Victory Hanoi Hotel

August 17 - We are now in Hanoi. We flew in today with no problem. One US dollar = 17,000 Vietnam's currency called Dong. Last night we took a little tour around the city. The French influence is still quite strong here. It is crowded, hot and busy. Everyone drives a vespa or small motorbike. They refill petrol by using these water bottles full of it on the side of the road. The drivers here are INSANE. People drive in any direction they want at ridiculous speeds, honking the entire time. The...

The one thing you notice coming from sleepy Luang Prabang into Hanoi are the car horns. They are used all day and all night. The streets overflow with traffic going in all directions - and somehow they don't seem to collide. We actually got a beer and sat watching a large intersection - something I wouldn't have expected I'd ever do. It was fascinating to see how everyone just drove or walked through the intersection, each in their own direction at their own pace, and it just seemed to work. ...

A one hour and twenty minute flight is all it takes to avoid two days worth of driving from Vientiane to Hanoi, while I'm pretty disappointed to have missed the boarder crossing and visiting Hin Boun and Ninh Binh, Hanoi it is, and Hanoi rocks! It's so easy to get around, the streets are labeled (woohoo) there's food galore, cute shops, bars, temples, bia hoi corner (20 cent glasses of fresh home brew, you sit on tiny stools on the sidewalk and hope you get a clean glass and break out your do...

Long bus journey today! again! I dont really mind the bus drives cos its about the only time I get to chill out and either write in my diry, sleep or listen to tunes on my ipod. They never seem as long as they are! Han oi has lots of French culture about it, its a vibrant city and the first time in ages I have seen proper shops!!!! So had a little spend. naughty me! That night we went to a water puppet show! I dont recommend it so dont waste your money! that night went out for a drink with th...

We had free internet at this hotel so thought id make the most of it there, pretty sad i know but i felt so drained from all the travelling. We got up early to go visit Ho Chi Minhs dead body. We had to line up for hours with hundreds of other people to go and see him, apparently everyone once in their lifes should go and pay there respect to him (somehow i dont think everyone does) We only got to go in for less than 2 minutes, he must have been modified so many times that his body didnt even...

Hanoi really is life in the fast lane. So many people and so many bikes, we are told that Vietnam has the most motorbikes per capita in the world and it is very obvious. Billions of motorbikes and mopeds fly down the streets and crossing the road is a scary task, no-one really takes note of the traffic lights, you just have to go for it. After a few days you actually get used to stepping out into the rush of traffic, just like the locals do, drivers just weave past you like it is the most nor...

Hanoi is a very busy and chaotic city. The name means "the city on the bend of the river." It is also famous for its french influence in architecture and food as well as the tree lined boulevards and inner city lakes. Something else that adds to the chaos is motorbikes...there are over 5 million people and just about 4 million motorbikes! We had a contest to see what was the craziest thing hauled on the back of a bike. They are very creative in their capabilites. We visited the Hanoi Hilton w...

Hi all

Thanks for all your messages, lovely to hear from home. Sorry for the lack of blogs this trip, we have had far too much to do and internet access takes time away from the things we want to get done in each town.

Here is a quick run down of each place we have visited thus far !! (well a few highlights anyway)

Bangkok - Playing with baby tigers
Chiang Mai - Fabulous night markets, a pedicure to die for, Chiang Mai Noodles, Cooking school experience
Huay Xai - B...