Good Morning, Vietnam - Robin Williams

On account of my daughter and family having arrived in Cambodia for a 3 year's stay just recently, it was all too much of a temptation not to delve into the archive and relive our own adventures there!

Having arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam an hour ahead of Rather Rotund William, a.k.a. Big Fat Billy, during November 2012, there was time to kill before setting off on what we loosely dubbed the

Southeast Asian Odyssey.

Billy showed up eventually and certainly no surprises at the airport exit door where the guarenteed throng of Taxi Drivers, Hotel Reps et al were laying in wait. Hobson's, but we made our choice soon finding ourselves at the Old Darling Guest House where we were to meet the owner Mr Fred. Like most of his ilk he had everything at his fingertips and so in the name of time saving we agreed to all but one of his suggestions, which was making our own arrangements for the evening meal.

With no intention of staying in the city for long, the main thrust was the sights and sounds of the city but more importantly the

culture including roadside restaurants and cafes,

did someone metion Culture?

The after dinner walk produceded our first bird

RUDDY SHELDUCK
By UK standards prices were miniscule so book a self select package rather than leave it to fate.  The first of these took us to the

(Just William)
Cuc Phuonge National Park

some miles south of the city as shown on the map.
PAINTED STORK

ASIAN KOEL
(female)

SCALY-BREASTED MUNIA

just to name a few for now and also spending a full day and night on a

JUNK

OLIVE-BACKED SUNBIRD

around
HARLONG BAY

in the
GULF of TONKING

DOLLARBIRD
as much for the hoped for skyscapes and birds as much as the vista.
With every single 'dong' considered to have been well invested we started our journey south in the first instance taking an extremely fast Long Finned Boat south along the mighty Mekong River as far as Hoi Ha before boarding the train to

SAI GON
which we still insist on calling Ho Chi Minah City

ORANGE-BREASTED GREEN PIGEON
A veritable power house of interests but still mainly centered on the Vietnam War and from the

Royal Palaces

and temples in their splender to the

Ordinary Joe in the Street
The excitement, if you could call it that when considering waht went before was a

A Meeting With Chairman Ho at the

VIETNAM WAR MUSEUM

we fired 'live'

M-16 CARBINES
The final experience could not have brought me more quickly to Earth as an
EX- SUBMARINER

there was never a thought let alone a concern about 'chlostrophobia' but in those

TUNNELS
it was a whole different matter which overcame me like a thief in the night.

Our young Guide the son of a Viet Nam Cong San Fighter himself could see my predicament so when asked how far to the end of the tunnel, OK, Sir, OK only a quarter of a mile - WOT! He was simply having me on as we exited 2 minutes later - never take life for granted!
A Wonderful, Wonderful County but now time to move on to Cambodia in day's to come.

Coincidentally, we watched the harrowing 'We Were Soldiers - Mel Gibson' on Sunday evening!