China...

In some ways I will be glad to leave this place where I am a giantess, fumes constantly pollute the nostrils and even Walmart (yes, China has Walmart) sells barbequed dog carcass.  It was a fascinating country (the small part that we saw) but asides from the idealic Yangshou scenery, felt rushed and frantic and vast.  And however good squats are for the thighs and bum, I do not appreciate having to exercise such a position every time I need to use the bathroom!

It very much felt like we were travelling through, and made me yearn for the lovely, warm comforts of home.

Vietnam, however, is giving off a very different kind of vibe.  After the riot that was the Friendship Pass border crossing, I sat on the bus (whilst Phil soundly slept - head back, mouth open) listening to the haunting melodies of William Fitzsimmons and absorbing the beauty of this new place.  Though not the limestone peaks of the past few days, still vibrant, green and growing.

Despite being only a border apart, Vietnam and China are quite different, from the landscapes to the buildings, which still exhibit the distinctive European flair of old French architecture.  Our destination is Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, as described by our new Lonely Planet book as "the grand old dame of the Orient".

The population is 3.7 million and every one of those occupants, it seems, owns some form of moped, so every occasion of crossing the street feels like a near-death experience.  There are pavements, of course, although rarely can a pedestrian weave his or her way through the countless locals on plastic stools enjoying steaming hots bowls of Pho (noodle soup) and the parked mopeds that only moments earlier were threatening to end our time on this increasingly fascinating earth.

For whatever reason, whilst the cities of China seemed intimidating and overwhelming, Hanoi feels comfortable and homely and not somewhere we want to rush away from.  Maybe it's the coffee, for, oh, how the coffee is good!  Having had withdrawal since we arrived, my first traditional Vietnamese "cafe sua" (coffee with condensed milk) was like a little taste of heaven.

There is also a vast number of Westeners, which, though one wants to act the carefree, independent traveller, does instill a great deal more confidence in us that we may have been lacking in big, bad China.  Maybe we're finally easing into the travelling spirit, but whatever the reason, we're starting to feel like this unknown is where, for now, we belong.