Scootin' Around in Vietnam...

The UK and European part of our trip over, we boarded planes to take us to Vietnam. Gee, we were glad the trip was only 12 hours long! It's a great way to catch up on 3 or 4 movies (while you're trying to ignore how much you need to go to the toilet so you don't have to ask the nice stranger to move again).



Anyway, we got off the plane at Ho Chi Minh City and experienced 'real' summer in the tropics. It was back to shorts and singets, trying to ignore that our luggage was full of jumpers, and cold weather paraphenalia (yes we were in Europe and the UK during summer - but it was still COLD!). We only spent one day in Ho Chi Minh City, but we still managed to have a good look around and get a feel for the place. Industrious people, persistant cyclo riders, and interesting aromas. We went to the Rex hotel for a drink (probably one of the most expensive things we did), and ate plenty of Pho.



The next day we caught a plane to Danang where we visited the office of the Fred Hollows Foundation and met (and were well looked after) by the staff. They showed us around Danang, which is really a very pretty place, and took us to lovely eating spots to experience the local cuisine. We also were taken to the local eye hospital, and even got all 'scrubbed up' to see the end of an eye operation. Quite an experience!





Next stop was Hoi An. By this time we were ready to settle down for a few days, and this was the perfect place to do so. It's small and fairly quiet, but certainly knows about tourism. There were tailors and little shops and restaurants everywhere!



We spent lots of time walking around (in 45 degree heat - no wonder the locals think tourists are a little bit mad!), swimming, getting massaged (sigh), and of course getting some clothes made. Cam hired a motorbike to get around town quickly, and Jane hopped on the back loaded up with bags in true Vietnamese style. Even though it was a quiet town, it was still a nerve-racking business for all involved! We also managed to get on a boat one morning and went for a couple of dives. The water was lovely, but sadly there were few fish...probably on account of huge populations in South East Asia (and the rest of the world) eating so many sea creatures.



After our few days of relaxing in Hoi An, we caught a bus to Hue. The bus ride in itself was an experience! Brakes are used rarely and the horn is almost used instead - if you hear beeping, then get out of the way. We think that people who ride motorbikes in Vietnam should not be allowed to drive buses. Anyway, we arrived in Hue in one piece, even if we had lost a few litres of sweat from fear and heat.

Hue was an amazing place. We visited the old, imperial city, which was partly destroyed in the war, but is still amazing. Didn't spend long in the old city, but we took cyclos around and so managed to see alot in a short time, including the house that Ho Chi Minh lived in when he was a boy.



And so ends this post, but will write a bit more about the rest of our time in Vietnam (specifically Hanoi and Halong Bay) very soon...