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Wow, how rubbish are we??
We're very sorry that we have been so rubbish at this blogging thing - but we have been having such a great time that we have had no time for blogging! I will try and remember what we've been up to since Siem Reap!
After Siem Reap we headed to Sihanoukville in southern Cambodia for some partying (for a change) and beaches. We had a mixed few days - Katherine was really ill and was diagnosed with Salmonella so unfortunately spent a couple of days in bed instead of on the beach and popping what seemed like hundreds of pills but luckily she was soon on the mend. I had a much nicer time as I was well and got to go on a really nice boat trip with some people we had met - but of course it wasn't the same without Kat!
From Sihanoukville we heading to Saigon in Southern Vietnam on 6th March which was a horrific bus journey. I went to bed at about 6:15am and managed to get 20mins sleep before being picked up by the bus which made for an interesting journey! It took us about 15hours to get to Saigon which was a really long and gross day - for some reason the bus drivers in South East Asia feel the need to constantly honk at other drivers even when there's nothing on the road which makes it incredibly hard to sleep at all! We finally arrived at about 9pm and teame dup with two Finnish guys, a German guy and a Canadian guy to get a 6 bed dorm which was actually really fun - they ended up travelling with us for a while (and most importantly on my birthday!)
Our first full day in Saigon we visited the war remnants museum which has lots of information about the Vietnam War. it was very interesting to see but also very one sided and anti-America as you would expect. Some of the exhibits were truly horrible - they had one case that had the embalmed bodies of babies who had been stillborn with deformities due to the chemicals the Americans used which we felt was unnecessarily graphic. We also spent some time wandering around the main market which was the most stressful experience so far! You can't move a foot without getting grabbed on the arm by a market vendor so before long we gave up and left.
The second day in Saigon the guys went off to the Mekong Delta and me and Kat went to see the Cu Chi Tunnels just outside of the city. It was a network of tunnels that the Viet Cong dug out during the Vietnam war to hide from the Americans. Parts of it were really interesting but it was very much the tour mentality so we didn't have much time to look at things properly or get manby pictures without other tourists in! They gave us the chance to try and get in and out of the hole that the Viet Cong entered and exited the tunnels through and of course I got stuck and couldn't get myself out (thanks to my noodles arms) so the Vietnamese guides took great pleasure in pulling me out!
After Saigon it was off to Nha Trang on the 9th in time for my birthday. All of our new friends came with us except the german so the 5 of us set off on a night bus to Nha Trang. Unfortunately my birthday started at some services by the side of the road in Vietnam but it could've been worse! We arrived at 5am, found a hotel and went to sleep! We had been hoping for nice weather but it was very cloudy and windy so me and Katherine decided to have a spa day and went for mud baths and hydrotherapy treatments and things it was a really nice way to spend a day. That night we went out for drinks (buckets...) and had a really awesome night! Enough said!
After Nha Trang it was on to Hoi An which is a pretty little city on the central coast. We both got some leather sandals made to measure for $10! Bargain. you even get to choose the colours you want and stuff so that was cool - it only took a day. On the second day we visited some Cham ruins outside of Hoi An which was interesting but far too hot. We were lucky to make it at all as we overslept and missed our pick up - we then ran around the town trying to find a moto to take us to the bus which I managed to do and we literally chased the bus down the street - it was a bit of a James Bond moment. I managed to get the bus driver to wait for Kat's moto so we did make it but it was a very eventful morning!
That night we flew to Hanoi which is a very odd and not very nice city. It's sprawling, dirty, busy and unfriendly. We spent the day visiting tourist sights but didn't like it and decided to head to Ha Long bay the next day (16th March)
We got the bus very early in the morning to a city c alled Haiphong and from there we got a ferry to Cat Ba Island. I say ferry but the 'port' seemed to be more of a tent by the sea that someone had set up so there was definitely something dodgy going on there but luckily we made it to Cat Ba. We booked a boat trip for the next day, looked for some bars (none to be found) and went to bed.
Ha Long Bay was probably the highlight o f a very mixed two weeks in Vietnam. The weather was terrible - very cold and cloudy but the bay was abolutely beautiful.. We visited a very cool and enormous cave and had freezing cold swim in the bay (see facebook for pictures) which was good fun.
After that back to Hanoi and then to Hong Kong where we are now! We had a very interesting day trying to get here and almost didn't make it. I had been up all night being sick and generally feeling ill but decided to give it a try. I managed to make it to the airport, was sick in the taxi and onto the plane - sick there too! But the airline staff were lovely. We flew via Bangkok where I saw a Dr who gave me lots of drugs and after that I was much better!
Hong Kong has been really fun but also very chilled. We went up to The Peak on our first day but somehow missed the tram and ended up walking to the top?!?! It was ridiculous and we thought we were going to die but we made it! Have been on the star ferry today and looked around some markets.
Tomorrow night it is off to Australia! We are very excited and will try to be a lot better about blogging.
Love to all xxx
- comments
Shirley and Dave Yay - an update! And photos - it's a feast lol! Sounds amazing girls! And the FB photos are fab too xx. Sarah your paragraph re being sick is almost a Hungry Caterpillar story lol. Love to you both xx
Natalie Awww sounds like loads of fun, reading this has been a highlight to my lunch break lol xXxXx
sue and andy Good to read blog and photos are great. Like the one of Kat on bike - a nervous smile though! Ha Long bay looks amazing - so brave to go in the water - looked very cold. lots of love xx Good luck in Oz - look forward to next update - please dont leave it so long. We do look forward to them.