After a short night in the train, here i am in Sapa, in northern Vietnam, not very far away from the chinese border. The train was quite comfortable, with 4 beds per "room"... But the night was a bit short, we arrived quite early in Sapa. Time to put all the stuff in the room and we go straight away to explore the local market then to the village of Cat Cat, an ethnic village. Beautiful scenery, very similar to those in Peru, what is different are the paddy fields. We're back to Sapa around 14:00, free time for the rest of the evening but i can't really enjoy much unfortunately, upset stomach since  a few days...

Valérie went back... I am now on my own to continue the adventure. After 10 days under the rain, luckily the sun is back! I couldn't stand this weather anymore and was even thinking of changing the date of my ticket to come back early! But once i've seen this beautiful sunshine when i arrived in Hanoi, i changed my mind and decided to stay until the end... Not disappointed so far, it's very nice to visit with a bit of sunshine.

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During those 10 days of rain, i started my journey in Saigon, then went to Hoi An and Hué... Not very nice with this horrible weather, and so much floods everywhere, but i'm not surprised though! Then i eventually flew from Hué to Hanoi and the weather here is lovely, at last!!! At the airport whilst waiting for my flight i met a very nice French couple coming from Tours, my city in France. So we shared a taxi and i took a room in the same hotel, they advised me as well on tours & took me to the travel agency where they booked all their tours. Therefore, i booked a tour to Halong Bay and went there yesterday. Very nice! The scenery was beautiful & lovely sunshine as well!
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Today, walking around Hanoi, discovering the little streets of the old quarter, getting lost... Hanoi is actually a very nice capital, very pleasant, a bit noisy sometimes but much less than Saigon. Hanoi has preserved a bit of authenticity, Saigon is getting more and more westernized...

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Tonight, going to Sapa to explore the northern part of Vietnam and discover i hope amazing landscapes...

Yesterday we left Laos,which had been our home for the last 2 weeks,for Cambodia. We left early morning and landed safely in Siem Reap.This is a busy city,with motorbikes,cars and Tuk Tuks everywhere,and going in every directions...look out pedestrians! It looks dangerous, so much so that it is forbidden for a tourist to hire a motorbike!!

Our guest house is situated a bit away from the town center...no more luxury...a simple, clean by cambodia standards, and with a cold shower .

We spent our afternoon organising the next 3 days,when we will be visiting Temples around the city. The most famous of all, being Angkor Wat,and Bayon...

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Today, we were up at the crack of dawn: 4h30 am...yes this is not a typing error: 4h30am , as we were going to watch the sun rise at Angkor Wat.

We were picked up by our Tuk Tuk at 5am, and were on our way. When we arrived there it was pitched black-no torch(ehehe...), but managed to find a good spot to settle down and watch the sun rise. Beautiful, that's all i can say. The Temple is magnificient . The best is when you can catch the reflection of the Temple in the water just in front of it.Unfortunately, Cambodia is no better when it comes to computers....can't add pictures....

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We spend the whole day,visiting different styles of temples, including the one where the film "Tomb Raider" was filmed: Ta Prohm, situated in the jungle and where the trees actually grow amongst the ruins: magnificient sceneries.

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The only annoying thing, is that at each entrance of the Temples,you are being harassed by kids trying to sell you anything from postcards,cold drinks,bracelets,guide books etc.... it's fun at the beginning but after 5 hours of " you buy, postcards for 1 dollar ,you buy me", it gets a bit too much!Anyway this is what we have to look forward to for another 2 days ...

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Now back into town, we have finalised the transportation for our next destination: Sihanoukville.We will be going to Phnom Penh by boat along the Mekong river, then catching a bus to the beach resort. We have planned nothing except relaxing down the beach. Afterwards this is when Marie-No and Valou will be parting company:Valou will be heading back to Bangkok to then fly home and Marie-No to Vietnam to carry on with her adventures.

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so until tomorrow,enjoy reading......

Today, after getting up once again early and had breakfast, we were on our way with a small group (total 8), to Wat Phou: Khmer Temple ,which would be the equivalent to Angkor in Cambodia.Then also Phou Asa Temple , of which there is not much left but the view from the top of the hill (where is based) was splendid. It was reached by us not climbing the hill but once again taking and Elephant ride. We are becoming expert at this.....i must admit that the poor elephant seemed to be poorly as she kept on sneezing......and when an elephant sneeze , the "snort" (sorry) goes everywhere......put it this way our legs did not need sun cream afterwards. but in fact the elephant was simply hot and was taking some water from her mouth and spraying it on her and us!

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This time we didn't have the choice of being a Mahout (elephant driver),which was a shame. However it was a beautiful day and very hot.....and once again the day ended with a nice and warm shower back at the hotel.

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Sorry still no picture available but trsut us it looks good.....

We have arrived in Pakse, where we're planning to visit one of the most beautiful Khmer temple in Laos, Wat Phou and also the Boloven Plateau where the Tea and coffee plantations.

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We took a flight from Luang Prabang to Pakse, which avoided having to spend 20hrs in a bus. The landscape are slightly different from the north with fields and more countryside than mountains.The humidity is also less, but still temperatures are approaching 35 degres celcius.The people are nice and tend to practice their French often than in the North.

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the town in itslef is nothing spectacular...everything seems to either be in construction or in need of repair. Let's hope that our excursions will be worth it.

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we have opted for a bit of luxury hotel wise,as the few we visited were not worth the price they were asking for. So we are sleeping comfortably and the price is the equivalent of a coffee+ croissant in London....Not bad...

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Before departing from Luang Prabang we went on a cruise down the Mekong river, to reach a cave called Pak ou cave,dedicated to Buddha. you thinking another Cave, but this time we were prepared and had brought our torches!!!

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Sorry for the lack of picture however our internet cafe are a bit prehistorical.... promise soon we will find a modern one.

We have been for the last 2 days in Luang Prabang, North of Vang Vieng. Landscapes are made of Mountains and the city is step away from the Mekong river: it's all green around us, mind you for the past 2 days we have been having rain, rain and more rain....so much so that at one stage yesterday we were thinking of packing our bags and going to Thailand,for a week sunshine beach holidays.......which lead us to a massage parlour...for 1h30 of relaxation....back and shoulder for Marie No,and head to toe for Valou.....The Laos Girls haven't got the most gentle touch when it comes to massaging....but after 30mns we got use to the kneeling deep in the back,the back "wacking" etc....1h30 later we were both very sleepy and relaxed....Marie No has got some bruises to prove it!  The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting the town, then Temples. Luand Prababng is so far the nicest town that we have been to.It has a relaxed athmosphere to it, and the night market is great to spend our money  : we will just need to squeeze a few more things in the rucksack.

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Then we decided to book an other adventure for Today: Trekking and elephant riding......We thought we could not stop at our last little adventure,therefore here is what we did Today:

Got up at 6am, Breakfast and After being introduced to our Guide ( once again it would be only the 2 of us with 1 guide...i'm glad to say that Ai - meaning the eldest - was very nice and spoke good english), it was time to be taken by tuk tuk at 8am to go to the Elephant Camp - a 12kms drive on a muddy road up to the camp.

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All the elephant in the camp are orphans: they are looked after by Mahout ( Elephant driver). the elephant that we would ride on was a 48yrs old female called Mercamdi. Our Mahout climb on the elephant using the leg of the elephant for help....Now No panick for us ,tourists,we had platform especially built at the correct level so you could just step on its back and seat down more or less comfortably on the seat provided. Now the part when the elephant moves was funny as the Mahout did not put the bar that that would prevent us from actually falling off. But by then we were prepared for any eventuality and we held on to our bags/camera,and our dear lives....and this is how our 50mns elephant ride started....it was fun,very peaceful once you got use to the way they move. The Mahout conducts the elephant with his feet touching the ears of the elephant and guiding it either right or left. we went also down the river with them and thought that it would splash us but instead looked as if she was just enjoying having a sip.. then it was time to try it....Valou chickened out ( well my limit is a bicycle),but Marie No got actually on the driver's seat......i.e on the neck of the elephant.

she took us back to the camp very proudly and in 1 piece. see pictures below.

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After the fun, it was a 3 hours trekk waiting for us: 1 hour to a Kamu Village (an Ethnic minorityin Laos) - 1 river to cross , guess what no bridge.....eheheh.....but it was sunny (very hot -35 degrees) and actually refreshing ! then 2 hours to "Tad Sae" waterfalls, where we enjoyed a relaxing and well deserve swim.  

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Once again today we got up at 7am...well some of us were not aware that the alarm clock was programmed for 7h30 and woke up in a panick....that should have been a sign for what was next to come.....On our list of items to bring were : Suncream , mosquito spray, swimming costums, hats, camera ........raincoat brought just in case it would rain.....are you intrigued???

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Today was the day we were going to be adventureous: Trekking in the mountains, through the jungle, paddy fields, gorgeous sceneries with a stop at a waterfall (for a swim if need be), then leisure walk back stopping for lunch on the farm.....Guess what we didn't get to the waterfall, we had lunch but went accross 8 rivers with no bridges!! still intrigued....

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it started this morning: pick up 9h25... Our group was composed of 12 people however the only 2 who were not in the bus but actually on 2 mopeds were us! Good start!...the journey (12kms) to our starting point went well. then we discovered we would only be 2, so better for us we thought....we started walking through a village, saying hello or actually Sabaydii , with a smile on our face... then  came the 1st river to cross, still smiling as this one had a bridge....Indiana Jones Style however...you know, the kind that is suspended and made of bamboo ( just a few bamboo sticks wide), that is not much to walk on......but we made it....

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Then it started to rain.....a lot....Here come out the raincoats +hats!!   then our guide suggested we walk quickly as the cave we were going to explore was only feet away and at least we would be dry....  yet another little river to cross, NO bridge. The water was a bit cold but hey we needed to get there and it was only ankle deep.so we took the trainers off, and off we went......then came the visit of the cave ....slippery and dark .....You would expect the guide to have a torch???? well he asked us if we had some...???? guess what we explored the cave with candles ( 2 each...little one of course!!). Well it was still dark ,windy, but ok until all candles went out and then it was very very dark and scary!! especially when our guide told us we would have to walk through water to reach the next part of the cave....we stayed in the dark for at least 10mns, frantically trying to lit up those candles,until we saw a light coming our way: 5 kids saved our lives by pointing their light towards us ...so we started advancing in the water....no chance to get shoes off,the water came up to our thighs,so we were wet, and so NOT smily at the other end.

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By that time we had enough and decided to stop for lunch: all wet and miserable as it was still pourring down. Lunch was good.!! and our smile came back ,thinking about what we went through...however We told our guide that no way we would go up the mountain to see the waterfall and that we'd rather go back to the city center. ok 2 routes: 1st Option Back through the cave.... No thank you ......   2nd option go accross a few more rivers . we decided for the 2nd one.

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OH MY GOD......you think we are joking when we told you we went through rivers with no bridge....We did... water up to our waist....lots of current... we could have been filming a sequel to Rambo... By that time we were hysterical, trying to remain above the water and not actually slipping and falling face down in it.......the good point it had actually stopped raining! ehe!! we made it on the other side,minus a few injuries: Marie-No managed to bruise her knee going down the mountain, me just slipping on the bank of the river trying to get on the actual bank....our trousers were muddy and the guide with humour told us not to worry it would be washed at the next river crossing.......

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ANYHOW, this lovely adventure took us from 9h30 til 15h45 , Items not used from our list:  Suntan lotion, mosquito spray, swimming costums ( i can't think of anything on us that wasn't drenched...so you can say that we did use the swimsuit afterall) .

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Looking back at all this ,we discover that you have a good sense of humour,and that we will NEVER look at a river without thinking about those in Vang Vieng....and for our lovely readers,hope it made you smile or even laugh ....

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Today,once again up at 8am..... We were picked up by our VIP Bus early this morning in Vientiane:our bus was booked for 9h40 pick up from our guest house...it turned up right when we were having breakfast at 9am....oops...had to dash into the room, finish packing and managed to be ready 10mns later for an almost on time departure :Now going back to our VIP bus.... The notion VIP did not equal the standards that we would associate it with: The airconditioning was working for those at the front...those at the back roasted...guess where we were....noop at the front!eheh...., however it took us only (insisting on the ONLY)3h30 drive and we made it on schedule.We are now in Vang Vieng, little town 60kms north of Vientiane .

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We were welcome by sunshine,and after Lunch decided to go for a stroll along the river...The scenery is gorgeous: river,limestone mountains surrounding us.We took a few bridges to cross the river.The architecture of their bridges is surreal...

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Along the way we were suddenly  hit by a thunderstorm and took cover (twice) under a front window of a shop: drenched!!!  The stroll was over and we ended up playing cards in a cafe drinking Tea...Still very british! Marie-No is the expert at a game she tought me called the Canasta...let's see if i can learn from the master...

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we have survived our journey: a 10h50 flight from Paris to Bangkok, followed by a 6h stop in Bangkok in order to catch a very small propeller aicraft ,MA60, for 1h30 flight to Vientiane. We have finally made it to Laos, tired but happy to be finally on holidays....

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After a good night sleep we felt ready to face the day : Got up at 8am....i know very proud of ourselves on that one!! we then had a typical Lao breakfast: don't ask us what we ate but it was Sticky ...however the tea was good. Our day was spent walking around the Capital...Vientiane has the reputation of being one of the most relaxed Capital of the world, it is on the small scale compared to some visited previously ...however our feet haven't managed to recover yet. .....and to reward ourselves a swim in the pool welcomed us back to the guest house. the luxury of our holidays.

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There we go again, the countdown has already started! We can't wait! In a few days, we will be on our way for another few weeks of holidays, travelling around Asia this time... you would say: Asia is a big continent to travel around in only a few weeks! We therefore decided to focus on a few countries: Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam (only for Marie-No, as Valérie does not have as much leave as Marie-No, snif!).

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But first of all, let us introduce ourselves: the two high-skilled travellers you will follow and enjoy, let's hope, the adventures are Marie-No and Valou, two work collaborators and friends, sharing the same passion for travels.

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IDs:

Val: a high-skilled traveller, she already went all over the world...

Last great trip: Australia, for 3 months, lucky her!

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Marie-No: a baby-traveller compared to Miss Valou, with only a few trips in her pocket. But she's learning fast and will try to improve & reach Val's level in the next few years!!!

Last great trip: Cuba, in March this year

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As you now know who we are, let the adventure begin!

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ENJOY!