The last couple months in Asia have been amazing. Let's start with Cambodia. We reached Phnom Phen, Took a Tuk-Tuk to our hostel (which was my first experience of a Tuk-Tuk) and spent only night at our hostel travelling onward to Siem Reap the next day. #Side note: I found Cambodia's roads to be complete organised chaos at the best of times, never more so apparent than in Phnom Phen during rush hour. We arrived at Siem Reap the next day, to find a city full of energy. Our hostel was located a 2 minute walk to the night market, which we wandered around many times and enjoyed the sites and foods on offer. The next day we hired a Tuk-Tuk driver for the entire day, who took us round Angkor Wat, surrounding Temples, Ruins & Religious Sites. Hiring a Tuk-Tuk for the day was incredible. It worked out at only £6 each for the entire day. From Siem Reap our next stop was Sihanoukville. This place is worth a visit for the beaches alone. We booked a night bus, due to take us directly over the border to Ho Chi Min City in Vietnam. Do NOT, take the night buses in Cambodia. It is not worth the money for the hassle it will cause. We were picked up at the time we were told, put on a sleeper bus for around 10/15 minutes, which then we had to get off and board another bigger better sleeper bus. Things were going well. We all got a bed each. Then after a couple of hours, we reached Phnom Phen (the wrong direction to where we had specifically booked and paid more for) and asked to sleep on the bus companies office floor until 6am. It was currently Midnight. The next morning the bus we had to get to the Vietnamese border seemed to take an age. With the drivers picking up beggars and homeless as we went also. It was also a regular bus instead of the sleeper we had been promised. Hours and hours later we finally make it through to Ho Chi Min City. We get a taxi, he takes us to our hostel. The sky opens and what can only be described as a Monsoon approaches and soaks us through. That day, was not a perfect day. Things to try in Cambodia - If you've never been a passenger in a Tuk-Tuk. Do it. - Luk Lak (it's the national dish, very tasty) Ho Chi Min City will always a special place in my heart as the city I fell in love with Bahn Mi. Bahn Mi is a traditional Vietnamese Sandwich. They're amazing! Whilst there we visited Central Post Office (it's an absolutely gorgeous building) The Vietnam War Museum. Which is worth a visit, but reads to a westerner as very biased towards the west, France & America In Particular. Next stop was Nha Trang. Although only a flying visit we sampled the beautiful beach, and spoke with lots of locals. All of which are super helpful and friendly with any and every interaction. From Nha Trang: Da Nang. With a fantastic day of train travel in-between, it really is a great way to see the scenery and what Vietnam has to offer. We stayed at the 1812 Boutique Hostel in Da Nang, it was very closely located to the beach, and near an easy to get to connecting road which is simply a straight line all the way to Hoi An. Although I did personally not visit Hoi An, what I did do was rent a Moped and drive along the same road to Phuong Hoa Hai to visit a fantastic look out point of the city and to see the Buddhist temples and caves up in the hills. From there we took the same road back, past our accommodation and onward through the long stretches of open road, through the hills to the Lady Buddha statue. The only female Buddha in the world. It was an absolute incredible day, I won't forget in a hurry. Our last stop in Vietnam was the capital of Hanoi. The best way to travel any city is by foot, it's the cheapest, and you're much more likely to stumble upon the unexpected, meet a helpful stranger or waltz into an exciting neighbour you never knew existed. This was true of Hanoi for certain. We walked around its many cobbled streets and stumbled upon the beautiful architecture of the French Quarter. France's influence on Vietnam is never more apparent than in Hanoi. We had a long walk around the river, met two Vietnamese boys who wanted to talk to us, while we walked, to help improve their English speaking skills. We visited the Ho Chi Min Memorial, which is heavily guarded at all times, and then the night market in the evening were we tried Ice Cream Rolls (I had Matcha flavour) and a highly recommend giving it a taste - yummy! Vietnam and Hanoi were in short, very good to us and it's a place we'll never forget. Next time, our last stop on or trip: Thailand. Don't leave Vietnam without: - Tasting Vietnamese Coffee, a Bahn Mi (with Ham) and Pho. - Travel by train (we got soft sleeper carriages, you get a full sized comfy bed and the food cart is never far away) - Visit the dragon bridge in Da Nang - Rent a Moped/Bike and see the open road
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