Good Morning Vietnam

Hey everyone

So I'm in Vietnam now. And what do I think of it? Well...cant say i'm its biggest fan. Before i arrived i was prepared for thinking this as I had heard mixed reports about the country, but I won't make a final decision until I have left.

Probably one of the reasons why i'm not loving it here is that sitting in Laos airport i suddenly felt really really ill. After phoning mum and worrying her i checked myself into airport exec loungs (that cost me $2) and tried to calm down.

The flight was fine, and i felt a bit better. On arrival into Hanoi i was pleasantly surprised with how advanced everything was...they have proper roads, lighting, infrastructure..the works. I really did not expect that. After leaving the airport, me, 2 japanese people and some vietnamese woman were all sitting in the minibus waiting for it to leave when we were told it would be another hour's wait. Having none of that, we all piled into a taxi to the city. The taxi dropped us off at a random point that was helpful to NONE of us. Someone then shoved a flyer into my hand for a guesthouse that looked alrite, so i jumped on the back of his motorbike (yes, thats how everyone gets around here and it scares me senseless) with my rucksack and off we went. The room was fine and i was so excited to sleep. But then i felt really ill again and it was another sleepless night for me.

The next day in Hanoi I just wandered around the city. But whatever bug i had was refusing to shift so after another phonecall to my poor mother (i actually cant help it when i'm ill...i gotta talk to her!) with me moaning that I wanted to come home and her trying to convince me otherwise (i swear, you'd think it would be the other way round!) i sat myself down in a comfy cafe for the rest of the day with a trashy novel. Bliss.

After such a wasted day, i was determined not to let it spoil my next day. I was off to Halong Bay. Halong Bay is about a 3 hour drive from Hanoi and is made up of over 3000 islands. There are loads of legends about the Bay and how it was formed, and its something to do with a dragon...i really couldnt follow it though!

I only spent the day there and that was enough for me. We sailed through the islands, visited a kiatdergarten school (the the British Embassy bought, wouldn't you know!) and clambered our way through some magnificant caves. It really was lovely.

By the time we arrived back into Hanoi at 7pm, i was exhausted so i grabbed some dinner and settled in for an early night.

Today I was up at 4am!!!! to catch my flight to Hue. I decided to fly rather than take the train simply because the train takes 14 hours and costs only $15 less than the 1 hour flight. Sweet.

I arrived into Hue at 7:30am and went straight to my guesthouse which is fine. Still not feeling 100% so am taking it easy for the most part. I went to the Citadel today which is a city within a city. Created in 1804, it is still really beautiful even though it was bombed quite a lot by the Americans. I had a wander around this area for an hour or so and then walked through the markets of Hue. Apparantly this is the best place in Vietnam to buy conical hats and although I desperately want one, somehow i dont think (a) i would look good in it (b) the vietnamese would be impressed and (c) i would be able to get it home in one piece.

The main thing about Vietnam that i do not like is the traffic and it seems to have follwed me to Hue! There are 3 things i do not like
1) you can never cross the road or when you do its whilst praying because there are no traffic lights and 1000's of motors on the road!
2) Vietnamese drivers are really really impatient and they constatly beep their horns to make drivers get out of the way - its sooooo annoying
3) the motorbike drivers are infuriatingly annoying as every 2 seconds i am approached asking if i want a lift anywhere...i feel like wearing a sign saying 'no, i want to walk thanks'. (However, it is a good conversation starter with other travllers as we all have a mutual hatred for the drivers!)

Ok, after that rant, i just want to say that although the traffic annoys me, the thing that everyone said would get to me the most was the people. I have heard that they lie and steal from you, but so far everyone has been so friendly and lovely (apart from the motorbike drivers!) and if anything, have made my stay in Vietnam more enjoyable.

Okay..thats all for now. Tomorrow I am heading to Hoi An to get some clothes made for me

Hope everyone is doing well at home

Love Danielle xxxxxxx