MITCH & DOM'S BOGUS ADVENTURES

HI GUYS,

ON TUESDAY AFTER VISITING THE WAR REMNANTS MUSEUM, WE TRAVELLED TO DANANG BY PLANE AND THEN BY TAXI TO HOI AN... THE TAXI DRIVER INFORMED US THAT HOI AN HAD JUST HAD A FEW DAYS OF HEAVY RAIN AND THE WEATHER DIDNT LOOK TO BE CLEARING UP ANYTIME SOON......WHEN WE ARRIVED TO THE HOTEL WE WERE IMPRESSED TO SEE A GRAND OLD HOTEL, WITH FRENCH INSPIRATION.... HOWEVER DISASTER WAS IN THE MIDST....

WHEN I TOLD RECEPTION OF OUR BOOKING THEY WERE CONFUSED... I SHOWED THEM OUR CONFIRMATION AND THE RECEPTION BLOKE PRETENDED LIKE HE KNEW WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO SAY... HE QUICKLY GRABBED A KEY AND OPENED A DOOR TUCKED AWAY BEHIND THE RECPETION DESK...
"THIS YOUR ROOM!" HE SAID.... MITCH LAUGHED IN HIS FACE AND SAID "WE PAID FOR A DELUXE RIVER VIEW ROOM... THIS IS NOT WHAT WE PAID FOR"...

THE RECEPTION STAFF STARTED TALKING TO EACH OTHER IN FRENCH TRYING TO QUIUCKLY RESOLVE THE SITUATION WITHOUT US CATCHING ON THAT THEY REALLY HAD NO IDEA... HE THEN LEAD US UPSTAIRS TO THE FOURTH FLOOR... (NOTE THERE ARE ONLY 4 FLOORS IN THE HOTEL)

WHEN THE LIFT DOORS OPENED WE STEPPED INTO A CORRIDOR FULL OF BUCKETS AND TOWELS THAT WERE SOAKING UP THE WATER THAT WAS LEAKING THROUGH THE CEILING... MITCH AND I LOOKED AT EACH OTHER IN HORROR... HE OPENED THE DOOR TO THE ROOM AND ESCORTED US IN... THE GUY SEEMED VERY INEXPERIENCED AND SOMEWHAT NERVOUS AS HE WAS SHOWING US THE ROOM, WHEN HE COULDNT OPEN THE WINDOWS TO SHOW US THE RIVER VIEW HE BEGAN TO PANIC, AFTER SHOULDER BARGING THE DOOR A BUNCH OF TIMES HE GAVE UP AND LEFT THE ROOM...

WHEN HE LEFT MITCH AND SUSSED OUT THE ROOM, NOTICING THAT THE WATER THAT WAS LEAKING THROUGH TYHE CEILING IN THE CORRIDOR WAS ALSO LEAKING THROUGH THE CEILING IN OUR ROOM, DIRECTLY ONTO THE BED... WE WENT BACK TO RECEPTION TO TELL THEM AND THEY QUICKLY CHANGED US TO THE ROOM NEXT DOOR... BUT ALAS THE SAME PROBLEM...

AFTER A PHONE TO THE BOOKING COMPANY WE WERE UPGRADED TO A SUITE... WHICH WASNT MUCH OF A SUITE... THE HOTEL WAS VERY RUN DOWN... THE SHEETS WERE TORN, THE TOWELS STAINED AND WORST OF ALL SMELT OF MILDEW...

WE HAD DINNER IN HOI AN TOWN AT A GREAT RESTAURANT... (CANT REMEMBER THE NAME UNFORTUNATELY) THE SERVICE WAS FANTASTIC AND THE MATRE DE WAS GREAT, SPEAKING 7 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES... DEFINATELY A CROWD PLEASER... AFTER DINNER WE WENT STRAIGHT BACK TO THE HOTEL TO INFORM THEM THAT WE WOULD CHECK OUT IN THE MORNING, INSTEAD OF STAYING FOR 4 NIGHTS... AFTER TELLING THEM THEY HIT US WITH A $70USD CHARGE FOR THE PHONE CALL... ABSOLUTE RUBBISH... I WAS SO ANGRY CONSIDERING IT WAS THE HOTELS FAULT THAT THEY STUFFED UP ON CHECK-IN...

ANYWAY THE NEXT DAY WE CHECKED OUT EARLY AND BOOKED A BUS TICKET TO HUE ABOUT 4-5 HOURS AWAY... THE BUS DIDNT LEAVE UNTIL 2PM SO WE HAD HEAPS OF TIME TO WANDER AROUND THE TOWN... LUCKLY IT HAD STOPPED RAINING SO WE COULD SEE SOME OF HOI AN... WHEN WE REACHED THE CENTRE OF TOWN WE SAW THAT THE RIVER WHICH FLOWS THROUGH THE CENTRE HAD RISEN OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS OF RAIN... HALF OF THE TOWN WAS CUT OFF FROM THE REST SO WE COULD ONLY SEE HALF OF HOI AN...

WE BOOKED A COOKING CLASS AT A RESTAURANT CALLED CITRONELLA... IT WAS A TRADITIONAL VIETNAMESE MENU, AND THE TEACHER WAS FANTASTIC... WE COOKED CHICKEN SOUP, SPRING ROLLS, CRISPY CALAMARI AND BEEF WITH CHILLI AND LEMONGRASS... (WE GOT A COPY OF THE RECIPES SO WE WILL DEFINATELY BE TRYING THESE DISHES AT HOME)...

THE BUS TOOK LONGER THAN WE EXPECTED BECAUSE OF THE RAIN... THEY WERE ALSO DOING ROAD WORKS WHICH MENT WE WERE QUEUED FOR 45MINS TO CROSS A ONE LANE BRIDGE THAT WAS BEING REPAIRED... THE AREA SURROUNDING WAS MUD... IT WAS A LITTLE SCARY HOW MUCH THE BUS WAS TILTING WHEN WE CROSSED THE BRIDGE AND SLOWLY DROVE THROUGH THE MUD BACK TO THE ACTUAL ROAD...

WE EVENTUALLY ARRIVED SAFELY AFTER ALL THE HAPPYPLACE STOPS AND POTHOLES...

HI GUYS,

WE OWE YOU A BIT OF A CATCH UP BLOG... HERE WE GO...

ON MONDAY WE WERE BOOKED INTO DO A MEKONG DELTA BOAT TRIP, PASSING THROUGH BEN TRE AND MY THO... THE SCENERY WAS FANTASTIC. HOWEVER THESE TOURS HAVE BECOME A COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE FOR LOCALS TO SELL CRAPPY SOUVENIERS AND SHOW YOU TRADITIONAL ENTERTAINMENT... THE BUS RIDE TOOK 2HOURS THERE AND BACK, WHEN WE FINALLY ARRIVED THROUGH THE TRAFFIC FROM THE CITY, WE STEPPED OFF THE BUS RIGHT ONTO THE BANKS OF THE MEKONG DELTA... THE RIVER IS LINED WITH WOODEN BOATS THAT ARE BRIGHTLY COLOURED, AND WITH LITTLE MEN THAT SHOUT TO GET YOUR BUSINESS... ONCE OUR TOUR LOAD GOT ONTO BOATS WE BEGUN PUTTERING UP THE MEKONG... (WARNING THESE BOATS ARE INSANELY LOUD AND MAKE THE WHOLE BOAT VIBRATE, THEY CAN ALSO TIP PRETTY EASILY, ONE FAT FRENCH BLOKE ALMOST WENT FOR A SWIM IN THE BROWN WATER).

FIRST STOP WAS FOR LIGHT REFRESHMENTS AND TO TASTE THE LOCAL FRUITS... YUM YUM... FRESH PINEAPPLE, DRAGON FRUITS AND BANANAS... WHILST WE TUCKED IN THE LOCALS PLAYED TRADITIONAL VIETNAMESE INSTRUMENTS AND SANG CLASSIC VIETNAMESE SONGS OF LOVE... (ALTHOUGH IT SOUNDS GREAT, IT WASNT ALL THAT... I THOUGHT THE BLOKE WAS GONNA PASS OUT CAUSE HE WASNT BREATHING LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE DO WHEN THEY SING, THE WOMEN SOUNDED LIKE SHE WAS BEING STRANGLED, SO HOPEFULLY WE DONT HAVE TO LISTEN TO ANYMORE OF THIS MUSIC!!!!(FINGERS CROSSED))

THEN WE GOT BACK INTO THE BOATS AND VISITED A COCONUT VILLAGE. THE LOCALS HERE MAKE COCONUT CANDY... WHICH WAS DELICIOUS... THEY SHOWED US THE PROCESS TO GET THE MILK FROM THE COCONUT AND THEN HOW TO MAKE THE CANDY... IT LOOKED LIKE REALLY HARD WORK SO DONT THINK WE WILL TRY THIS AT HOME.... AFTER THIS QUICK STOP, WE HEADED TO A JUNGLE RESTAURANT FOR LUNCH, THAT ONLY SERVED CHINESE NOODLES...

AFTER LUNCH WE TOOK THE BOAT DEEPER INTO THE MEKONG AND THEN TOOK A HORSE DRAWN CART TO A BEE FARM... EVEN THOUGH MITCH HAD JUST TOLD THE TOUR GUIDE HE WAS DEADLY ALLERGIC TO BEES AND HONEY HE PROCEEDED TO LIFT THE LID OF THE BEE HIVE... MITCH RAN FOR THE HILLS WHEN HE SAW THE BEES... (SMART MOVE, CAUSE THEY WERE EVERYWHERE) WE HAD TO WAIT BY THE BOAT WHILE THE REST OF THE GROUP TASTED FRESH HONEY AND THEN WERE ENTERTAINED WITH GINORMOUS SNAKES...

WE THEN TOOK A SMALLER WOODEN BOAT AND SLOWLY MADE OUR WAY BACK TO THE BIG BOATS... THIS WAS THE BEST PART OF THE DAY, THE SCENERY WAS UNTOUCHED AND REALLY RELAXING, (WELL IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IF WE DIDNT HAVE TO SHARE THE BOAT WITH TWO FRENCH IDIOTS WHO TALKED THE ENTIRE WAY, TOOK PHOTOS OF NOTHING AND KEPT UNBALANCING THE BOAT.)

AS WE WERE HEADING BACK TO THE BUS ACROSS THE DELTA WE WERE HIT WITH ANOTHER BOUT OF TORRENTIAL RAIN... EVERYONE GOT SATURATED... IT WAS HILARIOUS... BECAUSE WE WERE LITERALLY LESS THAN 10MINUTES AWAY FROM THE BUS...

ON TUESDAY WE VISITED THE WAR REMNANTS MUSUEM IN THE CITY... IT WAS REALLY ANTI AMERICAN, BUT REALLY MOVING AT THE SAME TIME... MANY LESSONS SHOULD BE LEARNT FROM HISTORY... SO HOPEFULLY IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN...
TIP: WATCH OUT FOR THE AMPUTEES WHO CLAIM THEY WERE INJURED FROM UNEXPLODED LAND MINES... MITCH GOT ROPED IN AND THEN GOT RIPPED OFF... LESSON LEARNT....

HI GUYS,

WELL WE ARRIVED IN HCMC AFTER A LONG FLIGHT FROM SYDNEY (DONT FLY JETSTAR). OUR DRIVER WAS WAITING FOR US AT THE AIRPORT IN HCMC TO TAKE US TO OUR HOTEL IN THE CITY, ABOUT A 45MINUTE DRIVE ALONG ROADS FILLED WITH MILLIONS OF SCOOTERS, PEDESTRIANS AND CARS.. AND NO ROAD RULES!!! (HCMC HAS A POPULATION OF 8MILLION, IT HAS 5MILLION SCOOTERS AND THERE ARE NO ROAD RULES.. OR COPS!)

AFTER A GOOD SLEEP AT OUR LITTLE HOTEL (THE SAIGON MINI HOTEL) WHERE THE STAFF ARE REALLY FRIENDLY WE SPENT THE NEXT DAY JUST EXPLORING THE CITY AND BOOKING TOURS FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. IF YOUR A TOURIST IN HCMC YOU GET HOUNDED BY LOCALS TRYING TO SELL YOU ANYTHING.. LOCALS ON SCOOTERS WANT TO TAKE YOU PLACES FOR A PRICE, TAXI DRIVERS ARE THE SAME.. WE DECIDED NOT TO TAKE THESE METHODS OF TRANSPORTATION, INSTEAD WE GAVE INTO A LITTLE OLD MAN (ABOUT 65) WHO WAS VERY KEEN TO TAKE US ON HIS CYCLO (A PUSHY WITH A CART ON THE FRONT OF IT.. ONLY 3 WHEELS). HE STRUGGLED TO GET THE CYCLO MOVING BUT ONCE WE WERE MOVING THERE WAS NO STOPPING HIM.. HE TOOK US AROUND THE CITY FOR ABOUT 45MINS ON HIS CYCLO FOR US$6.. NOT BAD BUT WE GOT RIPPED OFF! MITCH FELT BAD FOR THE BLOKE CAUSE HE'D JUST STRUGGLED TO TAKE OUR FAT ARSES AROUND THE CITY.

WE CHECKED OUT THE LOCAL MARKET, THE RE-UNIFICATION PALACE AND THE JADE PAGODA, ATE SOME LOCAL FOOD THEN WENT BACK TO THE HOTEL WHERE WE WERE BOTH FAST ASLEEP BY 7PM TO GET UP FOR THE CU CHI TUNNELS AT 6AM THE NEXT MORNING.

OUR FIRST STOP WAS CAO DAI TEMPLE, THE TEMPLE WAS HUGE AND WAS PAINTED WITH ALL THE COLOURS OF A RAINBOW... PRETTY SPECTATULAR AT FIRST GLANCE... WE WATCHED SOME SORT OF CEREMONY, WITH ABOUT A THOUSAND OTHER TOURISTS. WE WERENT TOO SURE OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TEMPLE OR WHAT EXACTLY THEY WERE CHANTING FOR BUT IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE TO SAY THE LEAST... IT WAS WAY TOO HOT INSIDE SO WE DUCKED OUT EARLY TO CHECK OUT THE SURROUNDS OF THE TEMPLE TAKING SOME PICTURES OF LOCALS DOING WEIRD THINGS. VIETNAMESE ARENT CAMERA SHY, THEY ARE HAPPY TO GIVE U A SMILE AND WAVE FOR THE CAMERA...

FOLLOWING THE TEMPLE WE HEADED TO A RESTAURANT, WHICH LOOKED SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO A BACKYARD WITH HEAPS OF BUNGALOWS IN TREETOPS... THE PLACE LOOKED A LITTLE DODGEY, BUT THE FOOD WASNT TOO BAD... THINK I MIGHT BECOME A VEGO THO, THE MEAT IS PRETTY TERRIBLE... OVER LUNCH WE CHATTED WITH SOME GERMANS WHO HAD BEEN TRAVELLING FOR A FEW MONTHS, IT WAS INTERESTING TO LISTEN TO ALL THEIR EXPERIENCES, AS EVERYTHING THEY SPOKE ABOUT IS WHAT WE WILL BE EXPERIENCING IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS... VERY EXCITING!!!!

FOLLOWING LUNCH WE HEADED TO CU CHI TUNNELS FINALLY (THESE TUNNELS WERE USED IN THE VIETNAM WAR BY THE VIET CONG, APPROXIMATELY 16,000 PEOPLE LEAVED IN THESE INTRICATE TUNNEL SYSTEMS FOR MANY YEARS OF THE WAR). I WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED BY THE INTRODUCTORY VIDEO IT WAS MADE IN 1960 SOMETHING... BLACK AND WHITE AND SO SHIT... OUR TOUR GUIDE SPOKE REALLY BROKEN ENGLISH BUT JUST ENOUGH TO INFORM US OF ALL THE BRUTAL HOMEMADE WEAPONS USED DURING THE WAR... MITCH GOT DOWN INTO THE TINY SECRET TUNNEL AND I GOT A GREAT PIC... THEN WE WENT TO A SHOTTING RANGE AND WE BOTH SHOT 5 ROUNDS EACH OF A AK47... LOUD

AFTER THIS IT WAS TIME TO GO DOWN INTO THE TUNNELS AND EXPERIENCE WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE IN THE WAR... OUR GROUP WAS ONLY SMALL, ABOUT 12 OF US IN TOTAL. THE FIRST LEVEL IS 3 METRES BELOW GROUND, WHICH WE ALL DID, THE GERMANS FREAKED OUT HALF WAY THROUGH WHICH WAS KINDA FUNNY, BUT THEY FINISHED THE 30 METRE TUNNEL EVENTUALLY. MITCH AND I WENT DOWN TO THE SECOND LEVEL, 6 METRES BELOW GROUND... WE WERE THE ONLY PEOPLE TO GO DOWN TAHT FAR, I REGRETTED IT HALF WAY THROUGH WHEN I REALISED THERE WAS NO AIR DOWN THERE... MITCH TOOK A VIDEO OF IT... LOOKS SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO THE BALIR WITCH PROJECT (SAID THE GERMANS)... I FREAKED OUT COZ THERE WAS AN BUG OR SOMETHING IN THE TUNNEL, WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE A FROG...!!!! HAHAHA

AFTER WE COME UP FROM THE SECOND LEVEL, WE EMERGED INTO TERRENTIAL RAIN... IT WAS POURING AND OF COURSE WE FORGOT TO BRING OUR UMBRELLAS... WE HAD TO RUN FOR THE CLOSEST SHELTER, 150 METRES DOWN A FLOODING DIRT TRACK... WE WERE SATURATED TO SAY THE LEAST AND HAD TO GET INTO THE BUS TO GO BACK TO HCMC STRAIGHT AWAY.... THEY PUMPED THE AIR CON THE ENTIRE WAY HOME AND AS A RESULT I HAVE THE FLU....

IT WAS SCARY COMING HOME ON THE BUS, EVEN THOUGH THE RAIN WAS HEAVY AND THE ROADS WERE FLOODING THE AMOUNT OF MOTORBIKES ON THE ROAD STILL BAFFLED US. IT WAS GREAT ENTERTAINMENT WATCHING PEOPLE CROSS THE ROADS, RUNNING INTO EACH OTHER ON THE ROUNDABOUTS AND HONKING THEIR HORNS UNCONTROLLABLY... WHEN THERES NO ROAD RULES ITS JUST CHAOTIC... BUT SOMEHOW WE GOT HOME IN ONE PIECE...

TILL NEXT TIME

DOM AND MITCH
XXX

Hey Guys,

We are officially on our way to the airport... YAY!!!
Looking forward to our stop over in Darwin...
Then off to Ho Chi Minh City...

Talk soon

Mitch and Dom xxxx

To all our friends...

As most of you will know we leave for our South East Asian Adventure on Friday November 21st....
(thats ONLY 9 more days!!!) We will be away for 2 months so...

Keep a close eye on our travel blog while we are away...
This will be the only way to get in contact with us while we are away also... NO MOBILE PHONES!!!
(people lose them too easily... mitch bates!!!)

We hope to inform you all of our daily travels... there is much to do and see while we are away...
So we will be uploading photos as we go... so you can see what we see...

Somedays we might not get a chance to get online, or we might not be near any kind of "communications"...
BUT... its most likely we have gone to the nearest bar to get trolleyed and have some FUN...

(Please Note: We are in training til December 21st... so we are prepared for the arrival of some VIP team lollybag members and the shinanigans that WILL undoubtedly occur during their stay in Thailand)...

Hope to hear from you all during our travels...

See you all when we get home...

Dom and Mitch

xxxx