Mountains, mist & Kota Kinabalu.......

After our Sarawak adventures, we decided it was time to move on and check out what the rest of Borneo had to offer. We jumped aboard yet another plane (our carbon footprint is getting pretty big now!) and headed for Kota Kinabalu in Sabah.

After a slightly turbulent flight (Tom was not happy) we headed into the city centre. Kota Kinabalu itself is nothing really to shout about, another sprawling city which stretches for miles along the coastline. After dropping off our bags, the heavens opened and the streets became a sea of water. Not really ideal weather for exploring! Feeling tired and a bit homesick, we decided to skip yet another meal of noodles and rice and treat ourselves to a tasty Italian dinner. Oh pasta how I have missed you! A glass of wine would've made the meal perfect but our measly budget would not stretch that far :(

During breakfast the following morning, we got chatting to a Dutch couple about their travels. Turns out they were pretty much doing the same trip as us, but in reverse. They had been travelling through China and the phillipines but also in New Zealand, for eight weeks, exactly the same time we have planned.

After chatting away over our 'luxurious' breakfast of mini bananas and toast, from that moment on we would be pretty much inseperable for the next few days. For four days we explored some of the outlying islands, relative paradises (not really on a par with the Thai islands but stunning nonetheless).

After spending the day on this tropical island we yet again met some real 'characters' This time a really loud Polish guy who was bragging how he took what he wanted from wherever he went, things that he said that HAVE to be taken if found, and if light enough.

This Polish couple were actually from Cambridge of all places and stood with me, necking back his pile of Tiger beers, whilst bragging about how little he can do in the UK and be paid a relative fortune for it. His missus then came and piped up about all of the places they have been to in the world on the back of being paid British wages. Fair play to them. He then went and spoiled my bitter understanding by diving into the water and breaking off a huge piece of coral, a highly endangered part of an otherwise precious ecosystem. I wanted to throw sand and gravel in his face but this guy just didn't grasp the meaning of protected species. Which is kind of the same for most of Asia unfortunately (not just unintelligent Poles) especially when you walk past the shark fin specialist restaurants. Oh and the turtle meat stew stalls. We've said it many tomes on this blog and it doesn't mean to be said really but animal and environmental welfare is a completely secondary notion...

Anyway from the islands the four of us went in search of traditional Malay food and found a fantastic place that created really fresh halal chicken dishes, especially the sweet and sour chicken, really thick and tasty sauce with very tender pieces of chicken. It went down really well with tea tarik, my new favourite tipple, essentially just sweet, frothy, milky tea. So good.

The next day we all arose early and headed towards Kinabulu National Park, home to mount kinabulu and almost 3000 metres above sea level. From being completely covered in sweat to shivering like a wet dog in an hour was a strange sensation. Our driver up there, a small Chinese man called Jo Kong, was definitely a character. Turns out he was a retired police sergeant and definitely had the hair to go with it. In fact I told him the whole way that I wanted hair like him, he loved it! Anyway, after a few minutes chit chat this guy was fine, after nearly two full hours of the same conversation over and over again it was painful.

Eventually old sergeant kong pulled up at a place high in the mountains called D'Vila lodge. It had the look and feel of a disused tin mine but after talking to the owners and looking at the room we all decided that despite it being as basic as basic gets, it was cheap and had everything we needed, basically a bed....

So three night we stayed up in the mountains with our new Dutch friends Arlette and Sioux. We had some amazing games of scrabble, eat some great food with the vegetables picked right from the mountainside before us and walked around the national park. Disappointingly the weather was just horrific. It rained hard for the whole time we were there, shrouding mount kinabulu, SE Asia's highest, in a thick blanket of dense fog. For us it was a pain in the arse, for the climbers who had come from across the globe and paid literally thousands to climb the mountain for a clear view, it would be devastating.

After saying our goodbyes to our new Dutch friends we waited outside for our bus back to Kota kibabalu. The hotel staff informed us that we would just have to DIY outside the hotel and wait until a big yellow bus appeared. We waited for almost an hour in the freezing fog for a bus that when arrived was as full as was humanly possible and had the full-on whiff of a mixture of shit, piss and durian. Probably the worst combination of smells you ever could imagine. Well, maybe rotting rat would come close. We were on that bus for two hours, shell sat next to Borneo's answer to a pebble and I next to a man who insisted on grabbing onto the headrest in front of me instead of the one directly in front of him, why???

After one horrible bus journey we were then dropped unceremoniously into a bus station some miles out of town where we then had to cross two main roads with rucksacks to a waiting bus that was being driven by what looked like two ten year old boys. The bus was jam packed and had no particular route other than driving around in a random direction shouting at various passers by if they wanted to be squeezed on, which they invariably did. We were then dropped for the second time closer to the centre of town but what seemed like a rundown asda carpark. We were pointed in a particular direction which we duly followed around the maze of roads that is downtown Kota kibabalu until we reached lavender lodge, our hone for the next three nights. Another epic and ultimately challenging journey!

The next two days were then spent making sure we had everything ready for the next leg of our trip. Our voyage south to the antipodes and three and a half months spent counting every single penny, living off baked beans and self-made sandwiches. But you know what, we cannot wait.

After nearly six months spent travelling through a literal sweatbox, eating rice for every meal, drinking 10p beers, being cheered/mocked/heckled/loved/smiled (delete where appropriate) at or all of the above in the space of a day. Having to learn the (unlearnable) art of an Asian road crossing, getting used to squatting to go to the toilet, then learning to love it. Making friends for life from the four corners of Europe half way across the world. Learning to laugh when you arrive ill-prepared and without the slightest grasp of the local language at 6am on the morning in the pouring rain. And last and definitely not least, coming to the dawning realisation that here, here amongst the carnage and the anarchy, the noise and the grime, here is where the future lies. And what a future that could be. I for one, want in....

Much love, Tommo & Shell xxx

Cool as cats in Kuching........

Hey everyone, hope all is well back home! Starting to miss it.....in a way!

So in just under two weeks our Asian adventure will draw to a close, before that a Borneo adventure awaited us as we boarded our flight for the short swing over the south china sea to Kuching.

Before we knew it, we were on another packed highway, in a place that looked not one bit like the Borneo images you might conjure up in your head, you know, all dense rainforest and smiling Orang-utangs. In reality, this could be any-city, Malaysia. We were excited to be here and couldn't wait to explore but the huge malls and the rampant traffic just reminded us of other cities in peninsular Malaysia, not really what we had in mind but we'd give it a good go!

At the hostel we plonked our bags down then went in search of food. We found in the guidebook a place called the top spot food court which had rave reviews. Turns out this place took the whole top level of a large multi-storey car park and was inundated with stalls, all selling every kind of seafood you could possibly imagine, it was unbelievable. Whole Malay and Chinese families, some fifteen or so strong, sat around a large round table where waitresses piled plates of lavish seafood on top of each other. You just cannot believe that people can eat so much, it was incredible. Giant prawns, crabs and huge fish swam around in tanks all waiting to be chosen by the next customer. The prices were much cheaper than at home, maybe ten pounds for a kg of crab and maybe the same price for a huge whole sea bass or red snapper. Very cheap but still out of our budget unfortunately but we did manage to gorge on giant juicy prawns and the most tender calamari, beautiful.

Back at the hostel we were just shattered, we felt and looked ill. For the last four weeks we had steamed around towns and cities in the tropical heat and in flip-flops and it had last caught up with us. The next day, we slept late, ate an even later lunch and then took a picturesque boat tour up and down the Sarawak river that splintered it's way through the city like a giant brown snake. Kuching itself was instantly appealing and they had done a great job of sprucing up the waterfront to make a fantastic riverside walk all with the backdrop of the opposite side of the river to keep you entertained. On the opposite side stood a small White palace, an old fort, many traditional houses and the Sarawak state parliament, which has my vote for most impressive building in the world, it is simply stunning. Whichever way you look at it it doesn't fail to make you smile. It rises up like a solid gold circus tent but much grander and in perfect symmetry, whoever designed it must have been listening to an inspirational speech or something whilst he was putting his plans together, I can't express how great it is.

The next day we woke at 5.30am in preparation to go and see the Orang-utans in their semi-wild open habitat at Semangoh. We would have to catch a public bus twenty kms out of town and then be dropped off 2kms away at the park entrance. Funny thing was that when we went up to pay the park entrance fee we were met with a huge White notice with the words 'we now in fruiting season, chances of seeing orang-utans are zero, or maybe less than zero', in typical Malaysian gusto. Typical we thought, but on we went up the hill and through the trees to the centre where thankfully we were the only people around, this would not last...

About forty minutes later a few other people started to arrive. By 9am, just before feeding time, there must have been 200 people there. After a short briefing by the park ranger we were off into the woods to try and catch a glimpse of these amazing creatures. The park ranger had drilled it into everyone that noise would not be welcomed. This didn't stop the hoards of Chinese and Malay tourists who let their children run wild. it was infuriating, more so that they just didn't care. Morons!

Anyway, after about half an hour the tree tops started to sway and people started to get excited. All of a sudden two young ones appeared to peruse the selection of fruits available. Due to it being fruiting season many of the beasts were capable of finding food for themselves but for these little ones the chance to have food provided for them was too much to turn down. The best bit was watching the youngest of the two grab a coconut and spend the remaining thirty minutes trying his hardest to get inside it! He tried everything he could and eventually the coconut split and he could enjoy it's contents. The centre was a good place to visit and they are obviously doing a gallant job with these creatures but you can't help but feel that this is just another zoo showpiece.

The following day we decided to follow the lonely planet walking tour, taking in a slice of kuching's long history of British colonialism mixed on with it's obviously large Chinese population. I think we really got a feel for the place and sampled some fantastic local Sarawak coffee. We also had smiles and hellos from a lot of people, something which always warms the cockles in a new land! By now we were fully integrated into local Kuching life. We knew the best places to eat and drink and had some great games of scrabble back at the hostel (rock and rollers us).

The next morning shell and I got up at six to catch a very early bus up to Bako National Park, one of the highlights of Borneo's many natural sights. On the bus we met a couple of german guys so we could share out the cost of the boat journey to the park. When we got to the jetty the rain was already heavy and we also had to wait for nearly an hour as the tide was so low. Once on a boat though the beauty of Bako became instantly apparent, even though it was wet and miserable. We did a 7km looping trek through the jungle with one of the german guys called Sebastien. We were pretty shattered at the end as it took us through some wild and undulating terrain and as the rains were particularly heavy the tracks had turned to rivers, a real rainforest experience.

We did manage to spot a few bits of wildlife on the trek including a truly huge spider (biggest I've ever seen), a cheeky macaque monkey and a family of wild boars but the elusive proboscis monkey (the ones with huge red noses) remained to be seen...up until the journey back. Our boat driver suddenly pulled the boat to the right where there, high amongst the trees, was a small family of them. They were incredible and amazing to see in the wild.

Kuching and Sarawak had been great. Much like our journey north into Sabah, our options would be cut really short by how expensive it is to actually do anything in Borneo. It's incredibly cheap to stay somewhere and to eat but any tours and activities are just so expensive! Even so, for a few days Kuching is a great place to kick back and recuperate after mistreating our bodies for the past few weeks!

Anyway, were really missing everyone at the minute. We think its just the fact were right in the middle of our trip. Its also incredibly hard to keep having to say goodbye to new friends all the time, i really hate goodbyes.

Just a few days now until we leave Asia after nearly six months! Hope we can speak to some of you soon!

Much love, Tommo and shellface xxx

City trekking in Kuala Lumpur.....

Arriving in KL after escaping unharmed from pyschoville we wondered off the bus (as luxury as we have had so far we reckon) and into another chaotic bus terminal where groups of Indian men started eyeing us up suspiciously. What was instantly noticeable was the extreme difference in temperature, it felt almost as if you had been draped in a large, hot, wet blanket. It must have been fifteen degrees hotter. After some initial confusion and disorientation that comes with being in a new, large city we got our act together and found the metro system and the stop we would have to get off at, Masjid Jemak, right in the heart of Little India. According to the directions on the website our hotel was a matter of metres away from the metro station, should be a doddle we thought. Our first mistake was turning right when we should have turned left. Our second mistake was to keep walking in 35 degree heat with backpacks on in a huge circle, only to return once more to the same metro station where we had been 30 minutes previously. We then saw the hotel, next to the metro station. Idiots.

After our Cameron highlands lunatic asylum experience we were hopeful that the hotel room we had booked turned out to be as good as the increase in budget would suggest. Thankfully it was, it was beautiful. The bed was the biggest I have ever seen and the huge flat screen tv was a nice touch (not that we'd get to watch it!), we even got a selection of free biscuits, chocolate bourbons! We felt like royalty!

Anyway, after a much needed shower (we started to smell like soil), we were off into KL central to seek out cheap eats and to try to get some bearings. We found another cheap food court in another huge mall and gorged, despite the crowds, on two chicken claypot dishes. They are basically incredibly hot (as in ouch to touch) clay pots with various vegetables, rice and tender chicken. Really tasty.

The only problem, and we were pretty sick of it by that point, were the crowds, there were people everywhere. We were just fed up, Penang and the Cameron highlands were good but due to the national holidays it was just hard work. Fortunately today was the last day of the holidays so we were hoping that as we progressed through the next three days the crowds would start to ease a little, we hoped!

After an incredible nights sleep we both started the day with bundles of energy, so good! Nothing will beat the feeling you get in your first full day in a new and exciting city on a long trip. As we walked out of the hotel the sudden rush of heat, noise and aromas hit us, you've gotta love it. Our first call was a small southern Indian cafe where we munched on fresh roti and daal dip, apple juice and ginger tea. The guys in there were great and showed us an authentic Indian breakfast, we liked a lot and would be back.

From there we hit Merdeka square, a large cricket field flanked by impressive Tudor and Georgian colonial architecture. This was the site of Malaysian independence from Britian in 1957 but still maintains all the pomp and pageantry that you would expect from a city and a country with a big colonial past. We got some great photos from this area so you should take a look. Only thing at this point was the heat, it was just so hot!

From there we stopped at Masjid Jamek mosque, a huge and highly significant mosque in this conservatively Muslim country. We picked up some literature to try to understand this highly misunderstood religion before walking round to take in the surroundings. To do this though we both had to cover up so were thankful for the free hajib and headscarf (see photos-I look like a choirboy, Shell would make a good Muslim).

From there we joined the lonely planet guides walking tour of Chinatown, even though by this point, it was probably 1pm, we were beginning to melt. the tour was excellent. We stopped at a fantastic Taoist temple where a Chinese woman told us all about the Chinese new year, she literally popped out of nowhere bless her! This year is the year of the dragon and people born in a dragon year have to spend hours praying and generally work hard to appease the spirits compared to someone born in a rat or a pig year (mine and shells). She said the pig and the rat go well together, I'd agree, and if the last hotel is anything to go by then we also, much like our symbolic counterparts, like lying in filth. For lunch we stopped for delicious noodles and Chinese tea at a cafe that has apparently been open for 200 years. It was beautiful. It also occurred to me that Shell probably likes tea and coffee just as much as I do now, my mission is complete.

Back in the centre we headed towards the mammoth Petronas towers, KL's most famous landmark, and for good reason. As far as skyscrapers go it really is the dogs testicles. At one point they were the tallest buildings in the world, now they have the elevated default position of the worlds tallest twin towers, since 2001 of course. To look at they look as if they are going to be propelled skywards at any moment, they are magnificent and and a true feat of engineering. We got the obligatory photos before heading into the adjoining mall, KLCC, to check out yet more rampant Asian consumerism.

Out in the park we were stunned when two friends, a man and a woman, who looked as though they had just met for the first time in years were reprimanded by not one but two policeman, all for a short embrace. Its hard to understand when touring a strictly Muslim country and even though you have to accept it, these two people simply hugged for a matter of seconds. Did they really deserve the whistles and subsequent embarrassment?

From there we ate once more in the cheap delight of another shopping mall before returning back to the hotel shattered and sweaty ready to hit the sack.

The next morning we visited our friends at the local Indian cafe once more before following the guidebooks walking tour once again, this time of Little India. The tour wasn't as impressive as the previous days and took us to some strange and irrelevant sights, like a solicitors and an Indian clothes shop. I think they wanted us to admire the arty deco architecture, it just looked like Fratton to me.

From there we went by foot once more in search of Menara tower, the sixth largest tower in the world, can't really miss it then can you. We paid the entrance fee and took a lift to the viewing deck, 220 metres above the ground. It was an awe-inspiring sight, the 360 views were simply staggering and the position of the tower, in the middle of KL, meant that the views of the Petronas and surrounding buildings were even better than we thought. We even had an audio tour via one of those headphone sets at the top though every set they gave me seemed to break on entering my orbit. They gave me five sets that seemed to explode on impact, they were perplexed and the look on their faces were ones of pure disgust.

Also, as part of the ticket, we were given the opportunity to take part in a formula 1 simulator. Turns out Shell, as it happens, seemed to be a bit of a natural (grrrrr) and I seem to have the ability to make the car face the opposite way, even if it seems impossible to do so. I even had the indignity of the two members of staff snigger at me as we left due to being lapped by my girlfriend....there was nothing I could say.

From there we again walked (walking would be a prominent feature here) through the city to a mall that promised an indoor theme park, an indoor theme park! Even saying those two things together conjures up disbelief. We arrived expecting a trampoline, maybe even one of those rides you get in gypsy fairs that seem to want to dismantle every time they pick up speed. Instead the three floors of this mall had been turned into a mini Alton Towers, complete with rollercoasters and gravity defying contraptions. Impressive stuff.

If KL looked impressive by day then by night it looked almost surreal. The Petronas towers took on an almost otherworldly glow and surrounding it were other less tall but nonetheless impressive buildings. I guess Hong Kong or Guangzhou would be it's immediate equal out of the megacities we have visited but KL, unlike it's heavyweight Asian counterparts, seemed to gleam with the freshness of a country with a a very prosperous future.

Our last day in KL will probably go down as the day in which we walked the most of anywhere we have been so far on this trip. I did a 100km trek before we left the UK and my legs had that knowing feeling that we'd at done least a quarter of that distance during the day. Our first port of call was Batu Caves, a huge cave system 13km out of the city. After numerous wrong turns and at one point actually walking down a motorway (seriously), we finally found the correct metro station to take us there. Already the temperature was hovering around 33 degrees and we still had to contend with the 272 steps to gain access to the caves. Apart from many more potential monkey attacks from the vicious macaques on the way up, we managed the ascent pretty well. I think we're both feeling pretty fit at the moment.

The caves were huge and were guarded at the entrance by a 120m golden statue of a Hindu god. Unfortunately I think we had missed the areas most famous annual celebration, Thaipusam, where Hindu men tie very heavy items to parts of their bodies, including the genitalia, in a sort of masochistic show of religious devoteeism. Damn.

We then, maybe foolishly, decided to walk for the rest of the day. First up were the KL lake gardens, a huge, British designed and built, area of lakes, gardens, deer parks and tea houses. The fact that this was in the middle of a city was quite simply astonishing. Maybe on a par with NYC's Central Park for grandeur. After deciding that we didn't want to spend any more money on entrance fees we then decided to work back to Bukit Bintang, the unofficial centre, to eat at one of the delicious Arab stalls. We had been walking, in the heat of the day, for around five hours non stop at this point so made the 'mirage esque' food court and collapsed in a sweaty mess onto some chairs. KL, over four days, had finished us. After chomping down the last pieces of amazing chicken Shwarma's, (a Lebanese wrap-truly amazing) we dropped into to a coffee house and didn't move for hours. We did manage to book our tickets to Borneo though, Orang-utans here we come!

KL has been fantastic. We weren't too sure what to expect from a city that we had been told was just too sterile, too modern. Don't listen to them. It is a fantastic place filled with a heady mix of cracking food, a hundred different cultural influences and bags to see. We had a blast. Next stop, a bus further south to the historic colonial city of Melaka. Onwards!

Much love, Tommo and Shellface xxxx

Finding hidden treasures amongst Hoi An's riches...

So after yet another morning of having to get up with the Vietnamese (6am-they don't mess around!), we boarded the bus that had pulled up outside the hotel in preperation for the 4 hour journey south to the small, ancient town of Hoi An, a journey of 250kms. After finding out that we were yet again on the same bus as at least four other couples who we had met at other times in Vietnam we were on our way. After an hour or so of passing through increasingly rural backdrops it dauned on you that this area was a prime target for US air strikes that did so much to devestate a rich and fertile land, not that the people living around this area make a decent living off the land. On the road towards Danang, the biggest city in the area, you come across the desperation of some of the local population. As cars hurtle past they run as fast as they can to try and make at least a small sale. All they seem to be holding, these girls who must have been in their twenties, was a small collection of small skinned, lifeless chickens. The look on one woman's face as it became increasingly obvious that her neighbour had miraculously managed to wave down a car was heartbreaking. This isn't poverty at it's most destitute and detructive, they still have a roof over their heads and clothes on their bodies, just a desperate attempt to sell at least something that will provide at least some sustenance. The problem is with Vietnam, after being a here a very short while, is that people are absolutely desperate to throw off the shackles of poverty, to become as wealthy as possible. The problem is that if all the population have the same aspiration then they become less genuine as a result. The people, almost as much as in China, seem to be losing common sense, the ability to see clearly. Instead their unblinkered aspiration of wealth just creates problems. The evidence of which can be seen everywhere.

Anyway after being dropped off at the hotel we dropped down our bags and headed straight back out to check out the town. Before we got to the old town, an UNESCO world heritage sight, we ate at a fantastic little place called Streets cafe. This place, run by a serious-ish New Yorker who told us all about tightly woven rice paper (great conversation actually) is an absolute gem. It finances disadvantaged young people to become great chefs and waitresses which in turn means young people who try as hard as possible to create an astonishing eating and dining experience, all for the cost of a pint. Shell had a crispy pancake filled with pork and shrimps which came with coriander and lettuce and several rice papers for you to roll your own fresh spring rolls. I had Cau Lau, the local Hoi An speciality. It consists of big doughy noodles, thick slices of pork, greens, chillies and a great sauce in the bottom for you to mix around. It also had amazing croutons made out of crackling. Just incredible.

Walking around the old town two things came to mind. One, this was definitely the hottest we had been yet, we felt as if we were melting! Secondly, the abundance of tailor shops. Now Hoi An is famous for it's tailoring, that you can understand, but when faced with the choice of over 400 different ones it becomes just a slightly weird. How anyone could pick and choose between this lot is a mystery to me. We discussed the possibility of having some clothes made, in fact we sat with a couple of women and discussed our options but in the end we just couldn't think far enough ahead to be thinking about having suits, wintercoats and shoes made. It just didn't make any sense at this point in our trip. I'm sure we'll regret it one day but then hey, it's clothes, just things. Things we can without. Materialism helps nothing.

On the way back to the hostel we sat and had a beer in the delight that at 10p each, we had found our cheapest ever drinks, and they were brutally cold and delicious. Utter perfection. In fact this is how it would play out for the next few days, eating and drinking way too much, in increasingly beautiful restaurants but never paying more than the price of one appetiser back home, for the entire meal!
The next day we hired bicycles from the lady across the road and headed towards the beach, 4 kms away. On the way we passed yet more stunning scenery until we were whistled at by a man in a large pointy hat to pull over and pay another bloke who took our bikes and put them in a large cowshed, for safekeeping. Finally at the beach we were both pretty amazed at the sight before us, masses of white sand, gloriously warm sea combined with a perfect sea breeze. We knew Vietnam had beaches but we didn't know they came as pretty as this! We stayed there the whole day, I even managed to get in my first run of our trip as I ran hard down the beach towards Danang and China Beach, the spot where American GI's had there R&R time during the war. On the way back I literally ran into a group of fisherman pushing their boats into the water, I offered to help but I think they took one look at at my perspiring body and thought they'd better stay clear of this madman, sweating beer.

After a good few hours we cycled the way back, not before stopping at a place called Dingoes Deli for coffee and cake. Like a mirage appearing in the middle of a hot desert, the place came completely out of the blue, prteyy much in the midst of rice paddies and a few roadside shacks selling seccond-hand aftersun (seriosly). The menu was full of mouth-watering options for lunch so we decided to come back the following day.

That night we opted for a place highly recomended all around that went by the name of Miss Ly's. After hearing about a taster menu they do there we both thought it would be foolish to miss out on our first ever taster menu so we decided to treat ourselves and go for it. Five courses of delicious Vietnamese and local specialities such as the White Rose, a delicately steamed rice paper and crispy fried wantons stuffed with pork with tomato and shrimp salsa on top. I've said it once already but I will say it again, the food here is mindblowing.

The next morning we woke up fine but were to be irritated for most of the day by the guy on reception in our hostel. After asking to move rooms to a cheaper one to save a little bit of money he seemed to find everything so funny. Although you can't ask everyone to understand how saving a few dollars a night is extremely important to us, you can try your hardest not to be a twat and laugh at these cheap little foreigners. He even had the audacity to talk to me then start smirking and turn around to his little Viet mong and start talking so that we couldn't understand whilst blatantly talking about us, in front of our faces. Now we have met some amazing Vietnamese during our time here but he is not one of them. It's Ok though, because he both looks and sounds like a mix between a Vietnamese Alan Carr and a school prefect.

After hiring bikes again from the very exciteable woman opposite the hotel (I think she likes us, someone has to!) we biked it down to the beach even though the weather wasn't as great as the previous day. As time passed the weather gradually improved until it was once again, blisteringly hot. By this time a large group from some indeterminate Eastern European country came and jumped into the sea despite the fact the red flags were out. We both laughed as we couldn't help but notice their strange choice of swimwear, all tight multicoloured speedo's and brown thongs. Stereotypes, sometimes, really do ring true.

Stopping once again at Dingoes Deli we ordered sandwiches, as we craved western style food for the first time in a while. I ordered a sandwich that came with at least ten different ingredients in! All this food and drink got us talking about how we've not had a bad meal in all of our time in Hoi An, well in Vietnam for that matter. If food is your your love then Hoi An is definitely your heaven...

The next morning at breakfast a spider the size of a small boy ran under our table, it literally looked like something out of Alien and for the next ten minutes after it made it's dash to the outside, I was shaking. But then so was Shell. We've had lizards, cockroaches, ants and birds in our rooms so far and we have been fine but spiders are a different matter. And before you all start saying things like 'wait till you get to Australia' or along those lines, I was there and I've seen the buggers, they are huge and deadly. This one though was the biggest I have ever seen and it had the purpose of a mental patient.

Outside the weather was appaling, real Monsoon conditions that didn't show any signs whatsoever of letting up as we made the 50kms or so to My Son, pronounced Mee Sun, Vietnam's prized archeological sight. Compared, quite unfairly (according to the guide) to Angor Wat, it is a huge complex of ancient ruins dating as far back as the 4th Century AD. Unlike Angor Wat though, My Son is very much in ruin. Apparently used a base by the Viet Cong during the war, the Americans sent in the bombers and obliterated about 85% of it, in typical 'precise' fashion. Even so, the building work was so consistently good that much still remained, including three enclosed temples. Despite the continous bombardment of rain and the increasing crowds all trying to take the same photos, it was an interesting morning, well worth the £1.80 entrance fee. Shell seemed to really enjoy snapping away, I however stood on the sidelines feeling grumpy not so much with the rain but with the irritating tourists. I just couldn't help but feel that everyone tries so hard to take these 'perfect' photos that they miss 50% of what is in front of them. It's such a shame!

Still, we are having an absolute blinding time, Vietnam is beautiful. Hoi An has given us so much in such a small amount of time. It has a great beach, amazing restaurants, an old-town of UNESCO status with a river running through it and the cheapest beer I have ever seen. Go, you will not regret it.....

Much love, Tommo xxxxx