Road to Vietnam

Greetings All

After a 13 hour drive from Laos to Ninh Binh, Vietnam, let's just say we are glad to be here ALIVE

We've all heard it before, about the traffic in Asia. Well, it's true folks. Like one of the people we are travelling with put it, "it's a once in a life time experience!" - ONCE in a lifetime.

As I write this the cars and trucks are screeching and honking their way down the streets, weaving around eachother like maniacs. Maybe the force is with them and they just know that when they pass on a blind corner on MOUNTAIN RIDGE that there just won't be a car coming the other way. Mountain ridge passing is nothing compared to the stunts they pull off in the city. Picture this: a donkey pulling a cart with a man and a load of live ducks, I mean a LOAD of piled up LIVE ducks! MILLIONS of scooter riders donning masks to cut the choking fumes of the road. Semi trucks. Cars. Children on bikes, often doubling up. A family of usually four on a motorcycle. Old women on bikes carrying a mind popping load of cans, I'm talking cans somehow attached all around the bike up to her nose, leaving enough room so she can, well, SEE! OK, got all of that pictured. Now, imagine all of the motorized vehicles going about 40 to 60 K an hour, no traffic lights and NEVER stopping. Every single moving thing weaving in and around in a kind of organized chaos. Add to it LOUD horn honking and the occassional HOLY fuck from Alex sitting next to me. While I sit bug eyed and white knuckled with a permanent Wallace (a la Grommit) expression on my face - then, you have an idea of what we endured yesterday for 13 hours.

Travelling is all about the experiences - sometimes they aren't great. Those are the ones that make you appreciate the hell out of home.

It's about 8:30 on Saturday morning and we are about to depart for Halong Bay via overnight boat....time to chill out and aquaint ourselves with this beautiful country. Personally, I'm looking forward to the food in Hanoi (supposed to be some of the best in the world) and seeing about having a dress made there (they are reknowned for inexpensive and lovely tailored clothing).

LOVE
A&A