hello

hello

http://rammsmackstein.com/property.php?wait=k11sw57k4kt


Nick Drummond

from: Nick Drummond

Hi



http://tempatwisatafavorit.com/depression.php?happen=g96smmd4tmkv3sq





nickdrummond@yahoo.com



Sent from my iPhone

A Most Authentick Mappe

A Most Authentick Mappe, originally uploaded by NickIsConfused.

Thanks to Adam for this piece of magic we came home to.

I have yet to come up with a good way to add up the total distance.

We're Home

Pham Ngu Lao, originally uploaded by NickIsConfused.

A 32 hour journey door to door and we've made it back.

Because of the route (through Hong Kong and London) our flight back weirdly took us past all of the places we have come through on the way to HCMC. Three months to get there. 32 hours to get back.

Vietnam photos now up. From Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh via Halong Bay, Sapa, Hoi An, Hue and Mui Ne.


Oh, and the weigh-in? Looks like I now weigh 10st 5. I assume this has more to do with being ill for a few weeks than the healthy lifestyle.

Time for a hair cut.

This is the end...

A long time since our last post back in China.

A lot has happened.

Good things
-----------
- Arriving in Vietnam to the bustle and familiarity of Hanoi
- Breakfasting in Tamarind in Hanoi (one of our haunts from our last visit here)
- meeting up with my uncle Steve and Shane for our first few weeks in Vietnam
- two days cruising around Halong Bay, kayaking and swimming in the sea
- Trekking in Sapa, making spring rolls with the locals and getting drunk on Rice Wine
- Drifting around the old streets of Hoi An and buying our first real piece of Art
- Splashing about in the waves at Mui Ne

Bad Things
----------
- Border crossing into Vietnam in the middle of the night
- breaking my camera on the train
- Getting ill in Sapa half way through our trek
- Everyone else getting ill
- Having to fly from Hanoi down South because of illness/time/availability
- The overnight train ride South in soft seat class
- Soon having to leave

Vietnam has been great but a bit more up and down than the rest of the journey (and we thought it would be the easiest bit). We've seen a lot and its been very mixed - Sea and Mountain, City and Village, Hot and cold, Dry and wet, Comfortable and not so comfortable. One of the smallest countries we've visited has provided us with some of the biggest extremes.

We've just checked out of our luxury beach resort we've stayed in for a couple of nights and it's felt like a real break from the craziness. One more day tomorrow in Ho Chi Minh City and then we fly home. We'll be sad to leave, but are now really looking forward to seeing everyone, sleeping in our own bed, stroking our cat and, strangely enough, even excited about going to Tescos.

See you soon!

PS Unfortunately, due to a virus I have to leave posting the last 3 weeks photos until I get home - not worth the risk losing them.

Yulong Calm

Yulong Calm, originally uploaded by NickIsConfused.

Yesterday was fantastic.

We couldn't top it so I've tried to get caught up on our photos so you can see how beautiful the area is. The Yulong River is the highpoint of China for me.

Last Days in China

Hi everyone,

I'm sitting in yet another hotel lobby, this time in Yangshuo in Guangxi Province.

You know the place (if you are from the UK) - its the area in the HSBC advert where the fisherman uses Cormorants to catch fish in the river and the background is a stunning maze of limestone peaks.

This has always been my top destination in China so I was excited to arrive in Guilin after another overnight train - from Shenzhen on the Chinese mainland side of the border with Hong Kong. We didn't expect to be in Guilin for long before taking the boat down the river to Yanshuo, but it had a lot of charm about it.

For a start, as busy as it was, things have been (on average) getting smaller and quieter and more sedate as we head further South. It was lovely to be able to spend a few days around the lakes and rivers of the city as well as arrange a tour to the Dragon's Backbone rice terraces a few hours North of the city. We're getting a bit tired of organised tours in China - the herding and the noise. If I were to visit the terraces again (which were pretty nice) then I'd try to do it independently and stay the night in the villages to avoid the "rush hour". Of course we also booked the boat down the Li River from CITS and actually, once we were onboard, it was alright. To be honest you could have floated down the river tied to a fairground with lunatics whipping you with bamboo and you'd still be happily distracted by the amazing scenery. Suffice to say I ran through memory cards like someone with DTs in their trigger finger. I was sure you couldn't take a bad
photos of the rocky karsts decorating the meandering river on both sides but on reviewing mine later on I found this is not the case.

The boat (or fleet of boats) finished its tour in our present location - Yangshuo. It is so easy to be in this town as a tourist. Plenty of good food and easy to access scenery and a buzzy sort of place. I'd love to see what it was like 10 years ago - probably a bit more laid back - many of the Chinese tourists here seem to be into very loud music and partying. I fear that in 10 more years this place will no longer exist but will turn into Blackpool (visitors from years ago may say this has already happened).

But it is easy. So on day 6 we are still here. A few days of cycling around the Yulong River and a Bamboo raft ride down the river from Dragon Bridge were just brilliant and peaceful - you really felt like you had got away from everything. We also went to see a show "Impression on Sanjie Liu" by Olympics ceremony director Zhang Yimou - it was fantastic - hundreds of people, amazing lights, and the karsts lit up in the background - the whole performance was on water.

Anyway, some more difficult decisions today about where to get lunch so I shall leave you now. Tomorrow we begin our journey to Hanoi and our last month in Vietnam...

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com