7 Aussies and I!

Since I'm not a man for being happy in other people's sorrows I'm not going to mention a certain football match, a certain country on the Iberian peninsula nor a certain hot tempered arrogant player.
Since this computer I'm on (which is closer to an Amstrad than a PC!) won't let me put pictures in I won't even put up a photo of a certain captain close to tears!

I'm back in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, but just for a couple of hours. Any fears I had about the trip to Halong Bay were compleatly unfounded, it was the closest thing to paradise I've ever encountered.
It didn't start too well, we woke up (late) to a thunderstorm and had to listen to a loud American girl scream at the tour guide. She didn't want to go in the rain, it was dangerous to be out on a boat, she wanted to go another day, she wanted her money back, she wanted, she wanted (typical Yank!)

On the bus we didn't manage to start a conversation with anyone and it seemed like we were in for a long two days. But by the time we got to the boat the sun was out, the boat itself was wonderful and we'd even managed to mingle with other people! Out of the 14 people on the trip, there were few too many Australians for my liking (5, with two more joining half way through) but not a single Englishman or American, so I wasn't complaining too loudly!

By the end of the first night (after some massive meals and the so-called "Astonishing caves") the six of us who were only supposed to stay one night decided to add another. We did some swimming in the deep blue sea, diving off the top of the boat. I somehow managed to hurt my eardrum, I'm told it has something to do with a change in pressure and being too stupid to hold my nose! And then at night, with the beer flowing we watched some football match ;-). The Australians, Welsh and French supported the Iberian team, the Japanese girls supported the "other" one.

The next day we did some sea Kayaking then went for lunch on the beach. It is the most absurd thing I've ever seen. A tiny beach only accessible by sea with a big table, chairs, serviettes and mountains of food! It felt like something from a film.
Then came the not so perfect bit, a 3 hour trek over mountains and rocks. The tour guide had conviently forgotten to tell us how hard a trek it was and so I was a little caught out in my sandals! One girl had to do the whole damn thing in her flip flops! There was a rather fat French woman with us who we had to pretty much carry up and down the mountain!

Finally we landed on an island last night and went out to a restaurant. Carwyn and Andrea, the Italian man (yes I know it's a girls name!) tried some snake whisky, with the cobra still fermenting in the bottle. I'm afraid to say I didn't go near the stuff, not because I was a wimp who was too scared to try it mind you, I'm a veggie aint I ;-) Before going back to a hotel we had time to see the tour guide try to sneak out of a "massage parlour"!We stayed up in the hotel drinking and when the guide finally stumbled back he was a little embarassed to say the least!

On the way back today I've done my very best to learn Vietnamise, Italian, Japanese and touch up on my French. I can't say I had much success on the Japanese, the way the girls kept laughing at me I imagine my North Walian accent didn't quite fit the lingo!

At the end everyone invites everyone else to come stay with them "next time you happen to be in Italy/France/Japan/Australia"! If I ever go to Australia I'm pretty sure I could see the whole country without paying for a hotel!

In about an hour we're stepping on to a bus and going towards South Vietnam, it's a SEVENTEEN HOUR journey - what fun! So goodbye, hwyl fawr, au revoir, sayounara, Tam biêt, Arrivederci and G'dday to all of you!