Long time no blog! Combination of little internet time and difficulties trying to get this damn site to work - very tempermental! Last time I wrote we were leaving Hoi An and flew to Nhg Trang which seems to be a massive holiday destination for the Vietnamese which I can only relate to being a bit like Surfers Paradise. Gorgeous white sand beaches with heaps of highrise hotels and tourists everywhere. Needless to say - not alot of character. Great hotel - very flash with pool on the roof. Spent the first afternoon on the beach managing to avoid all the women selling everything from cigerates to water to fake Lonely Planets, sunglasses etc etc etc Had a extremely overpriced Tiger (3 times the price of normal) at the very flashly Sailing Club which is right on the beach and definately the place to be (if you want to spend a fortune!) followed by dinner at a local seafood restaurant where Camille devoured an entire lobster (for only US$28!). Next day we went of a boat tour of four islands which for $6 turned out to be on a very old style boat packed to the brim with tourists. Luckily we managed to secure our sunbathing spot on the top deck and pretty much spent the day up there. Met a great Kiwi couple Fran & Simon who live in Mt Maunganui but are travelling through S.E Asia for 6 months who we met up with later that night for 2 for 1 cocktails at the Red Apple. Jo and I had an interesting cocktail which seemed to taste like Listerine!

Tuesday we braved another (4 hr but really 6 hr) bus trip from Nhg Trang to Mui Ne - a small coastal fishing village well known in Vietnam for producing Fish Sauce - hence the smell is everywhere! We had a recommendation of a place to stay so turned up at Wind Champ resort and secured rooms for US$15 a night. Thatched hut style accomodation which rooms were a little tired but great location right on the beach with swimming pool and beach bar on site. Very laidback town which was just what we needed after Nhg Trang. Wednesday we went on a tour in a Jeep to Fairy Springs which was at the end of a long river (which we had to walk up) which wound it's way through red clay canyons. Then we were driven to white sand dunes where we went sand sliding on plastic sheets hired off the local children for 10,000 dong. Lots of fun! A quick stop at the red sand dunes then back and out for dinner then back to the beach bar for mojitos and a few games of pool.

Thursday we were back on the road heading for Ho Chi Min City (Saigon). This time we'd had enough of the buses and hired a private vehicle (Mercades Sprinter) with driver for US$18 each to take us on the four our journey. Gotta be the best 20 bucks I've ever spent - we each had a row of seats so got to spread out and sleep in airconditioned comfort - great! Had to walk around a few hotels when we got here to find rooms but finally found a really friendly guesthouse for US$16 a night down a little alleyway. Spent the afternoon walking around the city and also taxied to Vietnam Airlines head office to purchase a special flight/accomodation package deal we'd seen to Cambodia. Today Friday Jo and Camille have headed off to the tunnels and Tracey and I have spent the day looking around the city. Jo's birthday today so tonight we are heading out for a flashy dinner and drinks at the rooftop bar at the Rex Hotel (infamous hotel where the news correspondents were positioned throughout the Vietnam War).

Early tomorrow (Saturday) Camille, Jo and I are flying to Siem Reap, Cambodia to see the Angkor Wat ruins. Great promotion with Vietnam Airlines where we basically get two nights of 4 star accomodation thrown in for free with the return airfare which sounds great! Heading back Monday lunchtime in plenty of time to make my 9.30pm flight back to Melbourne.