Kinh Do Hotel Ninh Binh

... passed not one other person. So good to get away from the crowds.

I really do feel I've found a part of Vietnam that not many other people have, and I'm liking that :)

Have also decided that getting around on the back of a bike is the way to go. Driving through tiny villages, scattering chickens and goats in our wake, admiring the scenery with water buffaloes glaring at me from the roadside. Far better than my alternative option - hiring a bicycle - after all, it ...

... 4 AUS) More killer stairs but so worth it for the view.




The rice fields far below looked like a sea of green & the karst mountains rising out of them was amazing from above.


On the other side we looked down to the river we had ...

... with him after realising he could not speak english & take us to the guesthouse we wanted to go to.
Booked in & was $12 a night for big air con room. We both crashed for a few hours sleep. Nath would have slept all day but I woke him at 10.30am.

Grabbed a fresh hot baguette with cheese for brekkie & paid $2 ...

... a hostel to stay in and the literature said it should be no more than 20,000 dong in a taxi from the bus station. A taxi quoted us 50,000 dong and refused to budge any lower. After we decided to walk instead we were chased by aggressive motorcycle taxis down the road. During the 20 minute walk to the hostel, the heavens opened and we were forced to seek shelter in a bicycle shed for the next 30 minutes. Why had we decided to come ...

... was also lovely. We had a wander round... and laughed at the Chinese group where all the ladies were in skirts and heels, trying to scale the huge steps to the top. Why don't they ever wear practical clothes/shoes?!

We stopped for lunch at Tam Coc and have the local delicacy... Goat! We had a buffer lunch so had it as a kebab, stewed, fried, etc. It was actually really nice! I guess it's similar to lamb?!

We then headed for Hoa Lu ...

... explanation about my fortune being mixed, there will be trouble between Paul and I (gasp) but only in the short run, in the long run we will find prosperity by moving to another country (excellent).

The third task was to pray to the mother of mothers for healthy children, most Vietnamese people pray here for either a boy or a girl - but I'm not really fussed so I prayed for both, on my knees touching my forehead to the ground. Paul was ...

... and smaller ones with a large assortment of products acting like a mobile supermarket for the larger boats where the people wive and deal all year round. Of course there was also the small boats catering to the tourist longboats, selling cold drinks, bread and coffee - naturally these usually had a cute kid on them to help with the sales!! This market is still a good example as the road infrastucture is still not real flash around there. There are 9 main legs of the Mekong ...

... getting ripped off (even Cambodian officials demand a little ''new year bonus'' when issuing your visa) and together we shared a taxi on a long dirt road to the first stop in Cambodia: Siem Reap. This city is above all famous for the nearby Angkor temples, where I spent three days in a tuctuc and on a bicycle admiring the amazing remains of the great Angkor empire. Of course we couldn't resist taking a picture at the ...

... I have to revert to speak/type like our Vietnamese guide did from the moment we stepped on the bus....bare with me folks there will be translations in proper English, goodness knows you need them!!! Errr x-queeze (excuse me) hello hello everly buddy and welcome to the Mekong Delta tour. I am your guide for next 2 days my name is Hi Hi spelt S A I, S A I. Got it? OK I working now for this company for 3 month OK? I finish university in Hanoi OK? I study tourism and hospitality ...

... interesting with smaller boats where all the boats floated in a cluster and you had to pull yourself though the middle with just a paddle. Our boat driver took a pineapple he had bought earlier. After a bit of slicing and dicing he presented it to us like two lollypops on sticks. The sticks being the long stem that were left on the pineapple. I did try a couple of local 'doughnuts' also, but they were certainly nothing to write home about! We left the main waterway and ...