Vietnam

We arrived in Ho Chi Min City (Saigon is what everyone actually still calls it though) after a harsh 13 hour bus ride from Cambodia. It was very clear straight away that Vietnam is much more developed and richer than Cambodia and the women have a very determined sense of chic... which includes a surgical style facemask. Yes indeed they all seem to want white skin so badly that the sun is kept off their faces by these fashionable and colourful masks - its very bizarre to see !
We went to the War Museum and I learnt how terrible Agent Orange was, and how brutal the after effects are, amongst lots of other grizzly facts about what they call, the American War. After that we needed a drink and of course Lizzy was just about able to remember where the best Cocktail Bar in town was - on top of a roof terrace of a posh hotel over looking the city called Saigon Saigon.Nice. I must also mention that the number of mopeds has to be seen to be believed - crazy and not a little scary when you're amongst it !

Next up was the picturesque hill station of Dalat.Up in the mountains and rather colder than we had been used to, this charming place is a bit like the Alps in Spring. We couldn't resist the Easy Rdiers Bike Tour of the area and spent a wonderful day learning about the countryside's ways and sights with Jean and Ting our lovely guides. We saw silk worms making silk and then the factory where the people finish the job. We visited flower farms , coffee plantations , a huge Pagaoda (a Buddist Temple) and learnt so much about Vietnam, its history and culture on our trip on the back of these mean machines with these incredibly gentle and warm hosts.