The Journey begins …..

Monday December 8th

Ann and Conor dropped us at The Hurlers at 7.30 am. Citilink to Dublin and Quatar Airways flight from Dublin at 2pm. Comfortable flight to Doha almost 7 hours. A quick dash to catch Hanoi connection. Dozed off now and then on a 6 hour flight before arriving in Hanoi at approx mid day local time, 7 hours ahead of home time.

Day 1 Tuesday December 9th

Picked up at airport by our hotel quide and brought to . Very nice hotel , very helpful staff and very nice food. Sleep for two hours while Aine went exploring city. Up showered and went out to walk through the city. First impressions- very busy, very densely populated, not Third World but definitely poor. People cooking and eating on the streets. Scarcely room to walk on footpaths between people and parked motorbikes. Everyone has a motorbike and it is amazing to see the waves of motorbikes coming down the street when traffic lights change. Walked around the lake and found a nice place to eat thanks to Aine. Chicken and cachew nuts and a . Visited - literally cafes along a train track. You get your coffee and take a seat outside- then someone shouts train coming. All move back as far as possible and train passes literally past your nose. Crazy traffic , mainly motorbikes, huge numbers of people. Crossing the road was a nightmare. Find a pedestrian crossing but realize motorbikes won't stop for you. Tour guide told us how to get across. Hold up your hand look all around and step out. The motorbikes keep coming but miraculously everyone seems to avoid each other. Described as fish swimming around in a bowl. The traffic lights rule in Vietnam " green-go, orange -go, red- have a go" 😂

Day 2 Wednesday December 10th

A very nice breakfast- cereal, lovely fruit, beautiful coffee, even rasher and sausage for me. The girls kept to the local cuisine , spring rolls and dumplings.

After breakfast we relaxed by the pool for an hour before we headed off for further exploration of Hanoi parks and temples. We visited for a very interesting tour. Built by the French during the colonial period in the 19th century, it was used during the American war for American prisoners of war- they called it the . was shot down in Hanoi, imprisoned and tortured here. A photo of him on a return visit in the 1990’s is on the wall. Food tour of Hanoi in the evening organized by Aine. Met our food guide Patrick, no Irish connection, named after American movies! He brought us to 6 homes where we sampled many different Vietnamese dishes finishing with sticky rice and icecream. Early to bed as leaving for early the following day.

Day 3 Thursday December 11th

Up early - breakfast at 6.30 bus to Halong at 7.30. Two and a half hour drive to jetty. A small tender took us out into the bay where cruise ship awaited. Had lunch on board - a buffet with a wide variety of local food- again very nice, seafood, pork, chicken all cooked in local tradition. Got our cabins for the night- full windows all around giving beautiful view of the bay and the islands. An outside private balcony with deck chairs. Bay contains 1960 islands- all . Relaxed here for an hour before going kayaking and swimming. Aine and myself went out in the Kayak and all three of us jumped in with lifejackets to swim in the . Fionnualas lifejacket came up over her head and she couldn't see where she was going. 😁.
Back to ship for happy hour and dinner. Some squid fishing after dinner and crashed exhausted to bed.

Day 4 Friday December 12th

Up at 6am for . I was only participant. A quick breakfast and travelled to an island to visit a hospital built inside a cave used during the American war. A limestone cave with hidden entrance used as a hospital for wounded soldiers. Back to ship for brunch before leaving ship to come back to mainland. Bus back to Hanoi picked up bags in Melia and moved to for last night in Hanoi. Again I crashed out in bed while the girls, with seeming unlimited energy went out to get their nails done. A late night dinner and bed.

Day 5 Saturday December 13th

Taxi to airport at 7 am. Hotel had provided a takeaway breakfast - two boiled eggs each and toast. A very wet morning. Flight to and car to . Our hotel is basic but nice and clean. Again very friendly and welcoming hotel staff. Flower, the receptionist, gave us lots of information and advice. She had lunch ready for us - - fresh bread roll with pork, salad and seasoning - very nice.
Sat by a little pool in the garden to eat this before wandering through the town. Streets are packed with tourists and vendors selling their wares. Hoi An is a universal heritage site. Many ancient temples to visit. An ancient river port retaining it's old character.
Renowned for tailoring. The girls bought a few dresses- picked the material, were measured and told the dresses would be made overnight and ready for collection at 11.30 the following morning.
A nice Vietnamese curry in the before heading back to hotel.

Day 6 Sunday December 14th

Woke early, went for a walk while girls took a lie- in. Walked through town and had breakfast in -a little family home. Girls went to pick up dresses and I went for a walk. A sudden rain storm meant rushing back to hotel- a fifteen minutes walk -soaked through. Many vendors following me trying to sell me raincoats and umbrellas.😁
After a change of clothes and a rest we went back to the town and browsed through some temples, had a coffee and crossaint before going on a river cruise. We met Huan, the boat skipper, and got on board a small river boat. There were 2 other groups- one from Germany and one from Indonesia with us. We travelled up the river for 30 minutes. Just like Alex's boat on the Amazon. Pulled into a small village settlement surrounded by coconut trees. Got into small round and we were paddled around the small river channels by local ladies and one man. Aine was in the basket with the man and he spun it around at a rapid pace- she had to hold on tight but managed to stay in the boat. She really enjoyed it and got lots of photos and videos.
On the way back we lit lanterns and released them on the water making a wish- a local tradition.
Back for dinner in stir fried beef with peppers for me. A stroll through the town and back to hotel around 9pm.

Day 7 Monday December 15th

Up at 7.30am and out for a walk and opportunity to do some reading before the lads got up. Breakfast in . Back to hotel and taxi to , an ancient heritage site, about an hour away, up in the mountains. This is an , preserving what remains of the dating to the 4th century. Temple towers where they prayed and worshipped in the Hindu faith. Much of site was destroyed by American bombing in the war. Dinner in Morning Glory- stir fried pork and back to bed.

Day 8 Tuesday December 16th

Moving day today- leaving Hoi An and flying to , formerly . Got up at 8 am and went for walk in nice park nearby while the girls slept on. Packed and had a coffee and banh mi rolls that the hotel had organised for us. Taxi to airport where we said good bye to Aine. She is flying to to meet Deirdre. They will spend a week together before rejoining us in on December 23rd. We arrived in Ho Chi Minh at 3.30. pm and at hotel at 5pm. Our hotel for the next three nights is The Liberty Central Riverside hotel. It is a nice hotel and our room is large and comfortable. Beautiful views from hotel window-17 floors up. The top floor is Floor 24 and that is where the pool is. Ho Chi Minh is largest city in Vietnam and city centre is very built up dominated by high rise buildings. Maybe like a less affluent New York. Some quite poor streets and lots of vendors selling all kinds of wares. Very hot and humid. Had dinner in hotel before an early night sleep.

Day 9. Wednesday December 17th

Up early for breakfast at 7am. Lovely fruit, breads, coffee and a variety of meats. Picked up at hotel at 8am for . A 2 hour bus drive to the port. Pulled into a Buddhist pagoda monastery along the way - amazing architecture. On to port and got on board another river cruiser -like the Amazon again. Got off at two islands, Coconut island and Unicorn island. Sampled coconut, chocolate and fruit. A large lunch before returning to boat and continuing our river cruise. Back to bus and a long drive home. Driving through Ho Chi Minh takes ages as the traffic is so chaotic.

We go out for dinner and early to bed.

Day 10 Thursday December 18th

Up at 7am for breakfast before tour to Cu chi tunnels. Met our guide Tiger at hotel and travelled in minibus. Picked up two other groups and drove for two hours. Stopped at workshop for disabled artists along the way - felt we were expected to buy something and we did, to support their work. Next stop was at a rubber plantation and then onto tunnels. We saw how the Vietnamese guerilla fighters dug and used these tunnels in the war. It demonstrates the resilience and determination that helped them defeat the Americans. A long two hour drive back to hotel. Very hot and sticky so a swim in the rooftop pool was a welcome finish to the day. Later a splendid buffet dinner before bed.

Day 11 Friday December 19th

Last day in Vietnam. Went for a stroll through Ho Chi Minh City after breakfast. Visited Norte Dame cathedral. Large statue of the Blessed Virgin outside cathedral. Bought two tee shirts from a street vendor to have as a souvenir. 200,000 Dong ( approx €6) for the two. I should have haggled, probably would have got them for 120,000 Dong, but I hadn’t the heart to do it. Walked through a lovely tree lined avenue down to Reunification Palace or now called Independence Palace, the centre of government. This was formerly the base of the South Vietnam government. In 1975, a Vietcong tank crashed through the gates, taking over the building, thus ending the war and reuniting the country. Lots of tours going in but we didn’t have time to take in a tour. Walked past the Opera House and War Remnants Museum on way back to hotel. Packed the bags and had a bus to airport, leaving at 12.30pm.

Flight to at 4.40pm. 2 hour flight and one hour Grab ride to hotel. Grab is the Asian equivalent of Uber- an E taxi. Book on App, pay by Revolute for journey, no meter. The one hour trip to Hotel cost 90 MYR. In Euro, one ringgit is approx 20 cent, so the taxi for two cost proxy €18.

Kuala Lumpur time is one hour ahead of Vietnam and 8 hours ahead of Ireland. We were driving through the city at 10 pm. Amazing to see the miles of high rise buildings, lit up, all along the street. The tallest are two buildings joined by a bridge, called the . This was once the tallest building in the world and dominates the skyline.

Our hotel is the Concorde, a very plush hotel. We are booked here for four nights.

Day 12 Saturday December 20th

Tired today after flight and took a relaxing morning at the pool and an opportunity to catch up on some reading.

Very warm and humid here. Took the monorail into the city and found a nice shopping mall. Lots of designer shops and many affluent customers. Fionnuala enjoyed a few hours retail therapy before returning to hotel. Ate in Hard Rock Cafe before retiring to bed.

Day 13 Sunday December 21st

Lovely breakfast in hotel. Again spent quite a bit of time by pool. Very hot and humid so keeping cool in the shade and the pool is a priority. Took a walk in the evening to the Petronas towers but found that tours had to be booked a week in advance. However, a magnificent shopping centre is adjacent to the towers and we browsed through this. All designer shops- Louis Voitten, Versace, Saint Laurent etc but we found a Marks and Spencer’s and got some Christmas presents. Conor arrived at approx 7 pm after a long flight from Istanbul. We had a nice buffet dinner at hotel and early to bed.

Day 14 Monday December 22nd

A lie in this morning as heat and busy schedule is taking a toll. A swim and some relaxation at the pool after breakfast. All three of us took monorail into city and strolled through Chinatown, Central Market and other shopping malls. Spotted an Irish bar and had a meal and some welcome cold drinks. Back to pack and book taxi for the morning as we are leaving for Perth at 9am in the morning.

Day 15 Tuesday December 23rd

Last morning in KL. Breakfast at 8am - Buffet with a huge selection of food including fruit,cereals, salads, cold meats, cooked meats of all varieties, breads, pastries, teas and coffees. We ate heartily as we knew it was airport food for the rest of the day. Taxi driver picked us up at 9 am. He pointed out the tallest buildings to us and gave us a running commentary on Malaysian economy throughout the trip. Malaysia has one of the tallest skylines in the world. He told us that the high towers were all built by the Chinese and that they have invested heavily in Malaysia and throughout South East Asia. He commented that China intended taking over the world by business and not by war. Malaysia has a total of 518 skyscrapers over 150 metres high, with 6 of them towering 300 metres. This includes the second tallest structure built by man, the Merdeka 118 reaching 670 metres Also famous are the Petronas Twin Towers which were once the world’s tallest buildings. These have 88 storeys and reach 451 metres high. He pointed out one which he said is colloquially referred to as “the stolen money tower” . This is Exchange 106, which originally was funded by the state. However, the Prime Minister was ousted amid a scandal of money laundering. The tower was later completed by the new government.

We arrived at airport to learn that our flight was delayed. We eventually boarded at 4.30 pm. A five and a half hour flight with AirAsia was not the most comfortable but we arrived in Perth safely at 10 pm. Very strict custom control, passports and visa examined at 4 different stations and our Vietnamese hats were the subject of intense investigation. A lady officer put out a sheet of paper on the table and banged each hat forcibly on the paper to ensure no bugs were hiding in them. They were passed and we eventually got out to meet Keith who was waiting for us. He drove us into the city and to our accommodation, a lovely airb&b in the suburb of Karinyup. Great to meet Dee and Keith again.

A nice cup of tea, the first in two weeks, and off to bed.

Day 16 Wednesday December 24th

It’s our first morning in Perth and it is Christmas Eve. Took a leisurely morning breakfast as all were tired after a long day travelling yesterday. Aine had done shopping for us and Keith had hired a car. Scorching temperatures, 33 degrees at 10 am and rising to 40 degrees at 2pm. We got loads of washing done and out on line. Clothes bone dry and ready to wear in 30 minutes. Sat out on the patio in the shade but after a while moved to the sanctuary of the air conditioned sitting room.

Went to huge shopping mall to do a Christmas shop. Dee and Keith called over and Keith, Conor and myself went to a fancy golf course and spent time in the driving range and putting green. Afterwards Keith brought us to a few viewing points looking down over the city of Perth and then back to their house where we cooled down by jumping into pool. The three girls came to join us and we went out for a pizza.

A stroll down to the beach as it was getting dark. Made some phone calls to all the families at home to wish all a happy Christmas.

Day 17 Thursday. December 25th

A Christmas Day with a difference. Down to the beach at 8.30am. Brighton beach is thronged, difficult to find parking. Temperature at 33 degrees at that hour. Had a good swim, water beautiful and helped to keep us cooled down. Changed then and off to Christmas Day mass in Immaculate Heart Church in Scarborough.

Over to Dee and Keith for dinner, steaks for the non vegans, no turkey here. Sweltering heat at this stage, 40 degrees at mid-day. You could fry an egg on the stones ……if you had an egg.😄.

After some present opening, all jumped into pool to cool down before dinner. Lovely evening, eating, drinking, playing games. The more artistic among us painted Christmas tree baubles and a few of us fell asleep- as you do on Christmas Day.

We couldn’t wait until it was time to ring home to check if Santa had been to Teddy. We had a lovely chat on the phone with a very excited little boy and his parents.

Back home at about 10 pm and off to bed.

Day 18 Friday December 26th

Temperatures dropped significantly compared to yesterday. This morning was a much more comfortable 21 degrees with a nice breeze blowing. A day trip to Fremantle today, about a 45 minute drive. On arrival we walked through the old town and browsed through the markets. Fremantle is an old port city and it’s architecture retains much of its old character. Called Freeo by the locals today it is also called Walyalup, the name given to it by its indigenous population. Fremantle is most famous for its penal colony and of course we had to visit , now a tourist attraction. The city struggled in the mid 19th century when few settlers stayed in, what was then, a harsh environment. In 1850 it was decided to bring prisoners over from England to provide a source of labour for constructing the town. On arrival the first convicts were tasked with building the prison. Between 1850 and 1868 nearly 10,000 convicts from Britain and Ireland were imprisoned here. A computer facility can be used to trace prisoners and these show that many of them were transported for sheep stealing and other petty crimes. We could only find one Bourke and he came from Dublin. 😁. The last convict ship landed in Freemantle in 1868. It was called the , and carried 62 Fenian prisoners from Ireland. These were rounded up after the Fenian rising of 1867. Numbered among them was John Boyle O Reilly, who later escaped to America and became a well known supporter of the Irish cause in Boston. Another prisoner worth mentioning was a fellow called Moondyne Joe. He was famous for escaping from the prison on three occasions.

Following our prison tour we came across an Irish bar where we had some food and refreshments.

Came back home and had the Christmas leftovers from yesterday. Played board games at the kitchen table before retiring to bed.

Day 19 Saturday December 27th

Today, Deirdre suggested a visit to . This was a drive inland for about 35 minutes. The weather was warm and sunny with temperatures in the high 20’s. This is a large park in which we could see all the wildlife native to Australia. The biggest attraction in the park were the Kangaroos. These were very quiet and friendly and we could feed and rub them. There were also Wombats, Koalas, Wallabies and all kinds of marsupials. There were many species of birds such as cockatoos, kookaburra, cassowaries, lorikeets, bustards and eagle. The reptile enclosure housed snakes and lizards and we had a photo opportunity with a python snake.

On our way back we dove through Swan Valley, an area well known for its wineries and vineyards.

We had lunch on the way back at a lovely, outdoor restaurant, called the Henley Brook and then back to Deirdre and Keith’s house for a swim in the pool. Relaxed here for a few hours before returning.