Hoi An

The bustling city of Hoi An was my next port of call, set right on the coast it seemed to embody the best of what Vietnam had to offer. My first impressions of the city weren't that spectacular, as it seemed at first glance to be an average city with above average beach and old Vietnamese architecture.

First impressions turned out to be misleading however, as when the night fell the city came sparkling to life. Lit as it was by the iridescent glow of floating lanterns, bejeweled lamps and the ruby red fire that poured from nearby temple lights. My days around the city were spent cycling around the gently fading architecture and browsing through markets. While my nights were spent meeting up with some old friends (and making new ones), exploring the many bars that crowded the streets along the river and occasionally lighting a wish lantern to send floating down the river.

I spent my next day renting a bicycle and taking a leisurely ride to the beach, the sea was a steely grey and I relaxed there with beer as various touts took it in turns to try and sell us some braclett or trinket. The sight of the day had to go to three overly ambitious tourists who attempted to take a jetski out on the roughsea. Non were injuried in the ensuing accident but it was quite the spectacle, resue included.

One my last day there I decided to take a tour to the Cham ruins of My Son, we toured spectacular red brick ruins that had been sadly diminished by the repeating bombing it had taken during the Vietnam war. Our guide proved to be a surprising source of amusement for us, speaking as he did with one of the most ear splitting and overly bombastic voices I've ever had the pleasure of hearing.

My time in Hoi An over I decided to move onto the city of Nha Trang.

Good morning Vietnam

After a few days spent bumming around Bangkok doing nothing particularly touristy (I watched The Hunger Games and had a Mcdonalds) I decided it was time to go somewhere new. Boy did I hit the ground running with Vietnam.

Hanoi was hectic, stressful and overwhelmingly eventful, but it was also spiritual, cultured, vibrant and exotic. In other words it was love at first sight. I spent the first half of the day wandering the streets of the old quarter. I explored temples tucked into corners, walked past streets packed with shops selling things based on themes (such as christmas decorations, childrens clothing and in one particularly beautiful example and entire street packed with flowers).

After all this excitement I was ready to head somewhere a bit more meditative so I visited the beautiful Bach Ma temple. Wonderfully decorated and filled with buddhist statues, ancient poetry, the waft of people giving incense and writhing with dragons that decended from pillars set into the rooftops it was a place of awe inspiring beauty.

After visiting the temple I parked my bum on one of the many street vending stalls and had my first taste of Vietnamese food. It turned out to be both variably in cost and flavour, ranging from the exquisite to the awful (as fitting a metaphor for Vietnam as you'll as likely to find).

I felt the need for something a bit more laid back after this so I headed for one of the many lakes in the city of Hanoi. It was an ocean of calm in an otherwise hectic city and I spent a good hour or two there relaxing and watching the comings and goings of the city.

I felt by the time I left Hanoi that it was time to go somewhere more relaxing so I decided upon the verdant hills of Sapa.

Bangkok part 2 - Shines and temples

After visiting the reclining buddha me and the other people from the hostel decided to travel to the main shopping section of Siem where we found ourselves at the euwan shrine. This brightly coloured pagoda in the middle of the square acted as a shrine to Brahma, four faced Hindu god of creation. And inside the square we found flocks of worshipers making offerings to him.

Kneeing before the statue with incense clutched between folded hands, the air was turned to a bonfire of richly scented smoke so strong it made my eyes water. While behind us woman dressed in brightly coloured and mirrored clothing danced and swayed, thanking him for some wish that had been granted.

The next day I decided to take it easy by perusing modern art in arts and culture center for bangkok, after taking in collections of mirrored blocks and rooms filled with painted cardboard boxes I headed out and walked round one of the biggest and most impressive shopping malls I have ever seen (it had a river with fish in it).

After getting an early start on the following morning, I headed round Bangkok for the last day, after having a delicious stir fried breakfast I headed for one of Bangkok's biggest parks where I watched catfish consuming the bread that was tossed to them. I then set out on the metro to a hindu temple where I made offerings of fruit and milk to the hindu gods ganesha, Swaraviti, laskhmi and Uma.

After all this excitement I explore the side streets by the temple accompanied by the music of prayers to laskhmi. I explore a shop full the brim with statues and altars to every possible hindu deity and a indoor thai market. Having explored the side streets to my hearts content I jump on the bts train only to jump straight off at the sight of a huge decaying skyscrapper.  Its decaying ruins remind me of an acient temple and i am throughly entranced. By exploring the surrounding area I find a small taoist temple where a slightly mischivious local directs me in giving an offering of incense to the local deities.

After all this activity I am throughly ready to relax and the next day begin my long journey to koh tao.

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