Oh my god! Worst. Journey. Ever!
The Cambodian side of the border was like a lunar landscape - craters everwhere. The bus was discovered to have a flat tyre after only about 10 minutes too, so every rest stop meant the bus staff disappearing for 45 minutes to pump it up for the next leg.
Eventually we bounced our way to the border town where we were inexplicably transferred to another bus to travel the last 5 minutes of the journey to the border point?!?!? After we'd crossed the border we were then kept waiting for around 2 hours for our coach. We were told we were waiting for some people to cross the border but since there are buses scheduled to leave every half hour this doesn't really make sense either! At least everyone was consoled with the fact that the next bus would be a luxury coach.
The luxury coach was a god send... For approximately 30 seconds until a strong smell of piss started to waft up from the toilet. There was a fault with it which meant we had to stop every 30-40 mins for a guy to pour water down it or something, followed by a spray of his aftershave to try and sort out the smell!
The final straw came when the bus ground to a halt only 20km from Bangkok with a broken clutch! We were stranded for at least 2 hours with no clue as to what exactly the bus staff were doing about it. Eventually a mutiny was staged and everyone was off at the side of the road hailing mini-buses or taxis for the last little bit.
We finally arrived at the Kao Sahn Road around 11pm, 15 hours after we'd begun our supposed 10 hour journey. After a brief argument about the price with the taxi driver (just to top it off!). We got to our rooms and went for a much needed beverage.
I wasn't going to suffer another bus journey today so I treated myself to a flight to Krabi. It was only 20 quid so I thought it was worth it to save my sanity! I was aiming for Ko Phi Phi but unfortunately the last boat has gone and I'm here for the night and leaving in the morning. Also the cloudy weather isn't looking like it's best suited to a few days on a tropical island. Oh well it can change at any time, and hey at least I'm not sitting in an office in London!
Saturday, 23 June 2007
Siam Reap (Angkor Wat)
The journey to Siam Reap wasn't too bad. It was a bit hot and the A/C wasn't all that, but I'm well used to it now. There were a few too many stops but we spent those watching the locals tucking into their favourite snack food - fried grasshoppers! Yuk! After much staring we were offered some too. None of dared munch on a whole one but we all had a little leg each. I just couldn't imagine crunching on an insects head, they're huge over here! 
When we arrived in the town the commotion was intense. There were tuk tuk drivers everywhere trying to get us to go with them to guesthouses. There were cops there literally beating them back with sticks! We went for a cold soft drink and chose one recommended by the guide book which turned out to be very nice. We all hit the hay early for a ridiculously early 5am start to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat.
Next morning we clambered into the tuk tuk with bleary eyes and high expectations for the day ahead. The Angkor Wat temple complex is so called after the biggest temple there, however there are loads of smalller and temples for miles around. They were each built by the king at the time trying to outdo the previous king. We started off at Angkor Wat itself, watching the sunrise over the magnificent 800 yr old structure that's taller than Notre Dame cathedral. Once the sun was fully up we started to wander around and climbed up the steepest, slipperiest steps I've ever seen to the summit of the building. It's very impressive, every inch of stone has some sort of elaborate carving on it.
After Angkor we ate breakfast and continued round in our tuk tuk to the next set of ruins. Some of them were interesting but some were little more than a pile of rubble. We carried on round for 7 hours in total and saw all the main sites. All of us were all shattered by the end of it. It was a good day out and I'm glad to have seen what is sometimes called one of the wonders of the world... but I can't really understand those who get 3 day or week long tickets! You'd have to be really into either architeture, history or religion to do that. 
After a good afternoon's sleep it was time to hit the town. What we'd seen of Siam Reap the day before looked good and were eager to try out some of the bars. We weren't disapointed. It was a quality night out. We even bumped into Matt and Katie who I'd met in Hue and and Saigon, which especially good as it was her birthday. A fun night was had by all and it didn't end until the sun came up. Just to illustrate the point, Chris was meant to get his bus to Bangkok at 8am but by 11'o'clock he'd already decided it wasn't happening!
Next day was a write off with none of us waking up until 3pm. But we needed the rest as the day after we were all getting the bus bound for Bangkok together. The journey is notorious with every backpacker as it is rumoured that Bangkok airlines pays the Cambodian government to keep the roads in bad condition so people prefer to fly on a route they have exclusive rights to! Ten hours of fun ahead! 
When we arrived in the town the commotion was intense. There were tuk tuk drivers everywhere trying to get us to go with them to guesthouses. There were cops there literally beating them back with sticks! We went for a cold soft drink and chose one recommended by the guide book which turned out to be very nice. We all hit the hay early for a ridiculously early 5am start to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat.
Next morning we clambered into the tuk tuk with bleary eyes and high expectations for the day ahead. The Angkor Wat temple complex is so called after the biggest temple there, however there are loads of smalller and temples for miles around. They were each built by the king at the time trying to outdo the previous king. We started off at Angkor Wat itself, watching the sunrise over the magnificent 800 yr old structure that's taller than Notre Dame cathedral. Once the sun was fully up we started to wander around and climbed up the steepest, slipperiest steps I've ever seen to the summit of the building. It's very impressive, every inch of stone has some sort of elaborate carving on it.
After Angkor we ate breakfast and continued round in our tuk tuk to the next set of ruins. Some of them were interesting but some were little more than a pile of rubble. We carried on round for 7 hours in total and saw all the main sites. All of us were all shattered by the end of it. It was a good day out and I'm glad to have seen what is sometimes called one of the wonders of the world... but I can't really understand those who get 3 day or week long tickets! You'd have to be really into either architeture, history or religion to do that. After a good afternoon's sleep it was time to hit the town. What we'd seen of Siam Reap the day before looked good and were eager to try out some of the bars. We weren't disapointed. It was a quality night out. We even bumped into Matt and Katie who I'd met in Hue and and Saigon, which especially good as it was her birthday. A fun night was had by all and it didn't end until the sun came up. Just to illustrate the point, Chris was meant to get his bus to Bangkok at 8am but by 11'o'clock he'd already decided it wasn't happening!
Next day was a write off with none of us waking up until 3pm. But we needed the rest as the day after we were all getting the bus bound for Bangkok together. The journey is notorious with every backpacker as it is rumoured that Bangkok airlines pays the Cambodian government to keep the roads in bad condition so people prefer to fly on a route they have exclusive rights to! Ten hours of fun ahead!
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Phnom Penh
My first night in Cambodia was absolutely horrible! It was dark and p*ssing it down when I arrived, the roads were flooded and I didn't know where I was. I wandered around for a bit looking for a hotel but just succeeded in getting wet and having to walk through gutter water in flip flops! I eventually gave in a got a tuk tuk to take me to a guesthouse from Lonely Planet. It was a right dump but at this point I didn't care I just wanted a bed! Sometimes LP is gives some really crap advice. It had told me the neighbourhood where this guesthouse was located was one of two backpacker districts but there was absolutely nothing there but 2 guesthouses.
I ate a pretty disgusting meal and read a bit of Bob Wilson's autobiography that I picked up in Nha Trang and then formulated a plan. I really needed to find Adrian (if he'd made his bus!) as he had given me his scuba-diving licence for safe keeping in my money belt the previous night and he wouldn't be able to dive in Thailand without it. He also owed me 20 bucks! :) I read about the other backpacker area on the waterfront in the guidebook so I planned to move there the next day, so that either I'd see Adrian around or meet some other people.
Next morning I got up early and moved straight away. The other backpacker area was a bit of a slum but it definitely had more of a buzz about it and there were plenty of bars and restaurants too. The first guesthouse I looked at was a hole so I moved swiftly on. Avoiding the hoardes of touts I came across Number 9 Sister Guesthouse and immediately fell in love with its waterfront terrace bar/restaurant/chill-out area. I didn't care what the room looked like but thankfully it was pretty nice too. I got the check-in sheet and my luck was in there too, the name above mine was Adrian's!
I met up with Adrian over breakfast, along with another English guy called Chris. We decided to do the full Phnom Penh experience that day. This includes the famous Killing Fields and S-21 prison where Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge tortured and killed thousands of innocent Cambodians. The other key Phnom Penh activity is the shooting range. We hired our tuk tuk for the day and decided to do the shooting range first as a lot of people had told us you don't really feel like it after seeing some of the horrors at the other 2 places.
We arrived down a dusty track to a little metal roofed building, indistinguishable from most of the little farmhouses... except for the rack of M16's, Ak47's and tommy guns lining the wall!! I only intended to spend $10 or so on ammo but when you get 3 lads together, dress them in combat gear and let them play with guns then we tend to get carried away! We all chose to shoot an AK47 machine gun and a Colt 45 hand gun... at a cost of $45. Oops. Oh well, it was worth it. When in your life do you... Oh. That's what I said when I shot an AK47 only 2 days ago! We were led through a door into the actual firing range which consisted of a dark tunnel with a target and a load of tyres at the end to stop the bullets going through the wall. The Colt 45 was first, it has a hell of a kick and is a lot heavier and more difficult to aim than I imagined (from watching too many American movies!). Next up was the AK again. It was much better this time as it wasn't screwed on to anything and I could also fire it in automatic mode, firing a hail of bullets at once. After that it was time to get some pictures with the guns in our shooting outfits. I'll post them up as soon as I can as they are worth the $45 alone!
I ate a pretty disgusting meal and read a bit of Bob Wilson's autobiography that I picked up in Nha Trang and then formulated a plan. I really needed to find Adrian (if he'd made his bus!) as he had given me his scuba-diving licence for safe keeping in my money belt the previous night and he wouldn't be able to dive in Thailand without it. He also owed me 20 bucks! :) I read about the other backpacker area on the waterfront in the guidebook so I planned to move there the next day, so that either I'd see Adrian around or meet some other people.
Next morning I got up early and moved straight away. The other backpacker area was a bit of a slum but it definitely had more of a buzz about it and there were plenty of bars and restaurants too. The first guesthouse I looked at was a hole so I moved swiftly on. Avoiding the hoardes of touts I came across Number 9 Sister Guesthouse and immediately fell in love with its waterfront terrace bar/restaurant/chill-out area. I didn't care what the room looked like but thankfully it was pretty nice too. I got the check-in sheet and my luck was in there too, the name above mine was Adrian's!
I met up with Adrian over breakfast, along with another English guy called Chris. We decided to do the full Phnom Penh experience that day. This includes the famous Killing Fields and S-21 prison where Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge tortured and killed thousands of innocent Cambodians. The other key Phnom Penh activity is the shooting range. We hired our tuk tuk for the day and decided to do the shooting range first as a lot of people had told us you don't really feel like it after seeing some of the horrors at the other 2 places.
We arrived down a dusty track to a little metal roofed building, indistinguishable from most of the little farmhouses... except for the rack of M16's, Ak47's and tommy guns lining the wall!! I only intended to spend $10 or so on ammo but when you get 3 lads together, dress them in combat gear and let them play with guns then we tend to get carried away! We all chose to shoot an AK47 machine gun and a Colt 45 hand gun... at a cost of $45. Oops. Oh well, it was worth it. When in your life do you... Oh. That's what I said when I shot an AK47 only 2 days ago! We were led through a door into the actual firing range which consisted of a dark tunnel with a target and a load of tyres at the end to stop the bullets going through the wall. The Colt 45 was first, it has a hell of a kick and is a lot heavier and more difficult to aim than I imagined (from watching too many American movies!). Next up was the AK again. It was much better this time as it wasn't screwed on to anything and I could also fire it in automatic mode, firing a hail of bullets at once. After that it was time to get some pictures with the guns in our shooting outfits. I'll post them up as soon as I can as they are worth the $45 alone!
The afternoon was a much more sombre affair. We walked round the Killing Fields which is eerily silent. There is not much there now as most of the mass graves have been dug up to see the extent of what went on. The place must have been literally heaving with bodies though as there are bits of bone and clothing visible in the ground everywhere. The site is dominated by a 70 ft high glass tower that contains all the skulls of the 8000 + victims they've discovered. It is really one of the most shocking things you'll ever see.
The next stop was perhaps more harrowing. S-21 prison is where those suspected of collaborating against the Khmer Rouge regime were taken, interrogated and brutally tortured before being sent to be killed. What's even more shocking is that the building was formerly a school until Pol Pot coverted the classrooms into torture chambers and tiny cells. They even used the climbing frame as a set of gallows. Sick. They have a picture of everyone who died at S-21 and there are hundreds of them. They also have pictures of the 11 or 12 corpses that were found in there torture rooms strapped to iron beds when the regime finally fell. The beds are still in the rooms along with leg clamps and other instruments for inflicting pain. Unsuprisingly the place is ghostly silent.
After the days horrors we spent the evening undertaking some serious R+R on our lovely guesthouse terrace, enjoying some comedy DVDs and a couple of beer Angkors. Next day it's off to Siam Reap and the spectacular Angkor Wat - Cambodia's national symbol and the world's largest religous complex.
Monday, 18 June 2007
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Saigon is a mad city. 9 million people and 5 million motorbikes make for plenty of hustle and bustle.I slept OK on the bus so I headed straight out in the morning with a Swedish guy I met on the bus. We managed to see most of the sites inside the city of Saigon. There isn't anything really spectacular here, but there are one or two buildings of interest.
In the evening we met up with another guy from the bus (yet another Irishman!) to go to see the market and go for a few beers in a bar in the backpacker district. It doesn't seem to ever close so we were up pretty late. The next day was a bit of a lazy day, during which eating breakfast was about the most strenuous activity!
In the evening I met up with Adrian (the Irishman) and we went back to the same bar although had a much earlier night as we were both booked on tours of the Cu Chi tunnels the next day.
The Cu Chi tunnels are an amazing network of tunnels built by the Viet Cong to help them hide from and fight the South Vietnamese and the Americans. After a bit of a history lesson and a look at some of the traps they used we were able to walk through an 80m section of tunnels. Well walk isn't really the right word as the tunnels are only about 3 ft high and less wide. And this is after they've been widened twice for tourists! The Viet Cong used to live in these tunnels for most of the day and only come out at night. They had ingenious systems for letting out smoke from cooking with the early morning mist, as well as spiky traps and little holes where they could jump up and shoot unsuspecting GI's.
The tunnel complex also featured a shooting range so I just had to have a go! It was pretty expensive at $1.30 a bullet but I thought what the hell and got 10 for an AK47 machine gun! Well, I thought, when am I going to get another chance to do this? The noise was deafening and I'm not really sure if I hit the target much but it was fun.
That evening was to be my last in Vietnam so of course it was going to be a bit of a sesh. But Adrian and I had booked on buses for Phnom Penh in Cambodia for 8 am so we had to be a bit careful. Oops, I wasn't careful at all. Three separate groups of people I'd met along the way in Vietnam turned up so we had a big group of 9 or so people at least. This was going to be an epic session after all! It was really good fun and a great way to say goodbye to a country I've enjoyed so much over the last month. We finished up at 6 am and Adrian and I said we may aswell stay up so I went off to pack. However when I got back to my room my bed was just calling at me to lie on it for an hour. I set my alarm but my inebriated state of course meant I did it wrong! Next thing I know and it's 12'o'clock. Doh! I legged it down to the travel agents and managed to blag my way onto the last bus of the day at 1pm for no extra money. Phew! At least I was on my way, even if I was 5 hours late!
Wednesday, 13 June 2007
Nha Trang
The bus journey was mediocre. I met up with Fern, an English girl I also know from Hanoi randomly on my bus. We also saw the Irish guys and gal at the rest stop half way. It's so weird with some people, it's like there's some magnetic link between you and everywhere you go they're there.
When we got to Nha Trang it turned out there was some kind of festival on and rooms were pretty hard to come by. We persevered though and eventually got some really good rooms for $7. Neither of us slept much on the bus so we hit the hay until the afternoon before going for a wander. We settled on a bar from the Lonely Planet. We were there about 10 mins and guess who walks in? The Irish! Well that was the beginning of a quality night. We headed over to The Sailing Club which is a classy bar on the beach. We got stuck into the 'personal buckets' - like big jam jars full of vodka, coke and ice, or pretty much any combi you want. Before long there was a bit of dancing, talking shite and frolicking in the sand going on! 
Next day I went for a bit of exploring on a motorbike. I didn't really find much thought. Nha Trang is a destination renound for its lovely beach and nightlife rather than it's historic sights. That night I went to the Sailing Club again with Fern and the personal buckets were no less potent! I had to go back and experiment for research purposes you understand!
Amazingly I actually managed to get up OK the following day and rent a bike to go to Ba Ho waterfall. It's a pretty nice ride an hour out of town. The road took me through the mountains where I could see the whole town laid out below. Although Highway 1 wasn't one of my favourite moments, it's just a case of hang on and get out of the way of anything bigger - e.g 10 tonne trucks! The waterfall was nice if not spectacular and it was a worthwhile day out.
The night was pretty uneventful as I was to leave the following day on yet another 12 hour bus journey to Saigon.
When we got to Nha Trang it turned out there was some kind of festival on and rooms were pretty hard to come by. We persevered though and eventually got some really good rooms for $7. Neither of us slept much on the bus so we hit the hay until the afternoon before going for a wander. We settled on a bar from the Lonely Planet. We were there about 10 mins and guess who walks in? The Irish! Well that was the beginning of a quality night. We headed over to The Sailing Club which is a classy bar on the beach. We got stuck into the 'personal buckets' - like big jam jars full of vodka, coke and ice, or pretty much any combi you want. Before long there was a bit of dancing, talking shite and frolicking in the sand going on!
Next day I went for a bit of exploring on a motorbike. I didn't really find much thought. Nha Trang is a destination renound for its lovely beach and nightlife rather than it's historic sights. That night I went to the Sailing Club again with Fern and the personal buckets were no less potent! I had to go back and experiment for research purposes you understand!
Amazingly I actually managed to get up OK the following day and rent a bike to go to Ba Ho waterfall. It's a pretty nice ride an hour out of town. The road took me through the mountains where I could see the whole town laid out below. Although Highway 1 wasn't one of my favourite moments, it's just a case of hang on and get out of the way of anything bigger - e.g 10 tonne trucks! The waterfall was nice if not spectacular and it was a worthwhile day out.
The night was pretty uneventful as I was to leave the following day on yet another 12 hour bus journey to Saigon.
Hoi An
Hoi An is nice, if a little dull. Actually I probably think that because it's quite a lot like Hue and I had a feeling of been there done that. I also had a little bit of a cold and sore throat that possibly put me on a bit of a downer in general.
The first day I arrived just consisted of a little bit of wandering around the little town. On the positive side it is a very attractive little place with old french colonial style buildings and winding little streets. It's reminiscent of being in some old film set. A lot of character sums it up well I think.
In the evening I took a stroll out for dinner and a beer. Usual thing, find a place with a pool table and you get talking to someone before long. I met up with an English guy and a Welsh girl and I think the pool table must have had big pockets because I was kicking ass for once! After that bar we headed on to one of the towns few late spots - King Kong bar. It was run by a jovial Canadian fella (and his dog called Stinky!). He took us off to another random bar to see the sunrise over the river which was very beautiful. I got an especially good view as an old lady offered to take me out to the middle of the river in her little canoe! The little thing was shaking all over the place as I fidgeted but she managed to keep it upright and even let me row it back to shore. Very random. After that I headed off for a noodle soup breakfast with Josh (the Canadian) and hit the hay.
Obviously most of the next day was one of those all too common washouts but I managed to make it out for the evening. That night I met Esther from Holland around the same pool table and ended up hanging out with her over the next couple of days. The following morning I got up and rented a bike and cruised over to the beach for some much needed r and r. After a good afternoon topping up my tan and swimming in the South China Sea I met up with Esther for dinner. I'm proud to say not one drop of alcohol passed my lips! For a whole day, it's a rare occurence!
Next day I met Esther bright and early (at 10 am!) and we got some more bikes to head over to The Marble Moutains. Unsuprisingly they are mountains made of marble where you can visit some quite impressive holy caves and sweet little pagoda's. Really nice, even if the ride was a little bit hairy at times. Vietnamese driving is not safety first I can tell you.
I was due to head off to Nha Trang the following evening so we went out for a last dinner and some food. We bumped in Josh which is a common occurence in these parts in such small towns and relatively few ex-pats going to the same places. Then slightly later in the evening I bumped into some of my Irish buddies from Hanoi! They were down to 3 now as another 3 of them had got bar jobs in Hanoi! I had a few with them and it turned out they were also off to Nha Trang the next day.
I got to bed pretty late again and just spent the next day packing and sorting my stuff out for the 12 hr bus journey ahead. I have to say I'm getting a little bit tired of buses now. I think I might look at getting boats or something around Cambodia.
The first day I arrived just consisted of a little bit of wandering around the little town. On the positive side it is a very attractive little place with old french colonial style buildings and winding little streets. It's reminiscent of being in some old film set. A lot of character sums it up well I think.
In the evening I took a stroll out for dinner and a beer. Usual thing, find a place with a pool table and you get talking to someone before long. I met up with an English guy and a Welsh girl and I think the pool table must have had big pockets because I was kicking ass for once! After that bar we headed on to one of the towns few late spots - King Kong bar. It was run by a jovial Canadian fella (and his dog called Stinky!). He took us off to another random bar to see the sunrise over the river which was very beautiful. I got an especially good view as an old lady offered to take me out to the middle of the river in her little canoe! The little thing was shaking all over the place as I fidgeted but she managed to keep it upright and even let me row it back to shore. Very random. After that I headed off for a noodle soup breakfast with Josh (the Canadian) and hit the hay.
Obviously most of the next day was one of those all too common washouts but I managed to make it out for the evening. That night I met Esther from Holland around the same pool table and ended up hanging out with her over the next couple of days. The following morning I got up and rented a bike and cruised over to the beach for some much needed r and r. After a good afternoon topping up my tan and swimming in the South China Sea I met up with Esther for dinner. I'm proud to say not one drop of alcohol passed my lips! For a whole day, it's a rare occurence!
Next day I met Esther bright and early (at 10 am!) and we got some more bikes to head over to The Marble Moutains. Unsuprisingly they are mountains made of marble where you can visit some quite impressive holy caves and sweet little pagoda's. Really nice, even if the ride was a little bit hairy at times. Vietnamese driving is not safety first I can tell you.
I was due to head off to Nha Trang the following evening so we went out for a last dinner and some food. We bumped in Josh which is a common occurence in these parts in such small towns and relatively few ex-pats going to the same places. Then slightly later in the evening I bumped into some of my Irish buddies from Hanoi! They were down to 3 now as another 3 of them had got bar jobs in Hanoi! I had a few with them and it turned out they were also off to Nha Trang the next day.
I got to bed pretty late again and just spent the next day packing and sorting my stuff out for the 12 hr bus journey ahead. I have to say I'm getting a little bit tired of buses now. I think I might look at getting boats or something around Cambodia.
Monday, 4 June 2007
Hue
I've been in Hue for 4 days now. It's a nice quaint little city with a lot less hustle and bustle than Hanoi.
The overnight bus journey here wasn't one of the better ones. I didn't sleep all that well, but it was a nice big comfortable bus so it wasn't too bad. I got in at 8 am and ducked in somewhere for a coffee while all the hotel touts buggered off. They're always there in every town and city but I've learnt that they are usually employed by the over-priced places in poor locations, i.e. the places that need to literally drag you in, in order to get any business. After 10 mins I walked off by myself and found a decent little place for only $4 a night.
Since it was early morning which I don't usually see I thought I'd start sightseeing early for a change. It was already really hot at that time of day but I cracked on anyway and went for a walk around the City's famous Citadel, where the Emperor used to live. Unsuprisingly it is an absolutely massive place and it took ages to walk around. By the time I'd finished it was the middle of the day and I think possibly the hottest temperature I've ever experienced. I went and chilled for a bit before heading out for a much needed cold beer.
I went to the DMZ bar and got talking to an English guy over the traditional travellers meeting dance, a game of pool. I didn't sink many pool balls but I did manage to sink quite a few of the local Huda beers at 30p a pop. Which reminds me, I think Vietnam is the cheapest country I've been to on my travels, which is weird as everyone I spoke to previously seemed to think it was more expensive than the other SE Asian countries.
Later on in the evening I bumped into a Kiwi I'd met in Hanoi. Bumping into people from previous locations is happening more and more now as a lot of people are on the same trail so I'm forever catching people up or vice versa. I went on with the Kiwi to another bar but it was empty. Hue being a nice and peaceful place doesn't have much of a nightlife. Still, there were a few people in there and we still managed to party until dawn!
The next day was non-existant for me, after the bus and late-night partying I didn't actually wake up until 4pm! Bit bad really as I had to have an early night to get up at for 5am the next day for my tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
I miraculously managed to get up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5am for the day trip. It was an OK day, there's not really much to see anymore as the Vietnamese have tried to remove as many traces of the war as possible, so basically we saw where things used to be. For example, the Ho Chi Minh trail is now the Ho Chi Minh highway. Great, I have a picture of a random road! There was one saving grace though and that was the tunnel system we visited. The local people stayed on to help defend the DMZ and used the tunnels for shelter when the Americans bombed the area - which was quite often! The tunnels go 15 and 23m underground and are really thin and low, built for tiny Vietnamese people. I also met a few people on the tour bus who I went for a few beers with in the evening.
The day after was a quiet day of wandering and sitting in cafes. Mostly sitting really as it was just too hot to do anything else. It's a constant 40 degrees in Hue. Next morning was another early(ish) start for the bus to Hoi An, a little town 4 hours down the coast. I'm hoping to get to the beach there as well as take in some of the historic sights.
The overnight bus journey here wasn't one of the better ones. I didn't sleep all that well, but it was a nice big comfortable bus so it wasn't too bad. I got in at 8 am and ducked in somewhere for a coffee while all the hotel touts buggered off. They're always there in every town and city but I've learnt that they are usually employed by the over-priced places in poor locations, i.e. the places that need to literally drag you in, in order to get any business. After 10 mins I walked off by myself and found a decent little place for only $4 a night.
Since it was early morning which I don't usually see I thought I'd start sightseeing early for a change. It was already really hot at that time of day but I cracked on anyway and went for a walk around the City's famous Citadel, where the Emperor used to live. Unsuprisingly it is an absolutely massive place and it took ages to walk around. By the time I'd finished it was the middle of the day and I think possibly the hottest temperature I've ever experienced. I went and chilled for a bit before heading out for a much needed cold beer.
I went to the DMZ bar and got talking to an English guy over the traditional travellers meeting dance, a game of pool. I didn't sink many pool balls but I did manage to sink quite a few of the local Huda beers at 30p a pop. Which reminds me, I think Vietnam is the cheapest country I've been to on my travels, which is weird as everyone I spoke to previously seemed to think it was more expensive than the other SE Asian countries.
Later on in the evening I bumped into a Kiwi I'd met in Hanoi. Bumping into people from previous locations is happening more and more now as a lot of people are on the same trail so I'm forever catching people up or vice versa. I went on with the Kiwi to another bar but it was empty. Hue being a nice and peaceful place doesn't have much of a nightlife. Still, there were a few people in there and we still managed to party until dawn!
The next day was non-existant for me, after the bus and late-night partying I didn't actually wake up until 4pm! Bit bad really as I had to have an early night to get up at for 5am the next day for my tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
I miraculously managed to get up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5am for the day trip. It was an OK day, there's not really much to see anymore as the Vietnamese have tried to remove as many traces of the war as possible, so basically we saw where things used to be. For example, the Ho Chi Minh trail is now the Ho Chi Minh highway. Great, I have a picture of a random road! There was one saving grace though and that was the tunnel system we visited. The local people stayed on to help defend the DMZ and used the tunnels for shelter when the Americans bombed the area - which was quite often! The tunnels go 15 and 23m underground and are really thin and low, built for tiny Vietnamese people. I also met a few people on the tour bus who I went for a few beers with in the evening.
The day after was a quiet day of wandering and sitting in cafes. Mostly sitting really as it was just too hot to do anything else. It's a constant 40 degrees in Hue. Next morning was another early(ish) start for the bus to Hoi An, a little town 4 hours down the coast. I'm hoping to get to the beach there as well as take in some of the historic sights.
Cat Ba
Not a lot to report from Cat Ba Island. I had 5 days of doing absolutely nothing but relax by lazing around on the beach and going to bed early. As a result I'm now darker than my poo after a night on the Guiness!
The beaches are called Cat Co 1, 2 and 3. Cat Co 1 is a bit of a package holiday monstrosity with a massive hotel behind it with the full works, including waterchutes. I avoided it and took the wooden cliffside walkway round to Cat Co 2. It's a little bay with white sand, clear blue sea and a view out on to some of Halong Bay's little islets.
Halong Bay is one of Vietnam's natural wonders. It's a bay (obviously!) with hundreds, or maybe thousands of little islands that burst out of the sea. The effect is a stunning vista but it's impossible to describe really so I'll post a few pics up from the boat trip I took on the way back to the mainland.
The boat took me back to Halong City where I got a bus back to Hanoi and then another overnight bus to Hue in central Vietnam. The bus ticket is an amazing deal, $22 (11 quid!) for an open ticket from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City at the other end of the country. It allows me to stop in Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang and HCMC for as long as I want. I simply ring up the day before I want to leave and they reserve me a seat on the next bus coming through. 
The beaches are called Cat Co 1, 2 and 3. Cat Co 1 is a bit of a package holiday monstrosity with a massive hotel behind it with the full works, including waterchutes. I avoided it and took the wooden cliffside walkway round to Cat Co 2. It's a little bay with white sand, clear blue sea and a view out on to some of Halong Bay's little islets.
Halong Bay is one of Vietnam's natural wonders. It's a bay (obviously!) with hundreds, or maybe thousands of little islands that burst out of the sea. The effect is a stunning vista but it's impossible to describe really so I'll post a few pics up from the boat trip I took on the way back to the mainland.
The boat took me back to Halong City where I got a bus back to Hanoi and then another overnight bus to Hue in central Vietnam. The bus ticket is an amazing deal, $22 (11 quid!) for an open ticket from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City at the other end of the country. It allows me to stop in Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang and HCMC for as long as I want. I simply ring up the day before I want to leave and they reserve me a seat on the next bus coming through.
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