Vietnam in the Monsoon

We arrived in Vietnam at dusk on Wednesday, flying in over hazy skies from Singapore and descending into a full thunderstorm which lasted for around 2 hours. Our first introduction to Vietnam was therefore a wet one and although the first two hotels we tried were full, we managed to find refuge in a third in the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter.

The following day, somewhat rested but still suffering from the effects of jetlag, we set out exploring, trying to ensure that we didn't get hit by the seemingly thousands of motorbikes bearing down upon us. In order to cross the road here, it is necessary to simply edge out into the traffic and let the motorbikes and bicycles go around you as you walk. If such a thing is at all possible, the driving here is actually worse than in Morocco! (Although it is possibly less dangerous, given the small number of cars).

After checking out some temples (including the Temple of Literature, where a university was founded in the 11th Century AD) and Hoan Kiem Lake in the centre of Hanoi, we decided to book our train tickets for the 16 hour ride south to Da Nang. After being told to change queues at the train station at least 5 times, we were finally able to ascertain that because of a tropical storm which had recently ended in Central Vietnam, the trains had been cancelled and later dates were all booked out as people had been rescheduling their trips. (More on this in a later post). So we decided to head for Sapa in the north instead, which is where we are now.

To cap our culturally-rich and amazing day, in the evening, we watched a performance of the world-famous water puppet show in a theatre opposite the lake (see video below).

Singapore in a Whirlwind

We made a stopover in Singapore yesterday, spending less than 24 hours there. However, we did manage to soak it up as much as we could, staying out until 2 am the night we arrived and getting up early this morning.

Singapore is a true confluence of cultures, where West meets East. It also has a multicultural society, although its various ethnic groupings (in particular, Chinese, Indian and Malay) appear to maintain separate communities rather than integrating.

It is also a shopping and eating paradise - Tova's kind of place! (And mine, at least insofar as eating goes). And basically, that is all we did: shop and eat. We started off with some delicious noodles and chicken and rice in Chinatown last night (the night we arrived) and then moved on to masala and curry for lunch today in Little India (which really felt like a completely different city).

Everyone was extremely polite and helpful to us, one man on the street even pointing out some squirrels playing in the treetops in a patch of rather sculpted jungle. And at the Indian restaurant, the waitress told Tova she was sexy, or perhaps "too sexy" (we can't quite work out which) at least twice. I can only assume that this was a compliment!

London in Two Days

After returning from Oxford on Sunday night, we spent our last two days in London packing in everything we possibly could! It was tiring, but well worth it, as we saw some of the city's best attractions. Unsurprisingly, I totally loved Harrods, even though we only had a short time to browse this massive store. Our favourite part was the Food Hall, where we broke the budget on champagne flavoured chocolates, but the Egyptian Hall and Christmas World were also very impressive.

While we initially baulked at the exorbitant entry fee, the Tower of London was absolutely fantastic. We received a hilarious tour of the buildings from a real life yeoman, saw the Crown Jewels (incredible) and generally enjoyed exploring this ancient historical castle. Seeing West End theatre was also very exciting and we both thoroughly enjoyed the totally over-the-top and melodramatic Phantom of the Opera (my first and Josh's fifth(!) time).

We spent our last morning in London around Westminster, touring Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. These were real highlights of our time in London, as these are both incredible buildings where we got to learn so much about English history. We finished our time in the city with traditional bangers and mash and Devonshire tea and we can't wait to return to see the rest of it!

The Monopoly Tour of London!

Having never been in London before, it has really struck me while I have been here how steeped we are, as Australians, in British culture and history.

This is particularly the case when it comes to Monopoly. However, although it has been fun visiting Leicester Square, the Strand and Whitehall, and seeing signs for Kings Cross and Liverpool Stations, you can imagine my disappointment when we found out that they weren't coloured properly!!

In addition, it seems that things have changed and there is no longer any Free Parking available in London.

But on the bright side, it is good to see that the Policeman is still there, ready to tell naughty people to Go To Jail!

The Clapham Omnibus

It really exists!!

We saw this bus on our first night here and you can imagine my excitement! Unfortunately, though, the bus was just pulling away when we saw it so I didn't get the chance to ask all the reasonable men on board what their opinions (identical, of course) were on some hypothetical legal issues.

An Excursion to Oxford

Today we spent the day in Oxford, where we caught up with my friend Gareth and his partner, who were kind enough to show us around their alma mater.

Oxford City is absolutely charming, helped perhaps by the amazing weather we have been lucky to have here. Just like our Sahara photos, almost every photo we took there was postcard-perfect. And the same can be said of the beautiful English countryside we saw on the way to and from Oxford.

As the students are currently on vacation, we were able to spend the day exploring some of the colleges (including Christ Church and Exeter). We also climbed the narrow stairs of St Marys' tower for a great view over the city. However, the highlight of the day was a delicious traditional Sunday roast in a local pub that we enjoyed together with a glass of Pims.

During the day, we were also regaled with stories of Oxford traditions. A couple in particular stood out. First, students are required to wear full academic dress at exams, together with a red, pink or white carnation, depending on how many exams the student has completed. Secondly, a few years ago, some undergraduates stole a sculpture from one of the colleges and vandalised it; when they were found out, they were "rusticated" by the university (sent to the country for a term to think about their bad deeds - i.e. suspended).

I've always wanted to study at Oxford, and I have to say, this trip has helped to cement that idea - it is perhaps now just a question of when!

London, Je t'aime

Although believing that our exit from Morocco would be smooth, we had forgotten that whilst it is an international airport, Airport Mohammad V is still in Morocco! So, after waiting in the check-in line with only three people ahead of us for 30 minutes, only to be given a boarding pass that told us to board at 10.40 for a flight that left at 10.15, then to be faced with a two hour delay (with no information about what was going on), we FINALLY made it to jolly old England (thank god for the International Herald Tribune)...

... And we absolutely LOVE it! We were a little skeptical about the gushing of our guidebook, but this is a truly fantastic city where I would be more than happy to live one day. This perception hasn't been hurt by the fact that we've had absolutely perfect summer weather in the mid to high 20s, without a cloud in the sky. Something tells me that we might not feel the same way in the dead of winter.

After exploring the city the night we arrived, Day One in London was a classic. We spent the morning in St Paul's Cathedral, which was pleasantly different from the other cathedrals we'd already seen in Europe. This gorgeous building is the second biggest cathedral in the world (after St Peter's in Rome) and we viewed a panorama of London from the top of the dome. Afterwards, we visited Borough Market, made popular by Jamie Oliver, where we ate gourmet sausages amongst all the other different food stalls. The afternoon was taken up by the British Museum (which, by the way, has not lost it's charm), particularly the Egypt section, which houses the famous Rosetta Stone amongst other incredible artifacts. In the evening we saw Love's Labour's Lost at Shakespeare's Globe - in the standing section, which was a bit tiring, but nevertheless very enjoyable.

Other things we love about England: the tap water is drinkable, they have more than two dishes on any one menu, the people don't view us as walking ATMs, we are not suffering from heat exhaustion, the toilets have seats, toilet papers and are clean and there aren't 10,000 cats watching you eat. We highly recommend it!