the best pic

This is arguably the best picture of the entire vacation. 

I title it: "Kid in bucket. with snake." Enjoy.

- Floating Village, Vietnam.

Day Twenty Two

Leaving the Island and Halong Bay

Something Awesome: Meeting up with our new British friends on the boat ride back to Hanoi
Something Crap: The Weather. Still not great. (should have done a little more research and realised this is "winter" lol.)
Something Random: My hair gets super awesome when it's too cold to shower, I have no hairbrush and I've been swimming in the sea. (pic below: aka "wild-tropical-island-creep")

Something we ate: Supper with our new backpacker friends at Al Fresco Restaurant in Hanoi. We caved and went super western style - pizzas for all!

Something we did: Watched an impromptu ballroom dance class taking place on the side of the lake in Hanoi on our way back from dinner.
Something said:
Local by-stander watching us as we watched the Ballroom dancing: You! you try!! go! Try!

Day Twenty One

Castaway Island and Halong Bay
Something Crap: The Weather. And subsequently having to make a decision about whether or not to continue on the cruise to the castaway island in the crappy weather (which we have already booked and paid for) or to head back to Hanoi City and try and find a place to stay for the night.
Something Awesome: Pretending to tan in the "sun" after deciding to stay on the island in spite of the bad weather. The GnT's helped.
Something Random: Will post more pictures of Castaway Island when i get back to normal internet and computers and I can edit my fancy cam pics.
Something we did: Read books, played table tennis, played cards, pretended to "tan".
Something we ate: Barbeque dinner of chicken and fish and noodles.
Something said: Blake: Let me tell you... Che and I used to have a Ping-Pong Table growing up and we used to host our own tournaments. I'd be careful who you put yourself up against...

Day Twenty

Halong Bay

Something Awesome: Heading off to Halong bay on a three day boat cruise.
Something crap: The weather not being completely up to par.
Something random: Our "party-tour-guide" had perhaps had too much Christmas fun and was passed out for most of the trip to Halong Bay. lol. We did have an awesome Vietnamese guy called Nam who manned the decks.
Something we did: Boarded the Jolly Roger Junk and headed off into Halong Bay - recently cited as one of the Seven Wonders of the World along with Table Mountain. Once we got to the Bay we jumped off the deck and had a swim - even though the water was a freeze-fest.
(Well done self.)

our four-man cabin below:

Something we ate: Seafood lunch with prawns, noodles, salad and calamari on the boat dec
Something said:
Nam- the Vietnamese tour guide to Richie the Passed out Scottish tour guide:
"Richie. Richie? are you dead?"

Day Nineteen

Christmas Day

Something Awesome: Waking up to a pseudo-Christmas tree (courtesy of Blake) and Christmas presents that my parents and aunt and uncle had sent with Blake for us. Also a surprise package that arrived at the backpackers from a London Lover. haha :)

Something crap: Not being with family for Christmas.
Something we did: Joined in the Hanoi Backpackers Secret Santa and Awesome Christmas lunch.

Something random: Blake and I spent the best part of the morning searching the streets for the best secret Santa gifts and then spent the rest of the morning arguing over who was going to give the best one. haha.
Something we ate: Amazing Christmas lunch feast with pumpkin soup, turkey, chicken, gravy, potatoes, beans, pumpkin, apple crumble and ice cream. Also free flowing wine, beer and mixers for five hours. (nope, i didn't make it the entire five hours. Merry Festive Christmas haha)

Something said: "Merry Christmas!" (numerous times over)

* I hope everyone had a very Merry and Joyful Christmas with their families and loved ones. We had a wonderful day and made many new friends to share the Christmas spirit with.

Day Eighteen

Day and Night on the Train and Christmas Eve:

Something Awesome: Finally getting onto our train in Hoi An after an hour delay at the station.
Something Crap: Being completely ripped off at the train station when we arrived in Hanoi.
Something Random: It was gorgeous being able to watch the scenery go by on the train and having time on the train to sit and read and think.
Something we did: Got the overnight sleeper train from Hoi An to Hanoi.
Something we ate: Train packed-lunch that we organised in Hoi An including a baguette with sundried tomatoes, salami and olives and water and a brownie.
Something said:
Blake to me in our train cabin: Che. pssst. Che. did you see that guy? He has no arms.


yes.

yes, we really did share our sleeper train cabin with a scary looking man with no arms.
i didn't sleep much.

It was also Christmas eve this day - so we met up with my two University friends and went out for Christmas eve dinner. Mid way through drinks, Blake disappeared and returned with a plastic bag. He decided Christmas wasn't Christmas without Christmas crackers - and since they aren't such a thing in Asia - he bought some random pressies for us and put them in a bag. We then had to each pull a gift out the bag and say a loud "cracker-BANG!" as we did. It was loads of fun :) (i pulled the wind up toy train - below haha)

Day Seventeen

Something Awesome: Collected all our finished tailor made dresses, suits, shirts and shoes. awesome. :)

Something Crap: Having to leave the beautiful little tailor-town of Hoi An - and our train being delayed by an hour - to leave at midnight...
Something Random: We bumped into two of my good friends from Rhodes University- who are also traveling. We were planning to meet up with them in Hanoi up North but ended up bumping into them a day early.
Something we did: Organised some packed lunches to eat on the train for the next day.

Something we ate: Vietnamese platter including Spring rolls, White Roses, Vietnamese style crunchy rice paper pancakes, Pork on a bamboo stick, Cao Noodles and fried wonton.

(Side note: this pic is from a different/similar meal - but all my other photos are on my fancy cam.)

Something said: On seeing the old Rhodes mates: "Oh FANCY seeing YOU here!"

Day Sixteen

Something Awesome: Stumbling upon a really local random market in Hoi An town.
Something Crap: Not all of our dresses/suits were ready for collection and they had run out of material for one of my dresses. sob. (pic below of the tailor shop)

Something Random: We ended up in a construction site and it started raining - which was awesome considering we were in a pile of cement with no umbrellas and mangy dogs around. lol
Something we ate: Popcorn at the local market

Something we did: We designed our own shoes to be made - Blake's included his own initials. haha. pics to follow.
Something Said:
Shoe lady: You want initial on your shoe? really? It's crazy. ?!
Blake: Yeah! awesome!
Shoe Lady: ok

Day Fifteen

Something Awesome: Arrived in Hoi An - a beautiful old town famous in Vietnam for it's tailoring. All the buildings in the old town are all mustard coloured and the whole town has a very strangely European feel.

Something Crap: Weather hasnt been too great and we arrived in Danang and got a taxi to Hoi An in the rain.
Something we did: Checked into Phuoc An hotel in Hoi An and had the first hot shower that I've had in a few days. GLORIOUS. Also got lured into a few too many tailor-shops.... results pending... :)
Something random: You can find draught beer here for approx R1.50 (0.20$)
Something we ate: Fried Wonton. A traditional favourite.  Made from rice paper and it comes with vegetables and sauce on top. yum.

Something said:

che: wow. that beer only costs 4000 dong.
blake: no, its 40 000 dong - same like most places.
che: no. it very clearly says 4000 dong.
blake: it can't be. there must be a mistake
che: no. i'm pretty sure it says 4000 dong at that restaurant too. and 3000 dong over there.
blake: that's R1.20.
che: i know.
blake: whoa..........

Day Fourteen

Something Awesome Blake catching the biggest squid on a sunset/night squid fishing tour on a boat off Phu Quoc Island. Sunset as we were heading out the harbour:

Something Crap: I lost my iPhone. yes. yes i did. not being drunkard, irresponsible, careless, useless or forgetful. We were walking to breakfast along the beach and it fell out my pocket. I didn't hear it because it fell in the sand. After realising (3km down the beach, at breakfast) that I no longer had my phone - we backtracked the entire length of the beach asking every single restaurant and hotel if anyone had handed in an iPhone. Vietnam Sea = 1. Che = 0.

Something I did: Lay in the hammock for the rest of the day feeling very sorry for myself and dealing with iPhone depression.

(above: the face of iDepression.)

Something random: After three and a half years of teaching in Korea, you would think that my miming skills are quite adept. They do, however speak a different dialect of mime in these parts and during my "has-anyone-handed-in-an-iPhone?" mime I was offered several cellphones, two restaurant menus, a hotel manager, headache tablets and a neck massage.

Something we ate: Sea Urchin off the squid fishing boat cruise. Also the squid that Blake caught - stirfried and made into a delicious traditional porridge on the boat.

(above: sea urchin. pic courtesy of Brother.)

I had taken my own (more awesome) picture of this exact meal. but alas, that picture, along with my beloved is now at the bottom of the ocean.

Something said:
Blake: "oh che! look! that place has free wifi! oh. wait. it doesn't matter now does it. lol."

(ps. handy side note to anyone with an iphone - download the find my iPhone app right now if you don't have it already. Perhaps then you might be able to locate it, if it ever decides to jump out your pocket into the sand like a sneaky mountain goat.)

Day Thirteen

Something Awesome: Early 4am start to the airport to fly to Phu Quoc Island. There's something about waking up early that really makes you feel like you are going on an adventure vacation.

Something Crap: Flying into one of the most beautiful and remote islands I've ever seen. Finding a sea-view beach bungalow with our own private deck and hammocks. Hiring a motorbike and exploring round the gorgeous island, stopping off for a seafood lunch of prawns, calamari and cocktails and heading back in time to catch the sunset from our hammocks. yeah. that was a pretty crap day.
Something we ate: Seafood. delish.
Something Random:The bike helmets they give you make you look like little moleheads.


Something we did: We didn't die the whole day whilst Blake was driving around the island on a motorbike with me clinging on the back. I'm glad about that.
Something said:"do you think we should go this... oh. too late."

Day Twelve

Dam Sen Water Park

Something Awesome: Having a chilled out day in a place described as "quirky Saigon" an entire theme park - Dam Sen Park, with strange and wonderful things including giant ice sculptures, outdoor statues and a huge waterpark.

Something crap: Let's just say.... it's not Disney world.
 
Something we ate: Fish balls on a stick.


Something random:We got allocated our own "foreigner sun-bath area" far away from everything else with free lockers (whilst the Vietnamese had to pay for lockers in a separate area). We are not sure how we feel about this... but yeah, we'll take the free lockers. lol.


Something we did: Saw giant ice sculptures, went on a mini rollercoaster, got lost in a dark mirrored maze and got freaked out by our own reflections in the haunted house. lol. Also finalised train tickets from Danang to Hanoi and found a local restaurant to sample some Viet-delights. (Pho 24 = awesome).

Something said:
me on putting on the warm puffy jacket before entering the ice-sculpture room: "Oh fail! I just picked the kid size jacket! this thing doesn't fit me. it doesn't even cover my arms! I'm going to die of frostbite!"
Blake: you just picked it because it was pink didnt you?
me: yeah. kinda.

Day Eleven

Cu Chi Min Tunnels
Something Awesome: Being one of the few people to squeeze into the Cu Chi Min lookout tunnel and joining the group in the underground tunnels for 40metres (40 metres is enough!) Seeing all the "booby traps" the Viet-Congs made was also pretty awesome. (see below)

Something crap: Small Spaces. Claustrophobia. extreme heat.

Something we ate: Sampled Tapioca - which is what the Viet-Cong army ate as their only meal once a day in the war post the American bombing of Cu Chi.

Something Random: The Cu Chi Min tunnels are incredible. About 250 km long and three different levels all with different functions. The Viet-cong thought of everything when they constructed the complex undergroumd system - right from creating doors which could be closed in the event of Americans pumping gas or water into the tunnels, to making vent holes in the ground to release cooking smoke away from the actual tunnels so as not to give away their location.

Something we did: Got scammed in the right direction. As we got onto the tour bus to the Cu Chi tunnels our tour guide kept trying to convince us that the traffic on the way back would be "so terrible" and that it was better to pay an extra $12.50 to get a boat ride back. We thought about it long and hard and declined. He then came back with a "good-deal-rate" haha, we declined. We offered him our "good-deal", he declined. He then came with a special reduced "honeymoon-rate" (lol) we declined. Finally when it was time to get back on the bus- we realised that they had changed the buses and ordered a bus half the size for the trip back - so they were forced to put us on the high-speed river boat for free along with the rest of the suckers who had opted off the bat to pay full price. winning.


We also went to the Golden Dragon water puppet theatre show in the evening after the tunnels. It was really well done with traditional live Vietnamese music and narration and is an internationally acclaimed show.. We spent the entire show trying to figure out how they were controlling the puppets underwater. We are still unsure.

Something said: "ok. ok. i give you this boat ride for free now! but. if anyone asks, you say you pay the full price! ok?!"