Massive Update.

So, I haven't updated this in a while. Here goes...

Right now i'm in Chiang Mai, but since Saigon a whole load of stuff has happened, from memory i shall try my best...

Got the train from Saigon to Nha Trang on the coast, spent most of the day catching up on sleep after off an uncomfortable 12 hour journey on sticky leather beds with no air con (sticking to your mattress aint fun, kids). Hit the beach for a little while and had a swim (it had been so long since i'd swam in the sea i had forgotten that it was salty. GENIUS.) In the evening we went to a barbecue and then to a few bars, got pretty drunk on free shots and buckets full of cheap alcohol. Yuk. Met a nice swedish girl called Nina who i then bailed on the next morning because i felt so bad. Once again, genius.
After a day of recovery we got another train up the coast to Hoi An, a really nice little town renound for it's tailors, i got a tailored suit made, check me out! Also whilst in Hoi An did a cookery course which was super fun and dead tasty and did a bit of a bike ride, no accidents this time though. It was nice to get on a bike, its strange how little you do whilst you are travelling about, its all sitting on buses trains and planes and no excercise!
From Hoi An we took a minibus up and over the mountains to the north of Vietnam, the photos below where there are lots of clouds/spectacular views, are from the mountain range, aptly named the cloudy pass. It was a really nice day, no rush, lots of beautiful scenery and dinner in an AWESOME restaurant in Hue, noodle soup rules my life.
The next morning Intrepid organised a motorbike tour of Hue, was a bit dubious at first but it turns out it was super fun, we went all around the back alleys and street of hanoi, took the bikes off road and flew around corners where i could literally see my death at any moment. I also, whilst trying to high five a kid, managed to hit him in the face. I felt bad, but aparantly it was hilarious and the kid was okay so that was a bonus. For lunch we had food at a nunnery, loads of fake meat and tofu, it was one of the best meals we had! Spent the evening watching Chelsea Vs Tottenham in a bar with a couple of the guys we were travelling with and some norweigan dude who was friends with Kaospilot and was trying to find a girl with big breasts to sleep with. He failed.
Another day another train, this time we got on at like 2 o clock in the afternoon and didnt arrive in Hanoi until 6 am. Harsh as fuck journey, especially cause it was a really nice day outside.
Got to Hanoi, it was raining and grim, which, to be honest, was fucking great, i miss the UK! Went to see Ho Chi Minhs embalmed body, which was a little odd and just spent a few hours exploring Hanoi, finished the day with a group curry, which was fun. I felt like a curry nazi though. C'est la vie.
Next day we took a drive to Halong Bay (the amazing looking place in those photos) and stayed on Cat Ba island, played some pool, drank some beer and basically just chilled, it was nice, until the morning, when i started throwing up everywhere. Got back to the mainladn still feeling like utter shit the next day and then went out for our last night with the tour group. Good food was had, but i was still feling crap so decided to take it easy and not drink. Ended up in a club called funky monkey, full of Vietnamese blokes with expensive bottles of whiskey, surrounded by scantily clad women who were obviously only there becasue the dudes had money, oh well. About half of us left at around 1am, too tired to dance or too drunk to move (after proclaiming it was rude not to neck 8 - 10 absolut vodkas just becasue some Vietnamese students were trying to show off to their mates! By the way, this was a guy called Si who is the coolest, nicest dude ever along with his girlfriend Zoe) Anywaaaaaaaay, back to the story. WE 6 of us left the club and tried to get a taxi, as they wouldnt let 6 people get in a taxi designed for 4, 2 of us had to get motorbike taxis back. Rob (my room mate, also an awesome dude) got on one and i got on the other. As they pulled away i wondered why we werent moving, then a woman claiming to be the drivers sister came and sat behind me, sandwhiching me between the driver and her self. Assuming that she probably wasnt his sister, i just let them take me back, too tired and feeling like crap to really give a shit / concentrate on where they were going. AS we were driving the girl ont he back started to feel me up, telling me she loves englihs guys, blah blah blah, trying to find my wallet, whilst the driver is taking us to a place no where near my hotel. After about 20 mintues of me saying "stop touching me" and "this isnt my hotel, take me to the HONG NGOC HOTEL NOW" and her replying "Why you think i am bad, all westerners thing vietnam is bad we are not bad" etc, i had enough, we started to pull into some dodgey little alley way so i kicked the driver in the stomach and ran away as fast as i could. Eventually found a taxi and got in it, but the bike followed me and started demanding that i paid him more than twice the original agreed amount. Sensing that the driver wouldnt leave until i gave them the money i chucked a few notes out of the window, then using my quick thinking and violent, get me fucking home or i swear im gonna BUSSSST, nature i slammed the taxi door into the bike / woman / driver and knocked them to the floor, the taxi drove away and we escaped those fucking dicklords. ARgh, it makes me mda thinkinga bout it. Anyway, taxi dropped me off sort of near my hotel, but what with it being dark and 95% of streets in asia looking exactly the same i got lost AGAIN. Wandered about for 45 minutes, scared shitless, in a city ont he other side of the world to me. Eventually got anotehr taxi, who once again tried to rip me off which ended up in an argument and me telling him to go do some very rude things to himself, i got home. EVeryone had waited up for me, except si, who was so drunk he didn't care. It was a good feeling, even though i didnt raelly know everyone that well they had all waited to see if i was okay and Zoe and Rob had even gone back to the club (where they actually saw the bitch who was trying to kidnap me) to try and find me, aswell as trying to get the police involved. Humbling.
Got to bed anyway and laughed about it in the Morning. Spent the next few days in Hanoi just chilling and avoiding motorbike taxis like the plague. Met Ian and Faith from cambodia which was cool and had a pint of guiness in an irish pub (They're everywhere) on st paddys day.
Flew back to Bangkok on the 18th and met a Thai girl called Air who showed me around and invited me to a Thai Hardcore show, if i can change my flights. Should be good. Spent a bit of time in bangkok, lady boys everywhere and went to some go go bar ping pong show thing with a couple of Australians and Rachel from cambodia / vietnam.

So that leads me to Chiang Mai. Got a bus from bangkok which took all night and then arrived at the 'Nice Place' hotel (it is about as far from a nice place as you can get, rude staff, shit rooms and bang in the centre of the red light district) from there we got in a van and drove out, south of Chiang Mai. Got out of the van to find outselves at an elephant riding place. It was surreal, quite sad and i didnt really enjoy it, seeing big beautiful animals chained up and being hit to perform for gawping tourists isnt really my idea of a good time. Had some lunch after the elephants and then started a particularly brutal, all up hill, trek, with a stops to swim in waterfalls and games of football with local kids. In actual fact it was awesome and a total highlight of the trip for me. The Trek lasted 3 days, we saw a bunch of hill tribes and lots of waterfalls and amazing scenery, whilst also hanging out with some of the nicest men ever, a bunch of filipinos involved in teh television industry. I think infact a couple of them were really famous, we just didnt know. Also a swedish dude called erik, who is sound as fuck.
After the trek finished we all had a last drink or two in the centre of Chiang Mai, where we ended up in a lady boy bar (photos when i can actaully stomach looking at them). It was fun and really surreal. Next day Rachel left after 6 weeks or so of travelling together, gutted. ME and erik chilled out and played some pool.
Now onto yesterday. It was eriks birthday and probably one of my favourite days of the trip. In detail... Got up around 10 and went for a great breakfast at a local restaurant. From there we got a pick up truck out to Doi Suthep temple, which overlooks the entirety of Chiang Mai and is insanely beautiful. Got back around 2 and had some lunch at a mexican place (when in thailand...) and then walked into town for a bit, did some awesome bartering and managed to get a basketball jersey from 900 baht down to 200. But I dtill didnt buy it. Thrifty. After that we went found a sports shop, bought a basketball and went to a local school to shoot some hoops and generally get a bit more active. It was wicked, we played 2 on 2 with some local kids and had a right laugh. On our walk home we also spied a music shop, which when we went in was a practice room place, so we went in and had a jam for an hour or so, it was rad to play the drums again! After we freshened up we went and got some good eats and hit a bar we'd been in previously. Met a cool guy called Robin and a shit load of awesome Thai people, who for once weren't either trying to sell us something or offering us their services for the evening. Eventually ended up in a lock in at a local music bar and stayed there til 3 am, talkign to cute thai girls and chatting to a thai guy who lives in fucking west brigford and greeted me by saying 'ay up me duck!!!'. Hahahaha! After the lock in we went to a club and it was rad. Got in about 5am and hit the hay, exhausted.

Got up this morning late and now im here, in an internet cafe, writing a massive update! Get a bus back to bangkok tonight and im gonna check out some cool sneaker shops!

Don't be a stranger, send me an email or something, its nice to hear from home.

Tzbrowe@gmail.com

Tomxxx

(ps, im considering putting off uni for another year and living in Nottignham and working off some of my debts...)