OH MY BUDDAH - this is going to be a long one!!!!! What a fantastic time we've been having ........... hope everyone is well, spring is a coming and clocks change soon it'll be summer before you know it! Speaking of which we can't belive that time is heading into April already!

So what have we been upto - well as per Marks last blog - we went into Vietnam with not high expectations and me personally a little nervous (mainly from what people had said about their experiences etc....). When we arrived the weather wasn't great but Hanoi was ok - we just went with the get a coffee and watch the madness before moving on to Hue - which is where it all started to turn around, the place we stayed was lovely (enter two beaten travellers at 7 in the morning - they really looked after us) and we went on a fab city tour - Citidal and the forbidden city very interesting - from Hue a bus to Hoi An - which is one of my fave so far - just fun - so much stuff to buy - clothes made to measure or just bring a picture of what you like and they'll make it - alas it was all just fun watching for me - no room in the backpack yet - but we will be going back for a holiday in the future with empty suitcases! After Hoi An (I think that's where Mark left off from the last blog) we got a bus down to Nha Trang - total beach resort with lots of bars with lots of drinks offers - just there for 3 days but had a lovely time - also met 2 guys from Sweden who we ended up playing Jenga and pool with (not at the same time) and getting very drunk - also almost lost the phone and i-pod but lucky us the bag they were in landed in a bush and the security guard fished out and we got them back - lucky us! So after a day recovery (the shots were never a good idea) we got on a bus to Dalat. The bus service was fantastic, free water and on arrival in Dalat there was a free shuttle bus to take us to the hotel (free stuff rocks when you're on a budget). Our hotel was nice a litle walk out of town and Dalat an interesting place, not what we expected we'd booked 4 nights but 2 or 3 would have done. However they did have a different climate up in the hills to we had treats of broccoli, cauliflower and potatoes - plus their own local wine - which was delicious. We also visited the CRAZY HOUSE - and yes it was crazy - the pictures will explain better, but very twisted and alice in wonderland type all centred in keeping with tree like stuff - Jackie it's an architects nightmare but strangely was built by an architect from Vietnam who studied in Russia - think she was borded or straight lines and corners - but throughly enjoyable visit. We also went on a countryside tour - we went to a flower farm (very pretty and apparently the best business to be in in Dalat as they supply flowers to the rest of Vietnam), a cricket farm - bleh! hundreds of thousands of crickets in rotational breeding bins - at 3 months they are shipped out to the restraunts - lurrrrrvley! They offered a try 'try them they are good - fried with lemongrass' - yeah right - Mark dug in for the both of us. Then off to a coffee farm - learnt a bit about the coffee beans and the process and then ....... Weasel Poo Coffee (oh yes Anton we take your snake blood and fried spider and give you back weasel poo coffee) - the storey goes that the weasels like coffee beans and when they eat them the digestive process before they come out the other end adds a certain something - so of course yes we had to try it (just the 1 small cup between us though) and it's coffee, it's ok but you are drinking something thats passed through the digestive tract of a weasel (possibly the weasel looking at you from its cage) and it's hard to get that out of your head (again especially when possible said weasel is the one looking at you drinking it!). So after all the delicasies we stopped into a silk farm and see the process of extracting silk which was pretty interesting - the machines that they use there to spin the silk have been going for 200 years - pretty impressive.

After Dalat it was another bus (with the lovely bus company) to Saigon. Saigon is another city i really liked very hustle and bustle and in a certain way pretty (kind of NYC way). We were only in Saigon a couple of days as our visa was running out but we got to go to the war museum and it was really interesting (and sad), Mark has got a lot of pics to put up and some of them just make you wonder - there was so much 'why' to ask with here and later on in Cambodia (i'll get to that in a bit). So a quick stop in Saigon then we started our Mekong Delta tour (we booked a 2night 3day tour which finished in Phnom Penh, Cambodia). We had a lovely time on the tour - the pace really slowed down as everything we were doing was via water canals - through the tour we went to a brick factory (more interesting than it sounds), floating markets and floating village - some of the floating houses in the village had their own fish breeding cage built under their porch out front, mainly they breed catfish and there were 10's of thousands in each cage - throwing some food in caused absolute mayhem (again pics to follow). To finish off our tour on the last day we had a slow boat with deck chairs chug us out of Vietnam via the water canals and drop us at the Cambodian border - very nice way to end an absolute fantastic trip in Vietnam - can't recommend travelling there enough - even if you just went for a holiday in Hoi An.

Oh and just a quick bit of info:

Traffic rules of Vietnam:

First rule: Make sure you have a sound device on your vehicle that makes lots of noise and use it as much as possible: make noise if you just got on your bike, if you are turning left, right, stopping or smiling. make noise to say hello, make noise to say goodbye, make noise to let people pass, make noise to get the stupid tourist out the way (there was a lot of noise made at us - it think it was because they were so happy to see us!). But above all just make some noise!!!

Second rule: there are no traffic rules in Vietnam - except for the first rule!

So onwards to Phnom Penh (via minibus) - once we got into Cambodia it seemed like someone turned the thermostat up an extra 10 degrees and removed oxygen from the air - really is a different kind of heat. So we had planned 2 nights in Phnom Penh but in hindsight we wish we had booked longer - it's a recovering city still from the Khmer Rouge but it really does have a lot more to offer thant the killing fields and s21 visit. The killing fields was an education into something that is very sad and very why? However although so very sad (and only happened 30 some years ago) the locals are looking to the future and really want to make something of it - again it's not something that's easy to write to be understood - but google the killing fields just to know - the place that was the centre of so much wrong is now a respectful place which pays tribute the those killed and also lets visitors know that this kind of thing has happened all round the world not just on their doorstep but if they can help educate so it doesn't happen again then all the better.

So after a very fact filled couple of days we departed (once again by bus) to Siem Reap and the 8th wonder of the world, Angkor Wat (the 9th wonder being how the heck would we get up at 4 in the morning to get ready to go and see the sunrise!). Siem Reap is a lovely place we had a day to get our bearings before booking our first visit to Angkor for the sunrise and the small circuit of temples. There is a lot of begging though and people renting out babies so some can walk round asking for money for milk - it's very in your face but it really isn't as it seems - it's all so corrupt - it you give to a beggar - money, the money will most likely go to someone else who sends them out. items/food - how can you give to everyone - i looked into it a bit more and there are organisations around which are the best option - give money, items such a pencils etc to them and they know how to distribute them. At one point we had a very young angry beggar boy threatening to throw bricks at us - but all fine - however an example of what things can escalate to when encouraged by giving out - sad but true. Anywho onto something a bit more happier - the Angkor Wat - AMAZING! We went twice once a small circuit which included they getting up for sunrise (the 9th wonder does exisit - just) and then a second day (with a day break inbetween) around the larger circuit - both days were amazing - both days we also melted several sizes - totally worth it - as always pics to follow which are way better than my typing skills!

We also bumped into a couple that we'd met in Laos and after we got talking they mentioned that they were going to the Malaysian grand prix - quick flight from Siem Reap to Kuala Lumpar and you're there. Say no more ........ you got this Friday we are off to Kuala Lumpor to take in the grand prix over the weekend - very excited!!!! Hence our plan will shift a little and we'll travel up malaysia and back into Thailand rather than go straight to thailand from here - but hey ..... that's travelling!!!!

We are having a lovely time and as always it's great to hear from you and keep up with whats going on at home so keep it coming - have a lovely week all and keep a look out for us on tv this weekend!!!! Z&M