Hanoi

Rock Long, Rock Hard

So much has happened in the last 2 days here, Sunday was the 1000th anniversary of Hanoi city, something that we arrived here a by chance for but just a once in a life time experience.  There was an insane festival around the city all weekend but Sunday was the big nite. Millions upon millions of people were on the streets just having fin enjoying the day. There were concerts and music all nite and just a good vibe in the entire place. That nite we went out with the group we had met on the hostel, tom the English guy, sam and Lauren the English girls and then the cork boys shane, cian, michael and Barry. Was such a good laugh and everyone was havin a great time. Had to go back early enough to get stuff together for the next morning but there was still fun awaiting ahead, got back to the room and the 3 English were in ours too and sam is a crazy girl started firing toilet rolls at tom on the other bunk and the chewing gum pellets too. Was so funny tho. Then a random guy cane into the room and told me to get out of his bed and got real worked up but Alv heard it and so did another girl they turned the light on and he quickly realised he was in the wrong room, he was the floor above, still he left but came back twice
more looking for an imaginary iPhone apparently so we soon locked the door and sleep time. But wow wat a great last day up here in Hanoi we have had. We went and booked onto the backpackers tour of Ha Long Bay and it quite simply was just breathtaking. Iv never seen anywhere as nice as the bay. Thousands upon thousands of massive limestone carsks dotted in the entire bay and we were on a junk boat with 34 other backpackers for 2 days/1 nite. What a tour it was. We left Hanoi yesterday morning and were loaded into a minivan bus that was takin us there. Was only 4 hours to get there but we were up at half 6 to be reAdy got half 7 but it was so hard after all the noise in the room the nite before. Got to the bay and were on the junk in no time. Sailed around the bay for the evening then stopped ankor and everyone went swimming. People were divin off every bit of the boat doin flips and crazy shit. Then after that we got twin kayaks and hit the bay ourselves. Out guide brought u to caves but then abandoned us and it was just like an episode of Lost or something. Then we were told to go to a beach, "only after there", he said, " that bitch" which we assumed he meant beach unless his ex wife is something was there. Anyway we rocked on over to Bitch Beach only to realise that oops there's only 6 kayaks out of 18 that was at the beach. We all arrived together and the episode of lost got better for the audience but no us. We debated what to do an waited for like 15 minutes before deciding to leave the beach in search of the Jolly Roger, our junk boat, coz we did not wanna be stuck there after subset which was looming. Although according to an Aussie guy it was 5 to 4 on the beach and then 5 to 4 about 15 minutes later in the middle of the bay but the sky was getting red. We ploughed on and actually found our boat in the bay which was amazing skill or shear blind luck. But getting back we discovered everyone else was still out there and we were first back. So then last nite was just crazy was just so much fun talkin to all the guys on the boat, the lads from cork and the two English girls and guy from our hostel room in Hanoi too. The name of the tour was the Rock Long, Rock Hard tour of Ha Long bay and it was just an awesome tour. The place is just crazy and so beautiful. Like u will never understand what this place is like unless you go visit it coz no photo could ever do it justice, if it looks good in photos just imagine what it's left being there in the silence of the bay under an insane blanket of stars and dark scaling mountains rising from the depths of the green water as if a hidden world is pokin through into ours. The bay is being considered for a natural wonder of the world and it should be.  

Good Morning Vietnam

Well were finally here in vietnam after one long ass journey. About 30 hours on a bus from luang prabang to Hanoi here in north Vietnam. Got here at like 1.30am Friday morning. It was just an insane trip to get here with roads that were like rollarcoaster rides with turns turning into turns with a shear cliff on one side and mega ass drop on the other. The views were just insane from the bus in te highlands before we got to Hanoi itself. So when we arrived we literally went to the hostel and crashed completely. Got up then after a fee hours shut eye and we were good to go again. So yesterday we went wandering the city and discovered the mayhem that wa sleeping when we arrived. Must be 3 million motos on the streets and the same amount of people just flyin around everywhere. Was crazy tryin to cross the street but now it's second nature. So went walking and discover the little pagoda on the lake which is the symbol of Hanoi and it's a cool thing just sitting proud on the lake. But when we were coming here we didn't realise that in the 10/10/10 this Sunday is the 1000th anniversary of Hanoi city and there is massive festival goin on. Seems to be the place to be right now so glad we arrived when we did coz all the accommodation is now fully booked with not a single bed anywhere at all. The city must have a population of about 5 million with all the tourists here for the festival. It's just pure Asian pagentry. So last nite we went out the the streets were jmed solid with every single Hanoian on the street celebrating. Was so spectacular so Sunday is just gonna be out if the world. Today then we went wandering again but everywhere us too busy to get into which sucks coz we wanna see the temples and all buy we gotta wait and see I reckon.   

Laos Laos Laos

Runaway Laos

Got the bus from chiang mai to here in Laos on Saturday. Wat a bus journey it was, 14 hours of fun on a coach that the aircoach would put to shame. It was ok we slept for a good but if it and seen so many stars, never seen so many in my entire life, it was just crazy. So we got here to luang prabang at 7 am Saturday and have been chillin here since. We went up to a viewpointvthe other evenin to see sunset and it was just amazing. The colours in the sky was just so nice. After that then we went to the night Market here which is real big and good to have a wander around in the evenings. So then the next day we went to a place called Pak Ou caves which we thought was going to be real
good but was so bad. It was purely just thrown together to make money off tourists. We went to an amazin pizza place here last nite tho. Was proper proper pizza that we haven had in te past month. Then today was the highlight of the last few days by far, got ourselves a little Suzuki bike and rocked around the montains for the day. Was so good to get away from the naggin tuktuk drivers and all that malark and be free in the road in the middle of nowhere. So we got it this
morning and went down to the quitest street and learned how to drive it, took maybe 5 mins to figure it out. Was such a cool little bike. We decided to drive 25km each way to a waterfall outide the town and it was so worth the trip. I drove out and Alv drove back, she was lovin it too until a massive uphill bit scared her soni had to do that but otherwise she was so good at it and gear changes we so smooth. So tomorrow we get our bus to Vietnam, Nam baby Nam, into a place called Vinh where we catch a bus to Hanoi so ya better watch this space. 

The Flight of the Gibbon

Last few days in Chiang Mai

So it's time to say goodbye to Thailand for the next month and half or so, today were headin across the border to Laos. Last few days up here have been so nice. It's so much nicer up here than Bangkok. It's heaps chilled out and the people are so friendly, up here ya know why they call Thailand the land if smiles. It's just well nice like.
So the nite before last we went to the historical night Market up here. It's on the oldest trade route in the world, connecting china to Burma via the old silk route. Was so nice that nite coz we bith got massages and it was so relaxin just to chill out. The Market was fairly big too and was well worth the visit. Yesterday then we went and did the flight of the gibbon through the jungle on over 2km of zipwire through the canopy of the trees. It's was soooo cool ip there and we got zomeamazing photos ip there so will put them up after we get to laos. Then last nite we headed out to a regae place with the 5 other Irish people that we had been talkin to here in the hostel. It was a good nite but we had to be up at 8 this morning to get our shit together for the trip. So willpost again when we get into Laos maybe in 24 hours or so.