Vietnam

Vietnam... 

Finally, a reliable internet connection! Hard to believe that X-Mas and the New Year have passed us by. I have truly been living in my very own little Vietnamese bubble, and it's been fantastic.

So far:

Hanoi, Sapa, Hue, Hoi An... and Ninh Binh. Everything has been absolutely incredible from the food to the people. Biking around country roads in Sapa, meeting the locals and being stared at... 

         Timetable so far:

VIETNAM

 

 

The journey so far :

 

TGV Avignon – Paris

Paris – spend night in Youth Hostel (gross and expensive)

Paris – plane delayed on runway for approx. 3 hours (due to snow)

Paris to Moscow – arrive 3 hours late : annoying drunk noisy woman next to us / Japanese tooth smiley guy / buying Sobranies

Meet 2 angry Armenians in Moscow airport – both musicians, very nice

Finally plane from Moscow to Hanoi!

Arrive in Hanoi, change 100 euros – instant millionaire!

Taxi to Hanoi city centre – try to bargain, but end up paying more anyway

Hanoi Youth Hotel ($20/night) – great atmosphere, friendly staff

Adam ill (sleep) // meet Paddy, Darryl, Aaron and Eliza

Go for meal at some backpacker restaurant (delicious and cheap!)

Beer @ Bia Hoi = 3000 dong (10p)

Browse around HA NOI (lake, Old Quarter, markets)

Dinner @ Thai Express (opposite lake)

Scary, stalking T-shirt woman

Aaron sick // French Hospital with weird Peter cult worshipper

 

 

Ha Noi Highlights:

 

Darryl’s 60^th Birthday Meal

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (the atmosphere was incredible)

Ho Chi Minh Museum

Finding the world’s best glasses

Cheap beer at Bia Hoi Junction

Seeing the giant turtle specimen and Mage Guild Level 2

The really friendly and cheerful staff @ the hotel

Drinking vast quantities of rum in the pool room

The delicious vegetable noodle breakfast in the hotel

Street food

Specialised roads (tin, shoes etc)

Shoe shine and fix (“Nomba 1 // You bery rucky” )

 

Overnight train to SAPA

 

Amazing sleep on train – feels like being rocked to sleep

Arrive in Lao Cai (on the Chinese border)

Bus up to Sapa (1h) – feel extremely car sick (6 a.m.)

Arrive Sapa @ Sapa Rooms – the cult of Pete unleashed

After 10 mins, decide that Pete is annoying // look for other hotel

Sapa Rooms “boutique” hotel = $44/night, Mountain View Hotel (which has amazing views over the mountains) only $20/night. Pete annoying, doesn’t let us change hotels, so now stuck at expensive Sapa Rooms (no free coffee in the morning!)

Explore Sapa – accosted by ethnic minority women (Red Zao / Hmong)

Eat @ Chocolat & Baguettes (delicious laksa)

Gorgeous views – walk to nearby village (Cat Cat) / Fairy Stream / beautiful lush countryside

Buy some goodies from the women selling handmade local crafts

Go back to Sapa on motorbike

Shower, food (Vietnamese food // yummy fish hot plate)

 

Rent bikes = 100’000 dong/ day (around £3.50)

Drive 12 km to nearby village – leave bikes and go to waterfall

Puppies

Drive a bit further // road very rough – highest pass in Vietnam

Go back to Sapa // food = squid on hot plate

 

Rent bikes again – this time 90’000 dong

Drive to other villages (Red Zao village, expensive coffee, accosted)

Drive through village

Herbal bath with Eliza (70’000 dong)

Ride back to Sapa

Secret Santa

X-Mas Meal in Sapa

Sleep early 

 

Start travelling again // to Hoi An

Overnight train to Ha Noi

Rent $25 room between 4 (“buffet breakfast”) @ Amazing Hotel

Overnight bus (gross!) to Hue

Delicious food @ service station

4h (unexpected) wait @ Hue

Go to “Forbidden City”, Hue after very greasy noodles

Further 4h bus to Hoi An

Arrive Hoi An // hotel Trahn Vahn II = $18/night

HOI AN

Tailors:

Dong A Silk: Adam’s ‘Nom de Guerre’ coat ($140)

Kimmy: Shirt ($20), dress ($30), copy purple dress ($15), coat lining replace ($10)

Shoes: Vivienne Westwood ‘Pirate boots’ ($45), flats ($11) and Mary –Jane brogue heels ($15)

Walk around Hoi An

Go to Bobo’s twice (good White Rose and Cao Lao)

Bucket drinks @ Messi’s (play some of our song requests)

Buy coffee (ca phe) tin drip things

Some kind of light festival ($5 set meal) 

Japanese bridge

Café 43 (amazing cheap stuffed squid, seafood noodles and beer)

Buy books (150’000 dong for 2)

 

MY SON (tour = $ 5 )

Get on smelly + hot tour bus

Bad cough (since last night)

Go to My Son (‘meeson’)

Break away from tour group

Explore ruin sites (too many tourists!)

Back to bus // transfer to boat

Knock over food on boat

Go to handicraft village island

Back to Hoi An (why do we always see the grossest tourist here – complete with hat and awful lesbian boots)

 

Hoi An

Tired, general heat-induced malaise

Pick up shoes + disgusting dress (can’t believe I wasted $30!) – the dress is HUGE and highly unflattering (I don’t think the Vietnamese tailors understand curves)

Dinner @ Café 43 again (£3.50)

Extreme fatigue and want to play HOMMIII

 

2010 – Happy New Year ! (on the sleeper bus for 14h!)

Leave for Ninh Bihn @ 2pm

1h stop (change bus) @ Hue

6pm to 5am on the gross sleeper bus to N.B. 

Ninh Binh:

Arrive @ Ngoc Ahn Hotel

Hire bikes - ride ride ride

Tam Coc - the 'inland Halong Bay' - absolutely beautiful and misty

Ride ride ride (awkward goat meal and ca phe)