Winding Roads and Shabby Abodes

The following morning the owners of our guest house kindly drive us to the coach station so we could catch a bus to Pai. We went along with the same mind-set we’d been living with for a while – turn up and hope for the best. Luckily due to the immense regularity of the coaches in Thailand we managed to book onto a coach with ease and hopped on ready for another long journey.

We had been warned about the roads leading up to Pai, and these warnings were totally warranted. Having never suffered from travel sickness in my life, even I felt uncomfortable on this journey. It was a good solid 4 hours of constant winding roads and i must admit, it was quite a relief to finally arrive in Pai.

The town was beautiful, had a real bohemian feel about it. There were beautiful craft stalls all the way down the main roads, with many amazing food stalls too! The best thing we ate had to be the lasagne – amazing! A must try! After exploring the beautiful town and it’s stalls we decided to head back to our guesthouse….

Now, I use this term very lightly. Considering it was about £2 a night, we probably shouldn’t have expected much, but lets just say it very much lived up to it’s name – ‘Ming’. On the positive side it was a room with proper beds and we had it to ourselves. However the tin roof mixed with 30 degree heat and no air-con just wasn’t a good mix.

The next day we decided to make the most of our time and see all of the sights. Firstly we made our way to the Pai Split, which was created by a huge earthquake and as a consequence ruined the land which was used to harvest crops. Instead of letting the land go to waste the family now use it as a tourist attraction and it was well worth the visit. When we arrived we were ushered to a picnic bench and presented with a buffet of fruit and snacks and the most delicious Roselle juice – which we got seconds of. After the delicious array of snacks we walked up to the split, and I mean there’s not much to say about it, apart from that it was a land split. But really in hindsight that really wasn’t what made that trip so special it was the lovely hosts and the story behind it.

On our way to the main event, the Pai Canyon, we stopped off at the strawberry fields and took the opportunity of the many strawberry themed props dotted around the fields, to take some photos.

Once we had maxed out the photo opportunities we headed to the canyon in time for the sun set. It was lovely walking around the canyons and even brought a little adrenaline to our day, walking along the smaller parts of the canyon to get to good look outs. That evening, once we had got back into town and had the beloved lasagne, we headed out to try some of the bars with friends we bumped into earlier.

 

Slow-boats and Anecdotes

On 18th March we were picked up from our hostel in Luang Prabang and driven to the river in order to catch our boat to the Thai border. The first day we traveled along the Mekong river for about 8 hours and eventually arrived in the small town of Pak Being early evening. Once we arrived in the small town we quickly made arrangements to stay in a very basic guesthouse and went to a small restaurant two minutes down the road. We decided to get an early night as we had to get up early in the morning and were exhausted from the journey.

The next morning we made our way back down to the river and got onboard another boat. Again we had a very relaxing journey just taking in the beautiful sights along the river and enjoying the openness of the boat compared to a stuffy bus. The slow boat was an excellent way to travel, even though it increased the journey by a day it was well worth it for the relaxing atmosphere and stunning views. The only slight negative was that we had very little time to get from the bus to the border in Huay Xai before it closed. While trying to arrange a transfer we got speaking to some other travellers and they said how they had heard that some of the boat companies arrange to be as slow as possible in order to bring custom to the guesthouses just before the border. We managed to make our way through immigration with no qualms and were dropped off into the centre of Chiang Rai at around 8:30pm. After having dinner at our beloved Pizza Company we got a lift to our guesthouse which was about a 20 minute drive out of the town centre.

The next morning we decided to head to the White Temple, which seemed to be placed quite unexpectedly beside a busy road in quite a built up area. The exquisitely grand, palace like temple, glistened in the beautiful sunshine. The jewels that surrounded it sparkled against the pristine white exterior and the detail of the architecture really made it something to behold. It was by far the most beautiful temple that we had seen during our whole trip. After taking in the temple and the gallery within the grounds we got a lift back to the main town centre. We then decided to head into the ‘Cat Cafe’ across the road where we were able to enjoy both a delicious drink and sit with the cats, whom were unsurprisingly not interested in us at all. After that we headed to the large shopping centre that we had been in before the White Temple and decided that we should take the opportunity to watch Beauty and the Beast as it had a cinema.

It will never not strike me how cheap the cinema tickets are in Asia, compared to home and it was definitely a wise choice picking Beauty and the Beast. We all left the cinema with a smile on our faces – a wonderful end to an amazing day.

 

Waterfalls and Waterworks

After 6 nights in crazy Vang Vieng we decided it was time to head to the more chilled ‘Luang Praban’g on 13th March for our final week or so in Laos.

We arrived at our hostel early evening and by that time we were ready for some dinner. We knew there was a night market about 10 minutes from our hostel so decided to head there to see if there was any food. Once we arrived it seemed to be just like the one in Vientiane – full of everything but food. We then bumped into a couple of girls who were eating freshly cooked food and asked them where the got it from. They then pointed us in the direction of a small side street off the main market.

As we turned down this cramped street it was full of many weird and wonderful stalls separated by large dining tables for people to enjoy their meals. Slightly further down where loads of buffet style stalls filled with pasta salads, vegetables, noodles and many more amazing things. It was about £2 for a bowl and you could surprisingly fit quite a lot in. It was delicious and we were extremely grateful to finally have some fresh vegetables.

We had also heard that the Luang Prabang Coconut Pancakes were incredible and a must try, so we decided to get some for dessert. Unfortunatley they were not what we were expecting at all – the outside was nice but the texture inside was like they were uncooked. Maybe we just had a bad batch, but unfortunatley they were a big let down.

The 14th March took an unexpected turn. Hannah had still been feeling quite unwell – having not fully recovered from Koh Rong fever! She had a lack of appetite and lost a lot of weight. We had been concerned but she’d said that she wanted to wait until we got to Chaing Mai in Thailand as the medical treatment would be so much better. However, late morning we decided we would walk to a small French bakery for some brunch. Once we got there it was very clear that she wasn’t very well and she needed to see a doctor. After we had finished our lunch we headed back to our hostel and got a taxi straight to the hospital. Safe to say when we arrived it wasn’t the most advanced hospital we had ever seen and the language barrier was a slight problem but Hannah was taken to a private room and put under the care of a doctor who spoke good English. After a few hours the blood test results revealed that she was severely dehydrated and had an infection in her stomach, which she was given antibiotics for. Was a great relief to know she would be ok and feel better after a few days of medication.

Before arriving in Luang Prabang we had heard of an organisation called ‘Big Brother Mouse.’ It was a volunteering organisation in which students would attend out of their school time in order to practice their English skills. Unfortunately Hannah still wasn’t quote feeling up to it the following day so Jess, Molly and I headed up there for 9am. the session lasted until 11am and we loved it so much we ended up staying the whole time. It was fascinating talking to the girls and boys who had chosen out of their own accord to attend the session. They were all incredibly ear to learn and it was inspiring to witness their appreciation and passion for learning. For the rest of the day we headed to the popular bar and restaurant ‘Utopia’. Where we sat and enjoyed the cushioned seats and the delicious food.

The next day we decided to head to the Kuang Si waterfall, which was about an hours drive away on a took took from the centre of Luang Prabang. Sadly hannah still hadn’t quite recovered so she stayed behind. But myself, Jess, Molly and a few girls from our dorm made our way to the waterfall. After watching the bears that they had at the sanctuary based at the waterfall it took us about 10-15 minutes to walk up its brink. During our journey to the top there were many smaller falls and pools formed by its journey downwards. Once we had reached the top we began to make our way down, taking the opportunity to take photos and enjoy the extremely fresh temperature of the water.

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The following morning we decided we wanted to get up to witness the tradition of Almsgiving. It is a ceremony in which the Buddhist monks make their way through the town collecting offerings from the public which then consist of their meal for the day. It happens daily at sunrise and therefore we set our alarms at around 4:30 ready to get a good spot to witness the procession. It was an incredibly peaceful and enlightening ceremony to witness and we were amazed by the level of respect that the monks receive from the Buddhist community.

For the next coupe of days we just relaxed and enjoyed the calm and peaceful town of Luang Prabang. We enjoyed our last moments of relaxation in ‘Utopia’ and the delicious banana pancakes that were served to us for breakfast. For our journey back over to Thailand we decided to get the two day slow boat. It was pretty much the same price as a coach but we had heard that the views and the more relaxed environment made it a much better way of travel than the coach.

Pool days to Whiskey nights

During our time in Vientiane we took the time to relax after a manic couple of weeks travelling around Vietnam. We located a local pool two minutes down the road from our hostel so we spent three days just soaking up the sun and enjoying the pool.

About 5 minute walk down the road from our hostel was a busy nightmarket. It was full of clothes, accessories and small nick nacks but unfortunately no food. After walking all the way to the end we were really getting desperate for something to eat. Luckily on our way along we bumped into one of the girls from the awful Vietnam bus who told us about a Kebab stall across the road that was really good and really cheap. So after treating ourselves to one of those and an ice cream we decided to escape the Mosquitos and head back home. For our final night we headed back to the road opposite the market where we descovered more eating places and enjoyed some traditional crispy noodles.

In the afternoon of 7th March we took the minibus to Vang Vieng. As we had some time the morning we decided to make the most of it and see a couple of sites of Vientiane. We haggled down a taxi to take us to both the Arch de Triumph and the Stupa as they were the main two things we wanted to see. Once we arrived at the Arch we were suddenly accosted by two Asian ladies who wanted to have their photo taken with us. We didn’t mind so happily agreed but then all of a sudden there was a queue of people wanting to have their photo taken with us. We felt like we were the attraction rather that the historical Arch. After that we headed to the Stupa, we didn’t have much time and wanted to save our money so just enjoyed it from the outside. By this time we were also aware that it would be very similar inside to the many temples we had already seen.

We arrived in Vang Vieng in the evening of the 7th and after being directed to our hostel by a friendly English guy we settled into our cramped dorm. However, we instantly got talking to a guy from Newcastle who told us how much fun it was there and all about tubing so the room didn’t seem too bad. We also learnt that our hostel provided us with Whiskey until 10pm and then everyone headed to the club 2 minutes down the road called Viva. Despite it being quite small it was so much fun and so convienient.

This became our routine for the next few days, while we enjoyed the Friends Cafe during the day and Viva at night. During our time there we also met a group of 4 friends who were travelling together and were from Exmouth. We all got chatting and ended up becoming one big group!

On our fourth day we finally managed to go tubing – what Vang Vieng is known for. Years ago tubing was known for being very extreme and incredibly dangerous but in recent years it has been completely regulated and so much safer. We weren’t really sure what to expect but once we got there it was just like being on a lazy river. In fact it was the laziest river I had ever seen as it took us over 2 hours to travel down the length of it. At one point I even had to towe Jess along as it was taking so long. There was only one ‘bar’ along the way which just provided some tables where most people were just sat chatting.

Tubing was definitely an experience that I’m glad I had, but by the end it became very tiring having to hold myself up on the rubber ring and if the river had been slightly quicker it would’ve been more exciting.

A terrible journey

As I had mentioned at the end of my last blog, the taxi journey didn’t really set us up for the best of evenings.

 After we had got back to our hostel, organised our bags and got some food ready for the mamouth 22 hour journey from Hanoi to Vientien, we were led to a spot at the side of the road to wait for the bus to pick us up. After standing there for about 25 minutes with no information or explanation we were ushered into a minibus. During about the hour – hour 1/2 journey we picked up more people and were eventually dropped off at a coach station full of larger sleeper busses. 

We were pros at them by now so took our shoes off ready (no shoes allowed inside the bus), quickly got on and set up camp in some beds. All of a sudden the atmosphere changed and all of a sudden we got the sense that this journey wasn’t quite going to go as smoothly as we had hoped. The bus assistant quickly stormed over and started aggressively shouting at us and pointing at other seats. We tried to explain how as it was such a long journey we wanted to sit together. He proceeded to shout, grab our arms, attempt to grab our things so we gave up and moved. We were then showed to some seats right at the back of the bus on the lower floor, which had no windows and was extremely cramped. It then became apparent that the bus was split, all the westerners at the back and Asians at the front of the bus. 

After that rocky start to the journey we settled down, watched films on our tablets, read our books and slept. We were then disturbed by the assistant clambering behind us right to the back of the bus and stuffing what looked like t-shirts under the seats through the back window. It was evident something sketchy was happening as he seemed very on edge and was working as quickly as he could. After about 4 hours we had a stop at one of the local service stops where things went downhill again. We were refused entry back onto the coach for a good 15 minutes with no explanation as they continued to manoeuvre and stuff these t-shirts into hidden compartments within the bus. Luckily during this time we made friends with an English couple called Mo and Paul who reassured us that it was all fine. 

A few hours later we arrived at the border but because it was the early hours of the morning the border wasn’t actually open. The driver turned off the engine and went to the back of the bus where the t-shirts were and fell asleep, once again with no explanation to us passengers. 

In the morning we were once again given no information and had to find out for ourselves that we had to walk through border control and then in order to get our visas we had to walk another 1km or so. After waiting for a good hour and a half and paying £40 we had our visa for Laos and walked back to the coach. Only to realised we had another 16 hours left of our journey when we had already been travelling for about 10. 

We returned to our cramped beds at the back of the bus and I attempted to get some sleep as I had had very little the night before. Again, after a few hours the bus stopped. We assumed this was a toilet break so got off and crossed the road to use it. As we got out of the toilet we saw our coach drive off into the distance. By this point our journey had been so horrific we weren’t even surprised and had to laugh. Luckily we were with a couple of other people from our coach so we headed over to a shop across the road and bought some crisps and some drink. About 5 minutes later one of the boys from England and the couple we had met earlier found us and explained that luckily the bus had stopped up the road at a service stop. 

Once we were reunited with the rest of the coach and waited for them to finish their meals we headed back on the road. Finally after a few more hours and the grand total of 26 hours of travelling we arrived at Vientien bus station, only to find that the nightmare didn’t stop there. 

Throughout the journey we had joked about one of our bags going missing…only to realise once we got off the coach that Jess’s really had vanished. We spent hours talking to the coach drivers, police men and the bus station workers only for them to talk between themselves and not help us. After not getting anywhere in the main office and not being told any information we spotted Molly running across the car park towards us. We lept out of our seats knowing it was either going to be really good news or really bad news. Within seconds of standing outside two men were carrying over Jess’s bag. It had somehow been put onto another tuk tuk and had been brought back. 

After the long and challenging journey we eventually arrived at our hostel in the centre of Vientien and treated ourselves to a Pizza Company for dinner. After that we vowed never to cross a border on a coach again.

Goodbye Vietnam

On the 2nd March we made our way back to Hanoi for our last couple of days in Vietnam. We arrived early afternoon and once we had settled into our hotel room we decided to go and explore as we didn’t have long in the city! 

We visited a temple within the city, the ones in Vietnam were different to the ones we had seen before. Unlike Cambodia and Thailand they weren’t huge old buildings they were usually in a small building and full of the sacred animals and insense. There were people praying and giving the gods offerings and they were full of extravagant gold detailing. 

After the temple we headed to the large indoor market in the city. The main building was surrounded by all of the food sellers, we saw everything from huge fish being gutted to pig trotters. We then headed inside to the main market building. It was full of everything from fake designer handbags to small trinkets. After wandering around for a while we were determined to find a nice bracelet from Vietnam as we had been collecting them from each country we had visited. After some more haggling we managed to bargain ourselves four Vietnamese bracelets. 

On our way back to our hostel we stopped by the Old City gates and the went to a Harry Potter cafe that we had spotted on the map called ‘Always’. The sign was made from the Deathly Hallows symbol and inside it was decorated with a wealth of Harry Potter memorabilia. They had covered a wall with newspaper articles, hung up gowns from each of the houses and dotted around items such as the sorting hat and a wand. The menu was also Potter themed and we couldn’t resist trying a butter beer. It tasted just like a Coke float with whipped cream on top. I can’t say it was the nicest drink I’ve had but at least I tried it. 

That evening we had an early night and relaxed in our room as we had a busy day in the morning full of the Temple of Literature and travelling across the border to Laos, which wasn’t until the evening. As we had a free morning we decided to go and visit the Temple of Literature. It took us about half an hour to walk there and cost about £2 to enter. The Temple itself was situated inside a walled complex. There were beautiful gardened areas and other small buildings around it. While we were there we whitenessed another graduation just like we had in Ho Chi Minh. The Temple itself was very similar to other ones inside as it contained many of the scared animals and was extravagantly decorated. 

After wandering around the grounds and taking in the atmosphere we decided to head to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and his Grande Palace. We had to pay entry which made us question whether we should bother but we knew we had nothing else to see and would be worth it for the history and the beauty of the gardens. 

It was clear that the Mausoleam was very important to the Vietnamese as it was heavily guarded and there was a strict barrier on the path that you could not walk into. After walking past the monument we walked around the grounds of Ho Chi Minh’s palace. We walked around the large lake in front of the main house, saw the house on stilts, Ho Chi Minh’s cars and rooms used for important meetings. On our way out we also stopped by the One Pillar Pagoda, an historic Buddhist temple that is regarded alongside the Perfume Temple as one of Vietnam’s most iconic. 

We decided to jump into a taxi to get back to our hostel ready for our bus to Laos as it would’ve been tight if we had walked. We got into a taxi with a metre which is the recommended way as they are unable to just make up a price…or so we thought. After about a 10 minute journey to the centre of town, close to our hostel the metre had gone up to about £40. We were in shock and tried to question the price. We realised we didn’t even have enough cash on us to afford it. The driver proceeded to check our purses to prove that we didn’t have enough so just took what we had and let us go. We were so relieved that we hadn’t drawn out the money ready for our visas for when we got to Laos. 

After a lovely day seeing some sights and enjoying the sunshine we were left with a bit of a negative incident, however it didn’t change how we felt about the city or vietnam as a whole! Unfortunately this was only a sign of what was to come for our journey across the border.

Ha’long’ journey across Vietnam

The morning of the 26th February we got some brunch at our guesthouse before catching the bus to Huè. We arrived at about 5:30pm a few minutes walk from our hostel. We were given a warm welcome and offered a good deal on a tour of the city for the next day. After settling into our room we went to find somewhere to get some food. We had seen a place called ‘Little Italy’ online so decided to see what it was like. When we arrived it looked like we had walked into an Italian resturaunt at home but for half the price. It was one of our favourite meals of the whole trip (felt slightly guilty it wasn’t traditional but we had eaten plenty of noodles in the previous weeks).

We had to be downstairs ready for 8:30am the next morning. Before we were picked up we quickly had some breakfast at our hostel and then made our way to the river to catch our boat tour. Our first stop was the main temple of the city, which was good to see but they were all becoming very similar so we didn’t stay long. Next we were taken to the Princess House which was owned by a man and his family. It had been passed down through generations and boasted a garden full of many exotic fruits. Unfortunately we were seeing it out of season so it wasn’t very fruitful and slightly disappointing.

After the garden we were dropped off on the outskirts of the famous citidel. The huge ancient city within the city was made up of different sections, used by the Old emporers, his family and politicians. It contained gardens, royal halls and many courtyards. It was quite a maze so we managed to get a bit lost finding the exit but eventually found our way out. We had had quite a long morning so by the time we left the citidel we were quite hungry. Because it was cheap and we knew we liked it we decided to head back to ‘Little Italy.’After our dinner we headed back to our hostel and waited for our bus to Halong Bay.

After another night spent on a night bus we arrived into Hanoi city at about 5am, we were then told we would have to wait until 8/9am to get our transfer to Halong Bay. We were particularly annoyed as this stop over had not been explained to us and there was very little open at that time of the morning. We found a small cafe round the corner but the owner spoke very little English and didn’t seem to eager to help us. After walking around to the centre of the city we found a ‘Highlands Coffee’ that was open. We could buy a baguette for 19 Dong which converts to about 50p. After getting a drink and something to eat we made our way back to the bus stop and picked up our private minibus to Halong Bay around 9:30am.

We arrived into Halong Bay at around 11am and haggled down a taxi to drop us off outside of our hostel. As we drove in it was apparent that there wasn’t much to the town, it was pretty much empty of people, tourists and hotels. Unfortunately as we had hit the north of Vietnam it was also very grey and overcast. Once we had settled into our room we caught up on some sleep after the 12hour journey we had endured. When we woke up we were all quite peckish so decided to walk down the road to see what we could find. About 10 minutes down the road we found a small restaurant that had a couple of other tourists in and had a cheap burger and chips – who knows what meat it was – we tried not to think about it!

Opposite our hostel was a large theme park that still seemed to be under construction but as we walked home we could hear screams and saw that some of the rides were in use. We walked around to see what there was but it was still fairly unbuilt and a ticket was still quite expensive so we just went home for a relaxing night of watching films on the tv on our room.

The following morning we woke up early to catch breakfast before we went to the bay for some kayaking. We were picked up at about 9am and got in a minibus which took us to the pier. We had to wait a while for us to be led to the ticket barrier and onto the long boat that was taking us on the tour around the bay. After about a 15 minute journey we arrived at our first stop, the bay where we got off to kyak. After nervously lowering ourselves into the kayak myself and Jess managed to get the hang of it and set off at a good pace. We spotted a cave which people were going into so we decided to follow. Once we went though the entrance it opened up into a small bag of itself where we took the opportunity to take lots of photos. We were allowed about 40 minutes for the kayaking so headed back once we had explored and taken enough photos.

Our next stop was the caves and on the way we were shown chicken island (a small piece of rock that had a slight resemblance to a chicken). After climbing up some stairs we entered the caves which were beautifully lit with coloured lights and full of natural waterfalls. We were then driven back to our hostel where we got some dinner and had another relaxing evening.

Happy days in Hoi An

We arrived in Hoi An early in the morning of 25th February. We had welcomed in Jess’s birthday while on the bus and were looking forward to a busy day exploring and celebrating! Once we arrived to our guesthouse we were informed that all of the electricity in the city was out because of a glitch in the generator. As it was still so early we made use of the dark room and caught up on our lack of sleep for a few hours. 

We headed to the Old City around 11am. On our way into the city we saw some traditional fruit sellers sat outside a temple. They saw us taking photos and asked if we wanted to try. To say thank you we bought a piece of fruit each but unfortunately it wasn’t very nice so had to throw it away – at least we got a good picture! 

We had to pay for a ticket to enter the vinicity of the Old City and it gave us entry to 5 of the main attractions. After walking around and taking in the sites, like the Japanese bridge, we decided to get some lunch. We all really wanted to try some traditional Vietnamese food so between the four of us we had Kao Lao (beef and noodle dish), wantons, spring rolls and dumplings. It was so nice, we were so relieved as we were very tired of the food from Cambodia so worried it would be similar to that. 

After lunch we went to one of the Old houses in the city which was owned by one of the wealthy families who settled there and then went into a couple of temples. We were also very excited to get some clothing hand made for us – as Hoi An is particularly famous for this. As we were asking about prices in a few shops it was slightly more expensive than our budget could reach. Eventually we all found some pre-made tops that were made from loads of different materials so got one of those each. 

We then made our way back into the city to buy tickets to the famous water puppet show – which is traditional to Vietnam. A couple hours later we made our way to the small stadium in which the show was held. We managed to get there quite early so had perfect seats. The show involved mini shows lasting of about 5/10 minutes each and included all of the sacred animals such as the dragon, peacock and fish. 

After the show we headed back into the city to get some dinner and celebrate Jess’s birthday. At the bar Jess was told she would receive a birthday treat which turned out to include huge sparklers, a drink and a special shoutout! 

Mui-Ne and Nha Trang

We arrived in Mui-Ne at about 11:30pm. We were lucky enough to be dropped off right outside our hostel. We had been able to book ourselves a private room for just as cheap as a dorm so were already looking forward to having our own space but when we walked in we felt like we were living in luxury. It was still quite basic but was very clean and we had a modern bathroom. Since it had been a long day and we were very tired we went straight to bed. 

The following morning we went on the hunt for some breakfast only to discover there weren’t many places open and it seemed like quite a quiet town. Eventually we came across another hostel that offered breakfast so we ate there. We then decided we would head to the pool for a couple of ours at our hostel before heading on the Fairy Stream and Sandune tour that afternoon. 

The jeep picked us up from our hostel and the first stop was the Fairy Stream. Which was about 5 minutes down the road. You had to leave your shoes at the entrance and walk along the stream which led you through the red sandunes – lots of photo opportunities! After the stream we were driven through the fishing village and then to the white sandunes to watch the sunset. The white sandunes are known to be so big that you can sledge down them. We had heard that unless you’re almost weightless it doesn’t really work but decided to hire one between the four of us as to not waste much money. After clambering up the dunes we gave it a go and worked better than we expected but didn’t really travel too far. We then stopped to take in the sunset before heading back to our hostel. 

The next morning we checked out of our hostel ready to move onto our next destination – Nha Trang. After about a 6 hour journey we arrived and after dropping our bags off into our room we headed out for some dinner. We came across a restaurant that looked quite modern and full of people outside so decided to head in. However, after waiting over an hour to be served our chips, which were cold and then another half an hour for our dinners we were extremely disappointed. After managing to haggle for a discount we decided to treat ourselves to an icecream sundae. We then decided to head to Zima Bar for some belated birthday celebrations as it was the first chance we had and we were all feeling so much better. 

The 24th February was our last day in Nha Trang. We had booked a night bus for that evening so decided to make the most of it and head to see the Cham Towers. Before we went we decided to walk along the beach, which was across the road from our hotel to get some breakfast. After walking for about 5 minutes we found a hotel restaurant that looked really nice and served good food. We were so hungry so decided to sit there. It then turned out it was called ‘Ocean Beach Club’ which was one of the most well known bars/hotels in the city. As it was Jess’s birthday the next day we asked if they could do anything with her dessert. After a lot of excitement shown from the staff they came over singing happy birthday, a free cheesecake and a special rainbow cocktail. 

After our breakfast/lunch we headed to the towers and as it was a beautiful day and the views were stunning. In order to enter the temples we had to put on special coats to cover ourselves. They also had some ladies performing a traditional dance outside the towers which included the use of pots and scarves. As we still had some time left we went to see the ‘Long Son’ temple and pagoda and after a struggle up quite a few steps we found the huge Buddha. Then we headed back to our hostel to catch the bus to Hoi An ready for Jess’s birthday.  

Venturing into Vietnam

On 18th February we got on our way to Vietnam. Once again we discovered that the journey wasn’t going to be quite as straightforward as we planned. We were taken to the border on one bus which took about half an hour and then we had to walk with our bags into a building to get our passports stamped out of Cambodia. We then driven further along the border so we could go through immigration at the Vietnamese side. We were all feeling very delicate still and then realised they were taking temperatures. Luckily our internal temperatures were ok even though we were worried about how hot we were. There was also some confusion regarding our visa as some people were saying we had to pay and some were saying the 2 week visa didn’t exist. After about an hours wait it was all sorted with no issues. We walked up to our next bus and settled back into our nightbus beds for the journey. 

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City at around 10pm. We jumped straight into a taxi to take us to our hostel. As we pulled up we drove down a road full of bars and restaurants and rammed with people. The taxi began to slow down and realised our hostel was in fact part of the famous Bui Vien road. Despite it being loud we were all so tired we didn’t even notice and slept right through. 

The next morning we woke up ready to see the sights of the city as we knew we couldn’t spend much time there. We were in a really central location so it didn’t take long to walk to places. On our way to the War Reminence museum we came across a church which had a lovely shrine to The Virgin Mary. We also bumped into one of the men who worked at the church and helped direct us on how to get to the museum. 
Once we got there we realised it had closed for lunch so we decided to go and see The Central Post Office and the Vietnamese Notre Dame. After looking around we headed back to the museum so we had enough to see everything. 

The museum was very interesting. As you walked in they had all of the different American tanks, planes and helicopters and then the building was made up of 3 floors, each one relating to a different part of the war. The top two floors were the most shocking. There were hundreds of pictures showing the damage that the use of Agent Orange caused on the people of Vietnam. We all noticed that the museum was incredibly biased but also very focused on now being a very peaceful country.

The next morning on 20th February we headed to the Cu Chi Tunnels. We had booked a group tour through our hostel so was picked up right outside. Our guide was very enthusiastic and would mix English words up sometimes but provided us with a lot of information. We were shown the entrance to the tunnels which was so small it would be impossible for anyone of this generation to fit into. We were then shown all of the different traps used to kill or severely injur the American soldiers. At the end of the tour we were able to enter the tunnels. As you went further down they got smaller and smaller, the first being you had to crouch and the last laying flat. Me and Hannah didn’t feel too well and was such a tight space we didn’t walk through them but Jess and Molly braved two levels and we met them at the other end. After the tour we headed back to our hostel ready to catch our bus to our next destination – Mui Ne