2002-2005 (c) GetJealous.com, All rights reserved. http://www.getjealous.com/giffnz/rss.xml Welcome to our website. For the next 9 months we'll be adding photos and accounts of our trip through South and Central America and South East Asia. Hamish Gifford-Moore Vanessa Reid http://www.getjealous.com/giffnz http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=737511&go=giffnz Let's say at the start that our faith in Vietnam and it's people has been restored in just 2 wonderful days high in the mountains near the Chinese border.  The overnight train is very comfortable and we were sharing our cabin with Natalia, a Colombian living in Madrid. Comfortable beds and we were in Lao Cai before we knew it for a 1 hour bus transfer to Sapa. Sapa sits under vietnam's highest ... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=737511&go=giffnz Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=734760&go=giffnz For the first time in 225 days I feel the need to preface a blog with a warning. Some may notice a hint of negativity in the following but we're still having a great time so don't worry, I just have to tell it like it is.   The outskirts of Hanoi at 6am is an interesting place to be. Obviously the moto drivers were waiting in force to take us to various dodgy hotels but we shared a cab with a c... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=734760&go=giffnz Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=733007&go=giffnz I have to be honest that Hue hadn't been a stop that I'd thought of much but so often it's those that are the most memorable.  The centre of Hue is dominated by an emormous citadel which contains the Emperor's enclosure which is basically a small city full of pagodas and other temples including the forbidden purple city. Much of it was destroyed in wars but restoration is well underway and when... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=733007&go=giffnz Mon, 8 Mar 2010 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=729688&go=giffnz Vietnamese for rice is Co'm and beef is Bo so if you want beef fried rice with fries and a coke do you ask for a Co'm Bo Combo? On the subject of food I have to mention how good it has been and how varied it is. Each area has specialities and if you like the sound of a dish, make sure you get it as even 20 miles up the coast the menu will change. Whole squid stuffed with pork and lemongrass is not... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=729688&go=giffnz Fri, 5 Mar 2010 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=721171&go=giffnz Quy Nhon is not on the traditional tourist trail and we headed there as it has an NZ link. Barbara's kiwi connection has been an institution here since '95. She's also a close family friend of friends of ours back home so it was good to catch up and share stories and news. There's a little community of Kiwis working with VSA here.  We've been travelling through Vietnam in short hops of no more ... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=721171&go=giffnz Wed, 3 Mar 2010 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=725157&go=giffnz It was with a little trepidation that we got on the bus to Nha Trang. It had been described as "party central" by a lot of people and the guidebooks.  After a spectacular drive down from the highlands that had the rest of the bus vomiting we arrived and how wrong we were. Yes there were big hotels down one end and plenty of bars but it was very quiet and relaxed. So much so we spent the first d... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=725157&go=giffnz Sun, 28 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=712684&go=giffnz After a great 3 days in Saigon we decided to change plans slightly and head into the highlands. Da Lat was made popular by the French to get away from the heat of Saigon. Daytime temperatures of 29 made me wonder what it was all about but dropping to about 20 overnight was much more comfortable.  A very popular local tourism business but it is off the normal track so we saw very few backpackers... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=712684&go=giffnz Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=712679&go=giffnz You can have One night in Bangkok but don't Miss Saigon. Sorry, I couldn't resist that one. This was the city we'd been waiting for. Bangkok and Phnom Pehn were great but it was Saigon that had the noise, smells and general pandamonium of a large Asian city.  There are about 8 million people here and at any one time half of them are riding their scooter on the road you're trying to cross. As... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=712679&go=giffnz Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=708282&go=giffnz We got the slow boat back to Ha Tien and it wasn't that bad in the end. Pretty old and overcrowded but it at least had open windows which gave you more of a chance than the fast boat. As always, being with the locals was a much more fulfilling experience than the tourist option.  Without any onward plans when we hit the mainland it was a matter of what buses were going next. At first we went to... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=708282&go=giffnz Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=703327&go=giffnz Einstein said the definition of insanity is to ask the same question many times expecting a different answer. (OK so I paraphrased slightly.) The problem in Asia is that you do get a different answer each time. "Yes the tickets are booked"; "I will book them tomorrow"; "sorry the boat is full"; "come back in 30 minutes"; "the taxi driver has them but y... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=703327&go=giffnz Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT