THAILAND - VIETNAM

Day 16: Successfully completed various dive skils in pool like losing regulator [breathing apparatus] and mask and putting back in/on. Good day for confidence building should something go wrong in the ocean depths below…

Day 17: Two successful dives. Another good day in Paradise.

Day 18: Attaining our Open Water Course after 4 successful dives [aw mi gaw… we have SUCH experience now!?!?]. Celebrating over dinner & drinks with our 5 class mates and then drinking too many Thai whicky buyckets. Much fun. Many giggles. Major dancing moves.

Day 19: Spend day reflecting on the health benefits of Thai whisky… mmmm we couldn’t come up with many.

Days 20-23: Days spent lounging, snorkeling, reading, eating, strolling & sleeping… Tough times… yet we feel ready for the next leg of our journey.

Day 24: Go snorkeling at Shark Bay with guide – as there are sharks there – saw a few… bit scarey… but fun :D
Ferry back to mainland [Chumpon] – Grab some dinner. Board the evening train bound for Bangkok and take oath to not eat ice cream & junk food throughout our time in Vietnam as, “the honeymoon is over baby, and we ain’t never gonna be the same again” – if we keep eating the way we have been! :D

Day 25: Awoke at 5:45 to “Wayke up.. wayke up… copie… tis munning!”. Dreary eyed, we finally pull into main station at Bgk around 7:30… so stoked they woke us up nearly 2 hrs before.
Too early to check into accommodation so spend the morn/arvo shopping. Stumble upon a World Cup promo thing and find ourselves dressed up in gian soccer ball suits and racing each other in a kind of relay thing. Row won [by the hair of Greer’s chinny chin chin] a Panasonic T-shirt. Rad.
Then had a go at “kick the ball in the hole” – Row got two in, and we thought he’s won a new camera and stereo [as they’re the holes he got in], but alas, it was all but a cruel joke, and he won another panasonic t-shirt.
3 hrs later, we had checked in, napped, showered and were back on the streets wearing matching Panasonic t-shirts [ ahh yes.. the promise of wearing something clean far outweighed the thought of us looking like Panasonic Parrots.
Cruised the streets and grabbed some cheap pad thai [90c!] and ate by the road, breathing in the fresh air… - look up to see an elephant casually crossing the road in a sea of cars…

Day 26: We’re off to Vietnam! Up at 5:15, head to airport.

Stop-over in Hong Kong. Grab some yummo “Ajisen Ramen” for lunch [only thing under A$20!].

Dinner on the streets of Ho Chi Minh – have a local beer at a funny street bar thing… cops come… everyone [us being the only foreigners follow suit] jump up and run inside. The bar owners start giggling and grab all the tables and bring them inside. Row & I have no idea what is going on but not too worried despite the police van with 5 policemen having stopped right outside our bar. They write a fine, no worries, and before they’ve even driven off, the seats are being put back out on the side walk!

Day 27: Booked our tickets to Hanoi. Went to the war memorial museum - pretty horrific - tragic really. Was well set up though.
Afterwards Row & I walked back to the suburb where we are staying and stopped off for a "cool & refreshing drink" [its become our latest catch phrase]. Anyway - it was a 'tea house' - as with a lot of Asian places, the milky teas have the 'jelly ball thingys' in the bottom of them that you suck up with a big fat straw - I had one in my straw and pretended I was going to shoot it at Row.. he was going, "Don't you dare"... etc. etc. I was giggling.. he was too... then, surprising even myself - without warning I blew as hard as I could and hit him fair smack in the eyeball. Was bloody funny.. He quickly retaliated with a triple shote [i.e. 3 jelly balls at once] but alas, his attempt was pointless and Greer was the victor once more.