Dublin, Ireland - ´Tis Grand!

So after my 2nd week at the Whittington, I was off for a weekend mini-break to Dublin.

I left after work on Friday night to catch the flight at Stansted Airport, and just like my trip to Sweden, I cut it way too close. I just made it before check-in closed, but my bag was too big for the new hand luggage dimensions, and then it was madness. Had to pay for excess baggage and check it in, but eventually made it.

Met up with Ruth`s sister Lisa at O`Callahan`s Hotel, and we hit the town. And that basically consisted of Irish beverages, and that may or may not have included Guinness. They say the Guinness tastes better in Ireland, and they`re right - it`s the Irish water.

Lisa and I - "First drink of the day"

Went around Temple Bar and pubs in the area, then crossed the River Liffey to catch a bar called Sin-E, then had the good ´ol kebab/sandwich to close out the night.

Temple Bar (Famous Irish pub) by day - way too crowded at night

Day after we went sightseeing (including St. Patrick`s Cathedral) and saw a play called Stones in His Pockets, which was really, really good. It`s an Irish play that`s been on Broadway and the West End in London, and was back to Dublin. Funny and so clever.

The night consists of more Irish drinking, but this time more spirits (Jameson`s whiskey, Bailey`s, etc).

The next day sees me head down to the Guinness Storehouse solo. Nice place, really shows you how beer (in general) is made, including Guinness. Great views from the top of the Storehouse, too.

After that, it was time to check out and head home. Blessed with great weather the whole weekend. Friendly Irish folk everywhere. Nice one.

DN

Physio job 2: North London

After I finished my job in Bristol on Wed Aug 30, I only had to wait 2 days for more job offers - on Friday I got the call for the next job. My second locum position was an acute neuro/stroke position at the Whittington Hospital. Everything was falling into place - it meant that I could save up just enough to travel through Europe with just enough time to travel before going to New York in November.

The job was stable (5 weeks and could have worked more), but it highlighted the flaws of the English health system and how unorganised the system is. Without going into too much detail, I think the Australian system, though having its own issues, is pretty good in comparison.

Strange to be doing neuro work when I had always expected to work mainly in orthopaedics. Funny how things work out here in London...so instead of not finding any work (as I expected), I was getting steady work, good pay, and probably would`ve been able to get more work (I had another offer from a different agency as well).

But now the job is finished, and my career as a UK physio has probably come to an end for the near future...

DN

Finally! A physio job in Bristol

After 2 months of flipping burgers and cleaning up after people doing market research, I finally hit paydirt - a three-week locum physio position in Bristol, in the west of England near Wales, population about 500,000. I am working in a Brain Injury Rehab Centre, part of Frenchay Hospital (in northeast Bristol).

The job is interesting, and it's good to be using my brain for physio again. The centre is a little old, but the staff are friendly and there is a good team atmosphere. It took the first week to work out the system, and now that I know it, I'll be leaving!

The hospital accommodation is cheap, but nasty. I am staying in 'A' Block (already it sounds like something from the TV show Prison Break). It's like a dorm/motel, with all single rooms and single beds. The hallway smells of old cigarette smoke (obviously someone smokes in their room). The kitchen is full of dirty pans and pots, but with no dishwashing detergent around, I haven't really been cooking. People in 'A' Block are generally middle aged, and of an ethnic background. Haven't really said anything more than hello in passing. After my 2nd night, I decided just to use it only as a place to sleep, and started working out how to get to downtown Bristol.

Works out a bus just outside the hospital can take me there in 35 min. So off we went.

Downtown Bristol is actually quite nice, like any other smallish town. Lots of history and old architecture. There are a few special landmarks:

• Clifton Suspension Bridge - beautiful bridge for one. It is at the top of 2 hills looking down on Bristol, so the views are pretty nice.
• Bristol Cathedral - nice looking cathedral.

Poseidon: "I think the bus stop is this way?" Danny: "No, maybe it's over here..."

That's me next to this huge mirror ball. Imagine the size of the disco club...

The Clifton Suspension Bridge and west Bristol below

There is also the University of Bristol, which is less than a 10 ininute walk from downtown, so I'm sure the nightlife is great during when uni is on. So I have been going there after work every night, checking it out. There are rough areas of town (like Easton where this Internet cafe is), but I'm sure there are places like this everywhere.

As always, there are more pictures to see at www.flickr.com/photos/sneakykangaroo.

And if you can also check out my MySpace site at www.myspace.com/dannyn80. Not much to see, but worth a look anyway.

DN

Hurricane Leng

So while I was STILL waiting for physio work in the UK, my friend Leng arrived from Melbourne traveling to Hong Kong and Europe. And from the time he arrived it like a whirlwind of a blast, about the level of a Class Six hurricane.

After picking him up at the airport and checking in to his hotel, we went to go see all the London sights. This was also a chance for me to see the tourist sights, many of which I haven't seen yet.

Lenga on the king size bed in his hotel room

Look out London, the twins are taking over!

Leng and I on the London Eye

The twins on Westminster Bridge, with Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in background

So we went to hit the big tourist spots - London Eye, Big Ben, etc. We ended up walking past 10 Downing Street, and by chance ran into the Changing of the Guard! Well, we didn't actually
missed it, we only caught the Old Guard returning to Wellington Barracks. But went to Kensington Palace anyway to catch the band still playing. No queen in sight.

After that, we spent a fair amount of time trying to finish a duty-free sized bottle of Smirnoff across 2 days. Here is a picture from Day 1:

Leng and I at the base of the Monument

Day 3 was spent seeing other London landmarks, including the London Bridge. That night "the twins" went to Bayswater to meet up with Dan, Mike, Rob, and Tony for a few quiet drinks, before meeting up with Lisa, her housemate Catherine, and her friend Julian down to go barhopping in Brixton (livingbar), which expanded to Clapham High Street (The Falcon, Cafe Sol). One of the my most entertaining nights in London.

Dan, Mike, Rob and Me in Bayswater

Day 4
Can't remember too much, but I do have photos of going to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Day 5
Went to Greenwich, saw Cutty Sark, went to Greenwich Royal Observatory. This is where the basis of the Prime Meridian started.

The longitudes of Aust, NZ, and Sth African cities (where's Melbourne?)

The next day, it was off on a day trip to Oxford. A beautiful little college town about an hour's bus ride west of London, it is home of one of the prestigious universities in the world. After walking through the main streets, we went on a tour of the uni, and checked out Oxford Prison, which has now been converted into really expensive hotel rooms.

Leng and I outside Oxford Prison Hotel

We spend most of the day walking around and seeing the sights, so by the time we got back on the bus back to London, we were exhausted.


And with that Hurricane Leng was downgraded to a Tropical Storm, to just a some meager clouds. But my oh my, it left quite a mark on myself and London. I don't think it will ever be the same.

DN

My near-death experience in London

So I was working at the First (cricket) Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's Cricked Ground in London. I was working all 5 days for Fine Burger Company, and this was Day 2. My friend Tony had just arrived in England after his travels through South America, Germany, and the Greek Islands, and I had got him some work at FBC with me.

Tony and I taking a break during another busy shift of flipping burgers

After our shift, we decided to go for some Friday night drinks and kick back. After some walking, we stumble upon a nice bar called the Stonehorse. We get our beers and sit down at the outside tables. Everything was going well until after about an hour or so...then the 2nd "O" in the Stonehorse sign fell, missing me by only centimetres, bounced off the ground, hit me in the leg, then rolled away. Now this big "O" was a fairly heavy metal sign. If I was sitting directly underneath the sign, my skull probably would've been cracked open. Unbelieveable.

After I realised what had happened, I took it into the pub and did started an impromptu cheer - "Give me an O!"

Me with the "O", a guy calling his friend telling him what had happened, and a waitress trying to work out what was going on

After all that, we didn't get any free drinks for our troubles. What a disappointment.

Another waiter, me, and Tony - still alive and kicking

If you look at the picture, our stuff is just to the right of the door, that's where we were sitting. If the S had fallen, it would have hit Tony in the head.

The view of the sign from my seat

So we're still alive - just. I now have 8 lives left to go. I'm considering returning just before I leave for New York for some final drinks (literally).

But it's got great atmosphere...

DN

A weekend in Sweden

Hello everyone,
Now, back to this trip to Sweden.

My first real trip outside London, and it was adventure just trying to leave! After leaving home for Stansted Airport, I had given myself 3 hours to get there, and I should have given myself 3 1/2. I missed check-in deadline by about 10 min, which meant I had to catch the next flight to Gothenburg. About 3 hrs and £40 later, I was off to Sweden.

I actually stayed in Falkenburg, which is about an hour south of Gothenburg. I stayed at the lovely cottage de Jenny, who along with Richie looked after things. First night went to central Falkenburg, and had dinner in a pub, and watched the World Cup 3rd place game, Germany v Portugal.

Next day and we're off to the local beach, just a 15 min walk down the road from the cottage. And my first game of kubb, a traditional Swedish outdoor game involving wooden blocks. It involves strategy and accurate throwing of these blocks, and it's pretty cool, as long as the blocks don't hit you.

That night had a good 'ol Swedish BBQ at Jenny's parents place and watched the World Cup final. It was so boring, I was falling asleep. The result was not what I wanted either, the diver in the Australia game scoring the winning penalty.

Next day off to Gothenburg to see the sights for a little, then another BBQ at a friend of Jenny's. Final day more sightseeing before heading back to London.

Notes:

• Almost everything they say about the Swedish is true. NO, not everyone is Sweden is blonde. But YES, most people in Sweden are attractive. YES, most Swedish are friendly. YES, the cities and countrysides are beautiful.
  
• The cities are really nice, with cobblestones, large plazas, few cars. The people just seem quite content, as if life is good. No homeless on the streets, nobody looking like trouble. As Tony and I said, we think they have worked things out up here.
  
• In summer the days are LOOOOOOONG. It doesn't really get dark, just navy blue. The sun comes back up at 4am or so, it's nuts.
• It has to be one of the more expensive places to live. More expensive than England.

Overall, Sweden was an awesome place to be. I am fortunate to have friends in Scandinavian places, I probably would not have been able to go otherwise. And I can only remember one word in Swedish - but I cannot repeat it here...

DN

A Day Out in Wimbledon

I never made plans to go to Wimbledon, if things worked out that way, then so be it. And so they did - I had a day off between my two jobs on the one cloudy day during Wimbledon - and rain was forecast. Nevermind, I was set on going to at least see the famous tennis grounds.

I got to Wimbledon Park around 10:30am. Normally you are expected to queue for HOURS before getting entry, some sleeping overnight to get Centre Court tickets. But today there was no queue, and I walked straight into the gates without stopping! Not only that but when I got to the gate, there were still show court tickets available (again, highly unusual). So got a Show Court 2 ticket and I was in.

After entering and buying a program, that forecasted rain starts to fall. I rush to find some cover under the nearest building. To my luck I realise that I'm under Centre Court! There was no security guarding the entrance, so I walked right in. There were some other people wandering around the stands too, but it was generally empty! So I sat on Centre Court for about an hour until the rain stopped.

Inside Centre Court at Wimbledon - but not much court action

The scoreboard on Centre Court

Then it was off to Show Court 2 where I saw (in a rain-interrupted day):

• Aussie Rennae Stubbs playing in a women's doubles match (won)
• Part 2 of the longest men's doubles match in history including Aussie Todd Perry (lost)
• Marcos Baghdatis beating Lleyton Hewitt on the big screen
• A Chinese pair beating Martina Navratilova

When I bought my ticket I did not pay attention to the seat position. Once I got in, I realised I was on the FRONT ROW! Amazing. I talked to the guy next to me, who said he had queued since 4am for his seat! I must have taken a spare one on the front row.

So many cool things about Wimbledon:

• This history and tradition can be seen everywhere. The way the linesmen and ballkids enter and exit the court, the geeky uniforms, the scoreboards done by hand, I could go on and on.
• Strawberries and cream. Yum.
• Pimm's and lemonade. Glug.
  
• Henman's Hill or Murray's Mountain or whatever they call it these days, nice way to kick back and enjoy the matches on the big screen.
• If people didn't get a ticket to Show Court 2, it's not a total loss. If you buy a ground pass, you get access to SC3 next door. If you get to the top row, you can actually look over the top and watch SC2!
• Walked next to John Fitzgerald (Aussie Davis Cup captain) for about 5 min as he walking in grounds. I don't think too many people recognised him.

Out of 8 hrs of possible play, we got about 5 hrs, so it wasn't too bad. All in all what could have been a total rainout turned out to be an amazing day on the hallowed home of tennis.

DN

Australia/USA in the World Cup

I know it's long gone but I haven't had a chance to have my say.

June 17 - Italy v USA - I'm at the airport, so I missed the game!

June 22 - Ghana v USA
As I'm heading towards the Walkabout, I miss most of this game, but I watched goals from a pub somewhere. Disappointing run by us Yanks, we should have beaten Ghana to get through, but failed. Makes the last World Cup run to quarterfinals look like a fluke.

June 22 - Australia v Croatia at the Walkabout (my last visit) Jam-packed with Aussies (including half the housemates), all was in readiness for a great game, and it didn't disappoint. Two great goals, Australia qualifies for the 2nd round to face Italy, and another group of immigrant Aussies face divided loyalies (after the Greeks and Croatians before). Emerton picks up a red card, Kewell becomes a hero, Kalac choked on his big game.

The Socceroos play the game the right way, but this would eventually be their downfall.

The only downside to the night was the silly behaviour of drunken Aussies smashing stuff. But I would expect nothing less when you get that many Au-stray-liens together. After the game, I disappeared from that place, never to return....

Me and Sharna at the "Walkie" - hot as an oven in there

Me and the Valetta Road girls past & present (Bec, Sheena, Carla, Sharni)

June 26 - Australia v Italy @ home (Valetta Road)
With nothing to lose, we're all looking forward for Australia to go for it. Wish I was back in Melbourne somewhere - instead I'm at home (everyone else is working - arrgh) with housemate Ryan (NZ).

Socceroos look good, play together well but can't get past the Italian defence (nobody else could either). It takes a dive to get Italy through, but the Aussies can be proud of their team, they fought above their weight and held their own.

From here, I pretty much lost most interest until the business end of the competition.

DN

London

Arriving in London, the lovely Sheena was there to pick me up and take me to the house. It is in Acton, in West London, about 6 train stops from the centre of London. Ten people living in a 5 bedroom house, the similarities to Big Brother are endless (except for the cameras).

Had time to put my bags down and relax for a few hrs before hitting the town into the early morning.Initiation to London - Me and Sheena in a phone box in Covent Garden

Some things about London:

• Public transport runs all the time. Trains run every few minutes until midnight, but buses run all night. But with no air conditioning, they are sweatboxes in summer. In fact there's hardly any air conditioners at all...
  
• I am not classified as "Asian" here - that refers to people from the subcontinent (India, Sri Lanka, etc). The term Oriental is still used - I haven't heard that word since I was little...

After recovering from the 1st night, it was off to watch Australia v Brazil. Disappointing ending, but not suprising, Australia didn't lose any respect in losing. We watched the game at the Walkabout pub. Well our nearest one anyway - it is actually a huge chain of pubs across the UK, designed to look like an outback pub. Nice to visit if you ever feel homesick, but not a regular hangout.

After the game, it was off next door to see NZ band Shihad with some my Kiwi housemates. They warmed up the show by performing songs as an AC/DC tribute band (with guest singer), and then they came out and blew the crowd away with their songs. My shoes have never recovered from this gig.

Simon (Jon Toogood) says "clap your hands"

The first week was spent mainly registering with agencies and looking for physio work, but with no luck. Thanks to Sharni, got a job working for Fine Burger Co., who not only own restaurants but also run outdoor mobile units that appear at sporting events, concerts, etc - that's where we work. Pay's ok (slightly better than bar work), you get free food, and free entry to cool events that we work (more on that later). Bad news is the work can get pretty hectic, and you walk out with a few layers of grease on your entire body.

Then next week I got a 2nd job working for Wyoming Studios, a company that provides a swish venue/catering for companies who want to run market research. Job just involves looking after clients and making sure food/drink is stocked for everyone, then cleaning it up when everyone leaves. Again with the pay and free food, and it's in the basement of a building, not a big metal box, and it's greaseless.

Note: if you want to see more picures, go see http://www.flickr.com/photos/sneakykangaroo.

DN

Berlin last day and Potsdam and Stuttgart

So for my last day in Berlin I went to the nearby town of Potsdam, about 1 hr west of Berlin.

Potsdam like everything else in Europe is steeped in history. It's the home of Frederick the Great who built a few palaces in Potsdam.

The town feels similar to Ballarat, smaller town with lots of history near a big city.

Big palace inside Sanssouci Park - was a looooong walk to get to this one

One of the smaller palaces

Back to Berlin to see Engand vs Trinidad and Tobago at Fan Fest. T&T put up fight but eventually went down 2-0. Then the Stuttgart adventure begins.

Background: I have a ticket for the Holland-Ivory Coast game on June 17th organised for me
Mission:

• Meet a man named Karl at the Stadium's blue entrance at 4:30pm before the game at 6.
• I have never met Karl before and have never seen him before. I am told he is wearing a big straw hat with Deutschland and wearing a German football jersey. And he may not speak the best English
  
• Get to the game, then get back to Berlin Airport by 8am on June 18th to catch my flight to London

First night train from Berlin --> Stuttgart required a 5am train change at Augsburg, then I arrived at Stuttgart at 7am with almost no sleep. Saw the local sights during the day, then went down to the stadium at 2pm so I could nap before the game.

The Dutch fans gathering in the morning near Fan Fest - they were all drunk, topless, and sunburnt by 10am

Napped until 4pm, sat at the entrance until 4:30pm, and there was no Karl in sight. Getting worried. 4:50pm comes around, I go back to check the map - I'm at the RED entrance, not BLUE - the BLUE entrance is 50 mtrs away around the corner! Whoops. Race to the blue entrance, still no Karl. More and more people go through the gates until it's just me and the scalpers. Finally at 5:30 when all hope is lost - Karl appears. It was probably the happiest I have ever been to see a complete stranger. His English was ok, and we communicated just fine. So we made just in time for national anthems.

Me and Karl and his big straw hat

The game itself had a great atmosphere, with lots of orange worn by fans of both sides.

Yellow shirt in a sea of orange

The Germans were going for Cote d'Ivoire (Iv Coast) to win, as they didn't want Holland to win (sort of like Aust v NZ), and as I was with Germans, I did the same. Luckily were in the Iv Coast fan section anyway. They lost 2-1, but they put up a good fight.

After the game, it was back to the train station, and another night train back to Berlin sometime around 5am. Grab my bags, and off to the airport, London here we come!

DN

Berlin - Days 3 & 4 (Go Socceroos)

Note: remember there are more pictures at my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sneakykangaroo

Was on my own in the morning - went to go see the TV Tower first. I think it's a bit shorter than the Realto Towers. But it has a rotating restaurant on top, simiar to the Hyatt in Phoenix. It's crazy watching the restaurant turn as the center part of the tower where the cooks are stays still.

Me in the TV Tower

I went walking on my own around Berlin, looking at more buildings and taking more pictures until Australia's 1st game vs Japan kicked off. After the game, all the Aussies who were in Berlin and not at Kaiserslautern for the game went nuts (in true Aussie style). Inflatable kangaroos flying through the air, the beating of drums, and amused Germans looking on. I think the celebrations in Melbourne would've been unbelieveable.

Australia Wins! Come on Aussie!

Afterwards, met up with the other three amigos, and we hit the town again. On out way to dinner, Phil bought a bratwurst from the 'GrillWalker' Sausage Man - I thought it was pretty cool.

Phil buying a Brat from the GrillWalker

We met some of Richard's friends and hit one of the more popular streets around where we lived full of restaurants and bars. After dinner, we went to this outdoor bar that looked like somebody's backyard, junk lying around, picnic tables, etc. Anyway hit a few more bars, and before you know it, it's 5am, and the sun is coming up.

The boys outside a restaurant having more cocktails

After a very late start, I saw some more of Berlin before going to the Brazil - Croatia match. Great atmosphere, so many passionate fans for both sides. But no hostility, everyone was in a good mood, playfully cheering on their team. I was sitting close to the Croatian fans, and they made a ferocious sound. They even had a call-and-response thing with Croatian fans on the other side of the stadium!

We all know who Skippy is going for...go easy on the tail, though!

Ready - Let's Go!

The game wasn't of the highest standard (Brazil won 1-0) but it was just great to be there amongst it all the excitement, an absolutely priceless experience (and it's only the first!)

DN

Berlin - Days 1 & 2

Well, today is actually July 20, but we'll have to go back in time a little...most of my time has been spent either looking for physio work, or working elsewhere, or having fun, so I haven't had much time to sit and blog.

So I arrived in Berlin via Frankfurt after a nice mammoth flight from Saigon on June 10. Checked into the Circus Hostel, and it was real nice, friendly staff, nice rooms. I stayed in a 5-bed dorm, but there were no other roommates for the first two days! After check-in, went to check my Email - and got the great news that I got a ticket to the Brazil-Croatia match after 5 months of waiting! So I ran off to pick up the ticket at the stadium. When I got back, I went to the other Circus Hostel (there are two of them, within walking distance), and watched England-Paraguay, on the 2nd day of the World Cup. And then slept - a lot.

The view from the balcony of my Circus Hostel dorm room onto Alexander-Platz

Ticket to World Cup - finally!

Day 2 in Berlin, and it was off on a walking tour of the city. I went with Brewer's Berlin Tours, and it turned out to be a great experience. It brought back all the history I studied back in high school and more. Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Book Burning Memorials, war memorials, Hitler's Bunker, it was amazing to be standing where all these significant events in history happened. The tour guide Sylvia was a French-Canadian who was living in Berlin. There were Canadians, an Aussie living in NY, and a few others on the tour. After the tour, a few of us went to watch the Netherlands - Serbia & Montenegro game at Fan Fest. Fan Fests are in each host city, where they setup huge screens so people can watch. The Berlin one is GIGANTIC - it stretches along a street for 1 MILE (1.6 km) and has 4 huge screens!

Me, Marc, Fay, Ryan, Sylvia, Phil and some lost child as the Dutch celebrate their goal on the big screen

That night the four amigos nuevos kicked on and went to watch the Portugal - Angola game at the most amazing venue - it was this old Turkish-style baths converted to this groovy lounge. Imagine sitting in the middle of an empty pool (bottom covered in carpet), old architecture all around, ceiling about 3 stories high, big screen over the deep end of the pool, sitting on bean bags, with a Berliner beer in your hand. All locals around, no tourists. Amazing.

After the game we found some food, had a few cocktails and stumbled home after a big day.

Some notes:

• Berlin has the best kebabs I have ever had. They're not big, but they do two things that make it the bestest: they toast the bread, and they don't cut all the way through the bread, so it's a pocket, not a sandwich. Yum. I think I had one almost every day I was there.
• Public transport is fantastic. Trains and trams run all day and night, and often. And it's mostly air conditioned too.
• Currywurst - bratwurst with tomato sauce with curry power and bread roll. Very tasty, will have to do it at my next Aussie BBQ.

And on to Day 3...
Don't forget you can see more pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sneakykangaroo

DN

Saigon

And from Hoi An in central Vietnam, I arrived in Saigon (officially Ho Chi Minh City - HCMC) in south Vietnam.

My family picked me up, and I stayed with them for the 3 days I was there.

One thing I quickly noticed about Saigon is that it's more sprawling than Hanoi. Streets and homes are wider (but they still are a number of stories high and squeezed together). Living with my family meant I lived in the 'burbs, not in backpackerville, so I hardly saw backpackers around, and spent all my time around local Vietnamese. The expected questions asked of me - "Where you from?", "Are you married?", "How old are you?" - were only prepping questions for the real purpose of their asking - "I have some daughters I want you to meet..." The answer is the same as I give here - "Thanks, but..."

Street where my family lives - not major street in Saigon

My days in Saigon revolved completely around eating. If I wasn't eating, I was probably digesting. My family kept a relentless barrage of fantastic homemade and "outsourced" homemade food ticking at a furious pace. It was like a restaurant banquet 3 times a day.

Day 1 was sleeping and said eating, Day 2 involved more sightseeing around central Saigon. As the days are very warm and muggy, people really don't come out until night, when the streets are packed!

Me pretending to ride my uncle's motor scooter

Day 3 involved a little bit of shopping, and the eating of a certain "mystery meat". For more info, you"ll have to go to my pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/sneakykangaroo.

Me and family at the airport before leaving for Berlin

DN

Back to Hanoi

So it was back to Hanoi again after Halong Bay. Went to go buy a bag with wheels. I realised that wheels are a backpacker's best friend. After pseudo-haggling (went to seller who gave me lowest price), went to the Hanoi Water Puppets Theatre (click on the article for more info). The hour-long show had singing, comedy, and dragon battles.

The Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi - in front of a busy city street

If you are wondering about food: If you live in Melbourne, the Vietnamese food in Melb is of the highest quality, but Vietnam food is dirt cheap (and at times just plain dirty). Never got sick during the 3 days in Hanoi. I recall what I normally tell people: eat where Vietnamese people eat.

Walked past the Hanoi Backpackers Hostel - run by 2 Aussie boys. It's the only real Western-style hostel in Hanoi. Didn't stay there this time, but maybe next time.

View from my hotel - 'Viet Anh Hotel'

After being really annoyed in the 1st day in Vietnam, I was getting used to how things worked, and was starting to enjoy the country. The city is constantly moving, and everyone is very entrepreneurial. There were rarely people begging, I think it's due to the pride of the people. But signs of communism are everywhere, and you wonder what life would be like now if the government was more democratic.

DN

Halong Bay

Halong Bay is a beautiful area in the north of the country. Made up of thousand of limestone islands, it also have inhabitable islands (Cat Ba Island) and caves to explore. I went on an overnight tour with Irish, Dutch, Danish, French, and NZ tourists, 12 in total.

Me, Bjorn and Kees (Dutch), Danish girl, Catherine from Ireland

First there was the bus ride from Hanoi to Halong. After we picked up everyone from their hotels, we headed through the always crowded city streets - when we reached a shop that was jam packed with people! We approached slowly get around the crowds, and as we slowly passed what looked like a florist, we could see lots of cameras and crew, and people in pairs! I saw one couple running away from the shop, and it looked like the female had an amputated leg, and as they ran off, a camera crew was quickly following! So it looked like they were filming a leg of the Amazing Race! So if you watch the next season, look for a white van on the street - that's me! Wish I could have got out of the bus, and helped one of the teams...

After one pit stop, the 3 hr ride arrived in Halong, we found our boat, and we were off. As the government really has worked out how to get people off the pier and into the boats, it was pretty chaotic, but that's how it is everywhere, so we were all pretty accustomed to it.

The "junk" (as they call the boats) slowly made its way through the bay, and we passed through the "floating village", with people who live, work, and even go to school in a small cove with boats. They earn a living by fishing, and have done so for generations. They refuse to live on the land even though they have been offered by the government.

The 'floating school'

The first stop was some large caves. After that we did a little kayaking in completely dead water, and then went for a full swim.

View from outside the caves, the tourist boats below

Next day more swimming (the jump off the boat were good fun, check out the photos), then back to the boat. Another day and we would have explored Cat Ba Island and biked around, but I didn't have time. Back to Hanoi.

Attempted synchronised diving off the boat - I think we picked up a few deductions on takeoff

I caught up on lots of sleep on the boat, which was nice. Didn't get a great deal of sleep on the plane.

For more pictures, you can see a slideshow at:
www.flickr.com/photos/sneakykangaroo/
72157594157079697/show/ (copy & paste this link)

You can see all my pictures from everything (including stuff I written about yet) at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sneakykangaroo/

DN

Day 1 - Hanoi

A few things I learned quickly:

• Sweat - it's not a body fluid, it's a way of life.
• Bargaining is overrated.

I arrived in Hanoi airport around 12 noon, and took a taxi into Central Hanoi. Just like the Lonely Planet (LP) book says, the taxi took me to a hotel that I didn't want to go to. So I dragged myself and my bags, to the nearest LP recommended joint, where they promptly gave me the highest-priced room (US$22). But it was close and easy, so I took it.

The first day in Hanoi was a shock, no matter how much I thought I had prepared for the beeping horns, pollution, people everywhere, narrow streets, and so on. Since then, I'm fine, but the first day was unsettling.

Day 1 mainly consisted of organising my tour of Ha Long Bay, mailing stuff to England that I didn't need, and going for a informal tour with a motorbike driver. Went to many landmarks around Hanoi, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Opera House, West Lake and other prominent lakes around the center of Hanoi, similar in size to Albert Park.

Also went for dinner at KOTO, a restaurant that teaches street kids skills to work in a restaurant. Too much Western food for my liking, and overpriced, but a good cause anyway, as proceeds go back to the program.

Obviously there was lots of Communist merchandise to go around, and it was a little sad to see Western tourists snapping up stuff that for my parents would find unsavoury, but then again, I was in the capital, and the heart of the Vietnamese government. But if they don't understand full meaning of what they're buying, and what they're "supporting", why buy it?

So Day 1 finished, still getting used that I'm not in Kansas anymore.

DN

Lost in Singapore Changi Airport

So here I am at Shanghai Airport using a free Internet service - backpacker instincts have already set in. For the first time, I'll be going on a flight that does not contain the words "USA" or "Australia"! After my goodbyes in Melbourne, onto the Singa Air flight with the little screens in the seat in front. Super Nintendo games as well as movies - really should have slept more. I've got two hours until the connecting flight to Hanoi, and then the fun really begins.

Very nice not to be packing by backpack or packing my things in boxes.

DN

Buckle up, here we go...

Well, I'm off in 2 hrs, I think I've jumped on my backpack enough times. I'm cold and tired, but I think I'm ready. I'll put up an itinerary somewhere in Vietnam or Germany if I get the chance.

What have I got myself into? See you on the other side.

DN