Friday 29th October

After last night's beautiful dinner with the Aussies, I decided to skip the breakfast at my hotel for breakfast there instead, ordering both French toast and porridge. (I wasn't being greedy, I just couldn't decide which one I wanted so I ordered both and ate half serves!)

Packing my bag this morning was fun. I did fit everything in reasonably easily, although some of the new clothes are in my daypack, rather than my big backpack (I could change this if I took the clothes out of their plastic seals, but I'd like to keen them in pristine condition until there is a reason to change them ... i.e. buying more clothes in Ho Chi Minh City. By the time I get to Canada, I will definitely need to buy a new bag!)

Checking out of the hotel at 10:30, I had 7 hours to kill before the sleeper bus to Nha Trang. I spent the first hour and a half on the internet, updating my blog and checking the usual suspect websites (i.e. PerezHilton).  I had an early lunch - the most beautiful egg and lettuce sandwich ever, made on thick crusty toasted bread - and then went and hired a bike. Everyone in Hoi An rides either a motorbike or a bicycle, and the main quadrant of town is even blocked off from motor vehicles. I wanted to join in the action, and ride to the nearby beach, about 5km away. The bike I hired was bright green and had a basket - I actually swapped the bike I was initially given for one with a basket!!

I didn't have a dog to put in the basket, only my bag and water, but off I rode into the sunset ... (ok, not really, just down the pothole and mud strewn roads of Hoi An). Once you got out of the city - which didn't take long - the scenery was gorgeous, with rice paddy fields being tilled by men and their water buffalos. Luckily the traffic around here isn't bad, and I managed to ride on the right hand side of the road without any issues - I need to get used to that for Canada!

The beach wasn't too far away, although as I approached it I heard a shrill whistle, waving me off the bike and into a 'parking lot'. (I'm not sure if I got played here - I was made pay 5000 dong to park my bike and then walk to the beach). The beach was very choppy - the weather has been bad here all week - and the sand was blowing hundreds of metres back onto the road.

Back on my bike, I rode into the town, onto the back streets and across the river. It's such a fun way to get around the town, and it makes you feel like such a local (and a little kid - when was the last time you rode on a bike with a basket?)

I deposited my bike back at the bike rental shop and decided to kill an hour of the remaining three hours left to the bus by getting a massage. Bad move - I don't know why I persist on getting massages, I think it's just because a) they're cheap and b) they're considered a luxury at home. I had a 60 minute herbal massage - very similar to a stone massage except with herbal compresses - and the young Vietnamese girl had a fun time scalding and pummelling my body into submission.

'Dinner' was next (even though it was only 4:30pm) - I didn't trust the roadside diners the bus would likely pull up at on the way to Nha Trang, so I wanted to make sure I had a hearty meal (and a few snacks in my daypack). The restaurant was really funky, and had a poster with the saying, "Google knows what you did last summer" in the style of the movie poster for 'I Know What You Did Last Summer', but with Google in the Google logo. Photography was prohibited else I would have taken a photo - I'd love a copy of it for my apartment! (Wherever that ends up being next).

I then returned to the guesthouse to wait for the bus pick-up. I was told the bus would leave at 6pm, but at 6pm I was 'picked-up' by a representative of the bus company, who accompanied me across the road to the bus office. I waited there for about 45 minutes before the sleeper bus finally arrived, and I piled on with the other backpackers and tourists.

How do I explain the sleeper bus to you ... imagine a bus, with three aisles of bunk beds. The back of the bus also consists of two levels of beds, except that instead of having individual bunks, it consists of five beds joined together. Each bed is tailored to the size of a standard Vietnamese person, despite these buses being predominantly used by Westerners. The beds are 80cm in width, and about 2m in length. This isn't a lie-flat 2m though - there is about 1m of horizontal space for your legs, and the remaining 2m is on an angle for your back to rest on. You soon realise 1m isn't enough room for your legs, so your feet end up hanging over onto the front of the bunk in front of you.

There is no room for your bag - you must nurse this either on top of your body, or sleep with your legs on top of it. Your shoes must be removed and placed in a plastic bag, rested in the same way. A small pillow is provided, along with a blanket, for some warmth and comfort, but sleeping for 12 hours on a bed which isn't wide enough to turn negates that comfort. (As you can imagine, I became very good friends with the German guy sleeping next to me - 80cm is a miniscule width!)

The 12 hour bus ride had only just departed when it made its first pit-stop at a local diner. I had decided I wasn't going to drink or eat anything on the bus because I didn't want to have to go to the bathroom (public bathrooms over here are disgusting!), and instead played my iPod, trying to block out the constant sound of the bus' horn. Vietnamese roads are also quite bumpy, and the suspension on the bus wasn't to Western standards, so the bus ride was bumpy to say the least. But, it was something I had wanted to experience (and now that I have, I see no reason in having to repeat the experience any time soon!)

Thursday 28th October

Now that my clothes are finished, I have two days in which to fill in before leaving for Nha Trang. Today I decided to head to Danang, the town in which I'd flown into. Finishing breakfast (the hotel had a good set-up - you could order any breakfast item and any drink off the menu, and it was included in the room tariff), I used the hotel car to go into Danang city.

I'd researched Danang the previous night using the hotel's wi-fi on my iPhone, and it didn't seem to be an interesting place (Abi had also previously told me this). All I could find of interest (well, to me at least), was the Big C shopping centre, and a few main streets which sounded promising.

That wasn't to be. I had fun in Big C, exploring their toiletries section - Vaseline for 50c? Clean and Clear moisturisor for 50c? (I stocked up, knowing this will save me money in the long run!) I then proceeded to walk the main streets of Danang, along to the dirty river and eventually ending up at a hairdresser salon. Through a great game of charades, the hairdressers worked out that I wanted my hair straightened. What a fun experience - I had a hairdresser either side of me, straightening each side of my hair; whilst the rest of the salon stood around and watched. (I was a little off the beaten path - maybe they hadn't seen too many Westerners, particularly with blonde hair as they touched it in amazement!) The grand total was 20,000 dong - $1!

During my research the previous night I'd also found a movie theatre that showed films in English (not just with sub-titles), so I watched 'Wall Street 2' for less than $3. What a great movie! I walked out totally in love with Shia LaBoeuf - no wonder his work is applauded!

I tried to find a cafe I'd both been told about by a local Vietnamese guy and read about in the Lonely Planet, which was a bakery/cafe run by deaf students. Unfortunately, I was unable to find it, so I took a taxi back to my hotel.

After a brief respite, I headed into Hoi An town, determined to take some photos of the heritage-listed town. I've barely taken any photos in Vietnam - it feels more like an experience than a group of attractions, and it's been the people that have made this trip bareable as I haven't really enjoyed the country - it's definitely been the best country to find people to talk with!

Continuing this trend, as I walked into Hoi An town I bumped into Kym, Julie, Donna and Debbie, the four ladies who I'd initially met in Sapa and then again on the flight to Hoi An. They invited me to join them for dinner, but first had a few pit-stops to make. The first was to a jewellery store, where they seemed to have purchased half of the store - and I could see why. The jewellery was not only beautiful and cheap, but it could also be either customised or custom-made to your specifications. They were supposed to be picking up some customised items, but couldn't resist purchasing a few more items.

They had spent most of their time on the 'east' side of the town, whereas I had spent my time in the 'west', so they weaved through a number of streets and called into shops I hadn't come across, before we arrived at the restaurant for dinner. The restaurant was owned by the same person who owned the jewellery store, and the ladies were welcomed warmly by the staff - they were the kind of people who would talk to anyone, and would become friends with everyone in an instance!

The food was beautiful, the setting was great and the company fantastic - we had a great evening. They were booked on a flight to Nha Trang the next morning, where they'd booked two nights at the Diamond Bay Resort, which hosted the 2008 Miss Universe pageant. However, as onward flights to Ho Chi Minh City were booked out on Sunday, they now had to leave Nha Trang on Saturday, which meant they couldn't use their second night at the resort, which was fully paid for and non-refundable. Was I interested in taking up the room?, they asked.

I accepted the offer, and arranged to meet them at the resort on Saturday morning once I'd arrived on the sleeper bus (I was worried about arriving too early, given the sleeper bus was scheduled to arrive at 6:00am, but Kym assured me she'd be awake). With that sorted, and dinner finished, we went our separate ways - them to pick-up their last items of clothing, and myself to snap a few more photos.

Tuesday 26th October
Wednesday 27th October

This post will take on a different fashion from my normal blogs, because these two days consisted of one thing: clothes fittings! Rather than account my hour by hour fittings, I thought I would write about my experience at each tailor, and the clothes I ended up with.

Yaly Couture
Advertising for Yaly Couture confronts you as soon as you enter the airport in Danang, and follows you down the road to Hoi An. Along with Ao Dong Silk, Yaly Couture is the premium tailor in Hoi An. This was my first stop, and armed with a list of clothes I wanted made, I was greeted by Fairy, my own personal assistant.

After showing her my pictures, talking through ideas and examining the look books (each tailor has a heap of magazines and lookbooks from which you can draw inspiration), I settled on four items to be made: a navy silk dress, similar to one I have in Australia; a tulip work dress; a black silk jacket with 80s style sleeves; and a replica of the flannellete dress I own, in a red and blue flannel.

At the first fitting that afternoon, I was a little alarmed. Each item was quite oversized (although, Fairy reassured me this was only because it was a first fitting - the clothes would be cut to size after the tailor had viewed the product on me, and as she said it was better for it to be too big than too small! I don't think there was any reason for me to be alarmed, it wasn't that they were poorly made, more just that I wasn't familiar with the clothes making process). The tulip dress was the one thing that was concerning me - I'd asked for it to be made with cap sleeves, which looked repulsive (I take the blame for this), and the silk dress made me look like a 10 tonne Tessa. 

One of the notable differences with Yaly is that at each fitting, the tailor of your item personally comes into your dressing room to examine the fit, and talk through any problems or concerns you have. (At all of the other tailors, the shop assistant examines the fit, and then sends it back to the sewing room). Having discussed my concerns with the tailors, they scurried back to work, and I returned the next morning for another fitting.

This time, my fears were allayed - the tailors had made every change required, and had now sorted out the hem lengths so I looked like the 27 year old that I am, rather than a frumpy Grandma. The flannellete dress was near perfect (I wanted one minor change to nip in the waist) whilst the silk dress was perfect; the jacket required a slight modification in the back for more space, and the tulip dress looked way better now that the sleeves were gone and the hem was shorter.

One more fitting in the afternoon and I was happy with all of the clothes. However, Fairy wouldn't let me leave with the clothes - she said she would perform a quality assessment of the clothes, and once she was satisfied with them she would have them couriered over to my hotel (and three hours later, they arrived at my hotel, freshly pressed and individually wrapped).

Judgment: Expensive, but you get what you pay for. Quality control, large range of fabric and look books, and professional staff ensure you leave a happy customer. Quality of tailoring is supreme.

Mr Xe
Mr Xe had good feedback on TripAdvisor. Run by an eccentric, short Vietnamese man, it was my second stop after Yaly Couture. Reviews I had read said it was best to have business clothes made here, not casual clothes, so I decided to have one business shirt made (my thought being, if the shirt turned out well I could always go back for more). At $15, I thought it was a bargain, especially as the fabric felt beautiful (rich woven cotton, as opposed to thin cotton).

After my measurements were taken, I was told to come back later that afternoon for a first fitting. The shirt was a disaster - way too small in the back for me - so it was sent back to the workshop. It required three more fittings on the next day to get it to fit me properly - they actually made a brand new shirt in the end, with more material. The eccentric Mr Xe ensured he sat in on all of the fittings as well, and the shirt was only allowed home with me once he gave the final sign-off. I'm not sure if I will end up wearing it - they can't seem to do women's shirts right, but at $15 it's worth having in the cupboard, even if it's just worn a few times or under dresses.

Judgment: Give women's business shirts a miss, but possibly worth persisting for other types of work clothes.

Thu Thuy
This tailor has good reviews on TripAdvisor, and had several locations in town. I stopped in at the first, a small front only store, and decided to have a business shirt made at a cost of $27. Similar to Mr Xe though, the fit was terrible. After 4 fittings, I gave up on it, asking if I could cancel the order. This meant I lost my deposit, but it was better than paying the full amount for a shirt I knew I would never wear.

Across the road was their main shopfront. You walked through the street facing store and at the rear was a large fabric and fitting room. The only items really left on my list, now that I'd decided to skip the Burberry jacket, were some pants for Whistler. Now I NEVER wear pants, because a) they don't suit my body and b) I don't feel feminine in them. My assistant wore a slightly surly expression on her face but she was absolutely brilliant - you know when people are really brilliant so they get bored when they're not being stretched? This was her. She advised me that no one in Hoi An had the right machine to make jeans, and advised getting them off the shelf once I got to Canada, but helped me pick out a great pair of black pants, which will be my workwear in Canada. They were made of a slightly shiny material, with some excess room around the crotch - a style that's very in at the moment (very tailored, not like a pair of harem pants!)

At the first fitting, I was very excited - finally a nice pair of pants I'd actually wear! I asked for slightly more room in the legs and for the waist to be brought in, and at the second fitting it was perfect.

Judgment: Putting the business shirt fiasco aside, they were very professional (even giving me free bottles of water as I waited) and stylish, and knew exactly how to fit and flatter. Slightly expensive but worth it.


Thanh Thien
On my list of 'wanted' clothes, I had jotted down a boyfriend blazer. However, none of the look books had good examples and I didn't really want to explain what a boyfriend blazer was. Walking down LeLoi street, I noticed a boyfriend blazer hanging in the window of this tailors, made in an expensive grey sheeny material, similar to that in which expensive suits are made out of. I asked to try it on and instantly fell in love, asking the price - it was only $30!
I was quickly measured up and told to come back later that afternoon. When I returned and tried on the custom product, it was absolutely perfect - not one alteration required. Since the jacket was made so perfectly, I decided to get a skirt made in the same material for only $25 - the skirt and jacket could act as a suit, or I could wear the boyfriend blazer with jeans or pants for a night out. The skirt required several alterations to fit perfectly - mostly because I designed it 'from my head' as a tulip skirt, but when I saw the product I realised it was a little too 'tulipy' and need to be streamlined.

Judgment: Not initially on the list, but this tailor turned out to be brilliant. Whenever they have something to copy, they can replicate it perfectly, as was the case with the jacket.

Shoe Shop
I hadn't intended on having shoes made, as the reviews I had read online gave only bad feedback. The myriad of shoemakers in town seemed to make the same types of shoes, all made from a cheap type of leather but customised to a design of your choice (predominantly sandals, thongs, or men's work shoes). This wasn't the type of place where you could bring your Nine West suede pumps and have them replicated.

Late on Tuesday night, I was walking through the city when a young girl called me into her shoe store. I obliged, intending to just have a quick look, but she had me down on a chair with a catalog in my hand before I could object. "So pretty," she kept remarking, as she stroked my blonde hair (everyone loves blonde hair and blue eyes it seems - none of them can believe my eye colour is real). She told me how the store was a family business, and that she worked everyday from 8:30am to 10pm, and how slow her day had been. By the end of this, I couldn't bare to walk out of the shop, and ended up ordering a pair of lace-up sandals made in a bright blue python-skin material.

Returning on Wednesday to pick them up, they were a disaster. I couldn't fit my feet into the shoes, and the material on the side was all crinkled - not a good look at all. "No problem, we fix, you return at 8pm," my friend told me.

Returning at 8pm, the shoes were still a disaster - in fact, they were possibly even worse than they had been that morning. I couldn't bare sending them back again - I decided to accept the fact that they were a disaster and I wouldn't wear them, and accepted them with a fake smile on my face. As soon as I returned to my hotel, the shoes were put by the bin (and I told the hotel manager he could give them to the staff).

Judgment: Friendly staff but terrible shoes - give shoe-making a miss in Hoi An.


Overall:
Sandals                 $20   Epic fail           Shoe Store
Business shirt      $15   Acceptable      Mr Xe
Silk dress             $65   Great               Yaly
Tulip dress           $60   Good                Yaly
Silk jacket            $60   Good                Yaly
Flannellete dress $60   Perfect              Yaly
Boyfriend blazer  $30   Perfect              Thanh Thien
Tulip skirt             $25  Good                 Thanh Thien
Shirt                      $27   Epic fail            Thu Thuy
Black pants          $55   Perfect              Thu Thuy

Overall, this was an interesting experience. I had initially intended on getting more clothes made, but for me I prefer to buy off the rack, because at least then you know what you're paying for. It's best to go armed with either an article of clothing you want replicated OR pictures of the item you want made - the tailors work best when they're copying something. You get what you pay for, but at these prices you can't really go wrong - and one or two items that are not up-to-scratch isn't bad in the long run.

Monday 25th October

Two months to Christmas! (Not that there is any sign of Christmas here). Although I awoke just before 8am - not a bad effort I thought, given the lack of sleep on the train the night before - I was the last one up in my dorm, which now consisted of about 7 people. The heat and humidity was horrendous in both the dorms and the bathroom - drying off seemed a useless task!

As my flight to Danang wasn't until 3:25pm, I had a few hours to kill. I ignored the breakfast provided by the hostel (fresh bread and condiments), and found a quaint little cafe down the road to eat in instead. Back at the hostel, I packed my bag and checked out, storing my bags to pick-up later.

Following the Lonely Planet's advice, I set off to try and find a bookshop, in the hope that they may have a Canadian Lonely Planet. After about 2 hours, I realise my efforts were in vain and ended up at the Sofitel Metropole, surrounded by all of its luxury stores (Louis Vuitton? Prada?) Numerous wedding shoots were going on outside, and the road was blocked off to cars for this purpose.

Deciding to have a quick lunch before heading out to the airport, on my way to a cafe I ran into Ashley and Matt, who I had met in Ko Phi Phi. I'd actually just being messaging Ashley that morning on Facebook, finding out they were in Hanoi and had jobs teaching English. They were supposed to have started that day but the woman had cancelled, so were out exploring the Old Quarter. It looked like they were already starting to doubt their decision to get jobs in Hanoi though, as the noise blared around us.

Farewelling them, I had lunch nearby to the hostel, before returning to pick-up my bags. I walked outside to find a Mai Linh cafe, but none were in sight. Not deterred, I started to walk down the streets to find one, when I found a travel agency offered airport taxis for only $9 (normally, the price is about $12-$14). I was expecting a catch, but a nice new taxi turned up and deposited me swiftly at the Hanoi airport, about 30km outside of the city.

Time flew and we were soon boarding the Jetstar flight, which was piloted by two Aussies and also had an Aussie flight attendant on board. The flight was only short - about an hour - and as we made our way off the plane, I ran into the Aussie ladies who had shared my mini-bus to the train station in Sapa. "We thought you hadn't made it!", they exclaimed, having not seen me at the airport. We chatted about our plans for clothes in Hoi An, and I gave them some advice on recommended tailors (as provided by Trip Advisor). In return, they told me of a great market in Ho Chi Minh City where I could find good handbags, and another which had real perfume at dirt cheap prices.

My bag was one of the first off the carousel, and the hotel driver was waiting for me outside. As there were no flights to Hoi An, I'd flown into Danang, a town of 1.1 million people located 35km from Hoi An. The ride took about half an hour, on a street parallel to the beach. Everywhere you looked, beach resorts were being constructed - Sheraton; Hyatt Regency; even a Greg Norman designed golf course.

It was dark by the time I'd checked in, but I was eager to go for a walk and have some dinner. The town has a population of only 10,000, and is very quaint. Finally, a town I like in Vietnam! (Partly due to the clamp down on touts, and that cars are forbidden from the centre of town). I ended up getting massively lost as I walked, but finally found my way down to the 'Eating Street', eating pumpkin soup at the Lonely Planet recommended 'Cargo Bar'. The restaraunt also had an adjoining bakery, full of delicious cakes, breads, and ice-creams, and I made a mental note of its location.

Back at the hotel, I finalised my plan of attack for the tailors tomorrow. I wrote down the names and addresses of the tailors I would head to; what clothes I would get made at each; and ensured I had pictures (or at least, the details in my head) and the clothes I wanted made. I couldn't wait!

Sunday 24th October

When the train pulled into Hanoi (after our 5am wake-up call!), Abi came to 'collect' me in my cabin and we walked out of the train station to find a taxi. All of the taxi drivers were circling like vultures, and as we coiuldn't find a Mai Linh taxi, we bargained with another taxi driver to take us first to Abi's hotel, and then to mine. Passing through the empty streets of Hanoi, Abi's hotel was all shut up, so we had him drop us at my hostel, which was open and contained another backpacker, fresh off the earlier train from Sapa (he'd arrived at 4:10am!)

We played on the internet whilst we waited for the reception to officially open at 6am. As I collected my keys, Abi wandered back to her hotel, feeling confident it would be open by now (and feeling safer given it was light out and movement on the streets). The receptionist told me there were two other people in my room, and I was worried about waking them up, given how early it was. Not to worry though, as they were already awake and showered! One of them was an Aussie and the other was Japanese and sooo sweet! She couldn't speak much English and was delighted when I conversed with her in Japanese, trying to tell me about the room (the air conditioning was only turned on at night by the staff, and was freezing, so she set up her towels and clothes on the railing above to try to block out the cold).

Given it was so early, and knowing I needed a wake-up call, I pulled on my runners and headed for the lake. It was here that I finally found something good about Vietnam! The lake was absolutely packed: men had brought out weights and were doing bench-presses; badminton courts had been assembled and competitions were being held; exercise classes were being performed by literally hundreds of old women; and hundreds, if not thousands, of people were pounding the pavement. I joined them, running several laps before returning to the hostel for a shower.

I'd decided I needed to do something 'touristy' today, so I headed out to the Museum of Ethnology, about 6km out of the city. I must admit I had an alterior motive for coming here - the Chocolat and Baguette cafe I'd loved in Sapa had an outpost here. Unfortunately though, they didn't have a bakery like the one in Sapa - nor a breakfast menu - so my stomach rumbled as I walked through the museum. The museum was a fairly standard (read: boring) museum, although the gardens were interesting, as they'd assembled replica tribal houses.

I had the taxi driver drop me at the French boulangerie and ordered scrambled eggs for breakfast. Whilst I was waiting, they brought out 6 slices of freshly baked baguette which was absolutely to die for!! I showed immense restraint in not eating it all, leaving 4 pieces untouched. I then spent several hours walking through the city, calling in at the Nine West, Clinique and Mac stores and mentally writing a shopping list for when I hit Canada.

Starting to fall asleep, I headed back to the hostel to work out an itinerary for the next week, keeping an eye on the Formula 1 whilst I was at it. The hostel had a special - for every crash, they would give out a free beer. The road was extremely wet and slippery, so there was a crash seemingly every two minutes - needless to say, the atmosphere quickly livened up! The place was opened by two Aussie guys, and had moved to the current location only two weeks ago, so was fresh and modern. It was free internet and wi-fi, a bar and travel agency downstairs, and a fifth floor with couches, more computers, and pool tables. The dorms themselves were good too - a lockable drawer located under the beds, and power supply and light for each bunk.

By 4pm I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, so I had a quick cat-nap before I had to meet Abi at 6:30pm. Starving when I awoke, I was at her hotel shortly after 6pm, and we taxied it out to 'KOTO' (Know One, Teach One), which was a restaurant which trained disadvantaged kids (notice a pattern to my eating lately?) It had great reviews in both the Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor, and we weren't disappointed. We shared a Middle Eastern salad (chick peas, beetroot, pumpkin, mint leaves, Spanish onion, feta cheese) and then had pistachio and ricotta pasta for a main - seriously, this was the best pasta I have tasted in my life!

Unable to find a Mai Linh taxi outside (we dared to ask a few other companies for a quote, and their prices were so laughable that we would slam their doors and walk off, refusing on principle to barter them down), we walked down to road and happened to find the KOTO bakery - which had the duo chocolate tarts that both Abi and I had fallen in love with in Sapa! "Everything happens for a reason", I said to Abi, as we happily bought one each.

We had the taxi drop us on the lake as Abi headed into Mac and then the Nine West store, before farewelling each other. Abi was onto Ho Chi Minh City to meet up with her partner the next day, whilst I was off to Hoi An.

Saturday 23rd October

Although I was able to get to sleep easily last night, I was woken nice and early by the loud voices and disgusting habits of my neighbours. I wandered down to my 'local breakfast place', Chocolat and Baguette, for my normal eggs and toast, and was just reading a magazine when Abi walked in. (I'd recommended the cafe to her yesterday, and told her she would find me here in the morning). She had the last part of her trek beginning at 9:30am, but was eager for a nice breakfast as the food at her hotel did not look appetising in the slightest!

Abi left for her trek and had most of the day to fill in before we caught the train back to Hanoi. After packing my bags and checking out of the hotel, I started walking in the north of the town, away from the tourist traps. I then stumbled upon a hairdressers, and asked if they could straighten my hair (it's an easy pick-me-up - leaves you feeling much better than a massage). For only $2.50, the pink haired male hairdresser tended to my hair, and I emerged feeling like a supermodel! (Ok, not quite. But when you've been backpacking for almost 3 months, it's nice to feel pretty!)

I really struggled for things to fill in my time here. Sapa was renowned for its Saturday market, but it was exactly the same as the market that occurred everyday on the square, with the only difference being that more tribespeople came from the surrounding villages to sell to the tourists! The mountain has really been ruined by tourism and the salespeople local - it is such a beautiful location and would be the perfect place for a retreat, but when you're constantly being pestered every step by numerous people trying to sell you things, you just want to get out of the town.

I had some tapas at the same restaurant I ate at on Thursday - some beautiful mushrooms done in an olive sauce on bruschetta - and a Spanish hot chocolate, made with egg and cinnamon (I really need to stop drinking hot/cold chocolate ... my excuse is that it's helping me give up diet coke, but it's really just that I like it!) I filled in some more time by having a foot massage, and instantly regretted it. Abby had told me of her horrible experience at a massage parlour the previous day, and as we concluded later, I'd stumbled into the same one.

Returning to my guesthouse, Abi came running out of the Sapa Rooms restaurant, where she was enjoying a wine after finishing the trek, so I spent half an hour in there with her and a few Aussie women she'd met. Exchanging stories, it seems no one here is very impressed with Sapa.

I'd been told to return to my guesthouse at 4:30pm to await my transfer to the Lo Cai train station, and I checked with the receptionist that I should just sit in the lobby to wait. "Yes", she replied, "Wait 5 minutes". The five minutes stretched into twenty-five, and I was chatting with a Vietnamese guy when a man came in, took one look at me, and then said to the receptionist (in Vietnamese, which my new friend translated for me), "The bus has already left!" Luckily it wasn't too far away and the receptionist called it back for me, although I wasn't too impressed!

The bus wasn't full, just consisting of four Aussie women from Moree (whom I would see again on Monday, as they had booked the same flight to Danang as me). They told me that on their trek, their guide had told them how in Vietnam, once a child reaches two years old it's considered that they can fend for themselves. It's not a surprise to see young children wandering the streets by themselves, or six year olds carrying their baby brothers on their back. Whilst having a drink with Abi and a few Aussie women, we saw a young child with a plastic bag on his head. In Australia, the child would never have a plastic bag to begin with, due to the suffocation hazard, but the mother was completely unconcerned (meanwhile, I was looking on in horror and ready to jump up and help him!)

We reached the train station at about 5:30pm, despite my train not being to 8:45pm - due to the early onset of nightfall and the mist the hangs around the mountains, the buses leave Sapa very early. Abi and I had tickets on the same train but were being transported to the station separately, and we arranged to wait for each other at the front of the station. Well, I waited ... and waited ... and waited .. for almost 2 hours, before her bus finally arrive at 7:15pm! We then needed to exchange our coupons for actual berth locations on the train, and of course there were no tickets left in the same carriage - we were quite despondent at the thought that we might be sharing our cabins with some Vietnamese men and their horrible habits!

Desperate for a drink, we headed to a nearby restaurant where we found the Aussie women I'd shared the bus with, and bunkered with them whilst waiting to board the train. They all admitted how they were in awe of us, travelling by ourselves - they could never do it, they said.

Onwards to the train, we kept seeing people we knew (like the Western couple we'd spoken with on the train ride up, to tell them what had happened with that Vietnamese guy), and hoped we would be sharing our cabin with some nice Westerners. My cabin turned out to be ok, sharing with three Thai dentists all about my age, but Abi wasn't so lucky, making two new Vietnamese 'friends'. ;-) She came in to check on me and take a few photos for my blog, and then retired to her room whilst I fell asleep (well, at least tried to - I had a terrible night's sleep, not made much better with a 5am wake up call as we arrived back in Hanoi).