Jul 2007

Hello to one and all from Nha Trang on the coast of Vietnam. It's 7pm on July 29th and it's Lynn's last day of being 31! If Lynn is suffering from a mid-life crisis she will be banishing it to the back of her mind over the next few days as we embark on a road trip by motorbike across the Central Highlands of Vietnam, staying overnight in the jungle and ending up in the fishing village of Mui Ne - not bad for a 32 year old!Check out http://www.easy-riders.net/without_flash/html/index.cfm for details.

Today we arrived in the coastal town of Nha Trang, which is quite touristy. We waved behind to lovely Hoi An the previous night, embarking on our first ever night-bus - an interesting experience to say the least. The bus was supposed to pick us up at 6pm, it eventually arrived at 7pm, after we'd got on the wrong bus. We were the third and fourth last people to get on the bus and as a result we sat up in the back seat with two Irish guys and an American/Canadian girl. Unfortunately for the last two people to get on there was only one seat left so we had to watch the ridiculous spectacle of the Vietnamese trying to sort this out, eventually deciding that the guy out of the couple in this situation could sit on a stool for the entire 12 hour journey! Needless to say this wasn't ideal and he ended up sitting on the floor on blankets instead.

The thought of a 12 hour bus ride wasn't my idea of fun and I decided to blank it out by wearing my eye mask and plugging in my Nano on shuffle. The ride went surprisingly quickly and we made up lost time. I drifted in and out of conciousness to the sounds of Oasis, Charlatans, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and many, many more. All in all it was quite a pleasing time listening to music. I was reliably informed by Lynn that it was a good thing I had my eye mask on, the driver was a little crazy.

We arrived in Nha Trang at 6am, making up for lost time and immediately checked into a hotel across the road for $10 per night. We slept until after 11am and decided to find some food. We headed down to the beach and shortly afterwards met a guy on a motorbike who offered to show us the tours his company Easy Riders provided. The day before (July 28th) we had met a couple in Hoi An that we had previously met in Luang Prabang and they were raving about a motorbike tour they had been on. I thought we had had enough of motorbikes but the tours seemed like a great way of getting out and about and seeing Vietnam. Not long after meeting this guy we were in his office and signing up for a 4 day trip that starts tomorrow!

It's $50 each a day but that covers practically all expenses. We'll stay in a jungle hut, walk under and behind waterfalls, meet locals and learn how they produce rice, noodles and silk, learn about the country and the effects of the war with America and see loads including Danang and Mui Ne- sounds like a good deal!

So it's an early night for us tonight!

The two previous days were spent enjoying the charming town of Hoi An that we can't recommend highly enough. It's gorgeous. The old town doesn't allow any cars or motorbikes in, there are amazing restaurants and bars, the beach is clean and quiet and it's quite simply the best place we have been to in Vietnam to date. Lynn got two jackets and a dress tailormade for $95. We have posted the jackets home and I hope to order a couple of suits from the numerous tailors dotted around Vietnam.

After our Easy Rider tour we'll spend a night chilling in Mui Ne before assessing the weather in the island of Phu Quoc. If it's OK we'll book flights from Saigon for a few days as they are only $70 return. Then it's into Cambodia for a whistle stop tour before the beaches of Thailand.

Expect to hear from us in 4 days time after life on the road. I am sure we will have a lot to tell you!

Lots of love
Murray and Lynn
xxx

Hello everyone, the blog continues.

July 21st - Saturday
We did indeed goand watch the 2nd half of the Japan v Australia match in a funky bar that was reminiscent of Bar 91 in Glasgow's Merchant City and by far the most modern bar we have been in for ages. Japan won on penalties, Australia had been reduced to ten men. We watched the start of the Vietnam v Iraq match but lost interestafter Iraq went 2-0 up. Vietnam are not very good at football!

After a wander round the old quarter we found another cool bar called Casablanca and caught the rest of the game over more beers and a pizza between us.

July 22nd - Sunday
Our last day in Hanoi. Wemade themost ofit visiting the Vietnam Women Museum, the History Museum and the Vietnamese Museum. Allof them were incredibly interesting and it was a cheap way to spend the day. The Vietnam Women Museum was particularly good, showing how they fought during the war, kept the country running and brought up kids. Upstairs told of modern struggles -how families have to sacve for years to be able to afford the most basic of flats while simultaneously saving for their children's university education - it brought home a few truths about how lucky we are.

Had dinner at a nice restaurant called '69' before going back to the hotel to pick up our bags and get a taxi to the station. The train carriage wasnot as nice as the one we got to and from Sapa and we shared with a German couple who were not as friendly as the previous couples. Well.....they were very friendly with each other though, looking a little disappointed that they had to share their carriage with us and that they didn't have a double bed! They were very touchy feely - eugh!

July 23rd - Monday
We awoke at 7am, the train had left Hanoi at 7.50pm. We still had another 4 hours until we reached Hue and we spent the time dozing and listening to music. We arrived in Hue to scorching heat and immediately abandoned our plan to walk the mile from the station to some of the hotels we had ear-marked,opting for a 30,000 dom taxi instead.

Our hotel room was only $10 per night but it had air conditioning, a bathroom with a bath and a TV. What more couldaman want? After a shower we went for a walk to the Citadel area,an bandoned area in the North of the city with old buildings. We soon decided we needed food though and went for a sandwich and then decided tochill in the hotel due to the heat. We watched the Discovery Channel and Bear Grylls program, enjoying our first TV in ages. It was nice to relax and veg out as we have been pretty full on since arriving in Vietnam.

We went a walk and treated ourselves to a drink in a 4* hotel - Saigon Morin. The beers were $3.50 each but we had a 30% discount as it was happy hour. We enjoyed the plush surroundings before heading to Omar Kayyams Indian Restaurant for dinner.

We also booked a boat cruise down the perfume river for tomorrow for only $6 each - taking in a number of ancient Vietnamese Kings tombs.

July 24th - Tuesday
Got up early as the we were getting picked up at 8.10am for the tour. The Danish couple from the Sapa train were on our boat and we also chatted toan interesting Romanian guy who had flown to Australia and was now making his way to India only using trains, boats and buses - no planes were allowed.

The tombs we visited were stunning. Back in the day Kings would build a tomb for themselves before they died. Some had designed beautiful parks, others were more modest. It was a nice way to spend the day. One of the Kings had 500 wives and 124 children!

Had a quiet night with another nice dinner and an early night.

July 25th - Wednesday
The alarm went off at 6.45am and we checked out after breakfast in the hotel. The bus picked us and others upand we were soon on the roadto Hoi An. On the way we dozed and I woke to a sudden burst of sunshine pop from Tim Burgess and Teenage Fanclub on my Nano. I do love my Nano, especially on shuffle.

We arrived in Hoi An - described in Lonely Planet as being 'like a museum'. We check into a hotel for $15 a night after a fruitless search for a cheaper alternative. Still, it has a pool and we immeidately head down for a swim and then walk towards the old town - another UNESCO World Heritage site! We are immeidately captivated and reminded of Lunag Prabang in Laos. It is beautiful, it's like going back in time to the 1950's and by far the nicest place we have been to in Vietnam - yet. Also it has a beach only 3km away!

We walked past a beautiful cavernous old bar, straight out of an American film and decide to go in. Happy Hour has just started (at 4pm) and cocktails are 2 for 1 so we order a Mojito each and settle down in comfy seats and play Connect 4 as they have that and chess.

After thrashing Lynn at Connect 4 and enjoying our cocktails and a beer each, we wander round and bump into the Danish twins from Sapa. We ask about train prices to various places and then decide we'll get the bus to Nha Trang next. We have a lovely dinner overlooking the river in the Old Town - a set menu of 4 dishes each for 40,000 dong each. We have White Rose (a Hoi An speciality), veg spring rolls, fish with garlic and lemongrass beautifully wrapped in a banana leaf, followed by fruit salad.

July 26th - Thursday
I get up at 11.50am to find Lynn has been down to the pool already! It was my first long lie in ages and obviously needed. We hire bikes for only 10,000 dom each (30p or so) and cycleto the old town for breakfast and then on to the beach. We spend a pleasant few hours doing nothing apart from sunbathe, read and going for the occasional dip before cycling back to the hotel.

It's now 7.24pm and we are heading back into the Old Town for food as the restaurants and bars there are fantastic.

We intend to get an overnight bus on Saturday toNha Trang, spend 3 nights there, then on to Dalat for 2 nights, then Saigon before getting a flight to the remote island of Phu Quoc.

Love to all.

Murray and Lynn
xxx

Greetings all

So much has happened since I last wrote so stand by for loads of info on what we have been up to.

Tuesday July 17th
We checked out of the Sunny Hotel and went to our travel agents to dump our main bags so that we are only taking essentials to Sapa with us. We went to a cool cafe called Little Hanoi and then had our first monthly budget meeting after buying a small calculator for 75p!

We were a little over budget for 4 weeks but by the time the fifth week ends we should be back on track, largely due to the exceptional value of the tours we have signed up for as they include accomodation and meals. Halong Bay was $53 each and Sapa was $87 each.

After the budget meeting we went to Hanoi prison, nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton by American prisoners during the Vietnam war. I thought this might have been ironic but the tour showed us that the Americans were very well looked after indeed. The prison had originally been built by the French to house Vietnamese revolutionaries earlier in the century. They certainly could not have called it the Hilton!

We then wandered down a wee side street market with all kinds of food on offer - including a dog that had been roasted! Brings a whole new meaning to a hot dog!

After that we went to see a water puppet show, a 'must do' in Hanoi. It was alright, the puppeteers were very talented and the music was good. It only lasted an hour and we got a free fan!

After dinner at a cheap restaurant with a balcony overlooking the old quarter we went to our travel agents and he got us a taxi to the station, following us by bike so he could personally show us to our first class sleeper carriage. Hanoi station was [retty crazy so I was glad he came along - that's service!

Our 4 bed (2 bunks) carriage was lovely and we were pleased when a New Zealand couple called Anthony and Angela (or Ants and Ang as they affectionately called each other) took the other two bunks. We chatted for a bit before getting a decent sleep and been awoken just before we arrived in Lao Cai at 0530 hours. At this stage we were only 2km from the Chinese border.

Wednesday July 18th
Our guide had our names on a card and we hopped on a bus to Sapa, winding up and around some mountain roads. We arrived in Sapa and got a quick shower beforemeeting the rest of our trekking group - 4 Danish girls including identical blonde twins (I kid you not), 2 Canadians, A guy from Vietnam and two German girls.

The trek started well as we admired the scenery. The path was pretty mucky due to the rain (it rains pretty regularly in Sapa as it is so high up - among the clouds). A local tribe walked with us and ended up helping usas the track became increasingly slippy. Our guide wasn't much help as he ploundered on leaving everyone else to slip and slide and fall in the mud! The local tribe ended up holding our hands along teh way as the rain started and their were some dangerous and also funny moments as the path narrowed and the rain continued to come down. It was a lot cooler than Hanoi and Halong Bay! It was like being back in Scotland weatherwise and scenery-wise.

Check our flickr site for photos of me with my two young guides, as sure-footed as a mountain goat! We bought bags and bracelets off them to thank them for their help.

Our guide eventually took us to our home stay in Ban Ho village - little more than shacks in the foot of a valley that we slid down. We walked to a small waterfall and I sat in the river to cool down and wash my mud splattered clothes. We then had a nice dinner and chatted for a bit before the host broughtout some rice wine and got hammered with our guide and another guide (who was Chinese but thought he was American). The Chinese guy tried and failed miserably to chat up the Danish girls.

We set off a little late, around 10am. One of the German girls wasn't well so she went by jeep with her friend, the Canadian girl and the Vietnamese guy to our lunch spot. The Vietnamese guy had attempted the hike in sandals! Our guide wasn't very good and should have warned us all about the conditions.

We clambered back up the valley and Lynn had a real go at the guide telling him that he ignored us and didn't look out for us. Good old Lynn, he got a real earful!We got back to Sapa and immediately put all our clothes in to get laundered. We had a snooze and a wander around Sapa Town, which is lovely and I would recommend a visit - maybe not a trek!

Friday July 20th
After an early night we got up expecting a short trek only to be told that we had the day to explore ourselves. After our previous experience with the guide I was quite pleased and Lynn and I trekked independently to Cat Cat village and back - around 10k . This was much more pleasant as it was by road and recognised path. After lunch we then climbed a hill in the centre of Sapa. At the top there were caves and lovely gardens looking on to the mountains. We watched the clouds roll by and it was rather lovely.

After climbing back down we sat and watched some guys play frisbee in the square before getting on a bus to LAo Cai. We had dinner and met the Danish girls again and ended up sharing a carriage with an elderly Danish couple back to Hanoi.

Saturday July 21st
A long day! We slept well on the train and arrived in Hanoi at 5am. We walked from the staion to the lake by the odl quarter and sat and watched the city wake. Thousands of people run round thelake every morning and do Tai Chi. It was fantastic to watch as this area of the city, indeed the whole of Hanoi is usually very busy! I even did a few stretching exercises, although Lynn was not very amused as she was a bit tired!

We checke back in to the Sunny Hotel and immediately left to get a bike taxi to Ho Chi Minh museum. It was very interesting and we got to see his mummified body! A bit weird!

After an afternoon kip we are refreshed and about to go and watch the second half of Australia v Japan. The game is in Hanoi but we decided not to bother going along and just watch it witha few beers in town.

Tomorrow we have a chilled day in Hanoi before another night time train to Hue where we will spend a couple of nights max, then on to Hoi An and then some beaches!

We will then go to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Cambodia and then hit the beaches of Thailand.

Catch you soon and check some new photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/murrayandlynn

Hello all

Well what has been happening I hear you ask.....

Since I last wrote we have enjoyed wandering around the old quarter in Hanoi where half the fun is getting lost down some narrow side streets and discovering markets and all sorts. We then went to the magnificent Museum of Ethnology to learn all about Vietnams many, many cultures.

So far the weather has been fantastic but it is absolutely boiling in Vietnam - 40 degrees plus 85% humidity, I kid you not!

That night (Friday 13th) we did indeed manage to get tickets for the Japan v UAE game, it was far from a sell-out. The stadium and atmosphere were both excellent, largely due to the Japanese following. There were only around 30 UAE supporters. We sat and had a beer with some Japanese fans who were very impressed that we were wearing Japan scarves and even more impressed that we came from Glasgow. They asked us loads about Celtic and what we thought of Nakamura.

For any Celtic supporters reading (and I know of at least one) Nakamura played very well and scored a penalty. It was a good game, pretty open at first, but Japan soon took control and their number 19 Takahra scored two excellent goals. UAE lost the plot a little and there were some crazy tackles flying in. Nakamura scored a penalty to make it 3-0 before half time. Japan took it easy in the 2nd half, taking off both scorers, and UAE scored a fine consolation after a surging run from their right back. The predictable sending off did happen, there could have been more, and the game ended 3-1 to Japan.

I have to say that I have never watched a game in such heat. I don't know how the players coped! Even the loclas in the stand were dripping with sweat - lovely!

After the game we struggled to get a taxi, eventually opting for a motorbike taxi off a young student for 100,000 dong for the 12k ride back to central Hanoi. Lynn and I perched on the back and we sped off through the traffic. Pretty mental stuff, it was like being in a film. We got back to the old quarter and I had two beers to calm my nerves!

(Saturday 14th) We get up early as the day before we booked a 2 night/3 day trip to Halong Bay for the bargain price of $54 each. The bus took 3 hours to get to Halong City and we spoke to 3 young English girls on the way. There was 16 of us on our junk boat as it cruised out of the crowded bay towards the 1,967 islands (mountains jutting out of the sea). The scenery was spectacular. Do a ggogle search for Halong Bay and look at some of the pictures - I'll try and upload some tomorrow.

We pitched up at a 'floating village' to hire kayaks and we managed to paddle very close to the limestone cliffs/ Our guide then took us through a cave into a lagoon surrounded by cliffs on all sides.

We went back to our boat and went for a swim before dinner. The sea was lovely and warm, bath temperature and it was easy to float on the surface due to the salt. Very relaxing. We had dinner and then climbed on top of the roof to watch an electrical storm in the distance with a bottle of wine. We chatted to the English girls - Liz, Becki and Jen as well as a really nice Japanese guy called Markoto who is in Vietnam for the Asia Cup.

The storm was spectacular - we had a panormaic view. Again, it was like being in, or watching, a film.

Pretty soon it closed in and we went back down and learned how to play Rummy with the English girls.

All in all, a pretty fantastic day.

(Sunday 15th)
We woke early to watch the sun rise over the mountain. It wasn't the best sun rise I have ever seen but it was still worth the 6am rise. We had breakfast and sailed to Cat Ba island where we would stay the second night. We waved goodbye to the girls and Markoto who were going back to Hanoi.

We caught a minibus to a hill where there is a 40 metre tower on top that has views across Cat Ba (another World Heritage site - indeed Halong Bay is). It was another scorcher and we were dripping with sweat before we even started. We climbed through the jungle path and it took around an hour to get to the top. The view was amazing. We climbed the old rusty tower, bolted to a rock and looked out across the green canope of trees - lovely.

On the climb down we sweated more buckets and when we reached the bottom I wrung my t-shirt out and produced what must have been a litre of sweat - lovely! We downed a couple of bottles of water and I filled and old bucket from a well and doused myself with that several times.

We then travelled back to our hotel where we turned the air conditioning on full blast and had a cold shower. After lunch we had a nap then wandered to a couple of beaches that were rammed as it is Vietnamese holiday season. I doubt we would have had the energy to swim anyway. After dinner we just went to our room for a quiet night of reading and enjoying the air conditioning - God we are getting old!

(Monday 16th)
We're now back in Vietnam. Tonight we are going to watch the Vietnam v Japan game in a bar in the Old Quarter and tomorrow we travel North by overnight train to Sapa to go on a 2.5 day trek staying overnight with local tribes - should be good and apparentlyit is a lot cooler in the hills - I hope so as we have a 7 hour trek and an 8 hour trek coming up!

Lots of love
Murray and Lynn
xxx

OK so I couldn't reist the blog title and I apologise for posting another blog so quĩckly but we have already ẽperienced so much in Hanoi.

Hanoi is a thriving, throbbing, pretty god damn mental city. Our flight from Laos took an hour and we then jumped in a minibus to the old quảrter of Hanoi. As soon as we got off the bus we were surrounded by guys wanting to give us a lift on their motorbikes. We politely declined and mảrched off to find a hotel. We found one thanks to a local who took us to the hotelhe worked in. It seemed nice enough so we checked in. Vietnam were playing Quatar in the Asia Cup and as we checked in they scored and the locals watching in reception went nuts.

We wandered down to the lake and watched the madness of Hanoi unfold before our very eyes from the balcony of the river view restaurant. After the game ưhich ended 1-1 evẻyone in Hanoi seemed to get on their motorbike and drive around the lake tooting their horns, waving flags and generally having a blast. I'll upload some photos when I have a chance and may stick some footage on You Tube.

This morning we checked out of our hotel as the girl on reception was very pushy and trying to get ú to sign up for all kinds of stuff. It ưas also on a main street and Hanoi is a busy and noisy place! We found a nice hotel down a quiet side street but unfortunately it was full, but the guy said they have anothẻr hotel not far and he would get someone to come and take ús there. We were ẽpecting to walk but 2 guys showed up on motỏbikes and we hopped on the back, complete with our large backpacks! We sped through the traffic and held on for dear life - the drivers were completely relaxed and after a minute I began to ẹnoy it - crazy though it was.

Anyway we are now in our new hotel - quieter and nicer. We are going to try and get tickets for the Japan v United Arab Emirates gamê tonight - Lynn can hardly contain her joy - and also book a 3 night/4 day trekking tour in the Sapa region.

I'll be in touch.