Unkle Ho's Hood...

Steve and Lea at Vietnamese cooking school
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Highlights of Northern Vietnam...

Spent a few days in Hoi An on the central coast. Hoi An is the tailoring capital of SE Asia, so we got measured and designed some funky threads. We sent a box containing the latest European designs to London so we have something to wear when we arrive in Canada. Let's hope they arrive...

Tam biêt, Vietnam

Also attended a Vietnamese cooking course and learned how to cook like a true blue Vietnamese street-vendor. We even learned to make rice paper rolls from scratch while drinking beer.

Steve tucks in to a self-made rice paper roll.
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Cruised out to the My Son temples on a motor bike. Set in a picturesque valley, My Son is a group of temples built around the same time as the Cambodian Angkor Wat (around the 9th century) as the capital of the Vietnamese empire. The 80km motorcycle ride took us through rice paddies and traditional rural towns, dodging semi trailors, chickens and cows with ease.

Next stop was Hanoi, the modern capital and former communist stronghold. Labirynthine streets and traditional Vietnamese architecture combined with leafy trees and French cafes to give the city a rich feel. The residents appear quite patriotic and the embalmed corpse of the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh (affectionately known as Unkle Ho) lies on display in the city centre.

Steve and Lea at the My Son temples.
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We spent a couple of days cruising Halong Bay on a boat. We explored the caves and went sea-kayaking and swimming before dropping anchor and staying the night on the boat. The attached photos say more about the scenery than words can. Things got rowdy on the boat after shots of rice vodka and far too many beers. Predictably, the night degenerated into a karoke competition.

Next stop was Sapa in the North-West mountains. We trekked for a couple of days and stayed in a village with a hill-tribe family. The mountain ranges, bamboo forests, wooden huts and rice paddies created spectacular views. Our trekking group assisted our host family in the rice paddies and feasted before the host forced us to drink several litres of his home-made rice wine. We stayed on the floor in the host's bamboo hut. Fortunately there was no karaoke this time.

Lea practices her motorbike riding before attempting the 40km ride back to Hoi An
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Flew to Beijing