Day 177 (Sun 31 Dec) - Mui Ne

Up early to hit the pool in the bright sunshine.

Managed to bag some loungers and were soon toasting away nicely. Had a few dips in the large pool to cool off. Bit weird swimming round with a snowman in attendance in bright sunshine.

At one point Sarb heard the welcome sound of a ping pong ball being thwacked around the place. Further investigation revealed two Vietnamese players having a game. During one of their rest periods Sarb asked if he could play one of them.

Sarb and his opponent warmed up for a bit (even though rocking hot) and then launched into some games. Quite close games although Sarb's opponent was clearly a very, very good player and Sarb was just being lucky.

Sarb returned to the lounger after about 30 minutes absolutely drenched!

In the afternoon walked to a restaurant further up the coast literally hugging the coastline. Had a drink and then wanndered around the town in the afternoon. It was getting quite late and we were feeling a little peckish so stopped off at a family restaurant run by a woman called Lan.

Had a fantastic time eating loads of spring rolls, chatting to Lan and another one of her friends. Lan insisted on us trying her rice wine. Fairly potent stuff! They invited us back to their restaurant for New Years Eve although they said it would be a quiet family affair. Thanked them and said we might well join them later.

Just over the road from the restaurant we spotted a grocery store that seemed to sell some plonk. Bought a bottle of champers and a couple of bottles of wine.

Headed off back to our hotel and spent the evening relaxing on our verandah, listening to the ocean. We had planned to go out and have a slap up meal but were quite content just sitting there and chatting about what we had got up to during the last year and our plans for the coming year.

Before we knew it we'd drunk all the wine and since New Years Eve was still some way off decided to polish off the champers. Unknown to us it was a bright pink champagne! It was fairly drinkable however.

Didn't bother to see the New Year in as we'd had run out of wine, and in any case we were quite happy to go to bed - we must be getting old!
Sad thing is, we both agree that, this was probably the best new year's eve we've ever had.

Day 176 (Sat 30 Dec) - Mui Ne

Had breakfast at the hotel then went for a very long walk along the beach as the water seemed to be further out.

Spent most of the day just pootling about really.

For dinner we went to a nearby family run Vietnamese restaurant called Yen Gu Quan. Had an excellent supper although the service was really, really slow. Jo had tuna and tomato sauce whilst Sarb had some fish (he can't remember); but was good all the same!

Wandered back to our hotel in the humid and warm night.

Day 175 (Fri 29 Dec) - Mui Ne

Up at 8.30am to catch our bus. A really big bus and the best bit there was hardly anyone on it so could really stretch out and relax.

We got dropped off at the Northern end of Mui Ne at the Anh Phu hotel. Okay hotel but we really fancied something a little more upmarket for New Years Eve.

We'd made some notes on where we would like to stay so whilst Jo stayed in the bar Sarb traipsed off to find some accommodation.

Sarb walked up the road, in the searing heat, looking at the Lonely Planet map and wondering why he hadn't reached the marked hotels. Closer inspection of the map revealed that the scale of the map was somewhat larger than we were used to; in a nutshell a long walk.

Managed to find a number of the marked hotels, and a number that weren't, but all were full. Sarb traipsed back to base camp to report the findings to Chief.

Chief wasn't satisfied with this turn up so Sarb was turfed once more into the void; this time thankfully on the back of a moped.

Breezed up the road stopping off at all manner of likely places to crash with no luck. Sarb was beginning to feel a trifle desperate until he found a place called the Palmira hotel about 5km south of Jo.

Sarb checked the room. It is basically a self contained chalet. Could easily sleep six people on account of the three double beds!

Sarb jumped back onto the back of his trusty moped and with a smart tap to the back of the skull of the driver we wheeled round and headed back to base.

Jo was most chuffed with the news but mentioned that since the hotel was 5km away and there were no taxis the only option was that we would have to take all our gear on mopeds! Not good! Luckily Sarb had had a rare flash of foresight and arranged for the hotel to send over a taxi. Problem solved!

Checked into our room and went for a walk on the beach. The beach is quite narrow as all the hotel developments end practically in the water. After about a half km of walking up and down sandbags, and watching the daring windsurfers, decided to give the beach a miss and walk along the road. Mui Ne is absolutely full of package tourist type of resorts.


For dinner we had spotted a Good Morning Vietnam so went for pizzas. Not as good as the one in Hoi An and a good deal more expensive.

Headed back to our hotel and had a good nights sleep.

Day 174 (Thu 28 Dec) - Nha Trang

The sun was coming up as we approached Nha Trang. Absolutely beautiful seeing the orange light on the ocean and all the people doing their morning exercises.

Stopped at the Kim Ngan hotel at about 6am. Jo checked the room and as it was okay and only 7 dollars, we checked in. We had a sleep until about 12 ish and then headed on out.

Walked to the beachfront and had a bite to eat at a cafe. There is quite a blustery wind and the waves were really coming in at some pace.

Spent the afternoon walking and sitting on the beach. Although blustery the sky was blue and it was very warm.

Got back to the hotel for about 5ish where we had another little nap. Headed off for dinner walking along the main front. The town has a really busy feel to it. Found a restaurant called Thien Minh on Tran Quang Khai Street where Jo ordered a typical Vietnamese hotpot and Sarb had red snapper. Unfortunately either one of the dishes would have been enough for both of us so we were well and truly stuffed! Jo's meal was a trifle extraordinary. Basically it was a pot of broth, set up on a small stove, with a side dish holding bits of fish, clams, crabs and other unidentified sea life and vegetables. You basically had to lob into this pot what bits of the sea you fancied, shoved in some vegetables give it a stir, wait about 2 minutes and then tuck in. Great!

Wandered round the front for awhile, marveling at the square that had been decked out with fairy lights and all manner of Christmas decorations, before heading back to the hotel.

Day 173 (Wed 27 Dec) - Hoi An / Nha Trang

Up at about 10am.

Wandered back to the dress shop so that Jo could pick up her dress. She looks great in it. But will she ever get the chance to wear it!! (Big hint for Sarb!!)

Walked back to the hotel and stopped off for breakfast at Tam Tams. Dropped Jo's dress off at the hotel and continued on our walk of Hoi An.

Crossed the lovely Japanese bridge and into the road beyond it ( [1], [2], [3] ). This road was absolutely full of artists shops. We both felt we could have bought loads of paintings!

Decided we needed to sort out what we wanted to do in Thailand so bought a knocked off copy of Lonely Planet and sat in the hotel lobby planning.

Wandered round town for a while before stopping round at Good Morning Vietnam for another great pizza. Finished up and headed back to the hotel to wait for our bus.

The bus was meant to leave at 6.00pm but still hadn't arrived at 6.15pm. Sarb went next door at the travel agent's to ask what time the bus was due. The woman looked flustered and explained that the bus would not pick us up from the hotel but was instead a few blocks away. She offered to take us there on her moped! So that would have been the three of us, two rucksacks and two daysacks. Not likely!!!

We ended up following her to the bus stop about 10 minutes away carrying our gear.

Got on the bus and tried to find a seat. Unfortunately the only seats available were right at the back that meant that they could not recline!

Spent a very uncomfortable night on this bus as it trundled South. Luckily we had a couple of rest stops so that we could at least stretch our legs!

Day 172 (26 Tue Dec) - Hoi An

Got up and because we liked them so much the other day we had chilli hot dogs again for breakfast!

Went on a little walking tour of Hoi An ( [1], [2], [3] ). Many of the sights seem to be well hidden but we managed to find them all the same. Flaming hot as we pounded the streets.

The buildings and the streets are quite French like.

Went through the busy market area that seems to sell everything.

Jo phoned home again to find out what everyone got for Christmas!

Pottered round for the day before heading off to Tam Tam's and meeting up with Rob and Amanda. Had a fab meal and a
great evening.

Turns out that Rob and Amanda met at a circket do and only recently married, and most importantly Rob used to play Hockey too!!

Day 171 (Mon 25 Dec) - Hoi An

Christmas Day!!!

We were woken up at 8m by a knock on the door. Jo answered it and was told that there was someone on the phone for us in reception. Jo wandered out as Sarb was non compos.

She soon returned with the news that it was her mum calling to wish us a happy Christmas! (We'd told her before where we would be staying).

Lazed round in bed for a bit nursing hangovers then went for breakfast. Had chilli hot dogs for breakfast at the Cargo club. Sounds awful but just what you need when you're not feeling 100 percent.

Wandered back to the hotel where we opened our stockings that Jo's mum had given us way back in Goa and our pressies ( [1], [2] ). Despite Sarb's warnings that he was pretty rubbish at buying pressies Jo was rather impressed at how rubbish he was. She was particularly (not) taken with the silk hat complete with a fake pony tail at the back. However, Sarb did redeem himself as he presented her with some silver earrings that he had bought in Darjeeling for her. In Jo's stocking she also found a little santa that she promptly fixed onto her bag.

Pottered round Hoi An for a bit and met Rob and Amanda briefly. They were also feeling the effects from the previous night!!

Jo found a dress shop that she really liked and was soon was getting fitted out for a beautiful new dress.

Went for a walk and found a good place to phone home by the waterfront. Jo phoned her mum where she was hosting Christmas. Great to talk to them all even though Seal, Jo's brother in law, almost got Sarb into trouble by trying to get him to talk Vietnamese. Don't think the Vietnamese people were too impressed with Sarb's attempt at Vietnamese. Jo also managed to get through to her dad, Nan, Aunt and Uncle.

Sarb phoned home as well and was lucky to get to speak not only to his dad and mum but his elder sister who was there with his two nephews. Good to speak to them all.

Decided to go back to the Cargo Club for our Christmas dinner. After much faffing about with the menu we both had burgers! And fine burgers they were too!

Wandered back to our hotel and lazed round until bedtime.

Day 170 (Sun 24 Dec) - Hoi An

Checked out at 8am and waited for our bus to Hoi An.

Bus duly arrived and we had a pleasant journey, arriving at about 1pm. Unfortunately the bus stopped some 1.5km away from our hotel, and in the blistering heat, decided to walk it. By the time we almost had to stop for a rest we reached our hotel, the Vinh Hung 1!

The hotel lobby is crammed with dark furniture; has the feel of an antique shop. Quite a sight. Checked into our simple and comfortable room and then went exploring.

Pottered round Hoi An marvelling at the art shops and galleries, the trinket shops and the numerous tailors' shops. Jo was determined that we should buy each other Christmas presents, despite Sarb reminding her that his skills in this department were pretty limited to begin with and that by asking him to buy presents in one hour in a strange town in a strange country was asking for trouble. 1 hour later Sarb had bought a few trinkets and Jo had done the same. We wrapped them up in the room and then went off for grub.

Had a great pizza at Good Morning Vietnam and then decided where we would like to have our Christmas dinner. Found a couple of possibilities.

For dinner tonight the good people at the Vinh Hung hotel chain were throwing a free food bash at the Vinh Hung resort hotel about 1 km away. Jo and I tooled up at about 8pm and settled ourselves in the garden with a bottle of wine.

The food was great and although the entertainment was a trifle eccentric it was all good fun. Especially the Bridget Jones moment where a British girl on a nearby table almost launched herself into the air with her hand as she strained to be picked to answer a question. The quiz master, finally got round to B.J. (before she exploded) and asked for her answer. Confidently and looking a trifle smug she answered. Quizmaster looked at her and said 'No!' and moved on. The girl looked suitably crestfallen, as did her partner.

The hotel staff had obviously got the Christmas spirit although the carol singers looked like they had been press ganged into service.

We met another British couple next door to us and soon we were quaffing wine by the jugful. Rob and Amanda, from Cornwall, had taken a career break and were travelling round for 5 odd months. After loads of vino we headed back to town where we popped into a salsa bar for a bit.

Very soon we were salsa'ing away and the wine was flowing. During a particularly energetic move Sarb twisted his ankle. Not too bad but painful all the same.

All four of us wobbled back over the bridge into Hoi An.

Day 169 (Sat 23 Dec) - Hue

Sarb's neck is still cricked so we elected to have a lazy day today.

Stayed in bed till about 11.30am watching tv.

Went for brekky and then did some internet stuff for about an hour and a half.

Went for a short walk; quite overcast and blustery today although still warm. Organised our bus to Hoi An and walked to a little pizza place called Little Italy where we had a great pizza and a bottle of wine.

As we wandered back to the hotel it started to rain so we ended up watching another movie on the telly.

Jo was feeling slightly deflated as not many people had bothered to reply to the Christmas messages she had sent. Take note, our noble punters, it costs nothing to pen a quick note back!

To cheer Jo up, we had a bottle of wine in the gardens of the posh hotel over the road. She then went to phone her mum that cheered her up no end.

Turned in quite early.

Day 168 (Fri 22 Dec) - Hue

This morning Sarb woke up with a serious crick in his neck. The kind where when you want to look at something you have to turn your whole upper body!

Had brekky at a small coffee house nearby and then tried to find where the place was we had to book our tickets to Hoi An.

Walked to the Citadel. The walled city was crammed with beautiful buildings, gardens, ponds and walkways. Absolutely beautiful place ( [1], [2], [3], [4] ); must have looked quite something in its heyday. As it is there were quite a few gangs of people working on restoring the buildings.

The tanks of water just by the entrance were full of shiny orange carp. For a small amount of money you could buy some feed for them. Some tourists did so and when they threw the feed in the surface of the water simply churned with orange fish.

Also saw some sad looking elephants tethered in a grassy square.

Had a coke outside the Citadel walls and then wandered down to the harbour area of Hoi An. Here we managed to hire a boat from a woman for a few hours to take us up the Perfume river to the pagoda.

The boat was quite large and we sat in the airy cabin while the family that owned the boat sat at the front. Clearly a real house boat being used to earn a little extra money. At the front mum was rocking a baby swinging in a hammock whilst a small cute dog, tethered, tried to catch the hammock with its mouth as it swung past. We chugged up the river to the pagoda where we got out and had a walk round. The sun was beginning to set and the views from the Pagoda out over the river were excellent.

Headed back to our boat and chugged back to the harbour. The woman with whom we had arranged the boat seemed very put out that during the whole of the trip, while she constantly pestered us to buy something 'A postcard...a shirt...a picture' we bought nothing.

Back at the harbour we wandered back to our hotel, changed and then went to the Mandarin for dinner.

En route we passed Hue's best hotel all decked out with Christmas decorations and carol singers out front. Really weird to think that here we were in Vietnam listening to carol singers giving 'Jingle Bells' their best effort.

Day 167 (Thu 21 Dec) - Hue

Pulled into Hue at about 8am. The area we wanted to stay in did not look too far so decided to walk it.

Quite a bright day, although a little damp, as had been raining during the night.

About halfway to town we were pestered so much by a tout that we gave in and went to look at his hotel called Phong Nhae. Looks okay for 7 bucks a night and in the right area so we checked in.

Dumped our gear and had a breather then wandered out to find some food. Found a good place called the Mandarin Cafe.

As we walked round we discovered what Santa does with bottles of beer left over from the previous Christmas.

Hue has a really nice airy feel to it. Wide open avenues contribute to that! Had lunch at the Mandarin cafe and then went for a walk round the outer parts of the Citadel situated across the river.

Very peaceful walking round the the back streets of Hue. Saw a shop selling incense sticks by the million!

Walked back to the hotel and had a rest before going to the Thu Wheels cafe opposite our hotel. Whilst there we met Michael and Ute, the German couple we first met in Halong Bay.

We ended up drinking loads of beers and wine. Very good night.

We were pretty hungry by the end of the night so Jo and I decided to just go to the curry house two doors up. Although we ordered three types of curry they all appeared to have been cooked in the same sauce!

Day 166 (Wed 20 Dec) - Sapa / Hanoi

Pulled into Hanoi about 5am.

We were picked up at the station by one of the boys from the hotel and driven back to the hotel. All the men that work in the hotel were fast asleep on the floor, so we had to step round them and wait until they woke up to get a coffee and breakfast.

Luckily a room became available at about 10am, so we wandered up and had a good sleep until early afternoon. Pottered round the town for a bit and then had a couple of beers at Bia Hoi Junction.

Returned to the hotel for 5.30pm to meet our driver who would take us to the station. At the station we boarded our train bound for Hue.

Shared a cabin with two Australian brothers, Craig and Alan. Friendly bunch.

Uneventful journey.

Day 165 (Tue 19 Dec) - Sapa

Had a good nights sleep, although Jo suffered a bit from too much rice wine the night before.

When we got up the family were tucking into a feast, similar to the night before.

Lan told us to wait outside whilst she prepared our breakfast. Shortly afterwards she came out with a mountain of pancakes and a plate of bananas. We struggled through but Lan was not impressed by our efforts.

We said our goodbyes to the family and headed off through the village and over the rice fields.

Jo had a slight problem with her balance that morning, needless to say to ended up in the rice fields on more than one occasion.

We stopped at a waterfall by a river to have a look at the scenery. Very beautiful ( [1], [2], [3] ). Crossed the river over a rickety footbridge and had lunch at a small building nearby.

After lunch we walked on for about an hour and a half and then got a jeep back to Sapa.

Jo had a quick shower and then we pottered round for a few hours waiting for our train. Whilst having a beer we spotted Julien; very soon we were all having a cosy drink.

Got on a crowded bus back to the train station where we eventually boarded the train after hanging round for about an hour.

We shared a cabin with a friendly Australian couple from Sydney.

Day 164 (Mon 18 Dec) - Sapa

Arrived at the train station at about 6am.

We were bundled into a van crammed with other tourists and soon were winding up the steep roads towards Sapa. Took about an hour and a half.

At Sapa we were dropped off at a hotel where we had breakfast. Our guide was to turn up at 9.30am so we waited round for about an hour, chatting to Julien, a French guy, we'd met on the way here.

Soon enough our guide, Lan, turned up. As guides go we were expecting something slightly more substantial. She appeared to be about 4 foot tall and looked about 10 years old. Casting our prejudices aside we soon discovered that Lan was 17 and although 4 foot tall, quite capable of looking after herself.

Jo was none too pleased to learn that we were to embark on a 10km walk right away. She had been hoping that a jeep would be making an appearance at some point. Not so explained Lan. After reflecting on this setback for a moment Jo composed herself and we soon set off ( [1]).

Lan is a pint sized bundle of smiling energy. Bouncing along the road, saying whatever flitted across her mind she left us both a bit breathless. Good fun though.

As we walked we were dismayed to see hordes of people all following their own guides in packs ranging in number from 2 to 10 plus. The whole path seemed to be teeming with tourists. As Jo remarked it reminded her of being on a school trip.

We soon began to admire the beauty that Sapa has to offer ( [1], [2], [3], [4], [5] ). Mountains rising high above bright green paddy fields and terraces. Lovely! Luckily the weather was clear and bright. We had met other travellers who said that their whole time in Sapa was spent peering through dense mist!

A small hut by a path provided Lan with the opportunity of purchasing sugar cane. Soon all three of us were walking down the path munching sugar cane and, as Lan explained is the custom, spitting the mulch from our mouths ahead of us to see which one of us could kick it furthest.

Had lunch at a 'feeding station'. Basically a hut where each guide prepares the grub for his/her party. Had a really tasty noodle soup.

After lunch we pressed on through a village to our homestay. Here we were made to feel welcome by the homeowners. We dumped our bags up in the loft area where mattresses were strewn, bumping our heads on the beams en route, and settled down in the kitchen area, after Lan gave Sarb a quick Vietnamese lesson.

Had a fantastic meal with Lan, the homestay owner and Key, a young friend of Lan's. During this meal we had to continually toast each other with rice wine. Sarb managed three shots before going onto beer leaving Jo to polish off a few more shots.

Even though Lan was suffering from a headache that she cured using a Vietnamese method (putting a hot ember into a plastic cone, whacking this onto your forehead, the ember cools creating a partial vacuum that sucks out the bad stuff causing the headache and leaving a bright red mark on the noodle) she and Key were lapping up rice wine by the pailful. We were wincing at the thought of what Lan's head was going to feel like in the morning!

Feeling very tired, and a little tiddly, and thanking our host for dinner we clambered up to bed.

Day 163 (Sun 17 Dec) - Halong Bay / Hanoi / Sapa

Had breakfast and then got back onto the boat.

Dozed as the boat meandered through Halong Bay and past the floating villages.

Transferred to the bigger boat and continued to snooze until we arrived into Halong Bay City. Picked up by a mini bus that took us to a place for lunch. The meal was fine but it was a bit of a struggle ordering a bottle of wine. Later we tried to order another one and gave up.

Arrived back in Hanoi at about 5pm. Fortunately we were able to use our hostel's facilities to freshen up and re-arrange our bags ready for our next trip that evening to Sapa.

Met up with Olivier and Joseph at Bia Hoi Junction. Joseph had just been for a massage so looked pretty spaced out. Later we headed back to our hostel and were taken to the train station. Good job we were taken to the train station it was not clear at all where we should be going. Were shown to our cabin and settled down for the overnight journey to Lao Cai. Our cabin was very comfortable - four beds and proper mattresses with pillows and duvets. A bit more plush than the Indian trains.

Day 162 (Sat 16 Dec) - Halong Bay

Up as soon as the engines fired into life.

Watched the sun burn off the early morning mist as we had breakfast. The boat moored up in a sheltered bay where most of the party jumped into two man kayaks.

With Jo in front and Sarb at the back we set off. Sarb's steering wasn't too good but after a while he got the hang of it and we were soon pootling along quite merrily.

Kayaked past towering rocks and through tunnels to reach sheltered lagoons ( [1], [2], [3], [4], [5] ). Absolutely magical place! Although we were initially concerned that Halong Bay would be teeming with tourists it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.

Got back to the boat knackered.

As we had booked to stay in Halong Bay another night we had to pack our gear and transfer to another boat. Only Olivier and Jo joined us on our new boat with To our guide. Waved goodbye to our fellow travelers, especially Michael and Ute and chugged away.

We stopped around lunchtime in a beautiful, calm spot surrounded by tall rocks. Olivier and Joseph wasted no time in stripping off and diving off into the cool looking water. Jo and Sarb, having the combined buoyancy of a half brick , prudently decided to stay on the boat and offered to take photos!

We basked in the glorious sunshine as Joseph and Olivier swan off to the nearby small sandy beaches.

After awhile our aquatic friends returned and as we sat around the top deck marveling at the beauty around us, To and the crew prepared lunch. A table was set up on the top deck and very soon we were all seated round it having one of the best lunches that we've ever had. The food was excellent, the company great, the red wine was flowing and the scenery...well. Couldn't put it better than Joseph who exclaimed that it was like sitting in a National Geographic photograph.

Post lunch we traveled onto Cat Ba island. Oliver and us went for a walk with To whilst Joseph decided to have another go in a kayak.

We walked by crystal clear waters along a tarmac road until the road took a bend. At this point To explained we had two choices. We could either take the hard route or the easy route. Since the hard route seemed to entail walking up a near vertical path we decided to take the easy route.

We breezed along in the sunshine chatting away to To. To explained that monkeys could be seen hereabouts but were a little shy owing to the locals antisocial habit of trying to catch them and then eating their brains whilst still alive. Can't really fault the monkeys for keeping a low profile.

Walked through a small village situated at the bottom of a steep sided valley. As we strolled through, passing people working on fields and in their houses, we were yapped at by all manner of dogs but mainly puppies. To explained that since the Vietnamese have a penchant for dogs forming part of their cuisine (indeed To's favorite meat is dog) they have a fairly simple way to determine which mutt makes it into the family dinner pail. Basically if you have two pups the one that barks alot and is generally aggressive makes the grade as a guard dog; the one that rolls around and just looks cute and fluffy makes it into the spring rolls.

We walked back to the boat and after traveling a short while picked up Joseph. Traveled on to the part of Cat Ba island that had hotels and disembarked. Checked into our fairly comfortable hotel where Sarb played pool with To.

For dinner we headed into town. During dinner we had a really interesting discussion with To. To explained that he would love to travel to the US to try to understand why they had waged war in Vietnam. This sparked off all manner of conversations relating to the Vietnam War (or the American War, as it is properly called in Vietnam).

We went off for a few drinks round the busy harbour area and then deciding that we'd all had enough we decided to head back to the hotel. The only mode of transport at this time were riding pillion on motorbikes. Soon enough there were five of us all hurtling along in the dark towards the hotel. Quite fun!

Day 161 (Fri 15 Dec) - Halong Bay

Up at 7am ready for our trip to Halong Bay.

Set off on a mini bus to Halong City up in the North East of Vietnam. The journey took about 3 and a half hours before we reached the incredibly busy harbour.

Our hearts sank a little as we saw the port literally teeming with tourists and the harbour was so full of boats you could barely see a square metre of water ( [1], [2] ). We were led to our two levelled boat, by our young guide To, and unpacked our bags in our very comfortable cabin.

There were about 10/12 of us on the boat, that could have easily catered for about 30 odd people.

Had an excellent lunch sitting with a retired couple from Munich, Michael and Ute. Also met Olivier from France. All very good company.

Post lunch everyone whizzed upstairs to sit on the upper deck on the loungers. As the boat chugged along we were all left a trifle breathless at the beauty of the Bay ( [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7] ).

We stopped off to climb through and up some caves reaching a point that afforded an excellent view of our surroundings.

We set off again to another set of 'caves'. When we mean caves, we really mean CAVES. These were absolutely enormous ( [1], [2] )! Quite breathtaking.

The boat moored up just beyond these caves were we sat on the upper deck, drinking wine and watching a beautiful sunset ( [1], [2] ). Had an excellent dinner with Michael, Ute and Joseph, a Californian lawyer, and rather alot of red wine!

Turned in quite early and slept very well indeed.

Day 160 (Thu 14 Dec) - Hanoi

After brekky headed off to the mausoleum complex sited about 3 kms away from our hotel. A nice walk in the sunshine.

Stopped off in Lenin Square to get our bearings and where Jo procured a knocked off copy of Lonely Planet's Vietnam guide.

Walked on a little further to the complex itself past some very grand embassies.

Unfortunately, everything was shut. Vietnam has some really odd opening hours we were to discover. However we were able to walk round the grounds of Uncle Ho's mausoleum and the presidential palace, taking in the one-pillared pagoda en route. Very beautiful.

Had lunch at an open air local eatery. Not a single other Westerner in sight and as such we were forced to try our rudimentary Vietnamese on the non-English speaking waiter. We used our phrase book to order our food that proved harder than can be imagined. As an example, we worked out what pork was in Vietnamese and then hunted round for it on the proffered menu. However we could only find an approximation to the spelling given by the guide book. This does not sound too perilous, but it has to be remembered that a couple of letters swapped round could make all the difference from eating the right bit of a porker or gorging on the wrong bit of one of man's best friends.

After much hesitation we took the plunge and just ordered what we thought was pork and chicken, vowing that whatever turned up we would call pork and chicken and leave it at that. Food duly arrived and was great!

Next stop on todays agenda was to go to the Air Force Museum so Sarb could stand gaping like a simpleton at various pieces of aircraft. Got a taxi and headed off to the museum that is some distance from the centre of town.

Got to the museum only to find it closed! The guard on duty was particularly unhelpful when asked when the place was likely to open. From his responses we worked out that it could be today or never. Sarb rattled off a few photos of the few aircraft (looks like a piece of F4 wreckage in the background) that he could see and, with one of the party bitterly disappointed, we turned on our heels and started walking back to town.

En route we stopped off at a shopping centre to have a cool drink and use it's facilities.

As we neared our hotel we were beginning to flag so stopped off for a couple of Bia Hoi's at Bia Hoi Junction. Sat chatting to a couple of English guys who had just returned from Halong Bay. Sounds great.

Had a good dinner and then packed our gear ready for our trip North.

Day 159 (Wed 13 Dec) - Hanoi

Up early for a simple breakfast.

We arranged with David, the energetic owner of the hotel, our trip to Halong Bay and also Sapa.

Walked round the old town ( [1], [2], [3], [4] )and bought some new travel gear. Some of our trousers are looking a trifle worse for wear!

A really nice feel to the town even though the traffic is mental. Having spent 3 and a half months in India, however, we feel rather at home. Went round to the water puppet theatre and bought some tickets for this evenings show.

Round about lunchtime we stopped off by the lake in the centre of Hanoi for a bevvy, stopping only to take a picture of Santa and Jo. Quite chilly as the weather is overcast.

We were still looking round for lightweight waterproof jackets so popped off to a posh shopping mall. We found some jackets and then got totally confused as to how much they actually cost. We found that the tickets state a value, say 420000 Dong, but it is actually written as 4.2. Very odd. Anyway we bought some jackets that once we had worked it all out (with the help of a calculator) came to about 20 squids each.

Dropped off our purchases at the hotel and wandered over to the theatre for 7.45pm.
Sarb thought that water puppetry involved jets of water being shot around the place accompanied by music and lighting. He was mildly surprised to find that water puppetry in Vietnam does exactly what it says on the tin i.e. it is a performance where puppets perform on a stage of water. Luckily he hadn't shared this information with Jo prior to the show so her expectations were somewhat different.

Anyway it was really very, very good. The water stage has a curtained backdrop from where hidden puppeteers ply their trade using long sticks and a casually thrown in firework. The dragons prancing through the water was particularly memorable.

After our bit of culture we wandered off for a bite to eat.

Day 158 (Tue 12 Dec) - Kuala Lumpur / Hanoi

After another leisurely start had breakfast and packed up our stuff ready to leave. Jo have collected quite a few toiletries over the last few days so we had to squeeze them into our ever expanding rucksacks.

Checked out and took a taxi to Sentral station. Since we were flying with Air Asia we had to take a bus to the Low Cost Carriers terminal. Arriving at the terminal was a bit disappointing compared to the state of the art international terminal. It was small and when we went through to the departure lounge it didn't even have a board stating which gate or when we should board. It wasn't very relaxing as we had to strain to listen to garbled flight announcements over the loud speaker.

Flight left at 3pm and only about three hours later we were in Hanoi (Vietnam), although it was 5.15pm local time.

Quickly collected our bags and went through to the arrival hall where a chap from our hotel was waiting for us. We had to wait for other punters so whilst we were waiting Sarb went to get some local money out of the ATM. He returned soon after looking slightly puzzled. He explained that he had nearly got our two million dong and was worried that was far too much. He ended up getting some money out and later we realised that 2 million dong is only about 64 pounds. Think we are going struggle with this currency.

Finally we were taken into Hanoi and dropped off at A-Z Backpackers hostel in the Old Quarter. After we had dumped our bags popped into Half Man, Half Noodle for a drink. After Jo had guzzled a potent cocktail we went for dinner at a local vietnamese place.

Day 157 (Mon 11 Dec) - Kuala Lumpur

Had another lie in - this bed is dangerous!

After another enormous breakfast we went to find the Vietnamese Embassy to sort out Sarb's visa. As we had no idea where it was we got a taxi. Typical, we were dropped literally round the corner and then robbed of 5 quid for the pleasure. Jo had a frustrating conversation with the embassy officials but worked out that Sarb's visa was fine and we would get into Vietnam with no problems.

Found the tourist information centre and picked up some leaflets about other parts of Malaysia as we will be back in February.

Decided we'd experience the high tech looking monorail which glides over the city. Jumped on at Bukit Nanas and travelled through the city to Maharajalela. Bit disappointing really it was like being on the London underground, not a very pleasant distant memory, except you could catch brief glimpses of the city.

Jo had a cunning plan that we would walk to the Lake Gardens from Maharajalela, however she hadn't taken into account that you are not really expected to walk around Kuala Lumpur. On the map it looked simple, just walk over a few main roads. Soon we discovered it wasn't that easy, as we dodged traffic whilst we tried to cross an extremely busy six lane carriageway.

After successfully getting across one road we decided to flag down a taxi to take us the rest of the way. A friendly taxi driver dropped us outside the Orchid and Hibiscus Gardens. We walked around the stunning gardens admiring some of the 800 orchids. It was getting pretty hot and humid in the gardens so we headed off to the lake.

Walked through the beautiful, relaxing gardens towards the lake ( [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6] ). Stopped off for an ice cream (first one since we've been traveling) and spotted a large lizard coming out of the water. Walked around the lake and as it was getting too hot we decided to leave and return to our hotel. Didn't even contemplate walking, dived into a lovely A/C taxi.

Later we returned, yet again, to Finnegans (Irish pub) where we were determined to finally have a meat pie. We both ordered a pie which were absolutely delicious. As we were sitting enjoying our pies it started to rain. Sarb decided to pop to a local internet cafe whilst Jo waited for the rain to ease off before venturing anyway. She sat nursing a pint of strongbow and when Sarb returned she was still there but was chatting to a young American guy. As it was still raining we sat chatting, basically sorting out all of America and the UK's problems, and drinking.
We suddenly realised that it was getting dark and we still had to visit the Menara KL tower before we left the next day.

Staggered off we went to find the tower, which you'd thought would be easy as it is a mere 421 metres tall, but it wasn't. Finally found the entrance and climbed the step road to the base. We were knackered by the time we got in the lift to take us to the observation deck. Stunning views over the city, though it was difficult to take photos.

Headed back to the hotel and intended to have a last drink in the Sky Bar but ended up falling asleep before we could go anywhere.

Day 156 (Sun 10 Dec) - Kuala Lumpur

After we'd torn ourselves out of our amazing bed we decided we'd spend the day exploring Kuala Lumpur.

Set off down Jalan Sultan Ismail towards Bukit Bintang, wandering through a shopping mall as we went. It was novel to be able to walk around without having to worry about being run over or having to dodge a cow pats - and there were pavements too!!

Walked into Chinatown. Bit like the one in London but four times bigger and it has a large market down the middle selling clothes, knocked off CDs/DVDs and electrical goods. We passed a pet shop and couldn't help popping inside. Were greeted with the cutest puppies in the world. We were sold - it was all we could do not to buy them all.

Had a very tasty lunch at a busy place overflowing with locals. Walked to the Central market and then to Dataran Merdeka, also known as Independence Square. This was where the union jack was lowered on 31 August 1957 marking the end of the British era (bit of history for those who are interested!!) ( [1], [2], [3] ).

Tried to find the Indian area but couldn't so headed towards Asia Heritage Row which boasts lots of posh restaurants and bars. Dived into the Atrium bar and ordered a couple of cocktails. As we were enjoying our cocktails it started to rain..... and wow did it rain. We weren't going anywhere in that downpour so we were forced to have a few more drinks whilst we waited for it to ease off. Well it didn't ease off so we ended up getting a taxi to the Petronas towers shopping centre and went to try to but some waterproofs. No luck, obviously no one else had realised it was raining outside.

Later when it finally eased off we went back to Finnegan's (Irish Pub).

Unfortunately we were too stuffed from lunch to have a meat pie so instead plumped for a massive pizza.

Day 155 (Sat 9 Dec) - Kuala Lumpur

Our bed is just too comfortable. As soon as our heads hit the pillow we were sucked into it like a being embraced by a massive marshmallow. Struggled out of bed and went down for breakfast.

Jo has devised a three-course breakfast menu, for starters she downs salmon and melon, followed by beef bacon, chicken sausages, beans, egg and toast and for pudding she devours a plate of pastries and cakes. Think we could get used to this.

Both of us had been suffering a bit with toothaches, so we decided to go and get some antibiotics rather than resorting to alcohol as a means of pain relief. We walked around the park towards the shopping centre at the base of the Petronas towers. From the other side of the park we had a great view of our hotel.

In the centre of the shopping centre was the largest Christmas tree we've ever seen. It must be at least 60 metres tall - we could take a photo it because it was just too big! Jo's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she looked at all the shops in the centre.

Found the medical centre and were seen by this really friendly doctor. He was quite happy just telling us about Kuala Lumpur and what delights we should sample and reassuring us that Malaysians are obsessed with hygiene so we could eat everything without worrying. At one point, think we all forgot why we were there. Anyway he prescribed us with enough antibiotics and pain relief to last us during our time around SE asia and after paying a small fee, we left to continue exploring the shopping centre.

Went back to the hotel and went up to the sky bar where we lazed around in the jacuzzi and swimming pool - great feeling swimming 33 floors up!!!

Later we went round the Aquaria, which was fun.

Afterwards Sarb went off to find an internet cafe whilst Jo went back to the shopping centre to have her hair cut. She found this amazing salon where she had a head massage and was pampered for an hour by two Malaysian guys - and it only cost 10 squids (so Sarb was happy too!).

On Sarb's travels he had spotted an Irish pub so when we met up we popped there for a few pints - Jo was very impressed they served "Strongbow". Ate some tasty calamari and cheddar ploughmans. Then spotted they also had meat pies on the menu - definitely have to come back to sample those.

Waddled back to our hotel and dived into our amazing bed.

Day 154 (Fri 8 Dec) - Kuala Lumpur

Got into Kuala Lumpur international airport at 7am local time.

The airport is very, very modern and seems well thought out. Sarb even went so far to say that it felt better than Dubai's.

Whizzed through the formalities and picked up our bags in a flash. Sarb went off to get some Malaysian currency from an atm and soon came back with a wad of what looks like Euros! Bought our rail tickets for the express train and got into Kuala Lumpur some 40 minutes later.

Got a prepaid taxi to our hotel, The Traders, travelling on roads that could be compared to home. Jo had mentioned to Sarb that the hotel was near to the Petronas Towers. We were both a little surprised as to how close though!

The towers are simply awesome. We had breakfast and then headed to the Sky bar on the 33rd floor. We unfortunately had to wait until 12pm for our room to be made ready so we sat in the bar marvelling at the views ( [1], [2] ).

We went to check to see if our room was ready at 12:15pm but were now told it would not be ready until 2pm. Not very happy as both of us are very, very tired. Sat in the gardens until 2 and returned to the check in desk.

Hooray! Our room was finally ready. It is very, very comfortable. We showered and then slept in an incredibly comfy bed till 6pm. The weather had darkened considerably since we arrived helped by the appearance of an electrical storm. Quite a fantastic sight seeing the massive flashes of lightning through the sheets of rain.

At 7ish Sarb went up to the Sky bar. The bar does not have a roof as such. Rain falls directly into the swimming pool and the bar is sorted of located around the edges of the pool under cover. Sarb managed to find a dryish seat and Jo soon joined him ( [1], [2] ).

We had some drinks and gazed out at the city below and around us ( [1], [2]). We went to the hotel restaurant for dinner where Sarb had venison and Jo the lamb. Jo reckons that it is the best lamb she's had. Absolutely fabulous dinner.

We returned to our room quite happy little bunnies and slept soundly.

Day 153 (Thu 7 Dec) - Delhi

Whilst having breakfast at Sam's we planned the day ahead of us.

We finished packing all the Christmas parcels and while Jo went off to the post office and to do some shopping Sarb done some more blogging.

Sarb started to feel unwell and so returned from the internet cafe and sat in the hotel atrium until Jo reappeared. Even though Sarb was feeling poorly he did note the elephant wandering down the market. Luckily the hotel had allowed us to keep our room until 6pm for a single room rate as opposed to chucking us out at 12pm.

Jo got back and we lazed around. Packed our gear up and got a taxi to take us to the airport.

Got to the basic, by international standards, airport and checked in quite painlessly. As there wasn't a great deal to keep us amused we decided to go air side to see if they had any more shops. Luckily they did plus a good restaurant!

Whilst we waited to board the plane we reminisced about our time in India. We both feel quite triumphant at having survived 3 and a half months and also a little sad. Yes it is dirty, can be exhausting but it can also be pretty magical.

Our flight with Malaysian Airlines was excellent and left on time at 23:10. Had a meal on the flight and tried to sleep as the flight is only 5 and a half hours long.

Day 152 (Weds 6 Dec) - Delhi

Up at a leisurely time for breakfast at Sam's.

Sarb spent most of the morning checking and burning copies of CD's that we would post home, whilst Jo blogged.

At 3ish Jo went off to the Vietnamese embassy to pick up the passports.

At 5 we met up at the hotel where we marveled at our Vietnamese visas! Unfortunately it was then that we noticed that while the clerk had signed Jo's visa Sarb's was blank. Decided that we would wait until we got to Kuala Lumpur and contact the embassy there to see if this would cause a problem.

We watched a little tv (The Green Mile, good film). Jo was very tired from running around today.

Decided we needed a pick me up so got a rickshaw to DV8, a bar on Connaught Place. The bar was pleasantly buzzing as we sipped our potent cocktails.

For dinner we headed to the Kwality restaurant nearby. Had a great meal enlivened by the fact that an amusing couple from Britain sat next to us. This pair had just married the Friday before and were on honeymoon. Great dinner companions.

Got a rickshaw back to the hotel and both slept very well.

Day 151 (Tues 5 Dec) - Delhi

Up early for breakfast at Sam's cafe in the main bazaar.

Took a rickshaw from the main bazaar to the massive gates of the Red Fort. There was a throng of people all pushing and showing outside the gates that was spilling out onto the road. We at first thought it was a queue to get into the Fort, however closer inspection revealed a movie set being prepared just inside the grounds.

Skirted round the eager Indian Bollywood fans, got our tickets and entered the Fort.
Security around and in the grounds was very tight as parts of the Fort are still used by the Indian Army. Still having two gun emplacements just outside the main entrance to the fort seemed overkill.

Spent the morning pottering round the enormous fort( [1], [2], [3] ) . Quite a nice cool day for a spot of sightseeing! There are some very old and beautiful buildings in the fort counterbalanced by some more modern additions consisting of ugly rectangular barracks (built by the Brits).

After the fort we grabbed a rickshaw to take us to Karol Bagh for a spot of Christmas shopping. Unfortunately Sarb does not understand Jo's methods of shopping so after just 1 hour and a blazing row Sarb decided to cut his losses and go to the Malaysian airlines office to confirm our flights. Jo heartily agreed to this course of action as it enabled her to shop in peace.

Sarb struggled finding a rickshaw to take him to Connaught Place. Finally got one and was so relieved didn't bother haggling when he called his fare.

Found the Malaysian Airlines office and confirmed the flights no problems.

Went to DV8 and relaxed having a beer and reading a newspaper. Jo turned up an hour and a half later laden with shopping bags.

Got a rickshaw back to the hotel and ordered room service as we couldn't be bothered to go out to eat.

Day 150 (Mon 4 Dec) - Sawai Madhophur / Delhi

Up very early to catch the 7am train back to Delhi.

We had reserved seats in the Chair class carriage. Very similar to the seats you get on planes!

We reckon that we have now covered most of the classes of train travel in India by now.

Arrived at Delhi's Nazrat Hizamuddin train station at about 1ish. Decided that it would be a good idea to sort out our visas for Vietnam so got a cab to the embassy.

The guard on duty informed us that the embassy opened at 2pm so we waited outside for half an hour or so. At 2pm Sarb asked the guard if we could go in and speak to someone about getting a visa. Ahh, so we needed a visa? The guard clearly now understood what we wanted to do and with a beaming smile informed us to come back at 4pm. Sarb tried to explain that we did not want to come back at 4pm, the embassy was now open and as such could we not go in and speak to someone now? The guard was having none of this so we retreated a little bit for a huddle and decided what to do.

In the end Jo went up to the guard and basically stood there in front of him until the guard broke down and phoned someone in the embassy. Jo spoke to the person at the other end of the line and in next to no time we were in the embassy and filling out the necessary forms. We had to return on Weds to pick up our passports and pay for the visas.

Got a taxi back to Pahar Ganj and the Airlines hotel where we spent the evening relaxing.

Day 149 (Sun 3 Dec) - Ranthambore

Up again early for our next drive.

We took a route through the park that passed through a very craggy area. There were small water pools around that are often used by the tigers.

Didn't see any tigers but did see other creatures. We feel that we're just not going to have any luck! We did see however another tiger kill that was being finished off by a pack of wild boar. They are very noisy feeders and coupled with the smell of the decomposing animal we didn't stay too long.

Got back to the hotel and relaxed until our next drive.

On the afternoon drive we were joined by two older British couples. Nice bunch, although it was a bit disappointing to hear that they had seen tigers the previous day! We consoled ourselves to the fact that at least we tried and we could always come back another time!

We traveled and stopped on track that passed a beautiful lake ( [1], [2] ). In the middle was a ruined temple. Ranthambore is quite magical as there are crumbling temples littering the park ( [1] ). The fort overlooking the entire park is amazing.

We drove on but with no luck. Did spot an amazing owl though. Towards the end of the drive there was some excitement as a tiger was alleged to be hiding in the dense bushes fringing the lake. We waited with a gaggle of other jeeps peering at the bushes some 400 yards away.

Suddenly we spotted a tiger emerging from the bushes. Absolutely jaw droppingly beautiful! As we watched mesmerized there was a murmur of amazement as a tiger cub cautiously appeared from the bushes, then another and finally a third! The family moved along the edge of the bushes and disappeared into a copse of trees.

We were absolutely thrilled and more than satisfied with this fleeting scene. However our guide was having none of this and got the driver to fire up the jeep and head over to the copse. It was a bit of a keystone cops situation as jeeps all raced along with us.

We got round to the trees at the other end of the lake and peered into the gloom. Nothing. Then suddenly we saw the tigress emerge from the thick foliage. She lay down, unperturbed by the vehicles and soon after her cubs appeared.

We watched them play for a while and then our guide got our driver to position himself some 200 yards along the track. Again jeeps followed us and we all wondered why we had moved.

Nothing happened and then the tigress appeared from the dense bushes some 20/30 yards away! We were simply stunned. As we watched the tigress casually walked towards and in between the jeeps to a point some 40 yards off where we had only just seen a large deer standing her cubs in tow. They scurried after their mother but stopped at the line of jeeps; perhaps a little nervous. After having a little (tiger) think they decided that the bushes would be a better place to be and scuttled back ( [1], [2] ). Awesome.

Mum soon returned ( [1], [2], [3], [4] ) and the family disappeared into the bushes leaving us quite breathless. We'd seen all manner of cats in Africa but seeing a Bengal tigress with her cubs? Well...it just doesn't compare!

We got back to the hotel in a state of euphoria and were so chuffed we decided to celebrate with a bottle of wine at the posh hotel at the top of the road.

Whilst there we met Moin again and he stayed chatting with us for ages. A really nice guy who travels to London occasionally. We sincerely hope that when he next comes to town we can take him around! We're not in to plugging services but feel we have to mention that this guy and his company (http://www.ranthamboretoursandtravels.com) are superb!

Got back to our hotel feeling a little tipsy. Had dinner with Andrea, a Canadian traveler we'd met earlier and the Tiger waiter. She hadn't seen any tigers and so was really keen to see the photos we took. It also emerged that Jo had shot a small video clip that is awesome!

Had a great, great day!

Day 148 (Sat 2 Dec) - Ranthambore

Up bright and early at 5.45am. Still dark and cold.

Bundled into our jeep with our driver and guide. Picked up a fellow Brit, Noel, from a nearby hotel and entered Ranthambore.

Ranthambore is set up so that when your jeep arrives you are given a set route to drive, designated by a number. We got our number and headed off.

At this time of the morning the forest resembled Epping Forest back home. Very beautiful. At various points the guide stopped to talk to the forest wardens to try and find the best place to see the tigers.

Whizzed round the tracks but saw no cats. Although we did see their pug marks. Saw loads of other animals though ( >[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7] ).

Got back to the hotel about 10.30am where we had breakfast. We went for a walk to the main town to find an ATM a walk of some 4km in the baking heat. The town itself is dusty and very busy. Quite a good feel to the place.

Got a rickshaw back to the hotel and waited around for our next drive. Picked up Noel again and as we waited for our guide to sort out the route three other Indian tourists joined us in the jeep. A little cramped but ok.

A comic moment ensued when Noel pulled out his Nikon digital SLR complete with a whacking great telephoto lens. He explained that he had bought this camera especially for the tigers. Sarb felt slightly deflated with his camera but soon felt a little better when the Indian tourists started delving in their bags and progressively pulled out larger and larger cameras. The largest resembled an astronomical telescope. Noel looked crestfallen!

The reserve is absolutely amazing in the afternoon light. As we traveled around we heard monkeys 'barking' and peacocks making a comical sounding honk that signaled a tiger maybe nearby.

No tigers although we did see a massive and recent tiger kill. Really gave us some pause for thought as we saw the size of the carcass!

Returned to the hotel and had an excellent dinner.

Day 147 (Fri 1 Dec) - Delhi / Sawai Madhophur

Up very early this morning (6.15am) to catch our train to Sawai Madhophur for our trip to the Ranthambore National Park.

Our hotel is next to the new train station so walking to it was a breeze. Even at this hour it was heaving.

Found our seats and settled down. A few stops down the line a family of about 9 got on and completely surrounded us. We practically had people sitting in our laps!

We got to SM and met Ajit from the tour company. After the Sunderbans trip we weren't holding out too much hope for this trip but Ajit seemed okay so this was encouraging. He bundled us into a jeep and we headed off to our hotel.

Had lunch in the hotel restaurant where we met the tiger waiter. This guy was really amusing. Everything was about tigers! For instance, when you order a beer it had to be called a 'Tiger beer', when he brought the knives and forks they were called 'Tiger Knife' and 'Tiger fork' etc. We soon got into the spirit of it and after our tiger lunch decided to have a tiger nap. Obviously we called him the tiger waiter.

We relaxed after our nap on a verandah overlooking the road, marveling at the camels trotting past. It is sometimes very difficult to remember that you are still in India.

We met Moin, the manager of the tour company, in the evening. A really nice guy and we feel really positive about this trip. Fingers crossed.

Had a few drinks and turned in early as we were up for our first drive at 5.45am t'row.