Vietnam

Ah, Vietnam. Home of the hit song "Việt Nam Oi". Its definitely one of those places - You either love it or hate it here. I'd be sitting on the fence!

Let's remember, the recent history of Vietnam includes being passed from colonist to invader, back to colonist and then being invaded again and sent into civil war. This has all happened in the 70 years since the start of World War II. To say that they are a forgiving people is a massive understatement.

The generation of men and women who fought for the VietCong against the US Army are now part of a thriving capitalistic culture. Despite having 30 years of armed conflict with the US, they dress like Americans, idealise American brands and use the US Dollar as commonly as their own currency, the Dong. They just don't do begrudgery like we do in Ireland!

Landing in Hanoi from Singapore was always going to be a culture shock. I had almost forgotten how chaotic Asian cities can be. 4 lanes of motorbikes going in each direction with each pair going in opposite direction. Try linking your fingers together like you're saying the Our Father... This multi-directional mess is how one-way streets work in Hanoi.

After a few days in the smog of Hanoi, we went to see the Unesco World Heritage site of Halong Bay. Unfortunately, the masses of diesel-powered cruises have almost totally destroyed this natural wonder. What should have been a two-thousand-island archipelago was hidden under a grey haze of smog.

Further south in Hoi An, we were relieved to find people who were friendly for the sake
of being friendly. Kids happy to play ball with someone with white skin and locals smiling just because you take the time to say 'hello'. Its a lovely little town, with an abundance of tailors (damage done!) and great food.

A brief sick-stop in Nha Trang and we were off to the capital of the south. Renamed Ho Chi Minh City, but known to all and sundry as Saigon. Its a great city with plenty of energy, but more space to walk around and explore. Here, the Cu Chi Tunnels are an amazing network of 200km of underground living space built from the 40's to the 70's. They've widened a small portion of the tunnels so Westerners can fit in and have a look! The original tunnels were a
bsolutely minuscule so as to prevent entry/attack by French, Japanese or US soldiers.

A must-see on anyone's agenda for Saigon is the War Remembrance Museum. A gripping and shocking account of the US-Vietnam War, and the fall out for everyone involved in the use of Agent Orange. Decades on, children and grandchildren are still being born with deformities in the US as well as Vietnam. Next stop Cambodia, where man's inhumanity to man is as recent and probably more inexplicable.

Check out the photos

Sinagapore

A quick 2 nighter in Sinagpore, we went on an epic walk around the city catching in all the sites: colonial area, Clarke Quay, Little India, Orchard Road, Raffles (for a much needed refreshment!). A cool city with lots of charm, its so humid though we were diving into shops for a shot of AC. Photos are here. Next stop Hanoi, Vietnam......

Malaysia

Leaving the beachside haven of Bali, we were back in Asia proper, for the first time since leaving India in 2006. We were reminded of the 'S' of Asia... Sweat, Smell and Squat loos. In Kuala Lumpur, all of the above are readily available. Also fond memories being re-lived of people staring at Fi because of her desirable white skin and fiery red hair.

KL is the epitomy of the term 'melting pot', with a huge mix of Indians, Malaysians, Indonesians and Chinese. Shrines to Indian gods and devout Muslims co-exist in this bizarre "modern" city. It is a total clash of old and new, developed and neglected, east and west. It seems that KL can't really decide what it wants to be. As a tourist destination it offers little, but as a contrast it's definitely worth a gander.

So, again we decided we needed more R&R. There is a restaurant on Baggot Street called Langkawi, so when Fiona saw flights to there from KL, she thought 'I recognise that name, it must be good'. Luckily her logic served us well and we spent another week lounging and lazing. For anyone at home thinking "They'll get a land when they get home", yes we will and we are just trying to avoid reality until that moment hits! All the photos are here.

4 weeks til we land in Dublin... You may not believe us but we're actually looking forward to being back!

Bali

Boozy Bali, banging tunes, 24-hour night clubs, and cheap "massage". After leaving the lads in Perth, we had spent 15 days on a proper bender, and a pretty heavy 5 weeks in Oz. Thus, the things Bali is famous for were the things we went out of our way to avoid. We may be the first Irish citizens to ever spend a week in Bali, 100% sober!

So, with all that extra cash in our pockets, we splashed out on a fancy hotel for our chill-out holiday. Here we lounged, lazed and topped up on the tan (shade for Fiona). We also got tickets to the WTA Tennis tournament, which had 10 of the World's top-40 female players. In between games, I popped out to see the Player's Village, where there was a Wii Tennis screen setup. I found myself in a thriller against Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. I let her have a few aces, but then asserted myself on the game and ended up a comfortable winner. Mis-spent days in Rathmines finally pays off! Photos are here.