Around The World With 30 Litres On My Back

The Typhoon Cometh…

Vietnamese night buses are a true test of traveller strength. How will you cope with drivers who overtake zooming HGVs in the face of oncoming traffic? How will you react when you’re barked orders to take your goddamn falang-xa ass off the bus and get thrown with your backpack onto the streets in the middle of the night? And that’s before we get into the issues of Vietnamese music being blared loudly when you are trying to sleep, dealing with feeling very hot, and then very cold, and being too tall to fit into the sleeping cubby (not an issue for me but very much so for every dude I’ve spoken to about this over 5’9″)

We were woken up at 5am or so and commanded off the bus. We werent meant to arrive for another 90 minutes! The town was awake however, but in the dark I couldnt tell if I was seeing people on their way to work, or people traipsing home from a late-night bar. I stood in the middle of the pavement, dazed and confused. 2 French women and a trio of North Americans who’d travelled with me from Hoi An huddled with me; we’d made the 12 hour journey despite being chucked off our first bus because it was overcrowded and there was nowhere for us to sit, (and then sitting in the road for half an hour waiting for another bus) constant weaving in and out of traffic lanes and then trying to sleep whilst travelling over bumpy roads. And that’s before I get into the puker at the back whose vomit was well stinky!

The American and 2 Canadians were heading to the same hostel as me so we grouped together and haggled for a taxi, got them down to 40,000 for all of us. We later heard of a guy who jumped on the back of a motorbike to the same place and got ripped off for 200,000 VND. Duh!

Dawn came quickly and we sat outside the hostel waiting to be allowed in. I considered going to get breakfast but decided I was actually too knackered and as soon as I could get into my room, at about 7, I did and slept through until the afternoon. My dorm room had a widescreen TV, computer and hair straighteners in! Not bad. Bed was real comfy too.

Now, remember I haven’t seen the sun since leaving Laos. Things were about to get a whole heap worse… The dawn had been bright, but I woke up after 12 to the sound of… rain?! Is that rain?? A girl came to join our dorm. She told me she’d been in Nha Trang for 5 days and had had a great time on the beach but it was now raining. Great. Id come to Nha Trang to relax on the beach and lie in the sun. Maybe there was something else I could do? The girl told me there wasnt a heap of stuff to do but she could show me around town if I liked? So off we went. I saw the beach and the bars and a good place to get ice cream. But there really wasnt a lot to do so I agreed to meet the girl later for dinner then went and sat in the gelateria for 4 hrs.

The rain continued. Sometimes soft and drizzly and sometimes hard and heavy. But it continued.

I later met the girl for dinner. Her name was Denise. When you travel alone, a friendly face, a good conversation and a sense of fun can be all that matters. Though conversations generally start with exchanges of names and where we come from, they dont always and sometimes with conversations that dont, you know you’ve made a good friend; those little things like what you do at home dont matter much. We joined up with a lovely girl called Hannah who was on her way back to the UK after 2 years living in Oz and working in the Outback. Her stories fascinated me.

A girl bounced into our dorm the next day (and who I also shared a dorm with in Mui Ne and helped find her hostel in Saigon) and announced that a typhoon was on the way (hadnt stopped raining). Immediately, Hannah and I logged on to find out more. Indeed. A rogue typhoon. How bad was it going to be? Would we be stranded? Was it going to be dangerous? Rather than get annoyed that my plans for this part of the coast were ruined, I just conceded that I was in a tropical country and these things happen. They just do, so deal with it.

Nha Trang really had very little to do so we spent our time partying! It’s not historically interesting or anything. I did end up at a very small art gallery in Nha Trang, run by a French photographer and his Vietnamese-born wife. They were really interesting and I enjoyed having a coffee and chat with the wife about Vietnamese culture and how travellers are looked upon and so on.

On the plus side, I had a couple of great evenings meeting new people who Im very sure Ill keep in touch with. On a night out I met a guy called Stephen who was immediately familiar. He said I also looked familar. Turned out we both work in TV and I went to uni with his best friend! Small world…

Water, Water, Water Everywhere!

I got the taxi to Dalat on less than 3 hours sleep. Worth it but boy, did I feel like shit! It was still raining and the typhoon was due to hit the coast that evening. Best make it inland before then and just hope it disperses. Not enough people had booked on the bus so 6 of us ended up in a taxi. The mountain was road was awesome!! Luckily there was so much low-lying cloud that I couldnt actually see the steep drops or sharp bends so that was one less thing to worry about, but the sheer volume of water travelling down over the rocks was spectacular, creating roadside waterfalls. Vietnam had obviously experienced this type of weather before and I remember there was one stretch of road that they’d built a bridge over to cope with the force of a waterfall should it be created by rain. And there were drains so that the roads didnt get flooded but with this much rain it didnt always work and I was a bit worried when we drove up a road that was basically flooded. The car glided slightly and I noticed the huge cracks in the tarmac between us and the edge. Yikes! So I didnt sleep during the mountain road drive despite us having a super-careful driver.

My introductary views of Dalat were of the flower garden and the big lake; this was a very pretty city, even in the rain. It reminded me of some places Id been to; Wanaka in New Zealand and Puerto Varas in Chile, except there was a little quirkiness to Dalat. The flower garden had massive swans made of flowers and there was something kitschy about the cafes. In any case, i felt at home. My hotel was fab, with a rooftop jacuzzi which came as a welcome relief after time spent soggy and cold sight-seeing. However, Dalat was significantly cooler and the constant rain had me feeling a little less than my best and unable to fully enjoy the town’s charm. I spent my time wandering around under an umbrella eating cake and drinking coffee. I visited the Crazy House. Ha, not like that, its like this Gaudi-inspired house with lots of twists and turns, a bit weird, a bit unnerving and some of the walkways between the themed houses were steep and very high up which didnt inspire confidence in slippery conditions.  It was during my journey there that I experienced something else.

I had got really bored and a bit fed up of walking around in the rain with wet jeans so I went back to my room and put some light trousers on. By the time Id got there to change, Id got a bit lazy so resumed my wandering with a cab to the Crazy House. Now, I dont really remember whose fault this was but my taxi collided with 2 guys on a motorbike. The guys on the motorbike started shouting at the taxi driver and sped across the front of the car and stopped. A guy got off the back, came straight over to my driver, whose window was open and grabbed him and started hitting him. Really hard! I gulped in the back and told him to stop. The driver didnt really react; he didnt say anything, he was just calm. He wound up the window a bit and then this guy opened the door to grab the driver by the throat. At this point the taxi driver pushed him off, shut the door and locked it. The bike guy came round the other side of the car and tried to open the door. It was locked. Just as my driver was about to pull off, the guy came back round, leant into the still-open window and tried to take the ignition keys. The driver was too quick, sped off round the motorbike, causing a few people to beep and off we went. Cor, drama!

Meanwhile, the typhoon had hit land, a little further south of Nha Trang, at Mui Ne (my next stop!!). It was now being classed just as a tropical storm. Weather forecasts indicated rain for the rest of the week and we were hearing that Saigon had had non-stop heavy showers. Ohhhhh great.

After The Rain…

I slept most of the way to Mui Ne. My jeans were still very wet when I packed them. Even if Mui Ne was rainy, it was bound to be warmer than Dalat so hopefully my wet things would have a chance to dry. I woke up to the sight of sand dunes and… what was that? a blue sky? Really? Maybe? Yeah.. it wasnt raining, in any case. We got to Mui Ne and I was immediately hit by the heat as I got off the bus. I think this was going to be good. By the time I got to the hostel, the sun was well and truly out! I met my dorm-mate, a Canadian girl called Erica, chucked my bikini on and ran off to enjoy the beach! Sand, sun, heat! Marvellous. I was so, so happy. I laid on the beach for hours, finally able to enjoy the feeling of sun on my face. I spent my whole time in Mui Ne on the beach, it was great! I enjoyed it so much that I wandered into a cafe in just my bikini and didnt realise til I started getting strange looks from people. That beach was full of very sunburnt Russians.

In the evening, Erica and I set off to have dinner with some boys from Brighton she had met the day before. We had a tasty barbecued dinner – all kinds of fish, it was really good and a welcome change from rice and noodles. A turtle of some kind was on the menu. I was sad for it and asked the chef how much I could offer him to rescue it – 700,000 vnd was the answer – about £20. I was like… naaah, sorry turtle, sorry. Some of Erica’s Canadian friends came to stay too and a girl from Edmonton turned up. I mistook her for Rachel, a girl Id met in Nha Trang. It wasnt her but the girl was stunned because her name was Rachel too. Weirdness!

Mui Ne was also a good place to go out and in many ways I preferred it to Nha Trang but Im not sure if my view of it would change if it hadnt been so rain-soaked. When I left Mui Ne with a handful of new Canadian friends and a tan, I was very happy.

I caught the 11pm train from Ga Ha Noi to Hue. These trains, I don’t think, are as backpacker friendly as the night trains you get in Thailand. I remember walking up and down the carriages, meeting and chatting to people randomly, it was an open affair and easy to do so. The Reunification Express is similar in that it has a class system with seats, and sleepers, but you’re very much contained within a 4-person berth. Unless you know the people you’re travelling with, it can be a bit trying because there’s nowhere else to go, nowhere to sit. And the corridors are pretty narrow so not ideal for wandering around to meet other travellers.

A local got into my cabin. He smelt strongly of booze and climbed on the top bunk opposite my bunk (I had one on the bottom). Oh god, I thought, I’ve got some alky who’s going to end up being dodge. But instead he greeted me and explained he’d been at work and had drunk too much with his friends and was going to sleep and with that he ducked under his duvet and passed out. Cool. Then 2 other Vietnamese guys got in my cabin, old guys. This was not going to be a backpacker party experience. The guy who had the bunk above mine was pretty old and for a moment I considered offering him my bunk. Hey, lets not go too far, it was just a moment. I needn’t have worried. Throughout the night he was leaping up and down between the bunk and the floor, going off for a natter with other locals and god knows what else. He was a proper little grand-dad monkey. I pretty much passed out for the entire journey, waking up only when the two old guys were laughing about something and grand-dad monkey was jumping about. The bunks were comfortable and clean.

I could hear a western girl next door being questioned by locals about what she was up to. Couldnt make out her accent. I felt fairly safe though, didnt for a second worry about horror stories of old where entire backpacks apparently used to get nicked off trains.

The drunky got off the train about 4am.

When I woke up in the morning, about 7 or so, it was light but overcast. Just having no luck finding that sunshine again. The scenery was amazing. Green all the way and the train went through several tunnels dug out of the limestone pillars so prevalent in the north. Several cemeteries also lined the track. I fell asleep again about an hour before arriving in Hue but before doing so, the Brazilian couple who’d been on the return bit of the Halong Bay tour popped their heads round the door! They said they’s noticed me whilst I was asleep and had come back to see if I was OK.  When we arrived in Hue around 11am, we got a taxi together into town. They told me they were worried about me sharing a cabin with the locals and said they’d come across a girl who’d also shared a cabin with 3 other men but she’d been so freaked out by it she’d stayed up all night reading. She should have stuffed her valuables down her pants and just gone to sleep!

Hue had no sunshine either. Which is a real shame because everything would have looked amazing and really pretty if it had. Hue has a nice-looking river, the Perfume River. Parks line the riverbanks. And as a former Imperial capital,  the Citadel and Forbidden City should have looked amazing. They were interesting but held little fascination for me. I was almost scammed for 90,000 VND when I was given 10,000 instead of 100,000 in change upon entry (you gotta wake up earlier than me, love) and on my own it just wasnt what it could have been I suppose. But they did have an elephant! So that was OK.

Despite being almost short-changed, I felt people in Hue were definitely more chilled out. I felt able to ask locals what they were cooking and to have a bit of a stop-and-stare and ask questions about things.  I didnt feel forced into giving my money to anyone, so that was cool.  I ended up at a cafe run by deaf people. I had a laugh signing to them (the most useful actions were pinned up on a board) and wandering around the backpacker district around Pham Ngu Lao but glad I was staying in a less in-your-face area a couple of blocks away (think Sukhumvit Road to Bangkok’s Khao San Rd) cos it was a lot like Spain with loads of older fat blokes sitting in all the bars. Mmn.

By the end of the  day I felt that one day in Hue was enough and I wasnt really interested in visiting the demilitiarised zone or any tombs.

I ate loads for dinner and on my way back was simply offered drugs by someone. No pretext, no lead up, just a sinister-sounding, “marijuaaaaana?” coming out of the dark.

I met a couple of nice lads from York back at the hotel. The staff had decided they weren’t going to do any work and were going to lie out on a mattress in reception and watch football. Jordan and Brad were watching too but we started chatting anyway. I was heading south and they were going north so we swapped advice. They were very open and had already been around India and were going to try and find work in Australia. I enjoyed talking to them. They were excited by everything and enjoying everything they experienced. They really reminded me of when I first went travelling and I went to sleep inspired and looking forward to the next stop.

The next day I got breakfast for 60p and said goodbye to Jordan. He’d got up to chat to someone on the net. I’ve seen so many people skyping and so on on this trip. I havent spoken to anyone and it feels like only yesterday I left. I think having a mobile phone with internet has changed what it feels like to get away from it all. 7 years ago, finding high-speed internet was an effort. Phoning home was also an effort so when you went to check your emails, you phoned home too. Now, with the technology at your fingertips whenever you want, it doesnt feel like its a big deal to call home. You can check facebook to see how people are and its so easy to walk into a cafe, restaurant or hotel with wifi, so your emails ping up all the time. Home doesnt feel so far away.

I gave Jordan a hearty handshake and we wished each other luck. The crazy staff at the hotel also gave me a fond farewell and then I was off!

The bus to Hoi An was a sleeper coming from Hanoi. It was full of grumpy people, people who had little patience for the Vietnamese chaos and style of doing things and of not letting us know what they were doing or why. I wanted to whack the stupid woman in front of me who was just huffing and puffing her way into trying to get a seat with her friend (she wont die if you cant hold her hand) and the 3 girls at the service stop who couldnt understand why they couldnt get the food they wanted. Maybe the tiredness of the people who were having a long journey was just feeding into everyone. Maybe the lack of sunshine was making people a bit narky. I dont know, I just put my ipod on and enjoyed the view as we drove along the coast and up and down hills. We drove through this tunnel that was really long. I listened to 3 songs before we came out the other end.

We passed through Danang. I had decided I wasnt interested in staying there but thought I could do a little trip there as it was only 45 minutes from Hoi An. It was very modern and a calmer version of Saigon. I saw all I needed to in all respects and fell asleep.

Arrival in Hoi An was chaotic, premature and not nice. We were shouted at to get off the bus with no explanation of where to go and no taxis to pick us up. For the first time on this entire trip I just felt… lost! I was just harrassed by guys offering motorbike rides. I kept saying no over and over and they said no taxis would come. I had hastily booked into a homestay just outside Hoi An as a quick look at hotels the night before revealed a huge number of them to be full! An Israeli girl looked over at me, concerned. She was going to a hotel that a tout had offered with 2 other people. She told me to get in the tout’s taxi with her so I did. I had the mispleasure of sitting next to her companion though who just grunted at me and kept elbowing me like I was invisible, resentment for taking his space. Whatever, dickhead. But I was too fed up to elbow back. We got to the hotel, which was actually about 3 or 4 blocks north of town, and I later found out, big blocks at that. The girl got out of the taxi and smiled at me. She didnt speak much English but I sensed that she felt she’d tried to help me and I was grateful. Otherwise Id still be standing at that bloody bus stop getting annoyed with the motorbike men. I got the hotel to call me a cab and off I went to the homestay.

I was greeted by a friendly Vietnamese family and their houseguest, Matt. Matt was very young and teaching English. I was surprised to find that I wasnt staying with them and was taken round the corner to a family who spoke no English at all. They seemed very nice and had 2 young children, one still a baby. And very cute. I was imagining that the homestay would be like staying in someones house but like a hotel; not a fully integrated way into their home. I was given my own room at the front of the house downstairs but had to share their bathroom. I was also expected to be home by 10pm and have breakfast at 7.30am. Yikes. I took this in my stride though and told myself I wouldnt need to be out late. Would I? I was given a bike to use and set off to explore. It was a pleasant bike ride and was only about 10 minutes into the old town. I wasnt worried by the traffic and anytime I hesitated at a junction I just stopped and behaved as a pedestrian would.

The Old Town of Hoi An was very pretty and very busy. I stopped for a late lunch and encountered my only bad meal in Vietnam so far: chicken and rice. The rice was burnt and the chicken cooked in a sweet tomato sauce. Pointless. I then cycled round and round taking in all the sights such as the Japanese Bridge – full of tourists! I cycled over to the An Hoi Pensisula and promised the local street resaturant traders that id be back later. It was all charming but I wasnt in the mood to fully appreciate it all. Bad journey, bad people, wrong choices and burnt rice.

As darkness fell and lanterns lit up Hoi An, I worried about getting back to my homestay at a reasonable hour and wondered how I would enjoy the town and find time to meet Cam Ha and Radenko from the Halong Bay trip and who were due here tomorrow. I ate some cake.

I later went back to the local street restaurant on An Hoi for my dinner. I was served up some yummy noodles but with some suspect crispy topping. I threw this to the dog. The dog wasnt interested either.

I have little understanding of Vietnamese. I have learnt to say a few words but I can’t decipher anything when I listen. This did not stop me enjoying the banter between the chef, Mr Ba, and his wife. He was clearly upset by something and was having a good moan about it for ages. His wife and another man just kept laughing behind his back. They tried to explain what was going on to me in their language. It didnt matter. Language was no barrier in understanding the sentiments.

Just as town was getting into the swing of things, I got on my bike and rode home.

The next day I decided to leave the homestay and check into a hotel on An Hoi. I had however, spent the morning “talking” to Phoang, the mum. In the space of a couple of hours we had struck up a bizarre friendship, using dictionaries to communicate. It turned out she was just a year older than me and we tried to compare and explain our lives. She was giving Hu, her 10 month old baby a graphic novella for a much older child to keep him entertained. Though they had a nice house, I noticed they were lacking in basic things. I said I would get back to England and send Hu a colourful picture book or 2. I said Id go back to visit again before I left Hoi An, and I did.

Back in the old town, I checked in. I felt a bit bad about the sitauation Id created. I think a homestay can be a wonderful experience, but perhaps better suited to someone who’s working and trying to learn the language. For a backpacker who’s spending a few days in the area and wants to see lots of things and meets lots of people, maybe not.

I was sitting having a coffee by the river when Cam Ha and Radenko showed up! We spent the whole day together eating, drinking and catching up and ended up going to a tailor Aurore had recommended to make us some clothes! I ended up getting 2 dresses that fit perfectly and the other 2 spent about $250 on a variety of shirts and dresses for them both. It was a great experience and I recommend everyone visiting Hoi An get something made – it’s great fun picking out something you like the look of (I just pointed at dresses off the Get Cutie and Emily & Fin websites!) and picking the material and finally getting it just so so that there are no baggy bits where your back curves or tightness where your hips pull out under your tiny waist. Fab.

It was really nice spending time with some friends. Unfortunately Id just missed my cousin’s friends somewhere between Hoi An and Hue but they recommended I pop in on a mutual friend’s friend who runs the Before and Now bar so we spent a lot of time in there together people -watching, trying different coffees, enjoying happy hour and practising our languages!

One night we had dinner on the riverside and had fresh beer for 4000 vnd. Thats just 12 pence. 12 PENCE for a mug of beer. I dont drink beer but I tasted it and it was pretty good! We sat there with beer and watched a rat as big as a cat being chased by a dog. I had chicken and rice. The rice was burnt. I decided not to have rice again in Hoi An.

Outside of the old town, I cycled to the beach (gorgeous beach but still no sun!),  and made a visit to My Son,  an ancient temple civilisation like Angkor Wat, created by the Cham people . Can you imagine some French dude back in the day going for a wander in the jungle (maybe with his dog?) when he comes across all these temples. How bloody exciting would that have been?? Thats how My Son was rediscovered. I enjoyed the walk through the jungle and back but feel it was overrun with a bunch of National Trust-worshipping old folk who should keep their English ways at home and get their bloody selves OUT of my pictures! I ended up talking to a lovely Canadian girl called Bri and we made plans to go out that evening.

I could have spent days just relaxing in Hoi An. The cake and the coffee is great. Cycling is a joy. Had the sun bothered to come out, the beach would have been the cherry on top.

… And back to Vietnam. All along the way, people had warned me that Hanoi was cold and that I’d have to dig out my jeans and hoodie from the bottom of my backpack. They weren’t lying. I think it was 20 degrees, which is warm by London standards at the moment but when you’ve been used to sweating in 34 degree heat its not so good. It was also overcast. No more sun. It made me appreciate how laidback and cool Luang Prabang had been when I tried to cross the road for the first time in Hanoi. Back to the motorcycle craziness. I got a great room in a place recommended by my friend Ruth smack bang in the middle of the Old Quarter. Felt quite safe there – people sat on the  pavements eating and drinking til really late. I had Bun Bo Nam Bo for dinner with the locals! I sat down at this street restaurant and was like, OK what do I do now? My hotel receptionist helpfully wrote this for me to show anyone giving me food “Tôi không ăn thịt heo”. I showed this to the waitress and she came back with a big bowl of noodles with lettuce, coriander and vietnamese basil leaves at the bottom,  some beansprouts, small tender slices of beef, crushed peanuts, and sweet sauce over the top of the lot. It was good! It cost me 50,000 dong. About £1.50. In my time in Hanoi I did a lot of wandering.  I was approached by a lot of people who didnt just straightforward offer a moto ride or something, a lot were after your money. I didnt like being seen as a chi-ching! But the people in my hotel had been really good, warning me how to handle people who did this and so on. I had an amusing time at Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. A group of Vietnamese students said hello to me. They were curious of me and wanted to practise their English. One of the boys who had been quiet for some time eventually came out with “I love you. Do you love me?” Everyone laughed. He was bemused by everyone’s reaction. I said I was married. Easiest way out of any situation like this. It seems that presence or not of a wedding ring in Asia makes no difference, you always have to explain you have a husband somewhere. And whenever this is given as an answer, the next question will be “Do you have children?” They were great fun and took turns having their picture taken with me. I probably value the short time spent with them more that I would the time I would have spent at the Museum if it had been open.

Went to the Museum of Literature because apparently it was a “must-see”. Tip: take a guide so you know what you’re looking at. I didnt. Epic fail. I found the Hanoi Hilton, aka Hoa Lo Prison far more interesting. Again, a place of learning, this time about the revolutionaries imprisoned during French Occupation. It made me a bit mad; why were these people who wanted their country back being jailed for expressing that right?

I tried to find the infamous BBQ chicken street for dinner – a long line of dirty chicken sold on the street. Oh yes. But what a dummy, I forgot to pencil the exact location and later that evening back at the hotel, I discovered I had been just a block away when I gave up looking. Blah. I was also going to try some ‘chon’ coffee, apparently the highest grade of coffee, its been through a weasel’s bum. Nice. I had a sniff. It was way too strong to be drinking at 10pm. Next time. Hanoi was also the first place I got Vietnamese coffee with cow milk, not the condensed stuff they love overhere. And you know? It still tasted really good despite no longer tasting like chocolate.

When you travel to Asia you have to take your life in your hands and run with it. This is how I feel everytime Im on a local bus, boarding an internal flight or sitting in a car with no seatbelt. I was anxious about which cruise to pick for Halong Bay. But you know what? I pretty much stuck a pin in and picked one. I had gone to the backpackers the night before to suss out the crowd. A girl I met in Laos said the backpackers cruise was the best thing she had ever done. I dont know if it was lack of sun, tiredness (couldnt remember the last time I got 8 hrs sleep) or the suicide Tuesday effect of suddenly being alone again but I just didnt fancy it. So I went with what my hotel recommended. I just hoped it was full of like-minded people…

The next morning I was picked up nice and early. There was a young Aussie couple on the bus already. Score! It took about an hour to get everyone and we had a nice mixed group of ages and nationalities. I got talking to Hugh from Swansea, a nice bloke a bit older than me who’d been living in Leamington Spa for ages. I was NOT liking the weather. Thunderstorms. Rain. Grey. Got to the port at Halong and they said we wouldnt be able to set sail because of poor visibility. I hadnt seen a risk assessment (haha) so was more than happy with this outcome although everyone else was itching to get going. We had lunch on the boat in the harbour and halfway through we started to move! We sailed for ages past big lumps of limestone. Despite it being a not very nice day, the sight was still amazing. I know different trips do different things but on this one we went to visit a big cave, Sung Sot Cave, and did some kayaking. We had dinner on the boat and watched the sunset. Well, what we could of the sunset given the crappy cloud cover. There were so many other boats around us, it was cool just to sit on the top deck and watch their lights come on. A couple of the guys went for a swim. They came back and said it was cold. The evening was spent doing karaoke. I sneaked up stairs to sit on the top of the boat. It was just nice up there and I went back downstairs, everyone was going to bed, even the young ones! Whaaaa?! It was only about 10pm but we had had an early start and we were due an early morning the next day. I sat down to have a drink and do some writing. Hugh managed to wander back from wherever (its a boat, theres not so many places to wander) and also came to get a drink and then an English guy, Steve, who was 25, came back too, & we sat out drinking til about 1am. We could hear one boat still had their party music on. Steve and I talked about getting in the landing junk attached to our boat and sailing across to to the party but when we looked the junk had gone! Steve suggested swimming across. Hugh said this was not a good idea. So we went to bed.

My room was great – very big and clean and a nice bathroom. Score again!

The next day, just me, the Aussie couple (who turned out to be very quiet), a German couple and a French couple stayed with the boat. Everyone else was only spending a night in Halong Bay; we were going to go to Cat Ba Island and stay there. We said our goodbyes to everyone and transferred to a smaller boat. We stopped at Lan Ha Bay which had a good beach. We talked about swimming and though the water was not too cold, the sun still didnt want to come out so we just climbed up a cliff. I got attacked by monkeys, the little buggers. Our guide had to chase them away. I didnt get bitten or anything so it was OK. They just came running at me and were jumping on me, one of them was pulling at my skirt, raaah!

We got to Cat Ba and this is where I experienced my favourite bit of the whole trip – a cycle ride. We cycled past very blue turquoise waters, whizzed down hills, through cave tunnels and jungle and alongside buffalo and cows in the paddy fields. We stopped at a bungalow resort (where I was staying that night with the Aussies) and went on a short jungle trek. Everyone laughed at me because I was the only one who got bitten by mosquitoes. Rubbish. But I saw loads of different butterflies – orange ones, white ones, yellow, black, blue, so that was cool.

Aurore and Thibeau, the French couple, and Radenko and Cam-Ha, the German guys, were staying at a hotel in Cat Ba town so when we got back, they left me and the Aussies at the bungalow site. I went for a nap under my mosquito net and slept for 3 hours, getting up only for dinner. Dinner was nice and the Aussies went back to their room straight after. Luckily, a large group of Dutch and German travellers were also spending their 2nd night there and when they saw me alone, they beckoned me over and we stayed up chatting for a good couple of hours.

The next morning after breakfast (and the best pancakes I’ve had this entire trip), we rode back to the harbour. Thibeau, Aurore, Radenko and Cam-Ha were already on the boat with our guide coming to pick us up. It was good to see them and we sat on the top deck swapping stories even though it was really cold. We were the chattiest group on the boat and I felt that we were forming a special bond which I havent had since Siem Reap. People trying to read disappeared below deck one by one. It was getting colder. We transferred back to our big boat to sail back to Halong. The trip to Halong was not nice. It started to pelt down with rain. I could hardly see any of the rocks, it was that bad. We were distracted by a cooking lesson. I had a go at making decorative vegetables. I was rubbish.

Still, we got back safe. Despite the weather Id been pleased with the trip.

We had lunch in Halong with people who had started their trip the day after us but who had stayed on the boat for just one night. I pitied the people who would be having their 2nd day today on Cat Ba. Not a nice day. Using the toilet after lunch was an experience. Cam-Ha and Radenko had already been during lunch and they just kept laughing when they came back. We kept asking them why but they werent really letting on. Aurore and I went. First we were hit by the stench. It was BAD. And like, really bad. I stood there covering my face waiting in the queue. Somebody came out and said there was more than one toilet inside so Aurore and I went in and then realised why a queue had formed; there was only one toilet with a door at the end by itself. Alongside there were 4 or 5 cubicles with a raised squat toilet. And no doors. I looked at Aurore. She looked at me. We both looked at a middle-aged woman behind us. When she realised what we were going to do she screwed her nose up at us and backed away. We gotta do what we gotta do so we went for it. We sat down to relieve ourselves and realised the toilets had been built so small that we could actually lean forward and have a conversation with each other. That was interesting. Perhaps not something Ill do again but we were laughing all the way to the bus. Even the Aussies joined in with the joke.

I fell asleep on the bus, completely knackered, completely out of it. I woke up only when our crazy driver was honking at someone or swerving past someone. Later on, Aurore challenged our guide, Ken , and the guide from the 2nd tour to a sing-off. That was good fun and kept us going all the way to Hanoi. I now know the words to Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh! It really was something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad6S8JwkVz8

Back in Hanoi I arranged to meet the 2 couples later. I hadnt planned to go to the Water Puppet Show but I figured in a group it could be fun. We got to the theatre but all shows were fully booked so we went to get some ice cream instead. This was followed by some dinner and drinks with my new friends. I was sad when I had to leave to get the night train down south. But not for long; this was the start of another Vietnamese adventure…

Ho Chi Minh City is hot! Like, really hot. Today we hit 34 degrees! And Im not going to complain, even though I have felt a bit faint and exhausted through the day. So, my first adventure in over 3 years. Loving it! Got here on Saturday evening after a pleasant 18 hr journey via Hong Kong on Cathay. Already arranged hotel from home via email; didnt know what to expect – would the taxi driver turn up? Would I be shown some dodgy cellar room? But Im pleased that word-of-mouth didnt lead me astray. Im staying at the very pleasant Madame Cuc184, just off the busy Khao San Road-like Bui Vien Street. Im up on the 6th floor and there’s no lift but I get a comfy sleep for $16 a night with brek and dinner of spring rolls and noodles included so can’t complain. Area very quiet after midnight though, not keen on walking back alone at that time. Staff fab. House doggie cute. But havent had rabies shots so dont dare play with it.

Sorted self out on Saturday and then went to find Minna, who was staying in the more upscale Dong Khoi area. My phone tells me it should only take 20 minutes to reach her but as its my first experience of crossing the roadin Vietnam, I take an hour to find her. Sheer motorcycle madness. Fearless. As are the locals who confidently stride out into the road. Bikes and cars either slow down or swerve around them. I stand at the kerb and look on aghast. I have tried to do as the locals do but end up getting beeped at. Im sure thats not whats supposed to happen.

I find Minna and feel safe. We go for some drinks at a very cool open courtyard dressed up in fairy lights. Cheap. 15 quid for a round of 6 drinks. She walks me back to my hotel and I fall asleep in the heat. Did not sleep so good on the plane so Im hoping that jetlag will pass me by.

Minna headed up north on the train towards Hue after that; I stayed in Saigon to explore! We both spent some time being a bit ill in our first 24 hrs. I think its just about getting used to the heat and cuisine rather than eating/doing anything dodgy. I woke up the next day at10.30am. Perfect. I missed breakfast at the hotel so made for the nearest ‘safe’ place to get a coffee and you’ll call me a cop-out for this but I went to Gloria Jeans and got a cappuccino rather than brave a local stall for some civet coffee. The reason for this is Im just not feeling fearless enough yet to communicate with the locals. Give me a bit of time and Ill be eating beef noodle soup off the streets but 3 days in and I feel like I need someone to show me the ropes… I dont feel like the crazy backpacker I used to be. Yet.

So coffee and warm banana muffin downed (for 115000 vnd, about £3.50, would have been far cheaper at a street stall) I ventured off to see the Reunification Palace. Been asked a lot if I want a motorcycle ride. Since coming off a bike in Cuba I dont think so. Im sure these guys are way way too experienced to get clumsy but I just cant risk going to a foreign hospital again. I have seen people carrying TVs on the back of bikes and seen girls riding in heels but … oh I might get on one..

Anyway, the Palace… so it was the President’s Palace and it was very much like a less sumptuous, less ostentatious Grand Pavillion. It has the same rooms for the same function as Brighton’s very own but just.. less showy. I was interested to learn about Vietnam’s history there as I actually didnt know so much before I came here. I learnt a great deal about the Vietnam War at the War Remnants Museum. Very sad and I felt really angry to see that the US government dont really learn do they? And we dont know why the US came to Vietnam. They just like to meddle. Anyways, I was just learning about Agent Orange when I had to leave as the Museum was closing. Id like to go back and learn some more. The Lonely Planet warns that the Museum uses a lot of propaganda. I dont really understand how you explain away a bunch of nutters murdering children and the elderly and then reading that one Senator (or ex?) Bob Kerry stood down after admitting he was involved in such atrocities. I mean… Spoke to a Vietnamese guy who says Vietnam has a history of war so he wasnt going to point blame; he’d be happy to welcome an American here, just as he would anyone else.

I stopped at a cafe near Notre Dame Cathedral for beef noodles. They were yum! I watched the world go by for a bit, then went for a wander. I found the local mosque! Its in a cluster of halal restaurants – actually, I see a few halal restaurants in and around Saigon and a few men here and there with their bonnets and also some women in the hijab so there’s definitely an Islamic presence here. I ate some ice cream and went off back to my hotel to chill.

Today I went on a little trip! I met some nice girls at my hotel who informed me they were leaving after 3 weeks touring the country. I had a good breakfast of bread (oops), eggs and banana and then I got on a little bus to the Cu Chi Tunnels. It was probably a 2hrdrive away from the city? I hung out with a Norwegian girl who told me she was leaving. I learnt a lot about the Viet Cong. I tried to get in the tunnel but had to backtrack – them were small!! Some Japanese lads from the bus did it and they came out looking like they were gonna die! Some other people went further than me but came back out again! Those who managed it said it was pitch black and they were crawling on their hands and knees. Eeek! Had some manioc, just like the Viet Cong. Have had it before but never with sugar and peanuts. Was good! Got on the bus and fell asleep.

Got back to town and had a bit of a wander. A girl who sidled up to me to cross the road revealed herself to be from Crystal Palace and touring Vietnam because she too, had missed it out on her RTW trip! She told me that she was leaving tomorrow.

Have had a couple of mosquito bites and I fancy an ice cream before bed. My writings not what it was, Hopefully next account will be better. If you want to pretend that you are here, just walk on the pavement outside Heals on Tottenham Court Road and close your eys. Smells the same, I kid you not! Will write some more soon…