Gold Hotel Hue

right so, here i am in HO CHI MINH CITY! you can already see so much different from nam and cambodia. cambodia is really tough and hard to backpack, there are a lot of beggers and everyone is sooo poor. the streets are dirty and full of rubbish and the larger cities STINK. but its the gritty realism that i really fell in love with in cambodia. but vietnam is just, easier, cleaner and more vibriant and busling, everyones really busy and theres lots going on. however i have decided not to compa...

man im looking foward to getting out of ho chi minh. its a really nice city and with lots to see, but its just so busy and crazy and the people are not that nice! our hotel staff are complete idiots and blantantly trying to totally rip us off. the roads are crazy here, we were told by a guide that, in the uk we drive on the left, in the US they drive on the right.....in vietnam they use both sides of the road! and its so true! we also heard from a guide that the reason asian people have small...

Arriving in Hue after a horrible bus ride and no sleep at all (anyone traveling Vietnam, I'd recommend paying the extra for the sleeper bus for this journey), i was determined not to waste the day so got myself into the sightseeing mode and booked a motorcycle tour of town (after doing my washing of course! God I'm cool). This took in Thien Mu pagoda, Than Loan Bridge, a french Bunker from the Indo china war, some nice countryside, Tu Ducs tomb and Dien De pagoda. I'll explain the significanc...

The "Cockroach Express" delivered us safely to Hue, after dumping our bags in the hotel we jumped on scooters for a full day tour of the city. First stop was a local village, there was cool and we got to ride through country lanes and through rice paddies. The onto the Imperial Citadel which is where the royals used to live but most of it was destroyed through the war, but what is remaining is very stunning. Onto a Buddhist nunnery for a vegetarian lunch which was very nice, for me anyway!!! ...

We left Hanoi on the overnight train heading out to Hue, it takes about 14 hours, and let me tell you this is no posh Thai train. The sleepers are really, really gross (luckily I have a sleep cocoon-worth every penny now). People were passing the time playing cards, drinking turpentine/wine, and the train conductor was playing with the brakes, which kept me falling off the bench about every hour of so until the big, big jolt and we came to a complete stop. It's pitch dark and there are no sto...

Hello all, It has been a crazy couple of weeks, featuring overland from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh city or Saigon. I realise that i have serious ly neglected this blog but Im not going to apoligise, because i honestly havnt been on the internet much and nothing i can say could really describe the places i have seen. Cambodia was incredible and the temples were everything and more that i expected, it could honestly tempt the most unspiritual of us into respect, admiration and awe of these places.....

Just an update from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam! Arrived today to the crazy hustle and bustle of mopeds everywhere! If I don't get hit by one, it will be a miracle...

Will post more soon

-Michelle