Vietnam Sightseeing

Vietnam is still opening up to tourists on an almost daily basis. I have listed some of the more popular local attractions throughout Vietnam below, which will then give you some idea as to how to plan your holiday in this fascinating country.CanthoCantho is the political, economic, cultural and transportation centre of the Mekong Delta. Rice husking mills provide the main source of income and the area is linked to most other main centers in the Mekong Delta via the waterways and road/rail systems.Boat Trips are available that take you across the water or through the local canals on many interesting sightseeing excursions that definitely require a camera. Larger boats venture up the Mekong River and this is a definite MUST DO if you are in the area.Cantonese Congregation Pagoda was built on a different site originally but now stands where it is today. The pagoda occupies a splendid location facing the Cantho River.Central Market is where you should go to stock up on fresh produce either direct from the farms or the fishing grounds nearby.Floating markets are the Delta's prime attractions. Unlike those found in Bangkok, these markets aren't for the benefit of camcorder-toting tourists. Early each morning the Bassac River and its tributaries swell with vendors in sampans, houseboats and longtails jammed with fresh Delta produce: jackfruit, mangosteen, durian, papaya, mango, bananas, pineapple, guava, fresh vegetables and smuggled sundries from cigarettes to shampoo. The best market to visit is about 30 km south of Can Tho in Phung Hiep.Ho Chi Minh Museum is the only museum in the Mekong Delta devoted to this ruler. It is a large museum, if you haven't been to a similar one elsewhere, is worth a visit. Chau DocChau Doc is a riverine commercial centre and is not that far from the Cambodian border. Once known for it's dug-out canoe races it is now better known for it's Cham and Khmer temples in its environs.Chau Doc Church was constructed in 1920 and although small is interesting and for those of the Christian faith they hold mass here seven days a week.Chau Phu Temple was built in 1926 and is decorated with both Vietnamese and Chinese motifs. Inside are funeral tablets with the names and biographical information on the dead.Floating Houses, are well worth a few photos and it's worth it to hire a boat to see them better. Mosques in the area consist of the Chau Giang Mosque and the Murbank Mosque. There are others in the area but those mentioned are the largest,. Visitors are permitted but please respect the faith and do not enter them during 'calls of prayer' which occur 5 times a day unless you are of the Islamic faith. Sam Mountain is the place to go if you want to see dozens of temples, pagodas and the like and is well worth visiting. Located about 6 km from the city. Not only do temples abound but the trek to the top of the mountain is also popular though one can go by motorised vehicle if you so desire. Tay Anh Pagoda is renowned for its fine carvings of hundreds of religious figures most of which are wooden. The building reflects both Hindu and Islamic influences and outside stand a black elephant (with 2 tusks) and a white elephant (with 6 tusks) as well as various monks tombs etc.Temple of Lady Chua Xu faces Sam Mountain not far from the Tay An Pagoda and was founded in the 1820's. The original was built of bamboo, but this has been replaced over the years and the last reconstruction took place in 1972.Tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau who was a high ranking officer that served the Ngyen lords and later the Nguyen Dynasty is buried here. Nearby are several other tombs of similar officials serving under Thoai Ngoc Hau.Cavern Pagoda also known as Phuoc Dien Tu is about halfway up Sam Mountain and is well worth a visit.DalatThe city of Dalat is the main centre of the Southern Highlands region. In the past it was renowned as a cool, green city with a park-like environment. This is changing fast, as the economy booms and life speeds up. Still, Dalat is definitely worth a visit and it's a good base for trips into the surrounding highlands, which remain tranquil. In Dalat, make sure you visit the Hang Nga Guesthouse & Art Gallery, nicknamed by locals the Crazy House. It's created by artist and architect Mrs Dang Viet Nga (known as Hang Nga).Dalat is famous for its coffee shops, and is extremely popular with domestic tourists and honeymooners. You can fly to Dalat from Ho Chi Minh City. The airport is 30km from town; express buses also link the two cities.The Emperor Bao Dai's Summer Palace is stuffed with interesting art and everyday objects, and is well worth a look. It's also interesting to stroll around the old French Quarter.The Valley of Love, 5km north of the city centre, is a bizarre place where you can hire a paddle boat on the lake or a horse from one of the Dalat Cowboys (no relation to the Dallas Cowboys), who are, indeed, dressed as cowboys. There are some pleasant walks or rides (on horseback or bike) in the countryside around the city, but be aware that areas signposted with a C-sign are off-limits to foreigners.Prenn Falls are worth a visit and are located at the foot of Prenn Mountain Pass. The 10km long pass is on the route from Dalat to Ho Chi Minh City.Further out, you can visit the villages of some of the hill tribes, such as Lat Village and the Chicken Village (with a huge statue of a chicken).

I would love to tell

I would love to tell you more.I made some amazing friends in Kunming. The food is amazing! I am planning on going back there sometime in the near future.

HaNoi - HaLong - NinhBinh - MaiChau - Hue - DaNang - HoiAn - MySon - SaiGon - CuChi - TayNinh - MeKong Delta - SaiGon

Day 1. Arrival in HanoiGreetting at Noi Bai airport and transfer to hotel. Overview of the Old Quarters by ricckshaw. Water puppetry show.Day 2. Hanoi – HalongHanoi city tour : Tran Quoc Pagoda, Temple of Literature. After lunch, proceed to Halong via Red River Delta . Overnight in Halong.Day 3. Halong – Ninh Binh6-hour cruise in Halong Bay with lunch onboard. Transfer to Ninh Binh. Overnight in Ninh Binh.Day 4. Ninh Binh – Mai Chau3-hour sampan ballade to visit “Inland Halong Bay”, then Hoa Lu.. Drive to Mai Chau . Overnight in a house on stilts of Thai minority.Day 5. Mai Chau – Hanoi – HueA short trek around Thai minority villages before driving back Hanoi. Leisure time before taking night train to Hue.Day 6. HueOn arrival at 07.50, visit to Hue , last imperial capital of Vietnam : the Imperial Palace, Royal Tombs. Enjor costume royal dinner.Day 7. Hue – Da Nang – Hoi AnBoat cruise on Perfume River to visit Thien Mu Pagoda. Heading south, visit Cham Art Museum, then visit Hoi An Ancient Town.Day 8. Hoi An – My Son – Hoi AnTransfer to visit My Son – former sanctuary of Indianized Champa Kingdom in the First Millenium. Back to Hoi An for overnight.Day 9. Hoi An – Da Nang – SaigonTransfer to Da Nang airport for flight to Saigon. Saigon city tour : visit former French Quarter and former Chinatown.Day 10. Saigon – My Tho – SaigonDrive to My Tho to visit Cai Be floating market on the Upper Mekong Branch. Back to Saigon for overnight.Day 11. Saigon - Cu Chi - Tay Ninh – SaigonTransfer to visit Cu Chi Tunnels, proceed on to visit Tay Ninh Cao Dai Holy See. Back to Saigon..Day 12. Saigon – DepartureFree time for shopping before transfer to airport for departure flight

Bangkok - Ayuthaya - Sukhothai -Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai

I never thought I was going to get my flight to Bangkok as the Punjab Mail Express train pulled in an hour and a half behind schedule into New Delhi train station. Also I was in no mood to start fighting with taxi drivers who were telling me that there was no pre-paid taxis when I knew damn well that there were. As time was of the essence I jumped in an auto-rickshaw to the airport. A mad dash for 40 minutes on a motorway sometimes with 5 lanes flanked on both sides by gigantic lorries. We made it, I went straight to immigration, through security and was the last person to make it onto the plane. My departing image was of a dead cow lying outside a busy shopping street covered in flies with the onset of bloating! I'm certainly no celebrity but I thought on numerous occassions: I'm not a celebrity but get me out of here and then to top it all I nearly miss my flight.The moment I arrived in Bangkok was like walking into your favourite dream but it being reality. The airport was spotless, people were extremely helpful and everything operated in a smooth manner. The Thai people are an absolute delight: really cute, friendly respectful, calm and love to help you out when you are looking the slightest bit perplexed. Khawp khun kha.I am quite fixated by mens of transport currently and if I discover a means that I have not tried before then I feel it required some bahts thrown at it. I have done baking local trains with no glass for natural air conditioning. I also took an Express train from Ayuthaya to Phitsanulok. We were speeding along happily and suddenly CRUNCH aaaahhhhhhhh (ladies scream in Thai). We had hit a car on a level crossing. The lady lived to tell the tale, the car had scrap written all over it. Note to self: do not sit in the first carriage in future too dramatic if you hit something. I saw elephants in Ayuthaya and was very tempted for a trunk lift up but I cannot be frivolous when the means of transport is for pleasure and not for getting me from A-B. I was also tempted to get a moped taxi but didn't think it appropriate to ride side saddle and hang on to the driver in a tight fashion! Iain would be in Hilux heaven here as there are some means beasts out there. And once again I've hired a bicycle to see ruined wats (temples). The brand Crocodile wouldn't win any design awards but it did take 10 Frenchies and moi for many kilometres in Sukhothai old City.I am having a great time in Thailand but feel a bit wated out. Ayuthaya and Sukhothai both former capitals have plenty of wats on offer and I have done night viewings, river cruise viewings and cycle viewings. Time to stop now.I've finally been meeting lots of lovely travelers. Kathryn and Michael from Mainz in Germany (Kathryn went to university in Bangor) and 10 Frenchies on tour for 2 weeks (they mostly met at university in Angers and some lived in the same street as me and Charlotte's parents live in Cosqueville) and all of my chums shared the same enjoyment of a Chang or two just like me.This year is all about getting out of my comfort zone and what better way to start than to sign my first ever karaoke. We had a great night in Chopper bar in Sukhothai doing as in Rome. I also had my hair trimmed by a lovely Thai lady who didn't speak English and she did a great job for a grand sum of 1.60 GBP.My week finished off with 3 different nights in towns starting with Chiang: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Chaing Kong. Each involved a bus and more bum numbing hours sat on my backside. Leaving Sukhothai was quite a palava. I had said goodbye to the Frenchies and decided to head to the bus station at around middnight to get the 1:00am bus. Well upon enquiring at a local closing restaurant where the taxis were I soon heard "no taxi" and before I knew it the sweetest girl ever took me and my 18 kilos of luggage on the back of a moped to the bus station 3 kms away. Then I was just dozing off when I was awoken by CLUNK. A moped was lying on top of a member of the local constabulary. Well when two men eventually pulled him and the bike up I could see why. He was completely drunk and sped off rather wobbily into the night. The bus was delayed and arrived around 2am. Now getting on a bus with everyone covered in blankets, a couple of bags and a very narrow ailse, monk avoidance is virtually impossible. I did however manage it but think I woke those up on the other side. I read somewhere that women must not touch a monk and I had three to avoid!I had always heard of people talking about Chiang Mai but it was a very non-descrip town. It is essentially the gateway for trecking. I funnily bumped into the Frenchies again so shared a few more Changs with them. I have also lost/been pickpocketed of my sunglasses which is my first loss and quite an expensive one! So I thought I would move to Chiang Rai and go treking there instead. Now Chiang Rai seemed to have one agenda and that was: ladies of the night. Nobody would take a lone traveller treking which was really disappointing and to make matters worse I had ended up with my room backing onto the go go bars street. Thanks Lonely Planet for the little number!

The Lagoon Explorer Junk in Halong Bay Vietnam

The Lagoon Explorer Junk is designed with sophistication and the utmost attention to detail of a Traditional Sailing Boat. Whether you are dining in the restaurant, lounging on the sun deck or relaxing in the comfort of your cabin, you will be surrounded by the handcrafted woodworld of Teak and Oak which make the Lagoon Explorer Junk a true masterpiece. The Junk with 3 deluxe rooms & 1 Studio room, a fine dining restaurant & bar, a outdoor lounge, a swim platform, a well-trained Crew, 24-hour electricity supply and a host of activities to make your stay memorable.Lagoon Explorer Junk is pride of it’s stylest & the first Junk which is able to run by sails, to go fishing at night time and to bring you to any beauty sites of Halong Bay and run the tour as your choice. Travel with your own new, personalized itineraries.

Good afternoon Vietnam, (Hanoi)

We touched down in Hanoi, the Capital of Vietnam, mid-afternoon and took the transfer to our hotel in the old district of the city. We ventured out for a quick look around, quickly adopting our Chinese policy of lane-by-lane dodging of cars to dodge the mopeds - then realising that not looking and walking at a steady pace was slightly less alarming. I think the owners of Katie Melua's 9 million bicycles in Beijing have all moved to Hanoi and upgraded to mopeds...On our first night, we walked down to the beautiful lake at the centre of Hanoi and found our way amid the back streets deep into the old quarter and to Ma May Street which was delightful. All the shops/restaurants were refurbished to the traditional tube French Colonial/Vietnamese style houses and we sat on the balcony of one such house for our evening meal - the first meal which can be classed as delicious in over three weeks.The following morning, we went back to the old quarter for breakfast - we took a good walk through all the streets densely packed with people absorbed in their day-to-day business. Each street is named after the products which are/were sold in it - we saw Shoe St, Food St, Bag St, Silk St - there are apparently a total of 36 different streets each named after the products sold. My favourite street is Ma May Street - it is full of wonderful little restaurants and shops with street people selling flowers and fruit from large wicker baskets supported over their seller's shoulder by bamboo. We later walked to Hoan Kiem lake in the park and sat on benches relaxing for a while before heading off to find the Opera House in the French Quarter (with a lot of Art Nouveau style buildings) and then for lunch.In the afternoon we walked to Hoa Lo Prison, Maison Centrale, more famously known as Hanoi Hilton. It is best known as the place where the American POWs were held (incarcerated) during the Vietnam War but was designed by the French to hold the more outspoken/patriotic Vietnamese during their rule of the country. The guillotine was regularly used and heads were put on display to try to dissuade further uprisings. Unbelievably, prisoners were still tortured at this prison until 1969. To top it off, as recently as 1953, over 2,000 prisoners were being held at this prison in a space to fit 500. It was quite alarming.An amusing story we heard whilst inside was about a couple of US Air force officers who were captured and had concocted a story (rather than face torture) about two other members of their squadron who had been court-marshalled for refused to fly US missions against the north. Thrilled with the propaganda, visiting Japanese communists were told this and it filtered back to the US. Unfortunately the officers had named their imaginary pilots as Ben Casey and Clark Kent and when the Vietnamese found out they had been duped, the prisoners were tortured again!We met our new group in the evening - a total of 7 people including us - and went out for another fantastic meal. The group Kitty(NZ), David(NZ), Tracey(CAN), Jenny(US), Paulette(AUS) and our tour leader, another Tracey(AUS) immediately hit it off - we have been so fortunate with both groups.The following morning, we travelled northeast to Halong Bay. Arriving at the port around mid-day, we set off immediately and had a fantastic seafood lunch on the boat (a mix of a junk and a pirate ship!) We cruised along passed beautiful karst peaks in the water which with the misty sky made for some fantastic views although not such great photographs. We sailed through communities living on the water and visited some amazing caves resembling lunar landscapes - then on the way back stopped for a little swim, arriving back at the harbour early evening. We dined at a small local restaurant and had a brief look around the market before heading to bed.The following morning, the bus took us back to Hanoi and we decided to head to the Military museum to have a look at the old US aeroplanes and helicopters. Mark became terribly excited when he spotted a Huey and so we spent a while taking photographs before heading back to the hotel in preparation for our overnight train to Hue.NB: One of the girls on our new tour was supposed to be travelling with a friend through Vietnam but unfortunately her friend was in an awful mini-bus crash (killing 3 people) whilst on the road (the same route as us) to the The Great Wall of China.

Cuc Phuong National Park- full day, Vietnam tours

Cucphuong Tour, Cuc Phuong bird watching, National Park in Ninh Binh, plants & mammals: Cuc Phuong National Park is located 100km south of Hanoi in Ninh Binh province. The park is conveniently located on the route to several tourist attractions, including Bich Dong Pagoda, Hoa Lu, and Sam Son Beach. It was officially opened in 1960 as the first national park in Vietnam. Cuc Phuong National Park is surrounded by several limestone cliffs, the highest being May Bac, meaning "silver cloud," with a height of 656m. There are plenty of plants and mammals living in the park. There are an estimated 2,000 different species of flora and the 450 species fauna account for 38% of the national fauna.Includes: transport, guide, lunch, entrance feeITINERARY:AM : 7h00 depart to Ninh Binh .Arrive Cucphuong , 10h30 Visit the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre .Lunch.PM : 1h00 Depart to the Park Centre, on the way visit the "Cave of Early Man" ( had over 7000 year) , on the way admire the primary forest with "1000 year Old Tree",Low Season (5th May - 31st August)Size of Group 1 2 3 4 - 5 6 - 7 8 pax upCost/pax (USD) 150 125 90 75 60 55High Season (1st Sep - 4th May)Size of Group 1 2 3 4 - 5 6 - 7 8 pax upCost/pax (USD) 165 137 99 83 66 60 Tour type: PrivateDeparture: Every dayInclusive: Transportation (private car/mini van), Entrance fees, Speaking guide (English or French), LunchExclusive: Drinks, Insurance, Personal expenses, Tips

Hanoi Pit of Quality

For the benefit of several readers (well, Mark, Steve and Rob) I'm going to get all the Nam cliches out of the way in one go. So here they are: I haven't seen any vets like John Rambo, Magnum or Jim Robinson. I haven't found out who really robbed the Bank of Hanoi. I haven't developed a thousand-yard stare (yet). I haven't even been incarcerated in a Hanoi Pit of Hell.Instead I have been wandering around Hanoi drinking in what a thoroughly cool place it is. Hanoi is busy all the time, and rush hours are manic. There are mopeds everywhere. If you've ever seen the Wirral Egg Run (type it into Google if you haven't), imagine that amount of motorbikes but all riding in different directions all day and yet not actually crashing into each other.So as you can imagine, crossing the road is a bit of an art form. But in fact crossing the road is quite easy if you do as the locals do and just step out into the constant flow of mopeds hurtling towards you from all directions. The Green Cross Code man would probably turn in his grave but incredibly nobody gets hurt. I could stand on a street corner watching mopeds negotiate junctions all day. Its like a giant formation motorcyle team.The old quarter of Hanoi is the place to be for travellers, and has a decent mix of bars and restaurants with tons of decent hostels as well. I was a bit disappointed with the nightlife (not enough people to fill all the bars and restaurants) but that wan't enough to stop me from instantly liking the place.As a break from the noise and fumes we took a boat trip out to Halong Bay (I think its in Tomorrow Never Dies at the end). Unfortunately the weather was a bit on the crap side and we couldn't see much, but the gist is that its a bay (hence the name) with about 3000 small rocky islands in it. The low mist meant we couldn't see much of them but in fact it gave them a pretty eerie quality that I was quite pleased about.The boat trip was one of these overnight jobs, but unfortunately (like the bars) there weren't enough people to fill the vast number of boats that run every day. Still, we met some nice people on there and had a pretty nice evening, then met our first cockroaches all over the bottom deck where our cabins were. There weren't many of them but the sight was still enough to ellicit screams from Carly and Vicky (and me). Nothing we can't handle though, so after blocking every gap and crevace in the cabins with bog roll Graham and I did the manly thing and set of on Operation Roachhunt with our trusty torches and sturdy shoes. They really do make a horrible sound when they get squished.Anyhoo, we made it back to dry land safely and back to lovely Hanoi. I'm pretty lucky at the moment in that every place we've been to I haven't wanted to leave. Off to Hue next for some R&R.

Vietnam Top 10 things to do

* Crawl through the Cu Chi Tunnels This extensive network of nearly 500 km of Viet Cong tunnels used in the French Indochina and American wars. The tunnels have complete facilities, from kitchens to printing presses and even street signs, all of which were used to aid the NLF (National Liberation Front) military. Tours involve a description of the tunnels, after which tourists are allowed to crawl about the maze. Located in Tay Ninh a suburb it is 39km northwest of central Ho Chi Minh City. * Dalat is the place to be if you want to visit interesting tribal villages. Although most are located further out of town, you can visit the villages of some of the hill tribes, such as Lat Village and the Chicken Village (with a huge statue of a chicken) close to Dalat itself. Don't forget your camera as the photo opportunities are endless! * Ha Long Bay Ha Long Bay Paddle around Halong Bay in Quang Ninh which is similar to the islands found along the , this is one of Vietnam's most beautiful areas, Halong Bay has fascinating limestone formations, coves for night-time excursions, sheer cliffs, grottoes, arches and scores of small islets. There are plenty of activities such as Kayaking that are well worth taking time out for as this is one way to really appreciate the beauty of the area as well as a good way to see the fauna and flora without disturbing the nature around one. * Du Hang Pagoda Du Hang Pagoda Haiphong is known as the City of Flower-lined Streets, and is the third biggest city of Vietnam, in comparison with Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Here you can discover the Du Hang Pagoda which is one of the most ancient pagodas in this city and is one you need to take your camera for. It was built three centuries ago and the decoration on the pagoda is exquisite as well as housing many ancient furnishings that never fail to interest visitors. * Hanoi has lots to offer the tourist but if you are in the city you can't afford to miss the History Museum that includes artifacts from Vietnam's prehistory: proto-Vietnamese civilisations (1st and 2nd millennia BC), the Dong Son civilisation (7th century BC to 3rd century AD), the Oc-Eo (Funan) culture of the Mekong Delta (1st to 6th century AD); the Indianised kingdom of Champa (1st to 15th century), the Khmer kingdoms, various Vietnamese dynasties and their resistance to Chinese attempts at domination, the struggle against the French, and the history of the Communist Party. It gives the visitor an excellent understanding of Vietnam's past and a better understanding of the present. * Cuc Phuong National Park Cuc Phuong National Park Another Hanoi "must do", though a little out of town is the National Preserve of Cuc Phuong This national park is one of the last tropical primeval forest reserves on Earth. There are 64 species of fauna and thousands of species of flora, many of which are extinct everywhere else in the world. Bizarre and fascinating species of animals from flying lizards to monkeys dwell within the park's 61,000 acres. Caves and grottoes, where various artefacts have been discovered, can be located in the mountains within. It is located approximately 120km southwest of Hanoi. * Visit Hoi An. From the 16th to 18th centuries, Hoi An was a thriving international commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab traders. These people came to trade primarily for the high-grade silk, which is still produced in the area, and ceramics. The area is now one of four world heritage listed sites in Vietnam and there are lots of interesting things to see and do in the area. * Meander along the Mekong on one of the many boat trips that are available taking you across the water or through the local canals on many interesting sightseeing excursions that definitely require a camera. Larger boats venture up the Mekong River and this is a definite MUST DO if you are in the area of Cantho or one of the other cities or villages that rely on this massive sourse of water for both transport and food. Climb Sam Mountain near Chau Doc if you want to see dozens of temples, pagodas and the like as it is well worth visiting. Located about 6 km from the city, temples abound and the trek to the top of the mountain is also popular...though one can go by motorised vehicle if you so desire. * Visit Phu Quoc Island the largest island in Vietnam that lies in the Gulf of Thailand, 45 km from Ha Tien and 15 km south of the coast of Cambodia. Phu Quoc Island, part of Kien Giang province, is also part of an archipelago consisting of 22 islands of all sizes. The island covers an area of 585 km2 and is 50 km long. It is also called the Emerald Island because of its natural treasures and infinite tourism potential.

Week eleven - Ko Phi Phi - Phuket - Singapore - Perth

Ko Phi Phi left me and the Great Scottish Girlies weak, tired, skint and looking forward to leaving. The island is essentially beautiful but the people are miserable, the infrastructure post Tsunami poor with smelly drains, the night life abismal and far too many noisy fellow travellers. Luckily on our last day, after we had recovered from the poisoning, we were able to go on our snorkelling trip. The sea was crystal clear, the sunset amazing and the fish weren't shy either. I was woken on the 4th night by what seemed like maurauding teenagers, drunk of course, after taking advantage of the free buckets at Tiger Bar. My stay ended with a CRUNCH: my foot up until my knee had gone through the floorboard. I had visions of my leg dangling in someone's room but luckily my toe had stubbed the hillside.I said goodbye to my fellow travellers, thanked them for a great time and felt guilty and resonsible for the poisoning. Yes is was me who chose the ill-fated restaurant because one of the hunky Australians from the ferry journey from hell was having his dinner in there. Phuket was a dump and the hotel which had featured in the Beach so noisy that not even my ear plugs kept out the din.Singapore as expected was high rise, hot, clean and sterile. It took me quite a while to find somewhere to stay and ended up in a Catholic run hostel so that night I said my hail Mary's and went to bed early. I was a complete girl on my first day and hit the Orchard Road for shops: Top Shop, Karen Millen, Gap, French Connection and M and S. It was heavenly seeing fashionable items again after the fakes of Asia and the naff Thai trousers and sarongs. It was mega expensive compared to home so I didn't actually buy anything. On the second day I was up early and out to see Chinatown and the quayside financial area on a small boat trip. I avoided Little India after sill being traumatised by starring Indian men and their equally scary moustaches.My welcome to Australia by the customs official was the best yet. "So you are on a two month holiday" he asked me to which I replied "yes" and to which he said "Good on ya" as he handed back my passport. What a lovely welcome. By the time I reached One World Backpackers it was 3am so it wasn't easy climbing into the upper bunk without waking up the 7 other people in the dorm. In the morning I was perturbed to discover that I was in the boys dorm and it smelt of boys but happy too that there were two other girls in there with me.Perth seems like home but that is probably beacause most people at the backpackers are English or Irish. We went out on Saturday night for a big one to celebrate Liam's 21st and then went to the beach at Scarborough on Sunday to laze in the Autumn sun which is just as hot as a summer day back home. Having said that it is cold here at night and it is strange being so cold again after the heat of Asia. On Sunday we joined in on the Australian culture of going out drinking on a Sunday and boy where they out in force. I was out with the boys for Liam's birthday weekender and had another good night out around Northbridge. Luckily everyone thinks that I am about 27 so they don't feel like granny had come out for the evening!

Hue, Hoi An, and English camp

Hello hello hello,So it's been an exciting couple of weeks recently. 2 weeks ago, my group took a trip to the Central Coast of Vietnam. We took the train from HCMC to Quang Ngai. After 2 weeks in homestay, it was so much fun to spend 14 hours on the train. In Quang Ngai, we had the opportunity to meet Sandy's paternal grandmother. It was such a great day. Her grandmother lives in a small village, where not many tourists go. Everyone seemed very excited to see us. We also got a group of about 15 kids to sing a Vietnamese children's song with us. So much fun! They were so cute!After that, we got to spend two days on the My Khe beach near Quang Ngai. We celebrated Scott's birthday there by having dinner on the beach and then went swimming in the South China Sea. It was definitely one of those "holy shit, I'm in Vietnam" moments.While in Quang Ngai, we also visited the site of the My Lai massacre. That was a really intense experience. After learning so much about that event throughout school, and then being at the site where this horrific event actually occurred, it was very interesting. It was interesting to me that several of the students in my group didn't know that an American pilot had helped end the massacre.From there, we drove to Hoi An. A very cute little town, but it's being overrun by tourists. At times I literally felt like I saw more Western tourists than I did Vietnamese people. But it was still a fun city.From Hoi An, we went to Hue, the old imperial capital of Vietnam. We visited the citadel there. It had some beautiful architecture but a lot of it was destroyed during the war.Next we drove to Da Nang, which I believe is where I'll be spending some time during my independent study project. While there we toured the Cham history museum and also visited My Son, an ancient Cham religious site. Champa was a kingdom in Southern Vietnam. My Son was beautiful. It was set among the mountains and was just amazing. Unfortunately, many of the buildings were bombed during the American War, including the tallest tower of the site. Among the buildings, we found large holes in the ground that were caused by B-52 bombs dropped during the war. It was still an incredible place to see.After that we returned to HCMC and moved back into our homestay. I think my family was excited to have me back! It was a relatively uneventful week until Saturday arrived.Part of the University curriculum in Vietnam is that students are required to be part of a Youth Association or a student union group. Well this weekend, for 6 universities in HCMC, the youth association from our university put on 'Cross-Border Camp 2006.'In total there were almost 250 students attending this camp. Each of us, along with our homestay sibling were placed on one of 14 teams. Each team was assigned a country and were responsible for putting on a skit/song that represented our country. My team was Vietnam and I was roped into singing Trong Com, a Northern Vietnamese folk song that translates into Rice Drum. I don't sing, so needless to say this was very interested. The written goal of the camp was to promote cultural diversity and cultural exchange, but basically it was English Camp. The weekend was a chance for all the Vietnamese students to practice speaking in English. I really had no idea what to expect when we left. During the day, there were lots of games, and we went swimming. At night, there was a forum where the Vietnamese students discussed cultural diversity. That was definitely interesting to listen to their thoughts about Vietnam. After that though, was the main event. It was like this GIANT talent show. There was singing, dancing, skits...you name it, it was there. It was unlike anything I had ever seen in the US. Putting it into words really does not do justice to what I actually experienced. One of my favorite moments was when my group sang "This land is your land." It was crazing singing this American propaganda song at times seemed to be at times a Communist party youth rally. The whole event was definitely one of those things that I can now appreciate in retrospect. At times I got a little frustrated and annoyed throughout the day, especially when I was hearing the Aaron Carter album for the 7th time, or when I was trying to sleep and Aqua-Barbie Girl came on. At first glance, it was definitely annoying how structured the event was but that was definitely coming from my ethnocentric, American perspective. Now, I am so glad that I went because I definitely experienced an aspect of Vietnamese youth culture that I never would have understood before.So yeah, I hope I didn't ramble too much! On another note, I am so excited because my family is coming to visit in May! Well, almost everyone. Josh and Lynn, you have a good excuse on why you're not coming! (Can't wait to see the baby!)Hope everyone is doing well. For people back home, good luck with the end of the school year and on finals!Hope to hear from people soon!always,