Had a proper holiday day today! I went for an elephant ride through the jungle then headed out to some waterfalls. Went swimming in the waterfalls and clambered over the rocks and generally enjoyed the peace and quiet of the place. Once back in Luang Prabang I had a crepe then headed back to my guesthouse for a shower before walking down to the Mekong river to sit sipping a cocktail whilst watching the sun set over the mountains! Am going to go find some food now - maybe Indian tonight? I'll avoid the night markets tonight but I'll probably get sucked in tomorrow and buy stuff I don't need. Currently I'm trying to decide whether I REALLY need a duvet cover. It's very pretty but I already have two kinda pricey duvet covers back in Hanoi (the choice when buying linen was expensive white stuff or cheap gaudy vomit inducing stuff. I went for the white sets!) so perhaps I should make an effort not to buy it?!

Yesterday was my first positive experience on a motorbike! After wandering aimlessly around Vientiane first thing in the morning I decided to make my way up to one of the big temples on the edge of the city and then to a park about 30ks out of town full of Buddha statues. I could have got to these places by tuk tuk or maybe even bus but I decided to rent a motorbike as it was pretty cheap to do so. Vientiane is pretty small so it was easy to navigate my way around on a bike, plus I'd walked a lot of the city already so I knew where the one way streets were. I made it up to the big gold temple no problems and then headed out of the city towards the random park. I even managed to successfully fill the bike with petrol!

The road out of Vientiane was good quality as it is the road that links the capital with the bridge over the river and across the border into Thailand. The other side of the bridge section the quality wasn't quite as good but it was still nowhere near as horrific as the roads in Vietnam. It was like a smaller country lane might be in the UK - a few bumps and minor potholes but nothing major. There wasn't too much traffic and any that I did encounter obeyed the rules of the road as I know them. The road followed the Mekong river along the edge of the country and eventually I came to the Buddha park - it was basically a field full of stone statues. It was something a bit different and was worth it for the biking experience alone. I also explored some little country dirt roads on my way back into the city but I was wary of getting hopelessly lost so I didn't venture too far.

Today was a shocker of a journey to Luang Prabang. It was so long! And the whole journey was accompanied by Thai karaoke videos blasting out of the sound system. I was supposedly on the VIP bus - it looked nothing like the other VIP buses I'd seen in Vientiane with fully reclining seats etc but I guess they were maybe the buses to Thailand. Still, the bus had relatively comfortable seats and a toilet that was actually usable on board so it wasn't so bad I guess. The journey took us up and over the mountains. The mountains seemed to be never ending! After descending down from one we'd come round a corner and see another mountain to be crossed. The roads were really windy but thankfully there was no Vietnamese style driving - no overtaking on blind bends or speeding or any of the other crazy things Vietnamese drivers do. The journey was just soooo long a took two hours longer than advertised - I think it part this was due to the rain we hit about halfway here - the driver slowed down on the wet roads which I was really grateful for when we rounded a corner and saw a car balanced at a 45 degree angle over the edge of the cliff face. I guess all the occupants had managed to get out of the car but it was just balancing there over the edge of the road looking like it would roll over at any minute. Maybe the driver was Vietnamese?!

Was grateful to finally get to Luang Prabang and I joined the other Westerners from the bus on a tuk tuk into the centre where I dumped my stuff at the first decent guest house I came to and headed out for some desperately needed food. I then browsed the night market and bought a really pretty elephant embroidered throw!I looked at a couple of tour options too and tomorrow I'm going to go book some stuff - a trip to some caves and a waterfall, and a day at an elephant place trekking and looking after them. Elephants!

Must go now so the guy can close up his internet cafe!

Vientiane is pretty much the anti-Hanoi. If I'd arrived in Hanoi in the state I arrived here I'd probably have jacked it all and got right back on the plane however Vientiane is an easy city to explore on just 2 hours sleep (the neighbours had the TV on extra loud last night, then the dogs on the other side went crazy a few times so I didn't sleep much at all)! There are very few things that are similar to Hanoi so it's nice to have a change of scene, and be back in civilization.

I found a pretty decent cheap place to stay in the centre of the city then I headed off to get something to eat. I was anticipating food on the plane but this didn't happen so I was starving as well as exhausted by the time I got here this morning. Was briefly excited to discover that the international terminal at Hanoi airport has slightly more going for it than the domestic one. As well as the usual souvenir tat and Pho shops there was a chocolate shop that stocked Cadbury's and malteasers! The Cadbury's comes from Oz but the malteasers are the real British deal! I didn't feel much like eating chocolate this morning tho so I went off to find the Scandinavian bakery in Vientiane that my uncle mentioned to me. It's really close to my hotel which is good and sells decent baked stuff which helped brighten my mood. I then went for a walk around the city. Have checked out some of the Wats and just ambled along slowly taking the place in. It's a nice city to just wonder along in as it's actually pretty small and not too crowded. The buildings are all really pretty rather than ramshackle and falling down like a lot of the places in Hanoi, and the Wats here look different to the temples back in VN. Here they look more Thai whereas back across the border they have a more Chinese influence. The roads are calmer here too which makes the whole experience more pleasurable. People obey the rules of the road so I can cross a road on a green man safe in the knowledge that nothing is going to drive at me - in contrast a green man means nothing in Hanoi. There might be a bit less traffic but you're still unlikely to have a clear road the whole way across! There is also no beeping! This city is so quiet - it took me a while to get used to it. If someone pulls up to a set of traffic lights and there is a bike or car in front they just sit there patiently waiting for the traffic to get going again, rather than leaning on the horn and somehow expecting the person blocking the way to magically get out of the way even though there is nowhere for them to go other than through a red light!

There are a few similarities here however. There are Wats all over the place, much like the temples in Hanoi that seem to exist on every street. They also have very similar plinky plonky waily music here so not only was I treated to it on the way to the airport this morning I've also been able to hear snippets of it the whole day! It's also pretty hot and humid here too which is a killer when walking around all day. I did succumb to an afternoon nap when the heat was too much to bear, and once I was up and about again I spent the past few hours walking up tree lined boulevards to a monument very similar to the Arc De Triomph. It was a little bit like being in France! The view from the top was pretty cool at not very French though.

Gonna amble some more tomorrow and see some more of the sights, and probably shop a bit too, then the next day I'm getting the bus up to Luang Prabang. I was originally going to get the overnight bus up tomorrow night but that is just a regular bus whereas there is a VIP bus that heads up each morning which sounds far more comfortable and cots hardly anything more than the regular bus. There will be no chickens on the VIP bus either!

Am off to find some food now and enjoy being able to walk freely around a city without encountering motorbikes parked on or coming at me along the pavement/ plastic stools set up all over the place/ people pointing at me and shouting at all their friends to do the same/ animal carcasses being cut up on the pavement/ open sewers/ kids crapping in the street/ any number of other bizarre things that makes getting around Hanoi on foot such a trying experience.

I'm going to Laos tomorrow! Somewhat irresponsibly, I've just been to Derry's to meet Alison and Calder. I was just gonna pop up for a chat and maybe one drink but they'd been on the go since 2pm and were feeling flush after pay day so they coerced me into sampling some of the cocktails on offer. We had some funky drinks containing god only knows what but it was good fun. Unfortunately I have to get up in 5 hours to go wait at the end of my lane for a taxi that may or may not turn up to take me to the airport for my early flight :o/

Today I went to Jaspas with Alison and Calder for some Mexican food. It's in Hanoi Tower - a swanky building in Hanoi where the rich people live/stay and have office - and it was like leaving Vietnam when we went in. There was a plush lobby, a decent lift and a nice restaurant next to the poncy open air hotel. Mexican night involves an all you can eat buffet and free flow margaritas (it's classier than it sounds!) so we indulged. The food was good - burritos, nachos, chicken wings, Mexican rice and all sorts of goodies. It only cost 200,000 Dong - pricey for Hanoi but thats about £8 so it's not exactly expensive.

I've uploaded all the pics I took on my walk through the neighbourhood a couple of weeks ago - they're here if you fancy having a look: The Neighbourhood

This past week I've been riding my bike to and from work, and I also went up to Derrys last night on my bike. I can now drive the thing but its still quite terrifying to be in the midst of all the traffic, particularly on my afternoon ride to work as the traffic is starting to pick up when I'm on my way there. On the whole its not too bad I guess but I don't think its ever going to be a pleasurable experience to ride through Hanoi!

The food last night was so good and so cheap compared to what it would cost back home - anyone who comes out to visit is being taken there whether you like Japanese food or not! We ended up at Derry's again (of course) where a week on me and Calder can still mine some decent comedy out of the article below:

Push for aerospace research centre

(10-04-2009)

HA NOI — Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan wants a quick completion of the Hoa Lac space technology research centre.

The request was made on Wednesday during a meeting with leaders of the Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology and the Space Technology Institute.

Space research was necessary, and the centre was an opportunity to develop the country’s science and technology sector, Nhan said.

The centre would have a key role in developing the space technology research industry and was a foundation for the co-operation with other countries in the sector.

Deputy director of the Space Technology Institute and the project’s managing director Pham Anh Tuan said he expected Viet Nam to have one of Southeast Asia’s leading space technology research and application centres when the construction was completed, Viet Nam would be able to design and produce small optical technology-using satellites to observe the Earth, he said. — VNS


We love the fact that Vietnam is hoping to have on of the regions leading space technology programs! Calder reckons it will be a honda motorbike with some jet packs strapped on the side - given they all drive like lunatics on their bikes the one that hits space will no doubt flying around crash inot anything else up there and knoking all the other satellites out of space!

I mixed with the lunatis on their bikes today. Alison came by and drove with me to some of the places I'd go to most frequently eg work, her house and we spent a good hour or so on the roads. I also learnt how to get petrol and put air in my tyres today. I'm feeling more confident on the bike now and we might go out again tomorrow. If we don't I'm still gonna try and drive to their place tomorrow night and provided that goes well I'm gonna risk drivin to work on Monday morning!

I did it! I finally got the bike onto the road! It was terrifying but I did it!

I tried on Monday lunchtime but I was too scared to get out onto the road once I got to the end of the lane so I just did some more driving up and down the lanes. My new plan was to go out at night when there are fewer people around but as I have been working split shifts with early starts and late finishes I had to wait til my 3 day working week was over. I planned to go for a ride on Wednesday evening but instead I ended up going to the usual haunt for a drink or two after work. It was the birthday of one of the owners of Derry's and they'd laid on a big spread of BBQ food so when Alison called me afer work and informed me of this I couldn;t resist going along for some BBQ grub. I got sucked into staying late as we met some cool people there so it seemed rude to bail early to go and drive my motorbike! There were some butch guys working for the American military, involved in the team that is over here searching for missing military men from the war, and also a couple of Malaysian/Indian guys (Prakesh 1 and 2!) who were interesting guys so I stayed at Derry's til late. I couldn't be bothered to take to the roads when I finally got home so I saved that treat for yesterday night. It wasn't too bad once I got going. I got a bit lost as I was so busy focusing on riding the bike and avoiding the retards on the road that I didn't pay much attention to where I was. I did manage to get some good driving time tho, and I was even going fast enough to overtake people at one stage! I'm not sure exactly HOW fast I was going as my spedometer doesn't work, but it was definitely faster than I've been riding in the lanes.

I went out again this lunch time when there were a lot more people on the roads and I survived it. Other people still scare me but now I feel more confident in my ability to control the bike its slightly less frightening. There will be more riding at the weekend then maybe on Monday morning I can ride to work - it all depends on how confident I am about tacking the horrific junction on the way to work.

I'm off out for some awesome Japanese food now and I briefly considered riding there but the traffic is horrible at this time of day - I got caught up in it yesterday on the back of a xe om. There are so many people all doing dumb stuff, plus my road becomes gridlocked in rush hour with all the retarded car and taxi drivers who park up at the side the road and make it even narrower than ususal. No one is willing to wait on their bike briefly and then pass the car in single file so it all becomes such a mess. I don't think I'm as skilled as my xe om driver yet so I'll give the bike a miss tonight!

There was little chance to ride the bike these past few days so as a result I'm still alive!

I've managed to get lots of other chores done though so this week wasn't completely useless. I got my visa sorted for my trip to Laos in a couple of weeks and I've finally managed to get all my documents together to apply for a work permit. I've managed to send some money to my British bank account which was a lot of effort - lots of forms and several different members of staff were involved at the bank yet despite all this it was easier than I had first been led to believe. I also got round to posting the stuff thats been sitting in a corner of my room for nearly a month now - I had enough time to go and fill in the hundreds of forms at the post office yesterday so the stuff is now finally on the way to the recipients. I even found time to get a hair cut this week! It helped that this week was exam week so I only had 2 evening classes to teach. The rest of the lessons I had were exams, marking and parties! Friday evening was also the night we had some ace Indian food from a place called Foodshop 45. It does really nice Indian food and its cheap! It's also next to a pub where we often end up (the same place that stocks raspberry vodka!) and Friday was no exception. We were there well past curfew, at the stage of the night when the police come looking for their bribes.

Today I planned to go and drive on the roads for an hour during nap time but sadly I was thwarted by Vietnamese people in their hundreds. There was some sort of festival going on nearby which meant that the roads were full of douchebaggery as people made their way there, plus mini buses were being abandoned all along the street as well as endless taxis pulling in all over the place. I couldn't even drive up and down the lanes as there was a funeral group getting ready to set off further down the lane. They were all standing around a coffin on a cart and had abandoned their motorbikes all along the lanes. In the end I went for a walk through the lane maze behind my house as it was a really nice sunny day.

Mad motorbike skills.


The start of the lane maze.


The B52 bomber that was shot down into a lake near my house.





Shopping in Vietnamese lanes.

I then headed back to my house and got caught up in the funeral procession making its way through the lanes. This caused issues for all the traffic wanting to come down the lanes so bikes got stuck behind or had to wait at the other end of the lane. Once the funeral had cleared out there was then a scrum as everyone tried to continue their journey yet were unable to use common sense and drive single file in either direction. Instead they tried to overtake and cut each other up and made the situation even worse!



Mayhem after the funeral procession.


This evening I went over to Alison and Calders place again for dinner, and we watched some more Summer Heights High, as we started last week but didn't get through it all. Last week we started out at the pub and had some drinks at theirs then sat watching DVDs until fairly late in the night as Monday was a public holiday. Sadly we couldn't do the same this evening as both Alison and I start teaching at 7.45 tomorrow morning. Aargh! Still, as I finish at 12 and don't have to teach again until 6 that gives me time to get the bike out onto the roads when hopefully the locals are all asleep. Wish me luck!

Me and the beast, and Calder looking cool

The plans for riding the bike of doom had to be postponed on Sunday as rain set in in the afternnon. There was a slight break so Alison left her house and headed over this way but it had started raining again once she got here so we gave up on the idea of riding on Sunday. Instead, I jumped on the back of her bike and headed off to the supermarket to buy supplies for dinner. I tested out my attractive plastic poncho thing and it does the jo of keeping the rain off! The raincoat I bought over with me is pretty useless in heavy rain so I have invested in a plastic poncho. Its possibly the most hideous thing I've ever owned but it will be useful once the rainy season really gets going.

Monday became the day for trying not to kill myself. I think expectations were a little high (we planned to go places and buy stuff) as I could barely get the thing going at first! I also had issues with getting it to stop - I'd break but still be cranking the accelerator which doesn't really achieve much! In the end we just drove up and down the lane so that I could practice stopping and dealing with gears. I think I'm getting the hang of it now but I'm still prone to accidentally accelerating when it's not necessary! I drove up and down the lane again today and managed not to cause any damage to either myself or others and I believe the plan at the weekend is to get me out into the traffic. Aargh!

Yesterday was pay day so I have been out spending! We went for dinner after work yesterday and we went to the Czech beer place near work where the sell the closest thing to decent sausages that you can buy in Vietnam. I sampled both the German and the Czech ones and whilst they were good in terms of what you can buy in this country, they weren't a patch on the ones you can buy back home!

Today I went into the Old Qarter and met up with Alison and Calder for a feast of eggs benedict then we set off to browse the DVD stores. Got myself a few more box sets, including the Blackadder one after talking about the show last night, and picked up a coupleof American trash mags at one of the DVD stores. I miss magazines! I also had to buy a new pair of hair straighteners as mine have finally died and I had to replace my hearphones after some lame Vietnamese person couldn't wait to let me our of the lift before getting in so instead chose to push past me. He caught my headphones on his bag and pulled them out of my mp3 player and trashed them in the process. Thanks!

The biggest expenditure of the day tho was hiring a motorbike. It has been delievered to me and is sitting outside my house looking menacing. Tomorrow Alison is gonna come and help me get to grips with it and then on Monday we might venture out of Hanoi to get me some biking experience. Aargh!