Last of the great Asian epics!

Having gone all the way from Saigon (whewre i wa sin the last email) to the other end of the country in Hanoi, i felt it was time for another update, oterwise i'll just never get round to it!

So.... left Saigon after visiting tunnels - and very nice tunnrels they were too... and headed for Mui Ne - a beach side resort twn thingy where we actually only stayed an afternoon but cvisited a fishing village, dunes, went sand sliding, watched a film, paddled in the sea and went or a wander along the beach - busy afternoon! It was really nice but v quiet and spread out so we decided to move stright on to Dalat in the central highlands.

This was a really nice place for chilling out - although im not quite how you were to tell that you were in Vietnam and not france, i'm not sure...
The climate there was wicked. It's hot in the day but with a nice cool breeze and then i the evening it's cool-->cold . It's just soo nice and my hair has regained some degree of normality to - it's almost stranight and not frizzy! hehehe... simple things... :D :D
Spent four days there chilling out in the tourist kitsch (v lovely kitsch) wanderingg the lake and went to a 'crazy house' (has a crazy gourd room?!?!?! amoungst others - very curvy - quite cool, but at 30$ a night a little on the pricey side...), 'mad monk' (selling thousands of abstact paintings and is generally pretty cool) and 'amazing table' (moves to the left or right under brain power alone - even if you let go!!! I examined it thoroughly and am utterly befuzzled!).
After doing not a lot for a couple of days we decided we ought to...
*parents stop reading here....*

In Vietnam there are a lot of so-called Easy Riders, who are guides who will give you a motorbike tour, or get you from A to B using much quieter roads and generally seeing the site away from the main tourist trail. So having been recommended a couple by our hotel and checked out their little books with stuff people write we headed out in tot he central highlands for 2 days to get to Nha Trang.
This was undoubtedly one of the best couple of days of our trip. Aside from the coffee and soilk worms arnf stuff like that being pointed out to us, it was worth it for the scenary alone and easily beat getting the bus! It looks a little like scotland actually, with the windy roads and mountains, albeit a little hotter... sooo much fun

*safe for parents once more... (i won't do it again i promise! ;o) )*

Didn't stay in Nha Trang because we were running out of time and it looked like a bit of a dump (although, i;m assured it's quite nice) but got the night bus to Hoi An :D

LOVE Hoi An!!!!! IT's soooo nice. An old town, completely presereved, with art galleries and cafes aplenty, a really nice beach 4 kms away and loads anloads of shops where you can get hand tailored clothes really cheap :D So having got a nice chunk of money back from the tax mand,m and fuelled by the knowledge that i really dont have any clothes at home went slightly mad and got 3 pairs of trousers (lovely cords), a shirt, some trainers, shoes with geckos on ( :D !!!) and a beautiful cord/silk lined duffle coat :D All made to measure and about a quater of the price in the uk. (hopefully wont make ithis up in excess baggage! I guess i'll just wear all of it if necesary!)

Spent 4 days there - on the last night had the best meal i think int he whole of vietnam - go to Cafe des Amis if you're ever inth e area!!) and decided we had to move on.

Although we weren't actually that gone on the town Hue (UNESCO world hertitage site though it may be...) we had a really wcked 1.5 days there. Saw the citadel - Royal palacey thing... which was alright but suddenly took on a life of its own when it was accompanied by the sound of about 20 drums and then a full orchestra backing... v cool. Discovered that across the road they were rehersing for a festival that started the day after we left of tradition music and dance etc - weren't that bopthered until we saw the huuuuge stage set up and discovered that the ethereal music was live along with singers and full (vietnamese) orchestra!!!! soooooooooooooo cool. We asked if we could watch and got a full 3 hours entertainment for free only lacking in costumes :D I got sooo excited - i miss theatre and this was just wicked! We even saw a medley from Miss Saigon performed in and by Vietnamese in Vietnam - how cool!
Follow this by a wicked deaf/dum cafe with writing literally all iver the walls from people every where - and got a free bottle opener made out of wood and a nut and bolt - how cool?!
(nb me: saw a 1 week old 5* hotel and it was only 40 squid a night!!! (sharing) got soooooo excited - it had such a huuuuge ceiling :D )
After touring pagodas the next day we got on the night bus again (last time!!! yoippee!!!) up to Hanoi, arriving yesturday. Hanoi's pretty cool as cities go... dad, you'll be pleased to know that we spent the whole day oin a Cyclo touring around today - although, it is alas maybe not as good an idea as it might seem, given the amount we had to wedge in, the speed at which we didn't go, and real tangible danger of being squished by, well... everything else on the street...! Good fun though!

only got 5 or so days left here now... :o( Tomorrow we're heading of to Ha Long Bay, which looks pretty wicked (google it - lots of funny limestine islet things...) then two days to shop in Hanoi and generally live it up! and then we're off - Anna back home, and me to NZ for a week! It's sooo little time till i come home again now... i'm sure it'll whizz by!