Vietnam

That which does not kill us only makes us stronger. Well, this holiday was made up of many fantastic experiences but also a few things that have made us strong like He-man!

This summer holiday saw us head to South East Asia for what was to be a relaxing holiday. Our first stop was Cambodia (via Bangkok). We were only visiting Siem Reap as time did not permit us to see much else so Angkor Wat and Tonle Sap were the only things on the agenda.

Angkor Wat (Cambodia)

Roaming the vast area that Angkor Wat covers was amazing (and exhausting) but really did provide some jaw dropping sights.

Bayon Temple, Angkor Wat (Cambodia)

My favorite of all the temples we saw (which was only a small portion of what's in the area) was the Bayon. Made up of face after face, this temple was absolutely beautiful.

Food Market, Siem Reap (Cambodia)

Our next destination was South Vietnam. We had a pretty clear idea of what we wanted to do here, visit Nui Dat and check out the Mekong Delta. We had an amazing time contemplating the events that occurred in the area of Baria/Nui Dat/Long Tan and found it hard to imagine the complexities such events brought to the people involved.

Cruising the Mekong Delta

With such a short time, we joined a day trip to the Mekong delta, which after exploring the rugged Tonle Sap, was quite dissapointing - although i did enjoy all the coconut candy they produced in the area.

Sapa Village, North Vietnam

We left HCMC for North Vietnam. After spending an afternoon meandering the quaint streets and quirky markets of Hanoi we jumped on an overnight train to Sapa, far North West Vietnam. The overnight train would be the transport that would lead us to the cream of crop when it came to this holiday!

Hmong girls embroidering in the street, Sapa

The hilltop village of Sapa was spectacularly beautiful - in landscape, people and atmosphere. We arrived on a weekend when the town was filled with the swams of weekend warriors but during our 6 day stay we saw the town transform into a sleepy oasis.

Sapa Market

Part of our time in Sapa was spent Climbing Mt Fansipan - the roof of Indochina, which although it is recommended to complete the 40km return trip to an elevation of 3143m in 3 - 4 days, Tim and I decided to give it a go in 1.

With a local Hmong Hunter as our guide, and physical gestures as our only tool for communication we made the wet and cold journey up the mountain..... 12 hours later, a water ruined camera, blistered feet, and with frozen fingers Tim and I had made the accent and back again and boy - were we satisfied or what!

Cat Cat Village Rice Paddies, Sapa

Cat Cat Waterfall, Sapa

"Street Vendor", Sapa

Walking to Lao Chai Village with the girls, Sapa

After allowing my aching quads a rest, we decided to head out of Sapa for a stroll towards the southern villages. The area around Sapa is home to many various Hill tribes, predominantly the Hmong and Dao people. Without a real plan we simply started to wander down the main road out of town. Within around 3km we were caught by 3 wonderful 11 year old girls, heading home from a morning of selling in town. Always eager to chat, the Hmong girls joined us for the walk. Soo, Choo and Soo, were a mixed bag of excitable, smart and beautiful girls and stole my heart (and i think Tim's too!) As we strolled they told us more about the area than we could ever read in a lonely planet. It's difficult to explain the time Tim and I had with these girls, being invited into their home, joining them for lunch and then the following day playing hide and seek through the vibrant Sapa gardens. There was something very special about those girls, partly the fact that they were more mature than we could ever imagine any 11 year old to be while at the same time, they were simply playful young girls. When we left Sapa....I shed a tear.

Crossing into Lao Chai Village, Sapa

Walking up Soo's "Drive Way", Sapa

Me, Choo, Soo, Soo and Soo's Mum

Cheeky Soo

Sweet Soo

Beautiful Choo

Tim and the girls, Sapa

Soo made me this headband, I said she was sweet!

We left Sapa, back to Hanoi where we planned to head to Halong Bay soon after.... however .... we made a slight detour. After arriving back in Hanoi in one piece we spent a relaxing day soaking up the ambience and enjoying the Vietnamese food but on returning to our hostel Tim felt not quite right... Rushing Tim to hospital at 1 am with severe food poisoning was TERRIBLE!! No stranger to a bit of the old 'bali belly' Tim and I can tell when it's something we can handle and this... we couldn't handle. After 12 hours in hospital, on an I.V, he was released but not to travel as he had to report for observation 24 hours later. With our Halong Bay trip on hold, we relaxed in style in a beautiful hotel allowing Tim some much needed rest.

Chilling in Halong Bay

Recovered from the food poisoning, we headed out to Halong Bay, only to be hit by a typhoon on our first day - by this point we were starting to laugh about our wonderful luck! Our smiles must have paid off for in 24 hours the rain had past and we were cruising the smooth waters of Halong Bay in the luxurious 'Dragons Pearl' Junk under the radiating sun.

Halong Bay

Although our trip was filled with plenty of rain (and evidently not much of a tan), and aside from the visit to the International SOS hospital, we shared some wonderful experiences with an array of people - experiences that will last a lifetime.