Hello all!

I have now arrived in the country of Laos so thought I would do my update of times in Vietnam. I have joined a tour group through Vietnam and Laos which has made life incredibly easy for me - all accommodation and transport is arranged so all I do is decide what to do with my days! Very grateful to have such decisions taken out of my hands.

So Vietnam. In some ways very similar to Cambodia with recent tragic history that devastated the country and a similar attitude to rebuilding what was lost. A mixture of both bustling cities (more Motos than people) and then beautiful countryside. However they were also different in a number of ways - Vietnam came across as more wealthy and has definitely been developed to appeal to Westerners - more recognised shop names (KFC and Highlands Coffee!), western restaurants and bars and walking around you'd see plenty more tourists. Generally found locals to be less welcoming and sadly more likely to con you when possible, particularly taxi drivers if a fixed price is not agreed. Oh - and it rained. A lot. But I won't complain too much about this as I'm imagining you're worse off in the UK right now :-)

I was with a group of 15 people, all lovely, but even better as an odd person it meant I got my own room in hotels! For someone who has shared for the last 5 months this really was a highlight - luxury of having space and time to myself. Our tour guide Nan would recommend a number of different activities to do each day then we could choose what most appealed. So to sum up the last 12 days... In Ho Chi Minh City we did a city tour and visited the Cu-Chi tunnels and Ben Than Market. In Nha Trang we hired cycles, went to mineral mudbaths and visited local pagodas and the Happy Buddah. In Hoi An we did a cycle tour of the rice paddies, rode a water buffalo, did a Vietnamese cooking course and explored the area. In Hue (pronounced 'Way') we visited the Purple Forbidden City, did a boat trip and a moto tour of the city visiting local landmarks. Up to Halong bay (one of the 7 natural wonders) we did a boat cruise, explored the caves and bartered at the night Market. And last stop in Hanoi visited Ho Chi Minh Masoleum, had a tour of the city, more Market shopping and found the best coffee shop ever with amazing Vietnamese coffee! So overall a fairly packed but incredible tour - and excited for new adventures in Laos!

Something I do have to mention is the experience of overnight trains in Vietnam. Having never been on one I was faced with three in the space of one week... And not sure they'd ever be my first choice of travel! There would be 4 of you cramped into a compartment, bunkbed style. On a good one you'd have free water, a decent enough toilet, bed with pillow and blanket and on one we even got a free pot noodle! On a bad one... And yes, there was a bad one... You'd have freezing cold rooms (Africa clothes came out the bag for this!), unclean sheets used by the previous travellers, blocked toilets and a lingering smell of mould and sewage. LOVELY! ( for that one I took 2 sleeping pills that knocked me out for the duration). Great experience though and provided plenty of laughs and entertainment.

So, only two weeks to go now! Don't think it has dawned on me how soon that is... As I sit here in 28 degree heat I can't imagine the hustle and bustle of Xmas having kicked off in England, the central heating blasting and the opening of advent calendars beginning. Looking forward to seeing everyone though. But first more adventures to be had in Laos! Over and out :-)