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After deciding to leave the hectic city that is Hanoi, we boarded the sleeper train for Hue and after searching for a good 15 minutes, we eventually realised that our train was on another platform to the one we were on. However, this being Asia, there seemed to be no way of getting over there. We wondered around for a further 15 minutes looking for a walk way or bridge but eventually decided that the only "sensible" thing to do was walk across the tracks....turns out that what is very dangerous and, possibly, illegal in the UK is standard behaviour in Asia and nobody batted an eye lid as we followed a Vietnamese family doing the same so as to hopefully 'blend in'. As we found our carriage and settled in, we were greeted by two women and a gorgeous set of twin boys around 3 years old all sitting on the bottom bunk of the 4 berth sleeper carriage. The boys took an instant liking to us (especially Tom) and when the train was ready to go, one lady got off and left the other with the boys (we think she was their sister). During our train ride Tom played chase with them, they felt my hair and I played peek-a-boo with them all while communicating using hand gestures and facial expressions as neither party spoke the other's language! There was one downside to sharing our cabin with these adorable little boys......they never once WENT to the toilet, it didn't seem to stop them though as they filled almost 2 bottles with pee by the end of our journey together (Tom said when he saw them playing with the bottle "I don't care how cute they are, if they cover me in wee I'm gonna throw them out of the window" - bit of an overreaction but I had to agree!).
Hue, it turned out, was a little dull with the two main draws the Citadel and Pagoda being nothing more than ruins - and not the good sort. The Citadel held no real information and appeared to have no preservation in place, this being true of any historical places we have visited in Vietnam (and Asia). But we wandered around the ruins anyway, which we feared may not be here in the next 50 years let alone longer as people were trampling all over them with no concern for anything! On another day we decided to walk 7km to the Pagoda. I know, it took 2 hours and before you say it we underestimated how far it was before we set off and couldn't turn around once we started could we?! This was also a disappointment but at least it was better than the Citidel. The best thing about Hue was that we stayed in a lovely hotel (we are seasoned flash packers now) and tried Hue beer which I think was the best beer in Vietnam (Tom wasn't sure but he likes girly beer so who can trust his opinion).
Moving on, we got the bus to Hoi An which I remember Laura and Tal telling me was one of their faves, and It was magical! An old French colonial village with gorgeous lanterns everywhere, even Tom liked it although the fact there was a beach must have helped - I swear he'd marry the beach if he could!? It reminded me a lot of Luang Prabang, and didn't disappoint with its lovely shops and restaurants. It was here that Tom and I had some of the best Vietnamese food of our trip - my favourite being roast duck with banana flower salad and Tom's a noodle pork dish called Bun Bo. We also went on another 'food on foot' tour here, and turned out to be the only ones on it! Our guide took a liking to Tom, asking about football etc (he has even added Tom on facebook and sends daily comments and messages to him). The food on this tour was not as interesting as before however we did eat a black sludge like concoction, and being the only two on the tour I didn't want to be rude so I had to eat it all...hardest moment of our whole trip...... but it was actually ok. The rest of our time in Hoi An was spent between walking to the beach (it was pretty far!?) and looking at dresses which I was gagging to get made but couldn't justify to myself (because I've put on a few backpacker pounds).
When we tired of all the lovely food, decorations and shops in Hoi An we took the sleeper bus to Nha Trang and it was amazing.......like flying first class! We had our own little cocoon separate from everyone. Never seen anything like it! Not quite travelling in style or luxury but we liked it, for a few miles at least!?
We arrived in Nha Trang after our bumpy overnight journey and unfortunately for us it turned out to be a mini Phuket... bars and restaurants galore (and Russian tourists - who you can pick out from a mile away)! But we spent a few days on the beach (hence no photos) where Tom wave jumped, swam and body surfed to his heart's content while I stayed on the beach working on my tan even though the weather wasn't as sunny as I would have hoped.
Looking for better weather and a nicer atmosphere, we moved further south to the kite surfing capital of Vietnam, Mui Ne. It's a strange place, Tom loved it but I was indifferent. The waves were HUGE and Tom took me in, however after a minute or so I got scared and had to go in. Tom on the other hand thought the waves were perfect, I swear to you they must have been 10ft at points....he is crazy!! This is basically how we spent the next 3 days.....I read a lot of my book, topped up my tan while Tom seemed to be perpetually moist (yes everyone Tom added this bit).
Anyway, we have arrived in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh (we're not sure what the locals call it) and I am thoroughly excited as Christmas seems to be an event here......Merry Christmas everyone, as ridiculous as it sounds I am a bit jealous of you all spending Christmas at home!
Love to all.xxx
- comments
Sam And we are a bit jealous of you!! Merry Christmas. xxx
debglithero happy christmas to you,seems like we are all a bit jealous of each other! x