leaving for halong bay

Walking through the streets in the evening, motorcylcles wizz past as though they are not in a narrow street

This woman was bbqing Quail!(admittedly not the strangest thing we've seen being cooked, but they were whole)

We saw loads of these fires being burned. There is a street here nicknamed "Paper Street" where they sell all sorts of paper goods to be burned in sacrifice to the dead- most commonly seen was paper money

This woman is selling chicken this morning in the street

Typical Hanoi street early in the morning

This woman is selling Dragon Fruit just outside our hotel door. Its an incredibly narrow passageway but she must get business.





We are just in our hotel now waiting for the pickup to the bus to Halong Bay. It was an incredibly hot night as our air conditioner didn't work. We managed to get a fan, but in this heat, its not quite enough! I'm still feeling quite rough (day 8- but only day 5 of rough rough - the other 3 were okay!) I am getting gradually better, just very fragile- all in the spirit of exotic travel! The bus trip is 3.5 hours, and hopefully not too painful. It should be beautiful in Halong Bay!

Hanoi

Who knew flying could be so fantastic??! It was the most effortless experience: and only 55 minutes long! Fabulous fabulous.
Its funny because everyone we bave spoken to absolutely loves Hanoi, but out first impressions are that we dont... It feels a bit like i imagine bangkok did at the beginning of the tourist rush- in no other city have we felt treated or seen as other western tourists. Obviously we were targeted in
Markets, for tuk tuks, taxis, massages, etc, but here is heaving with them: stoned, drunk, travelling in herds. Its a city with great architrcture, very french, and also a lot of buzz- it has a lot of shopping, mixing old vietnam with new, and never have i seen so many motorcycles going in so many directions in such narrow spaces! Its all a bit of a headspin. Our hotel isnt great tonight - the a:c doesnt really work so we are trying to lie very still. The heat here seems greater than others- maybe because of the amount of people around. We are being picke up for our cruise tomorrow, i think that will be lovely. Weve booked a nicer hotel for our next stay in Hanoi (next tue/wed). Weve realised that only a few dollars more a night is a huge amount of extra comfort here.

 Cambodian boy flirts with the camera after selling us a drink throught the window of the coach.

Cambodia girl 'Nang Na' (I think) smiles at Jessica's camera. This girl and her mother run a wonderful roadside cafe near the Vietnam border.

 She liked showing us her wonderful teeth.

 She ended up with Jessica's flight cushion (or was it mine)...

 All the kids love Jessica over here, they point and look up at her with admiration. Women walk up to her and ask for their photo with her... meanwhile, I hold the bags and sweat little bit more.

 The HCMC post office, built by the French (Eiffel I think).

Jess and my feet...

 Street food and market stall in Bangkok, Thailand.

 Eggs and other items for sale in Bangkok, Thailand.

 Leaf, pak choi and cilantro/coriander for sale alongside other vegetables in Bangkok

 Motorcycle parts market stall, Bangkok

Hugo asleep (and in a bit of a state) in the bowels of a bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

 Cambodia family of tourists and Jessica and Barbara, our fellow Swiss tourist.

 The ruins at the Angkor Wat derelict Khmer City built in the 10th - 12th Century.

 Pond between Phnom Penh and HCMC, Vietnam.

 Cambodian family sized Tuk Tuk.

 Bayon Temple at the city of Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

 The staff at the massage center in Siem Reap. These girls particularly liked Jessica and Barbara. They work 6-7 days a week and for 10 hours a day. The tourist trade is certainly benefiting them in the short term as the alternative is working the fields for less than $25 a month. We chose this establishment because it seemed kosher - in fact most of the central salons and massage centres in Siem Reap seem sound, however it is worth checking locally because the poverty of the people combined with the vulgar and exploitative sex-tourists flocking from the west (and China) mean that services that exploit these lovely people are inevitable.

The girls spoke very little English but were desperate to communicate as much as they could about their daily lives.They know they are poor and the contrast between their wealth and that of European or other visitors from more developed nations is stark. However, their attitude is powerfully positive and alarmingly uncomplaining; so much so that it induces a guilt in sensitive visitors, a guilt that makes me regret complaining about any of my past discomforts.

Please excuse the delay in posting some photos. It is incredibly humid today and there are storms looming in the north.

On the mend?

After writhing in bed all morning, seeing the doctor and fighting fever, watching endless HBO and gazing out the window wishing I could enjoy the city, eventually really craving a double cheeseburger(settled for a kfc haha) and having a really hot bath, Im finally feeling a little bit better. The fever is gone, stomach still a bit painful but generally i think im on the mend. I feel like Ive been in bed for days though, like Ive missed precious time. We are flying to Hanoi tomorrow (i shouldve listened to my students when they said flying was much better- and only marginally more expensive) to stay for one night, then Friday morning are being picked up for our Halong Bay cruise! So Im really hoping to feel better by then.
Im feeling a bit guilty about being taken care of in illness after seeing the living conditions of so many people here. Their bodies must build up so many immunities- you would, growing up as they do. When you see the conditions they eat sleep and work in, its quite shocking. The filth is something i wasnt quite prepared for. And yet, and Im by no means dismissing any suffering people experience, but i must say that the majority of the people weve seen, even in the poorest areas, seem in good spirits. When we were on the train yesterday, we 'spoke' (very brokenly) to a nice man, who turned out to be 80 years old. He was carrying huge bundles of heavy stuff, which seemed nothing to him, and when we got off the train, hugo helped with a bag, and the man helped us get a good taxi who wouldnt rip us off. We kept saying to each other how amazing it was that he was 80 and doing what he was. I wonder what he has seen in his life. When we passed through Danang on the train he pointed out where the american base on an island was- i
Imagine he mustve fought in the war- probably for the south if he was living in Hue, as the demilitarized zone which served as the separation point between 'north' and 'south' vietnam during the war (technically called the second indochina war, or some vietnamese call it the 'american war') is about 100km north of here.
I may have said it before, but one of the things i have found most interesting here is the older people, especially in cambodia but here too, and wondering what things they have been through, what theyve seen...

Jessica has been seen by a fantastic Vietnamese doctor and prescribed medicine for an intestine infection. When I was ill last week I had to sleep on the floor of a Cambodian bus with boxes of live chickens, a Honda 125 and two bags of rice... Jessica is enjoying (comparatively...) 4 star luxury. And it really is luxury service. I am completely baffled and in awe of Vietnamese customer service. They move an electric fan around the hotel (on top of air conditioning) when they see me approach the desk. They remember everything about you, your room number and your names. I cannot fully express my absolute wonder at their friendliness and dignified way of being. Both Jess and I are making every effort to speak Vietnamese which goes a very long way. We are staying at the Huong Giang Hotel & Spa www.huonggiangtourist.com, which is 4 star. The quality of the surroundings are probably similar to 3-4 star western standards, but the service is above anything I have ever experienced. We had booked to take the train from Hue to Hanoi (12 hours) but we had our tickets refunded so that we could fly instead (very little more cost and only 1.5 hours). Jess is recovering slowly in the room and I am waiting on her hand and foot along with an army of Vietnamese hotel staff. Literally anything is catered for here, I would certainly consider spending a week or more in Hue alone. It is a city that surrounds the famous Hue Citadel and was an ancient city of old Vietnam. It feels like being in a friendly version of Paris but surrounded by lush mountains and with a cool breeze blowing along the perfume river. I have been speaking so little English that my ability to write is worsened. Love to all...

This is the view from the bar in Hue...

 This is a lovely ornate colonial style lighting centrepiece...

 This is a man who is actually loosing weight on holiday...

 this is the view of trailing flora over the perfume river...

 this is the reflection of above mentioned lighting in the bar glass door...

 this is how light Asian people are...

 This is the view from a 26.00 per night hotel...

 This is the view again...

 And a 3rd time for emphasis...

 What a staircase...

Lobby with a central antique (which was being cleaned by 5 people earlier)

Sunset over perfume river

Beautiful

Hue

Were now in Hue after a 21 hour train ride!!! It wasn't too bad...very long though! And only a squat toilet :)
I (jess) Was starting to feel very flu-y onthe train though- and have a bit of a fever:headache that i hope goes by tomorrow (another night train!)
Our hotel is beautiful, and with a river view!
Heres some pics and will put more on later!