The morning of 12th October I tried to book my flight home while Kelly and Kim booked our boat from Kat Ba to Halong City back on the mainland. I found the flight I wanted but wasn't able to book it because it is absolutely 100% illegal for anybody to do anything with ease in the country of Vietnam. I asked the man in the Internet cafe if he could change Skype settings from Vietnamese to English so I could skype the travel company and after about 1 minute of ju...

It was a 5 hour journey to Kat Ba from Hanoi which seemed like nothing after the 26 hour ordeal. Air-con on the coach, feeling the sea breeze and time to update my diary and blog were much appreciated! Kat Ba town is charming. We got a room for 3 of us for $8 on 5th floor with stunning views of the bay and ate, on our first night, at a seafood restaurant recommended in lonely planet. It was not wrong. The next day we got up early and walked 15 minutes to Kat co...

So, overall impressions of Hanoi? Well there are a few ways of looking at this. It is, if you will, a city of two tales. On the one hand I would have to say that it is definitely the place on earth that I've visited that has most made me lose the will to live. On the other hand I have never ever been so grateful that I grew up on such a lovely island with lovely people with great opportunities. (Okay, okay, I love to exagerate- it's really not that bad, but it's...

It maybe wasn't the best idea to go out the night before a 26 hour coach journey... We bumped into Will and Gavin; Canadians we'd met on Koah San road in Bangkok. They were out with a big group of travellers from all over so we started talking to some of them too and headed to the club. We stayed until the lights were up and then... went bowling of course! The after party was at Spicy Lao again- its just a guest house with a balcony but seems to be where people h...

Poem I wrote inspired by the Rivers in Laos...I am a working River.I am burdened everyday.I carry hers and his for freebut a heavy price I pay. When I began up by the skies,I flowed so pure and free.but no resent I feel, alas;they can but ride on me. To move from A to B, you see,all must travel on their way.While some will sleep or work, heads down,some converse, and fish and play. Days of wander be embraced, as never a soul in historyhas ever avoided The Riv...