I am currently in Nha Trang, Vietnam. It wasn't part of our original plan to come here but since we are in Vietnam for the lunar New Year, Tet and would have been in Ho Chi Minh we decided to come here for the holiday instead of in a city of 8 million people. Nha Trang is supposed to be nice but it was overcast the first two days and beautiful yesterday.

So, Vietnam. I really like this country! It is a lot less Western than where we went in China. We have only seen 2 KFCs and no McDonalds or Pizza Hut! Such a step up! We started out in Han Oi, Vietnam. Han Oi is a loud and bustling city and the sheer number of motorbikes shocked us from the get go. We actually liked crossing the street more there than in China though because it actually felt like people would avoid us! 'They' say that the best way to cross the street is to close your eyes and go. We have been doing it with our eyes open but really you just have to walk, not hesitate and they seem to avoid you. In Han Oi we first experienced the street vendors, the women walking with the baskets on their shoulders, and the many many cyclos wanting to give you a ride. Also, the honking, oh my goodness, between the honking and the exhaust it is an interesting experience walking through the city. On our first day we headed to Hoan Kiem Lake and the temple that sits on an island in the middle of it. The lake was very beautiful and we sat down in a little cafe by the waters edge. The rest of the day was basically spent wandering the many little streets. We walked to a market, saw a Cathedral and just basically took in the city. On our second day we had made arrangements to head to Cuc Phuong National Park in Ninh Binh. It is the first National Park of it's kind in Vietnam and was set up by Ho Chi Minh himself. It is quite large and is said to be full of all sorts of rare and endangered animals ... none of which we saw. We did get to see a thousand year old tree though which was quite ginormous. While at the National Park we were also able to visit the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre. They had all sorts of primates and even some adorable babies. The project is quite unique. They are a German group and have recruited assistance and money from all over the world. The drive back to Han Oi took about 3 hours... and that was for 120km.... the roads here are unreal!! Our last day in Han Oi was just spent wandering around. We did go to KOTO though which is a really cool restaurant that trains street kids to work in the hospitality industry. They give them accommodation, a bike and a spot at the school. The program is 2 years and after they find them a job and have a 100% success rate.

Out of Han Oi we caught up with a tour to Halong Bay which is about three hours out of the city. From there we got on a 'junk boat' for a 2 day, 1 night trip. We sailed around the bay stopping at one of the many fishing villages where some of the people on our boat bought some fresh (as in, still swimming around) fish. They have all sorts, squid, big fish, SHARKS, small fish. After we stopped at these really awesome caves that people hid in during the war and then at an island and climbed to the top to see the sunset. The weather wasn't fabulous, pants and a long sleeve on the water but it wasn't horrible either. It was very pretty on Halong Bay. They have been given World Heritage Site status twice and it is clear why. The next morning we were given the opportunity to kayak around the bay and through some caves. Unfortunately the water levels were too high to go in the caves but the kayaking was fun! I'd never been in one before and was pretty scared it would flip but it didn't and we were fine although a little wet from the spray from the paddles. That was basically the end of our journey at Halong Bay. We still had to sail back to the harbour and have lunch but we were back in Han Oi by 4:30 that afternoon and preparing to board our first overnight bus to Hue.

The overnight bus wasn't that bad... it wasn't that great either though. We had a sleeper bus but the seats were like beds so it was difficult to sit up and talk before you actually went to bed. It wasn't too bad for sleeping although it was quite noisy (horn honking) and very bumpy. When we got into Hue we were surrounded by people trying to get us to come with them to a certain hotel. They were extremely obnoxious and annoying and we just basically kept saying no and walking away. We already had a place booked but they still followed behind us down the road. So far they are much more aggressive and annoying in Hue than any other city we have been in (and that goes for the cities we have been to since). After finding out hotel and having a much needed shower we grabbed lunch at an adorable floating restaurant and then headed to the Forbidden Purple City. We hadn't really made any friends at this point and while out front we saw two other people and latched on. We have now been with Abbi and Graham for a few cities so it worked out well. The Forbidden Purple City was very non-purple. It was actually falling apart in a lot of places and in others there was construction. The city was used for the emperor to house his concubines and keep him (and them) safe from the outside. There was still a lot of the structure and original roof lines/paintings which was interesting to see but then other parts were crumbled. There wasn't much to see in Hue besides the Forbidden City and the tombs but we decided to take a day trip out of the city on our second day to visit the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). The DMZ was the dividing line between the North and the South during the war in Vietnam. It is still home to many bunkers, tanks, planes, unexploded ordinances and tunnels. Perhaps the most interesting part about that leg of the trip was seeing the tunnels. People lived in these tunnels for 6-7 years and they are tiny! They are about 1.6m tall (shorter in some areas), and very narrow plus obviously quite dark and damp inside. While in the tunnels a total of 17 babies were born in the maternity room! Not exactly ideal conditions. We are planning on heading to the tunnels in Ho Chi Minh as well but it was still very interesting to see the ones out of Hue.

After Hue we jumped on another bus, this time during the day to Hoi An. It was only about 4 hours away but it dropped us right into ideal beach weather. Hoi An is known for two things, having tailor made clothing and shoes and for their food which is delicious. There wasn't a heck of a lot to do in Hoi An besides having clothes made and visiting the beach but both of those things were enjoyable. On our first (half) day we rented bikes and went down to the beach for a couple of hours. The water wasn't too clear because it is winter and the water is quite choppy. Later that night it became our number one priority to have some clothes made, as a result of Tet prices would be going up because the shops were closing in a couple of days. The majority of our time in Hoi An was spent lying on the beach and wandering through the streets. It had a very nice beach-town feel there and it was a very relaxing environment.

Our bus from Hoi An to Nha Trang was another over night bus. This time we had the good bus with the seats that can also be chairs if you choose to not sleep. The ride wasn't that bad and I don't think the roads were as bumpy as the previous overnight bus had been. The weather, as I mentioned, in Nha Trang was quite dreadful. Very overcast and windy. We did get a chance to walk to the Long Son Pagoda where there is a very big Buddha. It was quite large but I think that the one we saw in Beijing at Lama Temple might have been larger. At the Long Son Pagoda they had two Buddhas, one that was sitting on a lotus flower and one that was sleeping. While there we were also granted access into the pagoda (ie. temple) to watch the prayer session that was going on. While in Nha Trang we also headed to the Cham Tower which is a series of pagoda/temples each honouring someone different. They were very dark inside and one was quite creepy since there was very little light source coming in through the door and a lot of incense being burned. As mentioned, we were in Nha Trang for Tet, the lunar New Year. Tet fell on the 26th making the 25th 'Tet Eve' and therefore party central. We had a great time partying in local bars and on the beach but we had a lot to drink.... it was a much cheaper New Years Eve than any we could get at home! It was really cool though because they had dragon dancing troops going through the streets performing and playing drums. We didn't get home until about 3:30 in the morning and we had to be up yesterday morning at 7:00am so we could do a day boat trip around to the islands. That was rough. The boat trip was lovely though, the sun was finally out and there was a nice breeze on the water. We were a bit ... well, still drunk, but it was a great day. We went to some islands and there was a floating bar at one point and I even went in the ocean which if you know me is a big step because I hate fish touching me and sharks are pretty scary.

This morning we were supposed to catch a bus to Ho Chi Minh and when we went to pay for our room the entire banking system had gone down. Our credit cards wouldn't work, we went to multiple ATMs and neither Visa, MasterCard or our debit cards would work. So we missed our 7:30am bus and were here for the day. In light of our predicament we decided to go to the Hot Springs which was fantastic. We had mineral mud baths, and soaked in hot mineral water then lounged around the pool. Very relaxing and my skin is very soft from all those minerals. They say that the minerals are supposed to help fix all sorts of ailments and joint problems but I'm pretty sure my shoulder still hurts. Oh well it was still very nice.

We are about to catch an overnight bus to Ho Chi Minh. Because we will now get in tomorrow morning (the 28th) and we are supposed to leave for Cambodia on the 29th we have decided to try and jump onto a bus tomorrow and be in Cambodia one day early if possible. We shall see.