Hoi An was just beautiful and we spent a lot of time wandering the tiny streets and lapping up the very chilled out atmosphere. Charlotte E got a dress tailor-made, but we didn't go too crazy (unlike some others in our group - one who will remain unnamed spent $400!!) We took a cooking course whilst we were there so we will be able to impress with our Vietnamese cookery skills when we return :)
We then drove the coastal mountain road to Hue by bus which was fantastic!! Charlotte D was asleep for most of it but Charlotte E made sure she took lots of pictures hanging out of the window of the bus to make up for it!!!! It was just like the Top Gear episode in Vietnam: stunning views.
Our 24 hours in Hue was pretty hot and sticky (the hottest weather we have had yet) but we managed to do quite a lot: visited the ancient citadel and Tombs which was really interesting. We then boarded our final overnight train for the 12 hour journey to Hanoi. We were prepared for the worst again but it was actually really nice...and we had a very impressive picnic which included homemade guacomole!!
Very early arrival into Hanoi on Monday morning (at 5am and in the rain) so decided to go straight to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum to see the embalmed body of the man himself and beat the queues! This was the most surreal experience, incredibly high security which banned any deemed disrespectful behaviour (Charlotte D got poked for having her hands behind her back!!) We then had a few more hours to kill before we could get into our hotel so we went to the main museums and indulged in a chocolate brownie (incredibly un-Vietnamese but totally worth it!).
On Tuesday we then went out to Halong Bay for our Junk boat trip around the limestone wonders! Unfortunately not the weather we had hoped for (drizzle and mist) but we had a lot of fun and were very well fed on some delicious seafood. Visiting a 'surprising' cave and climbing to the top of one of the islands was incredible and it was very exciting having a little cabin to sleep in on the boat (equipped with its own ensuite bathroom?!)
Back in Hanoi we have spent a few days shopping and visiting some more museums. Even though Hanoi is the capital city everything closes at around 10.30pm and it becomes a ghost town! It's actually quite eerie and we had an interesting night out at a bar lock-in including shisha, police and Charlotte D as the DJ!!
We said goodbye to our friends from our tour group yesterday which was really sad... we're going to need to get better at farewells because there's bound to be a fair few along the way!
And so our journey through this part of Asia is almost over and we are definitely sad to be leaving, I think we have really got used to the way of life here.... Having said that there are a few things we won't miss when we leave: having to take to toilet paper everywhere with us and the very difficult road crossings to name a few!!
On to Singapore in the morning so we are expecting a bit of a reverse culture shock and will probably feel rather grubby compared to the cleanliness it is famed for! Must go now to get things packed, luckily the whole process of fitting things into the backpack should be a little easier as we have sent a huge parcel home today 4kg full of things we have collected along the way!
We are very proud of both of you. What an incredible adventure you are having. We hope you won't feel too lonely just the two of you in Singapore? It will give you some time to take stock - update your journals - phone home - have a long soak in the bath - get some washing done - sleep in - feel clean - plan the next leg of your journey. We are thinking of you... every step you take...
ReplyDeleteMum, Dad and Emily XXX