The news from Vietnam

Hi Everyone

We've had a hectic yet really good ten days or so since we last updated you.

Sorry its been so long since we last updated this but we have been enjoying ourselves too much to really get a chance to go on the computer.

We have pretty much gone South to North of Vietnam now with a few stops in between to really get a feel for Vietnamese culture and society. Our first stop since the last blog was Nha Trang which is right on the beach. We travelled here via an over night train which was by far the best train we have been on. We had a four person locked cabin with nice furnishings, TV, air con and a comfortable bed. When we arrived the weather wasn't good though, very cloudy and cold so we decided to spend our time at the spa! We had a mud bath, mineral bath, swimming in a heated mineral pool and all over body massage for about 12 pound each. It was amazing!!

Next stop was Hoi An where we spent most of our time in the old quarter down the little French colonial streets. Here we both got tailor-made suits! (Which are now a nightmare to carry around! Though the price is worth) The food here is gorgeous, we have been gorging ourselves on pastries, baguettes and coffees; as you can tell the French influence is still very strong here. (The weight is creeping back on!)

We then drove further north to Hue city where we visited the Royal Citadels. The next day wasn't so productive as I (Stacy) haven't been well with a cold. We didn't expect it to be so cold and overcast in Vietnam. The tan is fading rapidly!!

We are now in Hanoi, so far we have visited Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleun; where we able to see his embalmed body. His body was still in the same form as it was when he died 40 years ago. It was all done with miltary precision, very scary, with lots of armed soliders escorting us around! The whole experienced was a little spooky. We also visited the Army Museum, as you can imagine Jonny had a field day, we have lots of pictures of him next to big machines!

We are off to Halong Bay tommorrow, which they are trying to get voted as one of the new seven wonders of the world. So hopefully our tans aren't doomed just yet...(fingers crossed the weather is good!!)

Only three more days in Vietnam now and we then head over the border to Laos, which is a 12 hour bus journey! (Sore bums all round then!)

Hope all is ok at home, we will try and update you in a few days.

Love to you all

Stacy & Jonny xxxxxx