 19th centuries built lovely palaces and tombs in the area. The first one we visit has several buildings set around...

We leave the hectic City of Hanoi behind and travel south to Ninh Binh (cool name huh?!) We'd hoped to travel by train but there is a public holiday so the train is fully booked. Instead we pay US $5 each and join a tour that's visiting some sites near to Ninh Binh, that will leave us there. In fact we get a free tour with a great guide who explains the sights we visit- we just have to buy the entrance tickets. First stop is an ancient capital of Vietnam (968-100...

Hanoi is a world away from Luang Prabang and Laos. The streets are a maddness of car and scooters. Sooo many scooters travelling in all directions and with all sorts of cargo. We are staying in a nice small hotel in Old Hanoi, ensuite room with a window (apparantly a rarity in Hanoi) but we've had to pay a frightening 450,000 VND per night. Frightening amount until you translate it to 12.20 GBP! Visited the city's landmarks; Literature Temple, where the local s...