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.