Ho Chi Minh

After a 6am start and a stolen bread roll from the breakfast buffet we set off in our prepaid taxi to the airport. It was very very easy to check in and go through security which was a relief and we had some snacks before getting on the plane.

The flight took around 2 hours, somehow I slept through nearly all of it which was weird but soon we were in Ho Chi Minh. The pilot said it was 32°c which I assumed i'd misheard; Hanoi was rarely above 23°c when we were there but when we got off the plane we discovered that it was really not and sunny!

After collecting our bags we went to the bus stop. Buses here and sooo cheap; a half hour journey through the city cost us 50p, and the conductor told us when to get off which was useful. We headed to a hostel we'd found online, only to be told it was $8 each per night for a dormroom- we'd been paying $4 in Hanoi. We went next door to another guesthouse and here we could get a private triple room with ensiite and a tv for $6 per night so we settled for this.

 After showering and a bit of unpacking we went to find some food and ended up at a bakery. They had a massive selection of cakes and pastries really cheaply so a got lunch here- I think we burn off the calories climbing the 5 flights of stairs to our room!

We headed back to the hostel for a quiet afternoon, catching up on our neglected journals. At 5 ish I decided to go to the post office to send some way overdue postcards from Laos. It was a half hour walk each way through the craziest traffic imaginable. It honestly feels surreal; you have to step out into incoming traffic and the vehicles weave around you, but I can't help feeling like I am stepping out to my own death. Somehow though I made it, mainly by latching myself onto other groups.

The building was pretty spectacular with a large church opposite and it was just impressive to see. I survived the walk back too and afterwards we went for dinner. An Indian place just along from our hostel had really good reviews so we went there and the food was really yummy.

We headed back to our room and at 8.30 ish lauren and i headed to the night market. To be honest I'm not entirely sure we found it; from what I read it was under cover and we were at an open one but it was cool all the same. I bought a really pretty bowl made out of a coconut shell and think I'm going to buy more- family if you would like one feel free to message me and I will stock up, they're cheap! After a wander round and a Pepsi from a fast food place we went home to go to bed. Pretty productive first day here!

Laura x