An update from Laos - Vang Vieng and Vientiane

Leaving the stunning hills of Luang Prabang behind we made our way to the 'chill out town' of Laos, Vang Vieng by bus. The journey offered spectacular views of the mountain ranges unfortunately with that came the winding roads that tested the best stomachs! At times both of us came over a bit queasy! One hour from Vang Vieng the road and our stomachs became settled again. We checked into Sisavang guesthouse (it had received good reviews) and at $8 a bargain. The room was basic but clean and by the time we'd walked around the town to find a place for a drink and a snack it became obvious this was not a place for us and we'd only be staying one night. Mark described the place like a university campus on permanent holidays! It was relatively quiet apart from the episodes of 'Friends' and 'Family Guy' being blasted out from the TVs in the bars! The shops were also weird selling T-Shirts and power tools (just in case you'd forgot to pack either!).
We did, however, find one place that wasn't showing American TV on loop and had a fantastic meal. Before heading back to the hotel we booked our ticket to depart and then had a beer watching 'Family Guy'!
This morning Rach had a traditonal english breakfast (minus the bacon) and Mark yet again had a disappointing coffee! A smaller bus picked us up to take us to the bus station and the VIP bus that would take us to Vientiane. On arrival the bus didn't look VIP but we boarded to leave. Five minutes into our journey the driver stopped, shouted to his assistant who then jumped off the bus to inspect what they were talking about. To our amazement one of the back wheels had fallen off!! We waited for 30 minutes for another bus to arrive and this time it was the VIP bus we'd all expected in the first place! Back on a bus that had a wheel in each corner we tried again! The journey this time wasn't as bad as the last one despite the driver being like another F1 driver! Reaching our destination we shared an tuk-tuk with an Australian couple into the centre. With leaving early we again didn't have anywhere booked so walked the streets to find a bed for the night. We'd spotted one in the Lonely Planet (LP) that sounded good and was 100,000 kip ($12) but when we arrived they stated $34 before offering a discounted price of $29! Slightly above our budget we moved on. Thats one thimg we have found with the LP - use it as a really rough guide as once a place is in it the prices sky rocket.
Tonight we plan to chill and think about what we want to see here before booking our passage via train to Bangkok.
We've been disappointed with Vang Vieng and Vientiane which is a real shame because we're sure that some other areas of Laos are beautiful. With limited time we certainly haven't seen the best of this country but got a glimpse at how stunning it can be in Luang Prabang. Oh well it gives us an excuse to come back sometime and see the other good bits!
Hope the UK is still warm and dry and good luck to those playing hockey today.
With it being Sunday tomorrow we will try and phone home.
Love
Mark & Rach. xxx

Worth staying an extra day! - Kwang Si Falls

Today we woke to the sound of rain outside our hotel - typical on a day we needed the washing to be dry. See even here the chores have to be done!

Fortunately by the time we finished breakfast it had stopped and it has turned out to be another beautiful day in paradise. The reason for staying was to visit the Kwang Si waterfalls and boy was it worth it. Rach haggled a tuk-tuk driver down 10,000 kip and we were off. The falls were 25km away and we tried to watch the scenery go by as the driver (you don't need a license in Laos) raced his little Rascal van like he was Jenson Button through the villages on the way.

We walked through the canopy and arrived at the base of falls. The waterfalls were pretty small here but that allowed us to swim around in the pool! The water was a bright blue colour which looked false but was very refreshing. We swam for a little while and took some pictures. Rach mainly took the pictures as when she swam around the little fish were really interested in a blister on her foot that she got from yesterdays walk! We're sure they were only cleaning it but it made it bleed and was unpleasant enough for Rach to get out.

After our swim we continued walking further up until we were greeted with a stunning 70m waterfall. The power of the falls created a light mist and the walkways were quite slippery. Mark continued alone up to the top as Rach was wearing flip flops but to be honest didn't miss much apart from feeling tired and sweaty!

Walking back towards Jenson Button and his mean machine we wandered around the craft stores and then returned to Luang Prabang for a late lunch. We spent the rest of the day chilling in the town and preparing our kit for our departure to Vang Vieng tomorrow morning. We have a 6 hour bus journey tomorrow so unlike the last couple of trips when we've bought cookies and pringles to keep us going tomorrow we're treating ourselves to proper baguette from Joma's coffe shop. It's a great little place in the town that has its own bakery - tasty!

Thanks for all the comments.

Love to all.

Mark & Rach. xxx

Treking around Luang Prabang

Sadly we couldn't do the original trip we planned today due to there not being enough numbers so we booked another day trip with a company called White Elephant (recommended by Jen and Joe). We left the hotel at 7:30 to get breakfast before we departed. Unfortunately Rach picked the wrong option of Luang Prabang museli which consisted of cornflakes, fruit, some seeds and off yoghurt! Mark had the British omelette and was very happy!

We met our guide for the day, his name was Kin and was from a local tribe up in the hills. We took a boat up the Mekong river for about 30 minutes and were then dropped off to start our trek. The route would take us through several tribe villages and temples, in all it would be around 22km - not a bad distance when it's 35 degrees.

As we ventured through the jungle Kin explained some of the history relating to the surrounding area and also his story. He'd been a monk for 12 years studying in Laos, Chang Mia and Burma so he'd travelled a bit for his studies! He is now settling down in Luang Prabang and getting married this December. He was an excellent guide and he really brought where we were to life. We arrived at one village where we would have lunch. Kin explained that because we walked quickly we were ahead of schedule but that didn't matter. We sat in the village meeting hall and tucked into our rice and vegetables (Mark had meat too) while the local kids were watching our every move and smiling. When we packed up we left some empty bottles (they collect for recycling) and some bananas. No sooner had we left the meeting hall the children dashed in to take as much as they could! One little boy managed to get four bananas and ran back to his home as fast as he could to share them with his family. He was giggling and very pleased with himself!

Throughout the afternoon we continued to walk in the baking sun (mad dogs and Englishman...) stopping at various villages. On the hilltops the scenery was amazing - the jungle colours really vibrant in the sun.

Towards the end of our trip we stopped at a village where Kin's future wife lived. We were followed by children shouting 'Sa bi dee' which means hello and watched the village men dig a new well. They asked whether we were here to help but it looked too messy! Just before leaving we were invited to join some locals for a drink of moonshine (rice wine)! We accepted it with a smile but it soon disappeared when we drank the stuff and we were pleased they didn't offer anymore! Not the ideal drink to rehydrate!

Making our way back to the river we visited several temples on the bank that were being restored, one by Kin's best friend.

Overall,a great day treking and finding out more about this fantastic country and it's people. The monks and their lifestyle was really interesting. They live such simple and pure lives it does make you think about how we as Westerners live and desire things.

We were planning to leave tomorrow to Vang Viend but we've decided to stay an extra day to visit the waterfalls. Fortunately we've managed to change our bus ticket without cost.

Hope all is well.

Love

Mark & Rach. xxx

Luang Prabang, Laos

Yesterday we got a flight from Hanoi to Luang Prabang which took just one hour. The flight was find but getting a visa on arrival was a bit of a nightmare. Not being very efficient we didn't get dollars in advance and planned to get some at Hanoi airport only to find out they didn't have a Bureau de change. Unable to do anything about it we got our flight, filled out the visa forms on arrival and were first in the queue. They didn't accept card for the $70 we owed but we were told there was a cashpoint outide. Mark went to get cash and Rach waited at immigration. Unfortunately the cashpoint wasn't working but there was a Bureau de change. Mark tried to get some money from there but they wouldn't give him any without seeing his passport which was with immigration! We had to wait for everyone to go through immigration and then join the back of a very long queue for the Bureau de change with a member of the immigration staff before being issued our visa. What should have taken just 10 minutes took us over an hour. A bit annoyed at our lack of planning and organisation we finally got a tuk tuk to a guest house. It was all worth the hassel as Luang Prabang is beautiful and a huge change from the noisy cities of Vietnam. We walked around Luang Prabang and were amazed by the laid back attitude of the Laos people. You don't get hasseled at all and they say that if you want a tuk tuk you have to wake the driver up and then convince him to do some work - a world away from anywhere else we've been!
In the evening we went to the night market which was incredible. A vast array of stalls selling a range of handicrafts. It was a real challenge for Rach not to spend spend spend with so many lovely textile items! Dad P don't bring Mum here, she'd spend the pension!
We went for dinner overlooking the Mekong river and had an excellent meal. We weren't overwhelmed by the food in Vietnam and were looking forward to the Laos food. We had to wait a while but weren't dissapointed with delicious Thai influenced curries.
We have booked a trek for tomorrow to visit some waterfalls and can't wait to see some of the stunning countryside!
Hope all is well at home.
Great to chat to Dad T last night.
Lots of love
Rach & Mark. xxx

The truely stunning Halong Bay

After a late evening at the 'couch surfing' gathering we surfaced the following morning full of excitement, firstly because it wasn't raining and secondly we were going on our 3 day trip to what is considered one of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world. With Hanoi behind us we arrived in Halong City to catch the junk that would take us around the bay. As we set sail the sky was hazy and in the distance we could see the blurred outlines of the islands. In total there are over 1,900 islands scattered across the bay and scanning the horizon thats all you could see - breathtaking.

During lunch onboard the sky became clearer and we arrived at one of the islands to visit the surprise cave. Inside this huge cave were massive staligmites and stalactites, some shaped like animals, praying budhas or human body parts! The sheer scale of the place would be hard to describe and the pictures probably won't do it justice either. Our next adventure involved taking kayaks out and paddling around the nearby islands. We explored the coastlines of several islands before entering into a tunnel that brought you out into a large pool of water surrounded by sheer rock faces. Returning to the boat we were in need of freshening up so we dived off the boat and had a dip. That evening we spent time on the top deck drinking and chatting with fellow travellers. Several of them were from our hotel in Hanoi which made our trip even more enjoyable.

The next day we started the day with more exercise walking up a steep mountain to a viewing point followed by another dip in the sea before breakfast. The boat then took us to Cat Ba Island where again we climbed another mountain, this time a lot harder to a viewing spot. The views were incredible but the summit was so crowded it spoilt it a little. When we reached the bottom Mark had carried a bottle of red wine with him and we celebrated our achievement by having a glass with our group. That afternoon after lunch we were then taken to Monkey Island to swim and just chill out after an exhausting day climbing. That evening we met up with several of the group for dinner and a few drinks overlooking the bay.

Our final day involved taking a slow meandering cruise through the vast array of islands before catching the bus in Halong City back to Hanoi. Overall the trip was amazing, the scenery was spectacular, we met some great people and it will be hard to forget.

We will be staying in Hanoi for the next couple of days arranging flights and visas to Laos.

Hope you are well back home.

Love

Mark & Rach. xxx

The DMZ (zzzz) and the Hanoi arrival

We spent Monday visiting the the DMZ area of Vietnam by bus (something Mark wanted to do), however, on reflection we were disappointed by tour overall. We spent most of the day on the bus, a very slow bus. A number of the sites were interesting and our guide was very informative about what happened but we didn't see that much - apart from the countryside. We especially liked the Vinh Moc tunnels which we were allowed to go down. We did, however, meet some great Brits (a couple from Cambridge and a Mum & daughter combo). That passed the time as on the bus we discussed places we'd been to and passed on travelling tips. That evening we all agreed to meet up for a few beers and dinner - an excellent evening eating, drinking & chatting despite one couple needing to catch a 1am train and us needing to be up at 6am to catch the 7:15 train to Hanoi.
After not much sleep we rose on Tuesday morning and made our way to the train station. We decided that due to it being a day train we wouldn't get a sleeper bed so opted for a soft seat - error! The train was packed and we spent 13 hours sat amongst people eating (very weird things), sleeping and trying to talk over the very loud TV playing everything from pop videos, fashion shows and a Vietnamese version of Mr Bean! One old man who sat next to us tried to make conversation in Vietnamese but obviously we didn't understand a word. Instead he kept pointing at us and grabbing Marks arm. He had no teeth so sucked on his food, making a right noise! We got a bit of sleep and the ipods came in handy again. Arriving in Hanoi our first objective was to find a hotel (we didn't book in advance due to drinking the night before!) we got dropped off by the taxi driver whose meter was more like a fruit machine than a proper taxi meter. He tried to charge us $7 stating we'd travelled 11km in about 6 minutes (in traffic). Mark actually recorded his mileage on his speedo and we'd done 3km. After Mark explaining this to him that his scam wouldn't work on us we paid him $3, he smiled knowing what he'd tried to do and went on his way. Finally after asking several hotels for a room we a found place (Quang Hiep Hotel). We dropped our bags off, had dinner and then collapsed in our bed.
Today we got up and had breakfast at the hotel which consisted of a baguette and a weird so called omlette. Not the best but filling enough. We met a dutch couple at breakfast who had just booked their Halong Bay trip through the hotel after meeting some people who'd just done it and recommended it. We decided that it would save us hunting around for a reputable company so have also booked it for tomorrow - 2 nights and 3 days for $65 each all inclusive.
We went to explore Hanoi and within minutes of leaving the hotel the rain started again! We sheltered a while and fortunately it eased off so we continued our ramble around the chaotic city. It is much like HCMC but with more markets and tourist based shops. They also have streets full of shops selling the same items. The streets are actually named after what they sell, like sweet street and toy street. Very bizarre!
Tonight we are going to a 'Couch Surfing' party which is a group of people associated with an online travel group - not quite sure what to expect but we were invited by the dutch couple we met at breakfast. Apparently it's just a cheap drinking fest!
Next update will be after our Halong Bay trip so lots of pictures. Lets hope the weather is good!
Hope everyone is well in the UK and thanks for all your comments.
Love
Mark & Rach. xxx

P.S - Becky - put a fleece and warm socks on and turn that heating off!

Would you believe it...... no rain!

Morning all
Off to the DMZ today and currently it's not raining (6am)!
Have a great day all.
Mark & Rach. xxx

A very wet Hoi An and Hue

Translating Hoi An into english means - it doesn't half rain in Vietnam. We've just spent two days in Hoi An and it rained for 75% of the time (unfortunately). That said, the city is beautiful (flooded in parts) and despite being several pounds heavier due to our drenched clothes we loved walking the narrow streets. The colonial feel still exists but now most of the buildings are either tailors or restaurants/bars. We spent a far bit of time in the latter, drinking, playing cards and on one occasion played pool.
On the second day we rented a moped (addicted now) and ventured out towards the coast. The development is amazing and within a couple of years the coastline will be transformed into a typical commerical coastal area - great for business but it will wipe away some of the magic.
That evening we did a spot of Christmas shopping and Rach picked up some handmade/tailormade sandals for $10 - Bargain! The opportunity to buy other items of clothing strained on Rach's will power but she resisted, mostly likely due to the fact that we'd be carrying it for a while. As we sat having our last dinner in Hoi An the heavens really opened and when it was time to head back to our hotel (to pack) we had to walk through the water which was then up to our knees! We won't bore you with the heated discussion we had with a bookshop that sold us a dodgy Lonely Planet for Laos (a copy and the maps were useless) or the fact that our laundry wasn't ready when we returned to the hotel - we liked Hoi An and could have only wished the weather was kinder.
Today we rose early ( to collect the laundry and pack) and set off for Hue, leaving on the most uncomfortable bus so far. Fortunately the trip was only 3 hours. As with the last 48 hours it rained most of the way but as we approached Hue it easied a little.
This afternoon we walked around the city on both sides of the river (North - the old town & Citadel and the South - tourist area with hotels, bars etc). Still raining!
Tomorrow we plan to go up the coast on a trip into the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) to visit the Vinh Moc tunnels and Troung Son National Cemetery. Then we head for Hanoi on the night train - yippee!
Hope all is good at home and it's not getting too cold - at least you haven't got rain like here.
Lots of love
Mark & Rach. xxx
PS - Still raining!

Hoi An at 6am!

After 11 hours on the sleeper bus we arrived to a rainy Hoi An. We were actually quite impressed with the sleeper service. The bus had about 20 sleeping cocoons which allowed you to fully recline your seat - almost like Upper Class on Virgin, the only thing missing was a bar! Saying that, onboard were several well provisioned Germans and Yanks with plenty of beer and wine. Worried that we be kept awake by their noise we settled down for the long journey.

Fortunately the snoring and chatting wasn't as bad as we thought. The only thing that annoyed Rach was one guy trying out different ring tones on his mobile phone! Mark had put his Ipod on and sat peacefully tapping away listening to Mark Knopfler!

The bus stopped several times to allow people to 'ease springs' before a longer stop over around midnight where we stretched our legs and bought a coke. Hopping back on we had another 6 hours to go and weather started to get worse. Rach managed to sleep for most of the trip, however, Mark didn't! No change there but on arrival we were both happy just to get off.

Being the new 'free spirits' we didn't have anywhere booked but were offered a room for $10 so we snapped that up quickly - very satisfied.

Throwing the backpacks in the room we headed into town for breakfast and bleary eyed stumbled into a restaurant. Looking at the menu Mark noticed they did proper latte so was excited! However, when he ordered he was informed the machine was broken - he settled for a Vietnamese coffee again (strong with condensed milk in the bottom).

The rest of the day was spent walking the narrow streets of the city 'occasionally' being asked if we wanted to get any clothes made or a moped ride.

Tomorrow we plan to hire a moped and head for the beach which is 4km away (weather permitting) and then book another bus trip to take us to Hue on Sunday. Mark desperately wants to use the train so we'll probably arrange the journey from Hue to Hanoi to satisfy his romantic notion of the train (didn't know he was a secret trainspotter!)

Thanks for all the responses and love to you all as always.

Mark & Rach. xxx

Nha Trang

Today we had a well earnt lie in after 2 long days on the bike and a late night drinking! Will we ever learn!
We spent the day planning our next mode of transport to Hoi An. We wanted to get the train so walked to the train station in the midday sun only to arrive and find out that the station shuts between 11.30 and 2pm. A bit frustrated we walked back to the hotel and bought overnight bus tickets instead!
We spend the afternoon relaxing on the beach and swimming in the very warm sea. Just what our tired aching legs needed.
We catch the overnight bus tonight at 7pm and arrive in Hoi An at 6am tomorrow morning. Lets hope we manage to get some sleep!
Hope all is good at home
Lots of Love
Rach & Mark. xxx

Saddle sore in Nha Trang

Cycling to Nha Trang - it sounded good at the time!
The first day involved an earlier start leaving the comfort of our hotel and breakfast at 07.30. Gurn and Juan picked us up and drove out of the city so we could start peddling. It was probably the best day for weather so far and we knew it would be hot. On the first day we covered 50 km in small stints, resting every hour or so to take on water and get some feeling back into our bottoms. The views as we coasted down the mountains were spectacular and when we went through the rural villages children shouted "hello' to us. We replied by shouting 'hello' or 'Sin Jow' (Vietnamese for hello) which made them giggle and smile.
Finally we arrived at a minority village near Lak and settled down for the night. We had a bottle of Dalat wine over dinner and ate plenty while trying to move in our chairs to get comfortable! Our accommodation that night was a homestay and by 8:15 we were in bed. We slept in a local village hut with four mattresses (with mosquito nets) and an outside loo. Basic but we didn't care and could have slept anywhere after the exhausting day.
The next morning we were woken by a cockerel and a chainsaw around 6am! By the time we got up around 06:45 most the village was active. Feeling 'refreshed' we headed to the restaurant where we'd had dinner last night. Prior to tucking into breakfast (noddles and vegetables) we had an elephant ride planned. Mia, the elephant arrived and we plodded around the village and then went across the lake! The lake was quite deep (2m) and Mia used her trunk to feel the ground in front before bringing it up to the surface, spraying the water out. The most bizarre thing we've done but definitely an amazing experience.
After breakfast we drove to the outskirts to continue our cycling. We weren't looking forward to getting back on the saddles and as soon as we rested our weight on them we knew why! Again the weather was perfect - another hot day. On our second day we managed 40km mostly on the flat (one big hill) and took in the incredible views again. We decided that Vietnam is the most beautiful country we've been to so far and will definitely be coming back one day. We finished the cycling 45km from Nha Trang due to the traffic getting busier. As Juan was packing up the bikes Gurn took us to Noi Quy which was a hot spring in the mountains. The water was like a really hot bath, in some places too hot to put your hand in to test the temperature. We soaked our feet but we really wanted to get in to relax our tired bodies.
Arriving into Nha Trang by minibus we found our hotel and had a quick shower as Gurn and Juan waited. We promised them dinner before they left so they took us to local place away from the tourist area. We had several beers, baby squid and cockels - Rach had noodles with mixed vegetables and beer! The restaurant was on the seafront and displayed the catches of the day in large tanks. A great finish to the day. Gurn and Juan dropped us off at the hotel before heading home and we said our farewells. Both of them, especially Gurn had made our time in Dalat really memorable.
Before heading to bed we bumped into an Irish guy we'd met in Dalat and decided to go for 'one for the road.' Three hours later (it was a long road) we returned to our room and collapsed.
Tomorrow we plan to relax in Nha Trang before making our way up the coast to Hoi An.
Lots of love to everyone.
Mark & Rach. xxx

Another day on the bike!

Today we took the motorbike out again to explore some more of the stunning countryside around Dalat. We had no real of places to visit but just wanted to drive and see what happened. It was no surprise that we stumbled upon a number of beautiful sites and had another great day sightseeing. Dalat is truely beautiful and we have thoroughly enjoyed our few days here. We ended the day having a few beers with Gurn and his very cute kids.

Tomorrow we start our 2 day cycle ride down to Nha Trang with a stop over in the central highlands.

Lots of Love

Rach & Mark. x

An eventful day canyoning!

Yet again the hotel didn't disappoint with the breakfast and we both tucked into the spread knowing we had a long and tiring day ahead of us.

We got picked up at 08:30 by Gurn and two others (a driver and a chap called 'Happy'). We travelled out of the town to our practice area for abseiling and our first dry slope before attempting the waterfall decents. After the practice and a thumbs up from Gurn we ventured further down the canyon to the first 20m rock face - mission accomplished with no drama.

In good spirits we continued along the gorge occasionally getting wet as we waded through the river that was quite high due to it being the rainy season.

Rock face number two approached, this time slightly higher and into water. Old 'Happy' went down to the bottom to attached a rope across the fast flowing river (this was so when we got down to the bottom we could walk across with ease and not be taken by the waterfall near by). Rach went first and like a pro descended down. It wasn't until she got into the water and attached herself to the rope mentioned above that the trouble began! Old 'Happy' (a trainee we found out later) didn't secure the rope properly so when Rach grabbed it, it came undone and she was taken by the rapids. Suspended there and holding on to avoid the waterfall below she struggled to keep her head above the water. 'Happy' tried to pull her up onto the nearby rock but unable fell in and was washed over the waterfall and down the river (he lost a shoe but was OK). Meanwhile Mark was at the top was telling Gurn to get him down there! Gurn abseiled down to sort it out as Mark had had enough and started making his way down by the path nearby. However, on reaching the bank some 20m away he realised he couldn't get to Rach and could cause additional problems if he got stuck so stood and watched helplessly. This episode lasted over 5 minutes before Gurn pulled Rach out of the water. Finally everyone got to the farside bank to reflect on the drama. Gurn in no uncertain terms had a word with 'Happy' and despite not speaking Vietnamese we understood the gist. 'Happy' tried to apologise but we (particularly Mark) wasn't interested and made it quite obvious he wasn't a happy boy. We decided to continue but this time Mark going first, however, we'd lost a bit of confidence in the team around us and when we got the next activity we decided to sack it in. So not the experience we were looking for today really but we're all OK especially Rach.

We headed off for lunch at the Tigerfalls (the place we couldn't find yesterday) and Gurn was very apologetic and Mark suggested old 'Happy' should do some weight training.

The plus side at lunch was there were lots of dogs including some puppies for Rach to take her mind off the morning. We fed them bananas as they looked very skinny. Probably not the best thing to give them but Rach couldn't resist. She wanted to take them with us but not the best idea!

The mood mellowed over lunch and Mark cleared the air by venting his frustrations. It wasn't Gurn's fault and he was obviously disappointed as much as we were. Him and the driver had bought a bottle of Dalat red wine. They filled the glasses and then told us the custom was to down it in one. No problems there after the morning we'd had!

After lunch we drove back to Dalat and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing before meeting Gurn and Warn (The driver from today) for dinner. We went to a traditional Vietnamese restaurant and the food was great. Rach had a vegetable stir fry and Mark, Gurn and Warn had a beef hotpot, which consisted of a bowl of beef stock on a small stove, with raw beef, vegetables and noodles. You put the meat, veg and noodles into the stock in a ladle and then scooped out into your bowl. It was fantastic! Earlier in the day Mark enquired about snake wine (having seen it on top gear!) When we sat down for dinner Gurn showed it to Mark on the bar and then ordered a jug of it. The wine is fermented with medicinal spices and a snake coiled up in the bottle! Funny enough Rach didn't try it but Mark had no choice and drank copious amounts in small short glasses.

It was a really nice evening and certainly made us forget the dramas from earlier today. A great way to end a very eventful day!

Tomorrow we're going to hire the motorbike again to explore more of the beautiful countryside and then on Tuesday start our 2 day cycle ride to Nha Trang (150km)

Love Rach & Mark. xxx

Biking around Dalat

Today we woke up to a much drier Dalat. We had breakfast at the hotel, which was amazing - it was buffet style and had tonnes of exotic fruit so we got to try all the things we'd seen in the markets but had no idea what they were. They even had Marmite!
We then went to meet Gurn to collect our motorbike for the day. We thought it would be some rubbish moped but it was a pretty powerful Yamaha. Automatic fortunately!
Gurn showed us on a few maps some places to go and still a bit unsure where we were going we ventured out of the city. Mark was driving but Rach did get to have a go this time (further than 3 metres!) We first went to the Elephant Falls. The drive there was spectacular and we stopped on various occasions to take pictures. It took a while to find and we got a bit lost but didn't mind as we were having so much fun whizzing around the mountains. We eventually found it and were very impressed by this huge waterfall. We saw people climbing down next to it so did the same. It really was amazing and one of the coolest things we've ever done. We clambered down the wet slippery rocks, got soaking wet and covered in mud but eventually managed to get right down behind the waterfall. It was incredible; the sound was deafening and the spray of water drenched us. We wanted to take pictures but we didn't dare get the camera out as it was so wet. (Yes Beck we've bought a little digital in Bangkok but even this wouldn't have survived.)
Back on the bike we soon dried off in the blaring sunshine. We drove back towards Dalat and then headed south in search of some more falls. Instead we somehow stumbled upon a stunning lake surrounded by little restaurants and bars. We decided to get some lunch so pulled up at a little place where we were warmly welcomed by a group of women. They gave us tea and asked what we'd like to eat. We explained that Rach was vegetarian which they fortunately understood. They gave us little baguettes and laughing cow cheese cubes. Sounds funny but it was so simple, we loved it! We sat overlooking the lake and discussed wanting to come back before we'd even left.
After lunch we got a bit lost again - too blinded by the stunning views to pay attention to where we were going. After getting our bearings we headed towards another set of waterfalls. About half way there the clouds darkened and the heavens opened. We pulled in under a bus shelter hoping it would be a short downpour but it continued for the rest of the afternoon. Back on the bike we didn't care as it was so much fun speeding through puddles and getting soaked by tidal waves of water as trucks passed us. We decided to sack off the waterfalls though and head back to Dalat as we could bearly see 10 yards in front of us! We've never seen rain like it, we were soaked through to our undies by the time we got back which Gurn found hilarious as it had been completely dry there.
We came back to the hotel and warmed up in our high powered, swanky shower.
Tomorrow we are going canyoning and can't wait. Dalat is by far our favourite place so far and we can't wait to see more of it. We may even do another day on the bike!
Love to all
Rach & Mark. xxx

Dalat to see you, to see you Dalat!

Sorry for the weird title - after being on the bus for 8 hours cabin fever has set in! Or maybe it's the thinner air up here. Our first impression of Dalat was 'it's very different to anywhere else we've been so far' and despite it being dark and drizzling we warmed to place straight away. The journey has taken us up into the Central Highlands of Vietnam where the air is cooler, the hills are covered in lush greenery and the scenery is breathtaking.
The travelling is definitely mellowing Mark (control freak) as he happily hopped on the back of a scooter to be taken the last 1km after the bus dropped us off in the town!
We dumped the bags off at Dreams Hotel and walked around the town briefly (with fleeces on) before finding a place for dinner (Art Cafe) and THANK GOD at last great food!
We're going to spend a couple of days here and have already planned several trips with Gurn (a friend of Jen and Joe's!). Tomorrow we're hiring a moped to visit several of the sights, on Sunday we're going canyoning and then we're going to cycle for two days around the Highlands and then onto Nha Trang on the coast. Mark has already lost weight so with this exercise he'll be a 32 waist soon!
So expect several bumper packed blog updates over the next couple of days.
Love to all.
Mark & Rach. xxx
PS - Frank help yourself to the red wine - we've been craving some accompanied by a cheese board!

Saigon as the locals call it (HCMC)

Saigon

Beware of the motorpeds is the key message when walking in Saigon - even on the side walks!

All you need to do is walk across the sea of the waspy engines slowly, alert and not make any sudden movements. Understanding that law for walkers we ventured out into the city to explore a number of the sights using the Lonely Planet (LP) as a reference only.

Saigon is very much a cross between Bangkok and New Delhi (more towards Bangkok which is good). Walking at a slower pace than we normally do our first stop was the Hoi Ch Minh Museum - a grand colonial building but the contents - not that impressive apart from the various vehicles used to smuggles guns and people during the wars and the miltary bits of kit parked outside.

One of the biggest attractions (if you call it that) is the War Remnants Museum which explains the Vietnam War in the eyes of the locals and various international journalists. There is no Hollywood glamour when you walk around looking at the photos taken during the battles and understanding the pain people went through and for some continue to do so today.

With our new found walking speed lunchtime was upon us and as we were making our way to the Reunification Palace we spotted a local place to rest our legs and replenish. It had disaster written on the next 30 minutes when we noticed they didn't have a menu outside to pass judgement. The place was clean and the staff happy as they sat us down. Presenting menus we hadn't a clue despite it being in English and ordered blindly. Minutes later Mark's dish arrived - a sort of pancake with Watercress, pork and prawns inside. Then arrived Rach's dish! She'd had obviously opted for a vegetarian dish. The waitress showed us what to do by taking a selection of salad leaves and wrapping the pancake filling to make another type of pancake! As she made a start on Rach's dish but we noticed it had meat and pwrawns in it. After spending 5 minutes trying to explain the issue and the waitress returning with several other dishes (the meat just taken out of the original one,and one with just prawns) fortunately a man appeared who spoke English. He explained that the 'meat' was infact tofu in the shape of pork belly and prawns! If that was the case they were certainly very good lookalikes. Slightly put off and embarassed Rach didn't eat anything and Mark just picked at his after discovering it didn't taste that great anyway.

Not replenised we continued our journey and went into the Reunification Palace. Now, it is not like you would imagine if you closed your eyes and pictured a palace. It was a 1960s concrete building that looked more like an office block you see in an industrial park. It was where the Southern Vietnamese Government ran the country until the North invaded and crashed a tank through the main gates and took power in 1975. As we left Mark summed up his thoughts saying 'Hmmmmm.' Two unrewarding experiences in a row.

We headed back to the hotel and on route booked our transport for Dalat - yep you've guest it another 7 hour bus trip was to come!

That evening we went to the Sheraton Saigon to the roof top bar (a treat!) and sat watching the day close while having a beer. Again using the LP as the guide we picked a restaurant nearby and hoped it would fulfil our needs. We walked there to find the building knocked down! Walking back to the hotel Mark was considering binning the LP. Nearer the hotel we found a restaurant and being tired (of walking and failure!) we ordered! Lets just say we have yet to experience a culinary delight in Vietnam. Tomorrow we head for Dalat and the mountanins - please let there be good food and places that are open!

Hope all is good at home.

Love

Mark & Rach. xxx

PS - Liz I'm very impressed by the baking. I hope others are contributing (not just Rob)! Good luck for tomorrows game, someone text the result please.

Good morning Vietnam!

Tuesday - Phnom Penh to Chau Doc
Yesterday morning we got the boat down the Mekong river from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc. We were told it would take 4 hours but it ended up being nearly 6.
The boat was quite small with no more than 10 people on board, including four people from Spain. We decided to sit out the back of the boat so we could take pictures and were soon joined by our fellow Europeans! One of them had brought a picnic which included baguettes, various meats, cheeses, olives and a bottles of red wine. He swigged the wine out of the bottle and passed it around for us to share; much appreciated by me and Mark. It did, however, make us feel a bit embarrassed by our poor excuse for lunch which consisted of a tube of Pringles and a packet of Ritz biscuits. We offered them round but funny enough no takers!
The first part of the journey was fantastic with beautiful views of the Mekong river and friendly conversation with all of speaking fluent English!
About 2 hours in the cloud came over and and it started to rain heavily. We had to sit inside the boat and the driver had to slow right down as he couldn't see where he was going.
Despite her boat history Rach did really well and wasn't sick once!
As we approached Chau Doc we came across a stranded boat that had broken down so we had to tug that along to, slowing down our journey even more. We finally docked at around 5pm and walked with the Spanish couple (Eva and Jordi) to find a hotel and after looking at a couple we decided to go with one for $13 including breakfast. We dumped the bags, met Eva and Jordi and went to find a bar, badly in need a beer. Bia Saigon is the local brew so we sampled a few of those! Eventually we went in search of some well needed food and found a place that more resembled a street side bar than a restaurant. It was cheap and sold Bia Saigon so we were happy! Again we managed to pick some Vietnamese phrases that would help us.
Wednesday - Chau Doc to Hoi Chi Minh City (HCMC)
This morning we got the 9am bus from to HCMC. It was another long journey which in total took 8 hours. The bus was ok but as we also found in Cambodia they played music videos on full volume for the entire journey! Even the ipod on full blast didn't block out the irritating sound of Vietnamese music! Funny enough neither of us slept a wink.
It got worse though when part way through the journey the woman behind Mark threw up in the aisle and underneath the seat! It ran all the way down the bus and stank but didn't get cleared up until over an hour later when we stopped.
We were very relieved to arrive in HCMC at around 4.30pm. After a taxi ride and a bit of lost wandering around we found our hotel which seems really nice.
We plan to spend a couple of days here and then head north to Dalat!
Hope all is good at home, thanks for all the messages and emails!
Lots of Love
Rach & Mark. xxx

Back in Phnom Penh

Hi All,
Today we left Sihanoukville and got the bus back to Phnom Penh. We had a really relaxing couple of days down on the coast but the beaches weren't what we were expecting. They say it is the Costa Del Sol of Cambodia but we didn't think so. We think the bad weather had damaged a fair bit of the beach strip and many bars looked as though they'd been flooded. Fortunately we had a great hotel and pool!
Tomorrow we catch the boat down the Mekong River to Chau Doc (Vietnam) and then plan to get a bus across to Hoi Chi Minh City to start our Vietnam adventure.
It was really lovely to speak to the families on Sunday and we can't believe a month has already flown by! The next post will include pictures we promise. There is quite a high risk of bag snatching in the cities and haven't had the camera as much as we should.
Lots of Love
Rach & Mark. xxx

Sihanoukville

Today we travelled to Sihanoukville down on the south west coast of Cambodia. The journey was ok and took about 4 hours. We used Mekong express buses again, which run a good service and after road travel in India we feel very safe!
On arrival at the bus station we got mobbed by tuk tuk drivers who tried to charge us $6 to get to our hotel. Fortunately we were well read and had seen something in the lonely planet about scams. After threatening to walk onto the road where we knew we'd get a much cheaper ride they caved in and said it would only cost $2 - the price we'd first stated! We checked into our hotel which is really good, with a pool. All for $18 plus breakfast. Went to explore a couple of the beaches close by and got harassed by lots of hawkers trying to sell all sorts. Fortunately both hardened by India it didn't put us off a beer looking out to sea!
Back at the hotel this afternoon and relaxed by the pool, planning to explore more tomorrow.
Lots of love
Rach & Mark. xxx

The Killing Fields

On arrival the first sound and an uncomfortable one after visiting S-21 (the old high school) yesterday was as we entered the memorial site we could hear children playing in the distance from a nearby school. Again the site was located on the edge of a very normal village and at the centre stood the stupa that was built to remember those who had died. We walked around in silence and observed the peace and tranquilty that now exists despite knowing what occured just over 30 years ago. There were over 80 mass graves excavated, some with information on what was found within. There are still over 100 graves believed to be uncovered. Overall a thought provoking place and something that we will never forget.
Returning on the tuk-tuk we hired to take us to the Killing Fields we got another glimpse of normal life for the Cambodian people. As we neared the city centre the heavens opened and we got caught in the biggest downpour we have had so far - fortunately we were dry in our tuk-tuk. Within a couple of minutes the rain disappeared and the sun was shining again. We spent the rest of the afternoon chilling at a riverside bar before heading back to our $10 room. Its our last night in Phnom Penh before catching the bus to Sihnoukville at 7am!
Love
Mark & Rach. xxx