Hanoi

Today we ventured out of the old quarter of Hanoi, (where we are staying) and went to the Royal City - which is a newer modern part of town with a HUGE shopping mall! 

This is what it looked like above ground. But underneath us is a two story mall - with shops, resturants, an ice skating rink and a water park!!! 

We spent our afternoon at the water park on all the rides. Some of them were very scary! One ride you stood in a capsule and then they opened a trap door. You fell straight down into the slide and then twisted your way to the bottom. (We were both too scared to do this one - and Shaun didn't want to get his wool wet!) 

The orange and green slide and yellow and green slide are the ones with a trap door!! 

Look how steep the red slide is!! 

This was one of our favourite rides!! The speed racer. Some of the other rides we got to go in a double tube!! It was heaps of fun and the best thing about it was the place was pretty much empty so we never had to wait in lines!! 

Once we had finished slipping and sliding we had tea at the mall. We went to a buffet place where you got to cook your own food! 

Then we went back above ground. The Royal City was even more beautiful at night. 

Tomorrow morning we are getting picked up for our Halong Bay cruise. 

Shaun 🐑

Hoi An

We were very sad to say farewell to Hoi An - such a beautiful place with lovely friendly people. 

While in Hoi An we went to some local tailors and got our feet and bodies measured - we then had clothes and shoes made specially for us!

When we weren't shopping we went on walks around the pretty town and twice we even hired pedal bikes and biked out to the beach. 

Hoi An beach! 

Enjoying another coconut in the sun!! 

Streets of Hoi An. 

The streets were very beautiful at night with lights and lanterns everywhere. 

This is one of the main forms of transportation in Hoi An! 

Tonight we travelled 17 hours over night on a sleeping bus to Hanoi. 

This is what our sleeping train looked like. It was actually very comfy - and time went very quickly! 

From Hanoi we hope to do a boat cruise in Halong Bay. Will keep you posted. 

Shaun 🐏

Nha Trang

Unfortunately when we got to Nha Trang the weather wasn't very nice. It was still warm but very drizzly and rainy. We decided to just stay here for 2 days. 

While in Nha Trang we went out on a boat called the 'Funky Monkey.' It was a great day! We sailed around to different islands off Nha Trang and were able to swim and snorkel from the boat. 

These are the only photos I have on my phone sorry. 

From Nha Trang we took a 10 hour sleeper bus to Hoi An. Luckily Holly can sleep anywhere so managed to get a good nights sleep. Kirsty however found the 10 hour trip very long! 

Shaun looking comfy for his night on a bus. 

Hoi An is a beautiful place with lots of tailors who make shoes and clothes to fit you. We will have to hold onto our wallets tightly!!

Shaun 🐏

Mekong Delta

Some pictures from our trip to the Mekong Delta. 

Our day started with a bus trip down to the Mekong Delta, we stopped at this cool cafe where instead of tables and chairs they had hammocks to lie in. 

Shaun liked this a lot... 

Kirsty and Shaun in the hammock. 

We then went by boat over the Mekong river. On the delta we enjoyed a boat trip, lunch, honey tasting, locally grown fruits and listened to some local music. 

We had to keep our hands inside this boat at all times as there were crocodiles and piranhas in there!! 

We even got these Vietnamese hats so we could look like the locals. (Miss Grant thought it would be perfect for Miss McCulloch to wear when she was in the school garden!)

Yesterday we travelled overnight by train to Nha Trang. We really like it here - it is right on the beach and much more quiet than Saigon city!

Shaun 🐏

Vietnam

Last night we arrived in Ho Chi Minh city and were blown away by how crazy the city was. There were motorbikes and cars everywhere!!! Crossing the street was very scary. 

Today we went on a tour of the Cu Chu tunnels. The Cu Chu tunnels were made and used by the Vietnamese during the Vietnamese war. It was a very interesting tour - learning lots about the Vietnamese history from our tour guide Mickey. At the end of the tour we even got to go inside the tunnels. The Vietnamese were very small - but parts of the tunnels have been made bigger for western people. In some parts I had to crawl on my hands and knees. 

Shaun in the tunnel. 

Holly in the tunnel. 

After the tour we had a look around Ho Chi Minh city - we even got better at crossing their busy roads!! 

We finished the day with a drink at a sky bar. The view was amazing!! (These photos don't really do it justice.) 

Tomorrow we are off to the Mekong Delta. 

Shaun, 🐑

Killing fields - Cambodia.

Yesterday we travelled from Siem Reap to Penh Pen which is the capital of Cambodia. It took us about 8 hours in a bus. 

In penh pen we visited the killing fields. It was very interesting learning about the Cambodian history - but also very sad to hear the stories. We took an audio tour of the fields which meant we were able to learn about the fields as well as hear stories from survivors.

Kirsty placing a flower at the memorial site of the victims. 

After we had visited the killing fields we went to the S-21 museum. This place was originally a school but during the time of the war it was used to hold and torture victims before sending them to the killing fields. 

The roads out to the killing fields were very long and dusty so our tuk tuk driver gave us these to wear ... 

Tomorrow we are travelling by bus to a new country ... Vietnam! 

Shaun 🐑

Cambodian cooking class

Mmmmmm I am still full from our amazing Cambodian cooking class. 

Our day started when we were picked up from our hotel and transported (via tuk tuk) to a hotel out near a small village. 

Once our class started we were taken to a families home and shown what the homes were like for people in the village. Their houses are very small and made out of bamboo and other plants. It took this family 3 days to make their home.  The kitchen is at the front of the house and has a hole in the roof above to let the steam out. 

We gave a bag of rice to the family to say thank you for having us. We were then taken to the venue of our cooking class where we met our chief. 

We each had our own station. Check out what we cooked ... 

We started off by making fresh spring rolls with dipping sauce. 

Then we made a Cambodian curry. 

And finished with Nom Tong Noun - which is kind of like a ice cream cone. 

Then we got to sit out here ... 

While the food we made was served to us. It was a great afternoon - and we left feeling very full!! 

Temple spotting

What an awesome day we had today touring temples! 

Here is Shaun at Ta Prohm. 

This is the same temple that the Tomb Raider movie was filmed. Don't you think Shaun looks a little like Angelina Jolie in this shot? 

We then went to Angkor Wat, which is one of the most famous temples in Cambodia. It was amazing - and very very big! 

Our third temple for the day was Angkor Thom. Which was another amazing temple. 

Our final stop for the day was to Phnom Bakeng, where we got to watch the sun set! Wow! What an amazing view. 

It was very hot in Cambodia today - about 36 degrees. (Just as well I've been shorn!) At the temples you must make sure your shoulders are covered and you are wearing suitable clothing. It was very hot and sweaty but well worth it to see these amazing landmarks.

We finished the day at Pub Street which is a street with lots of pubs and resurants. We had a traditional Cambodia meal called fish amok. It was delicious!!! Cambodians are very good cooks - and guess what? Tomorrow I am going to a cooking class so I can learn to make a Cambodian meal too! 

Will let you know how it goes, 

Shaun 🐏

Cambodia

Today was a very long day!! It started at 4.30am this morning when we taxied from koh San road to the train station. 

This is the train we travelled on to the border of Bangkok. It took 6 very long hours! The train has no windows because it so hot. But it also meant we got very dirty. 

Once we got to the border we had to walk through the gates and get a Cambodian visa put in our passport. Once this had been stamped we could walk through the border into Cambodia. Then we had to get on a bus and travel for a further 3 hours! We finally got to siem reap at 6pm! It has been a very long day. Early night for me tonight - off to explore Angkor Wat tomorrow! 

Shaun, 🐑