Macau

I'm drafting this on the plane on the way back home - it is strange that I refer to Nanjing as home. 

Macau was a fleeting visit but we had enough time to take in the Portugese influences and see a few of the sights. I don't think you could do two days there unless you had the money to stay in Vegas style resorts or wanted to gamble. 

As my last holiday bonus photo. When ever you are feeling gown, just think of the catch phrase of Macau and you will smile. I think it is just as good as the I love Beijing Acronym. 

A wander down the river

After an afternoon of relaxation in the hotel we went into town for a wander and a bite to eat. The girls had some Baskin Robins and we reminisced BnR in Qingdao with the Bowlers so many years ago. We went to a rather swanky place for nibbles then wandered down the river and home. Lovely evening. 

...and as per usual, here is the bonus photo. I love the way I captured the whole family wilst they we're travelling at 65kmph over the bridge. 

Marble Mountain

While Luke was at the hotel resting his dicky knee the girls and I walked up Marble mountain. Possibly not a walk best suited to jandals but we managed with only Isla taking a small tumble. The view from the top was pretty impressive and the breeze much appreciated :-) The caves were amazing, in the biggest one there was a huge stone Buddha carved into the wall looking down on the main cave 'room'. Super cool! Sadly couldn't capture the image as it was too dark. 

Inside the main cave - 

                                      

Other places of interest up the mountain...

                                                                 

View from the top - 

    

Mia's school trip to Vietnam

Post from Mia - 

My trip to Vietnam was amazing! We were there for roughly a week and arrived home last Saturday (I'm sorry that I didn't write sooner). The day that we left for Vietnam I had to wake up at 4:00am, which was not fun... I was a very tired sausage. On the first flight, to Hong Kong Airport, I was fortunate enough to have been seated next to my friends :) We then had 5+ hours at HK Airport. Which we spent shopping and wandering which was actually a lot of fun. I was tempted to buy several books from Page One but I thought that it would be more practical to buy books on the way home; so that I didn't have to carry them on the trek. We arrived in Hanoi late that evening and were swiftly escorted to the Eden Hotel. Which was a lot nicer than the hotel that I stayed at in Cambodia. It even had a mini buffet breakfast with eggs and bacon! (slurp;)
On the second day, we took a five hour bus ride where we were supposed to start our trek. On the way we stopped in a small village for lunch. We had some delicious local food and then had a look around. There were a few stalls here and there. They mainly sold the likes of traditional clothing, key rings and bracelets. I bought a few bracelets from a girl and her younger brothers for Isla. On the way back to the bus I spotted a GIANT spider! It was easily bigger than the palm of my hand. Needless to say, I didn't stick around for long. The first leg of the trek was 9km and, unlike a fair amount of my class mates, decided to carry all of my belongings. Which weighed an approximate 15kg! The scenery was absolutely stunning... I was speechless. Im not sure where we were exactly... But we were in a valley of sorts, surrounded by mountains and terraced rice patties. When we arrived at the first camp I was exhausted! But I managed to stay up for a few hours afterwards, to play cards with my friends. I learnt how to play Blackjack, Catch the Joker and Texas Holdem Poker. All of which I am fairly good at; I got a straight in poker in my first hand and I went all in!

The next day, we did some community work at a local primary school. We picked up rubbish and did a lot of gardening. After that we taught some of the children "Head, shoulders, knees and toes. Knees and toes!" which was adorable! Most of the children were about 4-5 years old.

The next leg of the trek was 20km... We were walking for a very looonnng time and a large portion of it was up hill. We stopped for lunch around noon in a small village. The food was delicious! (Especially the bread). Then we walked another 5km to the next camp. We stayed there over night and had delicious banana pancakes for breafast the next morning. Although, it wasnt your typical banana pancake... Its hard to describe, but it was delicious all the same. 

The next day, we walked another 14km. And the view was amazing! We were right up in the mountains, so the trek was mainly downhill. Then we walked through another small village and right down the middle of a rice field. We also saw some local kids along the way, and we stopped to play soccer with them. Eventually, we arrived back at the bus. We then had a brief lunch and we thanked our guides. Then we hopped on the bus and drove back to Ha Noi. 

We stayed in the same hotel and went out to a nice restaurant for dinner. When we sat down to eat, there were little cups of clear fluid by our plates. We all asumed that they were cups of tea... We later learned that they were mini shots... Our teachers had a mare and quickly collected them up before any of us drunk them. The food was amazing, my favourite dish was the spring rolls. 

Then next day we drove to Ha Long Bay. We stayed over night on a floating hotel and I ate crab for dinner. Which was surprisingly tastey :) We then stopped by at some caves that the French discovered in the early 1900's. The caves were huge! We then stopped off at a little beach and went for a swim. Oddly enough, the water was freezing! But, unlike the majority of my peers, I was unfazed by it; I found it refreshing. 

The next day, we went back to Hanoi. That afternoon we also went to a market where I bought a really pretty coconut bowl. That evening, after dinner, we went to see a water puppet show. Which I believe is a performance that Ha Noi is renowned for. I really enjoyed it, there were even fire breathing dragons.

The next day we flew back to nanjing, where Mum and Dad picked me up from the airport:) Overall, I had an amazing time.

Dining in Da Nang

So our first local restaurant experience was just that...an experience! Highlights were the karaoke that started (unexpectedly) just as our drinks were served. This caused tears as the lady singing hurt Islas ears to such a degree that both girls wanted to leave before the food arrived. Luke and I enjoyed boar ribs passing on the 'stir boar exhaust' and delish pineapple and lemongrass steamed fish, no fried frog discharge for us....

 

                                       

           While we laugh about it now, girls considered it an epic fail as far as restaurant choices go. 

          

        Note the lady with the mic in front of the green sign, ears didn't ring for too long after dinner :-)

Today we went to the beach, swam, read books and drank coconuts. A beaut day!

 

   

Infinity @ 6am

Sadly it was a bit overcast and there had been a few showers in the night to drop the temperature, but wow, what a pool. 23rd floor and overlooking the beach. 

Da Nang

Well we are at the big city, but as we are at the beach we see none of it. We have an amazing apartment with two bedrooms that looks over the beach and has an infinity pool on the 23rd floor which I will try out in the morning before breakfast. We've just got back from an afternoon at the beach in front of our hotel and thinking of finding some Kai. 

And the bonus photo that you may choose to pronounce as you wish...

But what about Sezzy????

Yes I was on this trip too :-)

Thoughts.... For me Hoi An was a bit like a Vietnamese Queenstown without the adventure sports; some great shopping, superb local cuisine, spectacular vistas and tourists out number locals 2:1. 

Hoi An... The rest

Well, clothes have been made, streets have been strolled and many a fine morsel has been devoured. We toured the ancient Hindu temple ruins of My Son then travelled along the river back to Hoi An. The ruins were pretty amazing, but sadly they were a hiding place for the VC back in the war (40 year anniversary of it ending is in a few weeks) so the temples of My Son got worked over by B-52 bommers many times. Tomorrow we leave for Da Nang and are looking forward to some sandy beaches and cool water. 

This pond is My Son's biggest bum hole (I think he probably means bomb, but never let the truth get in the way of a silly story)

...and Lolo, we feel the farm could do with one of these. 

Then like a hidden bonus b-side to a record there is a special treat photo for those who read to the end of the blog - you may need some imagination with  the pronunciation, but it made use all chortle). 

Hoi An - day 1

This is a pretty magical spot and we had an awesome day just wandering the streets. The people are friendly and don't push a sale too hard, the architecture is amazing and the food is pretty good. I'm sitting outside in the tiny wifi zone listening to a rooster crowing and realising that life is pretty good. What will today bring?

...and a random street rooster to wish Connor a happy 20th birthday 🍻