Countries | Fifty Four and Counting

Clean toilet, no paper and a shower hose!

HanoififtyfourandcountingNovember 22, 2016

Ok so this is an image of a clean toilet, complete with loo paper on the right and a hose on the left. On a couple of occassions we’ve been faced having to look for alternative loos when only the hose is present. Ask the tourists and many say that it’s what the locals use,…

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AttractionsfiftyfourandcountingNovember 22, 2016

Tai Chi from the East meets beech from the West

The morning started with Tai Chi on deck at around 7-45am Tai Chi is a very calm and controlled balance. Our…

AttractionsfiftyfourandcountingNovember 22, 2016

Halong Bay – The 7th natural wonder of the world, a hammer and a torch

To get from Hanoi to Halong Bay for an overnight cruise requires an early departure around 7am. Mondays traffic was madness…

HanoififtyfourandcountingNovember 21, 2016

Good Bye Hanoi

As we leave Hanoi for the final time we head East to Halong Bay. Hanoi certainly leaves a memorable impression on…

HanoififtyfourandcountingNovember 20, 2016

Church Boutique Hotel, Hanoi – all good in the end

So this may seem confusing .. it was to us.. you see we stayed initially in Hang Trong Street our first…

Mai ChaufiftyfourandcountingNovember 20, 2016

Karaoke and silent Quang

As we finished our dinner last night our driver, Quang (pronounced Quaan), who until this moment had barely said a word…

HotelsfiftyfourandcountingNovember 20, 2016

Mai Chau Valley View Hotel, Vietnam – simple comfort and warm hospitality

In the middle of Mai Chau Valley stand a number of hotels.. they all have phenomenal views and offer warm Vietnamese…

PeoplefiftyfourandcountingNovember 19, 2016

And we think moving house is a challenge..

In the mountains above Mai Chau live the Hmong (pronounced hu-mum) people. They are farmers mainly but as a side line…

Mai ChaufiftyfourandcountingNovember 19, 2016

Mai Chau and it’s way of life

To the West of Hanoi, some 4 hours drive away, stands a most stunning valley called Mai Chau. The valley floor…

HealthyfiftyfourandcountingNovember 18, 2016

I’ve been told this bottle contains natural Viagra!

So we stopped by the side of the road where we stretched our legs and had a drink. The street vendor…

HanoififtyfourandcountingNovember 17, 2016

Communism is working .. it just doesn’t feel like it

In Hanoi stands an impressive mausoleum overlooking a huge parade ground. The smart soldiers guard the resting place of the father…

HanoififtyfourandcountingNovember 17, 2016

Hanoi Street Food Tour.. and the meaning of ‘sticky rice!’

Last night we took a walking tour in the old quarter streets of Hanoi. Visiting different authentic street food vendors was…

PeoplefiftyfourandcountingNovember 17, 2016

OMG guess who was on our plane to Hanoi from Hong Kong!

So this was a relatively straight forward flight. Adele actually commented that there appeared to be tight security at the gate…

CountriesfiftyfourandcountingNovember 1, 2016

Dong! I’m a millionaire!

I just received this … Enough said!

AmericafiftyfourandcountingOctober 11, 2016

Whitman House, Cambridge, MA – “Surprising homely high standard”

We just stayed two nights after arriving from the UK. Our host David met us on arrival at Whitman house. What…