Hello blog followers... that sounds a bit naff doesn't it,a bit conceited... oh well. sorry not been around for a while, the Vietnamese government banned Facebook and Gmail for some reason, plus we have had limited WiFi .. but we are back and with lots of news, so get comfy and enjoy our ride...
Left Hoi An for a relatively non eventful 5 hour bus journey .... it was the most stunning one yet, hugged the coast line all the way up and the beaches and vistas were jaw breaking.... it was a mountainous journey with many switch backs but hey .. I don't see any reason why in an underpowered , bald tyres , 40 year old bus you shouldn't overtake on a corner... now man up !!
Arrived in Hue' and walked to our 4 star hotel overlooking a beautiful river with mountains in the distance.. this hotel won awards in 2005... it was obviously chuffed to bits and hung up its paint brushes as it look very tired, but the view was amazing and we watched the sun go down from our balcony over the river.. very lovely..
The next day we decided to charter our own boat for a trip down the perfume river ... just the 2 of us on a families boat for £3 ... it was perfect chugging along watching babies being washed in the river, old ladies rowing their boats to the market, men in hammocks sleeping.... they do a lot of sleeping and in the strangest places.... , she dropped us off at the market which was the best one yet, and clearly only for locals, I don't think they many foreigners they looked very surprised to see me walking through there.it is so so hot we got back to the hotel and swam in the pool all afternoon, watching the sun go down....
The next day we visited the Imperial city, it is or was a walled city with a 5 mile wall around it and the emperor and his wives, and his eunoch mates all lived here... ( they didn't look very happy in the photos and I can't think for the life of me why ) it was very very hot and a lot of the city has of course been heavily bombed by the US during the war so there was not a great deal to see... in fact it looked very tired , sad and neglected, a little bit Brian does having been dragged around now for 2 months from temple to temple, pile of rock to pile of rocks...never a complaint from that clenched jaw, teeth grinding , eye popping , pursed lipped lovely face. just a " whatever you want my darling " ... god love him !!!!!
25th Aug - Hue to Hanoi.... Off to the airport for a very pleasant flight to Hanoi the capital....our hotel is lovely, but , they have mistaken our wedding anniversry blag for our "honeymoon" oh dear... all the other residents were congratulating us and slapping Briaan on the back, we had been upgraded and a red rose and a cake was on our bed with "hapi hani mun" written on it .... covered in ants ... lovely ..
Hanoi the capital is very very noisy, mopeds everywhere all tooting their horns, chaotic, boiling hot, pavements are full of motorbikes or street restaurants on very tiny plastic stools which just get set up for the day.. so you have no choice but to walk in the roads which are horrendous.... it is like letting 300 six year old children drive electric bikes around a city, no rules do what you want, park where you like and make as much noise as you possible can .... it is hell and scary , especially at night when you can't see them just headlights coming at you.....You actually psyche yourself out from crossing a road... we were crossing a big busy road and it was about 10 lanes deep both sides.. and you weave and keep walking... Brian made a dash for it and made it and was waiting for me the other side.. there was a bar there and everyone was watching me.... panic started to set in a a good 10 mins later I had made it to the middle .... everyone was willing me on, I saw my opportunity made a weave for it, threw my arms in the air like Bolt crossing the 100m finish line and was clipped by a bike driving the WRONG way up a 10 lane road.......my language was ripe .....
We walked and walked from market selling counterfeit money to market selling chicken feet.. war museums, the photos show a mangled B52 plane , but all other hardware fully intatct .lakes, beautiful old tunnel building which are very narrow but long to save on frontage tax, all looking very run down but amazing in their day... this city is exhausting, just crossing a road... you feel you want to lay in a dark silent room for days or just shouting " shut the F**k up " ..
The following day we checked out and hopped on a bus , destination Halong bay .... so pleased to be leaving Hanoi, Yet I wander around this country arguing over 30 p getting cross with motorbikes and people eating dinner on the street getting in my way, sleeping 5 to a room on the floor, strip lighting, plastic chairs... I can escape , they have this never ending noise ,human escalator they on on , living breathing , surviving this noisy heartbeat of a city.. and I feel pity... well I did until someone hoicked up Phlegm and spat it on my shoe !!!!
So off to halong bay and very excited.. it was a longer bus journey than we had anticipated but eventually climbed aboard our vessel .... "sunrise cruise " and yes she had seen a fair few..... clapped out old junk.. but who cares for one night... Halong bay is famous for its limestone islands.. they are so beautiful , they look like jungle clad icebergs all just floating about, where the top looks bigger the bottom, we laid anchor and kayaked through some caves and a floating fishing village then parked our boats and climbed up into these huge caves with stalagmites and stalagtites in.. the VC hid here during the war, it was lovely and cool and cathedralesqe !!!! back in the kayaks and back to "sunrise"... i think it's sun has set but never mind.. we all jumped off our cruiser into the sea which was fab and we were in the middle of the china sea.. surrounded by islands very surreal.. we had dinner with the other guests... ours were a French / Vietnamese family.. the mother shouted into her phone for most of the meal.. ( they are drug manufacturers.. joy ) the very elderly father had bad dementia and kept asking who his daughter in law was and the son looked embarrassed and grinned at us a lot. After the mother had spat most of her meal over me , I eventually piped up and sighed " do you ever switch off .. " she barked back " never " and a watermelon pip flew out of her mouth into my beer...
An early night for an early start !! breakfast at 7am ...this trip is like an endurance test ... we then.. got in a tender, got on a bus ( this is with all our packs ) walked 200 m to bus !! then drove to shack, picked up bike , no brakes and only first gear... rode in boiling hot sun for 3 miles to hospital cave, climbed up mountain to get to it, a local unlocked this metal door in the side of the mountain to reveal this huge cave on 3 levels ... it was amazing, it took 5 years to excavate, and was used as an officers hopital, it had an operating theatre, physio pool, cinema, escape water tanks, kitchens, bedrooms ... the local kept turning on lights for us to see.... unbelievable.... we then rode back.. I rode over a snake !!! back on bus, more walking , onto another small boat then onto Monkey Island... a paradise uninhabited island, well apart from guess what !!!! we have our own thatched cottage on the beach, the sea is crystal clear and lovely and warm... nice bunch to have dinner with, but everyone is exhausted after the challenge of today..
Everyone left this morning except us !!! we are staying an extra night and have the island to ourselves... we jumped in a kayak with a bag of peanuts and paddled around to monkey beach.. landed our craft and lay in wait.... they came at us like a sketch from planet of the apes... taking peanuts out of our hands and mothers with babies around their waists taking food.... until.... the red faced monkey appeared... vicious little thing... he went for Brians leg and bit him and clawed him.. Brian was trying to kick him off .. it was all pretty savage , very quick and a bit scary.... Brian is fine, a little red faced himself... keeps picking nits out of my hair and walking on his fists but fine... he is on the anti B thanks for them, ( you know who you are ) so hopefully all ok.....it is so so hot.. after more swimming and sitting on our lovely verandah it was time for dinner on our own and and early night.. it is back to Horrible Hanoi tomorrow away from the silence of Halong Bay and Brian thumping his chest at me ..... xx
The following day we checked out and hopped on a bus , destination Halong bay .... so pleased to be leaving Hanoi, Yet I wander around this country arguing over 30 p getting cross with motorbikes and people eating dinner on the street getting in my way, sleeping 5 to a room on the floor, strip lighting, plastic chairs... I can escape , they have this never ending noise ,human escalator they on on , living breathing , surviving this noisy heartbeat of a city.. and I feel pity... well I did until someone hoicked up Phlegm and spat it on my shoe !!!!
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