And the heart grows fonder

Hello again!!!

Yes, we have been quite for some time now but we have totally been feeling ourselves settle into the swing of things, feel ourselves drift further into backpacking lifestyle, and start to really enjoy our travels to the most.

Ninh Binh was excellent for helping us slow sown and realise that not all Vietnamese people are trying to rip us off (which seems to be the case in Hanoi). After day 1 in Ninh Binh (riding through villages on a small bike a rowing through Tam Coc...epic) we decided that another day was needed. After falling in love with seeing the countryside on the back of a bike we hired the small motorcycle for another day of adventure. This time we travelled a little further afield to one of Vietnam's most well known Nature Reserves (Cuc Phuong). The drive was beautiful and the park was exceptional. We did a hike on the forest floor and sweated our way through a two hour trail (we stopped to look at a 1000 year old tree along the way and were attacked by numerous strange bugs). On top of that we visited their primate and turtle rehabilitation centers which were GREAT!

Sadly, it was then time for us to leave Ninh Binh (the place that had sparked our love affair with Vietnam). We hopped on an overnight bus heading for Hue. That was an experience...disco music played and the chairs lay almost flat...but Oliver and I were seperated and I found myself between two men (hilarious but weird). We arrived in Hue at about 7am and were bombarded by people offering us rooms and bikes. We found a nice place to stay and went about seeing the city.

First stop, the Citadel which is gorgeous but sad. It is a relic of war in itslef as it shows some of the destruction that was caused during it. Some buildings stand perfectly preserved while others are littered with bullets and some were even bombed to the ground. After that a trip to the market to eat some delicious noodles and we were done for the day.

The next day we headed out on a tour of the old DMZ...although tiresome because of the amount of driving it was incredibly interesting. Especially when we visted the tunnels (not fighting tunnels....village tunnels). Communities literally lived underground to dodge the American bombing. They had nurseries, family rooms, meeting rooms and ventilation systems. There were three levels, the deepest going 24m. The human willingness to survine is amazing.

Then it was another bus to another destination...Hoi An!

Hoi An is amazing! It is littered with tailors willing to make clothing and shoes to your heart's desire, it has an old town that is remincient of something in Eurpoe and utterly romantic in its own right and it has a beach with white sands and blue waters. We found ourselves spending more than we should and not caring. Hoi An slowed us right down and we spent a solid three days milling about and enjoying life. If someone out there is looking for a unique honeymoon destination...don't do Vietnam, do Hoi An.

We are now sitting in our lovely little hotel (all of which have been suprisingly clean and friendly) waiting for yet again another overnight, sleeper bus. Next stop, Nha Trang...but only for a brief while before we hop on a train to the infamous HCMC and start to slink our way into Cambodia.

And three days later

I can't believe that we have only been at this for three days...it feels like we have been out here for a while. It is crazy and exhausting but one hell of a journey.

So much has happened since our late night arrival. On day one we found ourselves walking around the streets of Hanoi wondering how anyone, let alone ourselves, were alive while crossing the street. There are scooters and motorbikes everywhere. Road rules don't seem to apply and pedestrians seemingly walk through intersections without so much as blinking an eye. It is hair-raising stuff, especially when you realise that looking left, then right, then left again won't even help your cause.

Hanoi was full of hustle and bustle. It was a city that never seemed to run out of things to see, buy and be scammed with. We had read that being scammed and taken advantage of was part of the journey but we could never have imagined the extent to which it takes place in Vietnam. In our three days we have been so blatantly ripped off that we have had to reach a stage of accpetance. The cash amounts of the "rips" are not too big but the concept it unnerving.

However, on the flip side of the coin Vietnamese people seem to be super friendly and hotel owners always willing to help (this may be attached to the commission or extra fee they get for helping). The food is also delicious and eaten at these cool pavement restuarants.

After a day of craziness in Hanoi we decided it was time to head out...so we went to the supremely famous Halong Bay. And it is easy to see why it is so popular. The massive boulders and rock formations are simply breath taking and being able to swim in the water next to your "junker" and then also in an isolated cove is just awesome. And to top it all off we had birds of prey swooping down to catch fish. An epic experience. The only thing that detracted from it was the fact that we were charged huge rates for any alcohol that we brought on board, "corkage fee" and we were overcharged for alcohol onboard. This was initially a problem but eventually a bottle or two of vodka were bought and everyone seemed merry.

Day three, today, we got an early start. The boys wanted to swim some more and show off their diving and jumping skills. Then it was time for a simple breakfast before kayaking through a fishing village which is one hell of a sight. It is a simple village floating in water equipped with police stations and schools. Most of the houses also have dogs and cats as pets (Yes...cats...I know it's madness).

Once we docked Oliver and I had to rush to catch a local bus to our next stop Ninh Binh. We climbed onto the small bus and were relieved that there were so few people on. Still the bus was tiny and we crammed ourselves in the back together with all our gear. We were then told that the journey would take five hours and we were off. About half an hour into the trip the bus operator (not the driver, this is the guy that gets the money and asks people if they want to get on or off) told us to pay an additional 100,000VDN for our luggage on the bus. We had already bought our tickets and felt that we were being cheated but later we realised how full the bus gets and  realised that our luggage was taking up a seat. So I guess from that point of view it is understandable.  I didn't get a wink of sleep during the five hour journey. Partly because I wanted to keep an eye on our stuff and partly because the driving was INSANE. I mean buses driving on the wrong side of the road. Two big vehicles driving toward each other head-on until one pulls away at the last minute. It is hair-raising and put me far, far out of my comfort zone.

However, I am happy to report that we got to Ninh Binh safely and in one piece. We are even unwinding at a nice little place and finding enough time to spend on the internet.

So the first three days have been absolutely minblowing. With another week left in Vietnam we an only guess what we will see and do next.

A late night arrival

I finally have enough time to write about what we are up to. Oliver is sleeping and I stirred from deep sleep once music started playing and motorbikes started zipping down the street outside our hotel room at 06:30. We are in the Old Quater in Hanoi.

Last we we met up with Oliver's dad in South Korea. We paid our final tribute to the country we love so dearly by taking Oliver's dad to the best sights the country has to offer and by tasting the best food in the world. We thourourly explored the East coast going from Seoul, to Chuncheon, to Gangneung, down to Gyeongju along the coast, then finally off to Busan. On the way back North we made stops in Andong for the Soju museum and in Danyang for a ferry ride and an experience at Jangdari Sikdag. Yesterday, we left Korea and it was difficult to say a final goodbye. After some tears on the areoplane it was time to focus on the next adventure.

We landed in Hamoi just after 11 pm and found ourselves stranded at the airport, not to sure what to do. The airport is far away from Hanoi itself, Oliver and I were suspicious of the taxi drivers, and we were to nervous to take a bus into the center of town at such a late hour. We spent over and hour deliberating, trying to decide what would be the safest and cheapest option for us. Taxi's encircled us like vultures, offering us deals just a bit higher than they should be. However, after spotting another couple at the airport, clearly also backpacking, we inquired what their plan was.

They said they were going to hotel and they were were waiting for a shuttle, which was free, the hotel was a bit steeper than we had hoped for (30$) but with very few options at that time of night (and considering we had no stinking clue what was going on) we asked if we could piggy back a ride in their shuttle. The only problem is the shuttle never came and there appeared to be some communication error of sorts. However, this was ok. We shared a taxi with our two newly made friends and found ourselves driving through the eerie roads of hanoi. They weren't well lit but had this fog and mist about them that gave them a strange appeal. The buildings were steeming with charatecr and the odd sights of scooters going by that were dressed in tons of gear was enough to peak my interests.

We have arrived!!!

We will only be in Hanoi for a day or two before shipping of elsewhere so I am eager to get out there and see what's potting. Oliver's alarm is bound to go off any minute now and then we can get a taste of our first Vietnamese dish.

We will keep you updated as often as possible and pictures are likely to follow only much much later.

Eeeeek....wish us luck :)

An epic stop over

Today Oliver and I started our two month adventure! Phew!!! It's been a long time coming and here we are.

Commuting from Johannesburg to South Korea can be a long trek in itself (between 16-18 hours of flight time) add in a 16 hour stop over at the Malaysian airport and it becomes crazy.

We landed in Malaysia shortly before 7am and realised that we had misjudged our stop over time quite drastically....eeeek!!!

So it was the makings of a great excuse to get out and se what Kuala Lumpur was all about. It is hot and humid...that is for sure. And because we left all our backpacking stuff in Seoul I had no other options but to travel in jeans...not a good idea.

We walked aropund the streets of Kuala Lumpur and got ourselves very lost! We managed to stumble on Litle India, China town, Central market and some awesome food stalls!

A little aprehensive about sitting down in a local store for lunch we walked around for ages until eventually the hunger took over and we sat at a street vendor and ate some rice with meat sauce and vegetables!!! Tastey!!!

Then it was time to share the eating love. We walked past  a store where you stick your feet into a pond and have little fish eat their way through your dead skin. Sounds gross I know but it is actualy very tickilish and quite relaxing!!! It was exactly what we needed...some reprive from the heat outside.

Then it was more market strolling before the flight caught up with us and we decided it was time to head back to the airport, find a bench and hopefully catch some Zzz's.

This time tomorrow we will be in the land of Morning calm driving the country with Oliver's father!!!!