Vietnam - I Love You!

Jeeps Peeps, I have no idea where to begin with this leg of the tour. We are maybe 10 days in but whose counting? Still some cool stuff to do like Jungle Beach, where more shinanagings are planned and a little later Ho Chi Min City still to visit.

This trip is just getting better and better, thanks Odyssey Peeps - this is just the best thing I have ever done. If you are thinking of doing something like this, save, beg, steal or borrow the cash from the old man but book it!!!!

Above shows what effectively used to be the river border between old north and southVietnam or in our guides words the communist and capitalist bridge. This was just one of our stops on a *** tour. What a great day but a quite sad to see unarked graves of lads and lasses of just 17 who as yet, have no name.

War memorial near the bridge, or maybe they are not called memorials as we know them, but the feeling is still the same.

All the might, money and power of the US going to rust!

The equivilent of seven tons of bombs per person where dropped on Vietnam and Cambodia.

A local hill tribe and 'granny'.

Or maybe birth control is not practiced at all?

Oh yes, this is still the way a lot of goods are carried.

Our dinner boat arrives, shame about the thunderstorm later on that evening but rain here is warm.

A bit of culture chaps? Mandy is great at organising stuff, and this day tour was guided by Hanoi kids and while they are not kids but young adults - the tour was great, their English very good and we were just as keen to learn about Vietnamese life as they were about ours. Thanks Mandy.

The village house was in a museum of Vietnamese culture and all the big houses (like the one above) were constructed by each minority tribe craftsmen who were brought in to build them in the traditional way. Lots of different houses each with its own unique style and shape.

We had a fab lunch chosen by the Vietnamese kids in a local busy restaurant. This was my pudding - shan't be having that again! It was a bit like frog spawn and snakes in the same glass, now you get the picture.......YUK!

Ho Long Bay swimming with the jelly fish and yes the lady was selling Pringles and cokes and while you may on the very off chance have a little pocket in your cozzie with cash in. How the heck are you going to eat bloody Pringles!

If you come to 'Nam' also come to the bay, it'll be one of the best things you do. We had a boat to ourselves. Stayed over night, had fantastic food, great company and with a view to die for. Thanks Charlie.

Stevie tucking into fanny....woah there young man. The ice cream was eaten in Fannies, nope that's not quite right either, erm.....lets just say it was bloody lovely and leave it at that.

While these soldiers looked very smart in their Sunday best uniform at the Ho Chi Min mausaleum, they actually marched a bit camp swinging their arms across themselves rather than from side to side and I found it difficult not to smirk, but the mausaleum was a serious place so I didn't. I did however find seeing 'Uncle Ho' really quite moving.

All our valuables safetly removed and I worried that the soldiers looked camp. Steavie what do you look like?

Laos - my new favourite place

So clearly this is the result of some serious partying on Zoe and Susans veranda late one night. We stayed at this cool place along side the river (but don't ask me where because you can get much better detail from some body else's blog). It had great restaurants, a great feel and some real charector. The rooms we stayed in were basic but perfectly functional, had a great fan and large mosquito net to keep those nasty mozzies away. This tiny resort also had a pill box used to protect the river and bridge in those nasty war days long ago past.

Apart from this big fella sleeping on the job at the back of a buddist temple, all the statues were covered in white cloths for some reason which we could not fathom, so as with this kind of trip. Don't ask too many questions and just go with the flow and everything will be fine.

All the temples in Laos were just fantastic and beutifully decorated. There are monks yound and old everywhere. We even spotted one having a crafty fag!

Young monks like all monks seem to be busy in study and I assume walking from lesson to lesson are seen all day on foot carrying small bags. Early each morning they tour the town in long rows for alms. Their food bowls are huge and all the same size, so the little monks really struggle to carry their big brass bowls - very humbling.

Loas has seen some amazing thunderstoms, when they come you either need to be in bed or in a restourant for a long time and wait patiently for the heavy rain to stop. Having another beer while you wait is the road to ruin but jolly good fun.

So Denis and I are accomplished local foodies. We walk far and wide to get local street grub and at rock bottom prices. This place in Nan Prabang was off the beaten track, you ate what was given too you, along with all the fancy herbs and spices. But a word of warning, put small amounts of chilli in and then taste. Not like I did and blew my head off, hence the very refreshing cool coconut drink we both slurped on.

So we have just arrived in Vinh which is in Vietnam. Just got back from a super lunch and now its time for a well earned snooze.