Hue, Hoi An and Whale Island

Well, we had drizzle in Hue but enjoyed a day on a river boat dodging showers when we got off to see various mausoleums of long dead emperors and magnificently decorated pagodas and had a great time. It is amazing how dry one can stay under a plastic bag mac! Iain took a spectacular slide down some slippery steps but fortunately didn't even have a bruise to show for it - just more dirty washing! We then travelled to Hoi An - a lovely relaxing riverside resort with several interesting temples and halls where we stayed for two nights enjoying excellent seafood and relaxing in the riverside bars after having done the cultural bit. The sun came out for us so it was very pleasant especially as the hotel had a nice pool - in which we had a swim at 10.30pm despite the coolness of the water it was very refreshing! I also took the opportunity to have a bit of a haircut (which Iain perfected), and a massage - the lass was a much better masseuse than hairdresser! Then we had a ten hour coach drive to Whale Island which we reached via a boat journey of 15 minutes. A beautiful place which we all found very relaxing and no-one wanted to leave. Snorkelling was not great as the sea was plankton soup but many broght blue starfish and spiny sea urchins. We had a lovely 2 hour walk around the island as well. Now we are in Nha Trang for a day (look it up, Alan!) on the coast before taking the overnight train to Saigon tomorrow. Lots of love to everyone - Ann and Iain

Good to hear from Hils and Lizzy - can you get Iain to check in?
Lizzy - we're not sure about your music system - if you don't find it we'll take a look when we get home (on 25th Jan). Your Dad thinks it may be in his office. I've run out of credit on my phone but will try and get a Vietnamese Sim Card and ring soon if I can. The main problem is the time difference! Iain - we'll try and ring you on your birthday but if we don't manage it because we are in the Meekong Delta then, take a look at your bank balance on 16th and have a very happy birthday. Give Erin and Phoebe a hug from us...missing you all even though we are having a great time! loads of love Mum and Dad

Halong Bay

We have had a wonderful time in Halong Bay. Sailing around spectacular limestone karsts rising out of the South China Sea, on an excellent boat with private double cabins with tiled bathrooms. After a lunch of fresh tiger prawns, crayfish, octopus and grilled fish we relaxed on deck and then when the boat stopped we all went kayaking - our first time but it was very stable and we enjoyed it. Sea kayaks are apparently bigger and more stable than the small ones you see on TV doing white water racing. Unfortunately Iain had decided not to risk losing his glasses so couldn't see much and I had to yell steering directions but he still veered to the right! The sea was warm but there are so many boats in the bay it is beginning to get polluted and the current was strong so we didn't swim much. We had sea food again for dinner including stuffed crab and various prawns and fishes prepared in different ways and after a fairly reasonable night's sleep we sailed on to moor up and visit the largest cave yet discovered in the karsts. Unfortunately the boat had to dock at Halong Bay before midday so that was all we were able to do - we were hoping to go kayaking again! We also had to have lunch at 10.45 which seemed a bit strange but the food was so good that we coped! Once back in Hanoi (3.5 hrs drive) we repacked and sent a parcel of clothes etc to Hilary (just in case it turns up before we get home) and all went out for a meal in the evening. Today we went to say hello to Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Min) as he is now returned from his makeover in Russia. He looks good for someone dead for forty years! Then we visited the Museum of Fine Arts and the History Museum - both excellent and very interesting. We're back at the hotel again now and going out for a meal together before we catch the train at 11pm, so that's all for now. Lots of love Ann & Iain

Treking

Well - we're back in Hanoi having been out in the hills on local homestays for the last two nights. First night was unbelievably cold - even with clothes, sweater, fleece and two thick blankets cum duvets! But the walking was through lovely countryside, paddy fields and mountains; an easy 2hr incline on the first day followed by 15Km the second day, most of which was down the mountain - my muscles are still complaining and even Iain felt it! After an easy walk this morning and an excellent lunch in another white Thai village we had the 4 hour drive back to the city. The homestays were in Humong and White Thai village houses which had a large room for mattresses etc where we also ate. At least we were warm the second night and the washing facilities were marginally better! I'm glad it was only two nights though - makes you appreciate the creature comforts like a hot bath! The food was cooked by a couple of chefs who travelled with us and was excellent - amazing to see how they produced the meals in the homestay's kitchens over open fires and where you had to mind your head because of the stalactites of congealed smoke and grease of ages! Many houses (especially those of the white Thai) in the rural areas are built on stilts so the livestock roam underneath - very noisy at 5am! The hill tribes still worship their ancestors but 80% of Vietnam is Buddhist.
In Hanoi we have already spent a day sightseeing - a magnificent temple dedicated to Confucius (the original university and host to this year's graduation ceremony that afternoon), Ho Chi Min Mausoleum (he is back from a makeover in Russia but the mausoleum was shut so we will go and say hello on Saturday), the One Pillar Pagoda and the market where we bought flip flops and a torch that doesn't work! I also have had a beautiful Vietnamese over-dress and trousers tailor made which look fairly spectacular and I intend to wear at Christmas!
The market seemed to be mainly children's clothes in vast quantities and reflects the fact that the population, like most of SE Asia is weighted towards children. Here, as in India the Government is trying to limit the population growth but being quite unsuccessful in the rural areas. The economy appears to be growing with a lot of new houses (these look very strange as they are tall and narrow and contain one room on each floor due to rates being based on the width of the frontage).
Our first impressions are of the amazing number of small motorbikes and the lack of litter as compared with India. Roads are generally better and we enjoyed walking around the streets without being pestered (so much, anyway). Hanoi is much more laid back in feeling and considerably quieter than most cities we have been to recently.
Finally we are pleased to hear that Bangkok airport is open again without bloodshed but we feel considerable sympathy for anyone who had been stuck there including a woman who was supposed to be joining our tour and hasn't yet managed to.
We are off to Halong Bay for a night on a boat which should be good, and will be back for a day in Hanoi on Saturday before we take the overnight train to Hue (I think it is Hue but I don't have the itinerary to hand) so goodbye for now. Do keep in contact by posting - we love to hear from you all! Lots of love Ann & Iain
PS: Andrew:Tell me a few brands that are okay for you and I will see what I can get!

Vietnam

Greetings from Hanoi! No time to update now as we're off treking - back Wednesday when we should be able to do a new post. All well with us...lots of love Ann & Iain

Lakshadweep Islands

Firstly we only heard about the troubles in Mumbai yesterday on the plane over to Kochi (various papers available in flight reading) - obviously the main feature together with the unexpected monsoon conditions in Chennai. Thankfully we missed both and as we fly out from Kochi to Hanoi tonight, as we understand the troubles are continuing we hope the flights won't be too disrupted so far south.
We are both very well and thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Bangaram. Formerly known as the Laccadive Islands we took the train very uneventfully to Bangalore and got to the airport to discover Jet had cancelled their flight to Agatti (main island). No problem they organised seats on the earlier flight with Kingfisher only for us to discover when they eventually phoned our agent that he had already done so and was waiting for us to get in touch! 4 seats for us then! Shame he hadn't left a message for us at the airport; anyway from Agatti (one runway with sea either side and an open thatched hut as the transit lounge - lovely!) there was a 90 minute boat ride to Bangaram and we saw dolphins and turtles en route. We are quite laid back these days so didn't worry when the boat conked out halfway! Soon the problem was solved with the longest screwdriver we had ever seen and we arrived on a perfect coral island in the cloud. Thunder and lightening that evening and very humid (90-100%) but food was excellent and wine was good if quite expensive! In the morning we were woken by the sounds of massive winds in the palm trees followed by monsoon type rain and the management came around to our hut with a large umbrella for us to use to get to breakfast! By midday the skies had cleared but it remained cloudyish and humid. We had a good 2 hour snorkel in the bay and saw loads of different fishes. Next day we did more snorkelling - morning and afternoon at different reefs in the lagoon and saw some 3 foot long fishes that scared Ann when one swam right under her, and lazed apart from that. Our third day dawned bright and sunny and much less humid- just like on the pictures - and we took a boatride out to a shipwreck and some further reefs. As Iain said - it was like swimming in an aquarium! We also swam with lots of turtles in the afternoon. Iain says I should be fit now for trekking in Vietnam!
We arrived back in Kochi and are staying at a lovely (but expensive) hotel in Fort Kochi right on the waterfront and with a beautiful garden and pool which we are about to go back to until we go to the airport tonight. We were just in time for our sunset cruise last night - the colours over the water were just unbelievable..... we were only out in the boat for 40 minutes but probably took as many photos!
We remembered that one thing we forgot to mention in our blog about our drive in the hills around Ooty, bearing in mind our previous comments about roads, was that a jeep overtook us too fast, got scared when a bus came in the opposite direction and went into some spectacular skids, teetering on 2 wheels and ending up on its side. We were all shocked but they soon righted the jeep and gradually everyone clambered out - just a few sore heads but no injuries - probably saved because there were so many of them squashed into the jeep and Ann's services weren't required, thank goodness!!
Fort Kochi is quite a picturesque little place with Chinese fishing nets and fish stalls but is dwarfed by the extended city of Kochi itself. Vasco da Gama used Kochi as a base and was buried here for a while, there is obvious French influence in architecture and the British did some major engineering work to make the harbour which is now being extended to take container ships and become one of India's major ports. The round the world yacht race is calling here in a couple of days and they are frantically trying to tidy up the beach and harbour area.
Anyway the pool calls so that's all for now... Loads of love Ann & Iain
PS: Hils, Andrew, Erin & Phoebe: We can't believe Phoebe is standing already - but we're very glad she's sleeping so well for you. Thank Erin for her present but if she eats them before we get back that's alright! What brand of fags does Andrew want? Is Paul okay? Also Iain - he hasn't texted us back yet? Loads of love Mum & Dad

South India finale

Hi again! I've managed to change settings to allow postings from anyone so it is easier to post comments and keep in touch - thanks Lizzy. We are off to Kochi again today and tomorrow fly out to the Lakshadweep Islands for some down time. Energy levels are not bad considering somewhat disturbed sleep last few nights and slightly upset tum. Not too homesick yet but thinking of you all so do post a comment or text now and again - although reception is somewhat haphazard. We enjoyed a beautiful 7 hours scenic drive up to Ooty (at 2,500m) although towards the end we were driving through cloud forest and it was raining. The drive down to Mysore the next day was also very scenic and through a reserve and a National Park in the sunshine this time! We saw wild boar, deer, elephants and monkeys. Mysore Palace which we saw yesterday is possibly the most magnificent building we have ever seen and the columns and stained glass came from Glasgow! It was built in the early 1900s to replace the original 600 year old palace which had burnt down. The city of Mysore itself is again properous and somewhat quieter, with greater Hindu influence compared with Kerala. That's it for now but we will try to update when we return from the islands in about five days time. Lots of love Ann & Iain

South India update

It rained today - well a few drops anyway! Humidity 90-100% so we are here in a cool internet cafe taking a break.
We had a great stay in Periyar Tiger Reserve - no tigers and precious little wild life but a beautiful hotel and the early morning walk in the reserve was lovely; as was a boat trip on the manmade lake there (48 square Km). This was constructed by the British as a leisure/fishing place and we saw nesting cormorants, otters, turtles, deer and a water snake! Then we drove to the Kerala back waters - a maze of natural and man made waterways with some very large lakes and rivers. We stayed on a luxury houseboat - a converted rice boat with two double cabins and three staff. Food was great and they even went into a nearby village to buy us a bottle of Indian wine! This is excellent but costs more than the meals themselves! For example today's lunch cost 65 rupees (less than a pound) but our wine last night cost 800 R. We had a very relaxing day on the boat away from the sightseeing and the towns but there was no air conditioning in the cabins so we didn't sleep so well. We are now in Kochi and we return here on our way back from Bangaram. Kochi is a large and growing industrial and modern city with a growing port for containers. IT and tourism figure greatly in the local economy; the latter especially in Kerala as a whole. Kerala is very popular both with Indian and international tourists as the landscape is rich and luscious, with many paddy fields on the plains and the backwaters themselves are very scenic. We had an interesting visit to a spice garden and saw many spices growing and Iain got attacked by mozzies! Spice is still a major export with tea, coffee and rubber - the tea plantations especially were extensive on the hillsides as we travelled to Kochi. We go to Ooty tomorrow which is in the major tea growing area and higher so should be less humid! It is obvious that Kerala is more prosperous than most of India and it also boasts the highest literacy rate of 97%. It is even more obvious here that Chistianity is the major religion which is surprising given that the Kerala government is Communist. Apparently they take turns in government every five years so the Communist government is tolerant of different views and faiths. That's all for now but we'll try and post in Mysore before we disappear to Bangaram; if not it will be when we return to Kochi en route for Hanoi. All our love - Ann and Iain