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.
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