Goodbye Viet Nam - Hello Cambodia

Hi Folks,

Thanks for all your well wishes for the New Year!

We have had an absolute blast so far.. Last email we had just come back from Halong Bay to Hanoi. Well we picked up our guide 'Coung' (the buddist wordfor Strong), a 30 year old guy with an excellent sense of humour, and toured around a pottery village, rice paper paint village, and silk weaving village. Extremely interesting especially since some families have been making the same stuff for 15 centuries!!

We caught the overnight train (no throwing up this time!) down to Hue. The afternoon and evening was spent on a tiny boat travelling down the Perfume River to the temples of the late Emperors! (Man, those guys knew how to live and die in style!).. Then to the temple of the buddist monk who set himself on fire to protest the government of the time. An extremely sobering experience.

Evidence of the American war is everywhere.. From bunkers in the fields.. to bullet holes in the most beautiful of relics.. to shell holes in temple walls..to people deformed from Agent Orange.. or with lost limbs or scars from the war.. It's sad to see.. but the strength of the people around here is amazing..they have totally moved on.. Interesting that people insist on doing a V for victory sign when having their photos taken.. They say they are strong because they have repelled the Chinese, the Japanese, the French, the Cambodians and of course, the Americans (and us)..

From Hue we drove down the coast and over the mountains to Hoi An. This is the most beautiful of old towns and is famous for the Japanese bridge andTailors. I had two suits made in 24 hrs, plus some shirts and shoes!.. So Cheap!!.. Suitcase is definately heavier. This is also the start of our 5 star trip.. are we staying in the best hotels.. washing our clothes and live like gentry..

We did a cooking school here, were we learnt how to make rice paper rolls (and the paper too) and Hoi An pancakes.. Watch out folks..we will be experimenting on you when we get back!!..

The food in Hoi An was something amazing.. One resturant (the Mango Room) was so good.. that on our last day there.. you saw us at 11am sitting on the pavement sipping Mango Daquiries and eating the most exquisite food of the trip (on the first vist there..we had 14 mango daquiries between 4 of us!!)..

Food has never cost us more than $10 NZ for 3 people including beer ( $1.50 NZ for half a litre.. yahooo)..

From Hoi An we caught a flight down to Nha Trang..which is a beachside resort. The temperature has changed drastically (now around 27-30 degrees and bloody humid!). We took a boat trip around the islands and out to a fishing village.. where Mich hada paddle around in a basket boat (round and made from platted bamboo).. Heavy old me.. had broken a wooden step getting into the main boat.. fallen and bruised myself from ar*ehole to breakfast.. so that is number 3 bad thing to happen.. It was the worst trip we have done so far!! Stuck on a boat.. very unhappy.. forced to listen to karoke for 8 hrs.. Arrrggghhhhhhh..

Anyhow we have spent the last couple of days in Ho ChiMinh City (Siagon), travelling out the the Cu Ch iTunnels (where the Viet Cong hid and attacked during the war) and yesterday the Mekong Delta. An amazing trip paddling through little canals, with water coconut trees on both sides!!..

We are now heading off to Cambodia this afternoon.. and are very sad to say good bye to our guide and toViet Nam.

Love to you all!!

Mel and Mich

Chuc Mung Nam Moi (Happy New Year)

Hi Folks and CHUC MUNG NAM MOI to you all,

We are back in Hanoi for a few hours before catching the overnight train (and missing the New Year's Festivities) down south to Hue.

Thank-you all for your well wishes and for your thoughts of safety with the advent of the tsunami. It's been extremely sad and frightening to hear the news of so many deaths. My thoughts are for their loved ones at this time.

Today has been spent out in a few of the local handicraft villages. The first specialised in making pottery.. really interesting.. especially when Mich started getting involved in pouring the moulds!

Next was a paper printing village where the artist was 15th generation with his family performing the same art from the 16th centuary. We got some lovely prints depicting the local sumo wrestling (for me!) and a scholar returning home (for Mich). The rice paper is made out of tree bark, and brushed with ground seashells and rice gluten for the luminesence.

Lastly we went to a silk weaving village and watch the coccoons being unravelled, spun, and woven into amazing fabrics!.. The scarfs, handbags, dresses, etc were so beautiful.

The last few days have been spent on the coast cruising the 3000 islands of Ha Long Bay. Unfortunately it has only been 6 degrees, so a wonderful romantic cruise around the limestone islands was a little chilly (though extremely beautiful).

Since my last email I have been extremely ill, coming down with a stomach virus, but have now bounced back to 110%. It was heaps of fun puking my guts out inthe most rank toilet I have seen in my life for 12 hours on the train back from Lao Cai!! Then spending 24 hrs delerious in the hotel room whilst Mich was out with the credit card and the shops of Ha Noi (don't worry, she looked after me well too!). Hence, am not looking foward to spending another 18hrs on the train tonight!

I hope that this email finds you all safe and happy!!.. Make lots of promises you cannot keep for the New Year!

Love to you all.Mich and Mel