so... here i sit at an internet cafe in coffs harbour, hours north of sydney.

i hardly know where to start so let's just start where it ended.

tearful goodbyes as matt and i bedraggedly boarded the bus to start our adventure... thanks to everyone who came out to say goodbye! we even had a nice surprise when we realized that the Kadomotos had come out to see us off... i don't know how to thank rebecca, joe, flo & tracey for all the help with our hectic move. i believe in karma and i know that they will get the same kind of support when they need it most too... not to mention that they are all 'tres sympa' and therefore things should fall into place for them because they deserve it!

i just took a sip of my coffee and i realized that this may be the start of a saga...
bear with me.

so, we then made it to Osaka, through the airport, bags waiting already, fully loaded with snacks and supplies... a few hours later...

...the plane landed....

....in Ho Chi Minh city....
...aka SAIGON...

MOTORCYLES!MOPEDS!TUKTUKS!HORNS-A-HONKIN!TOUTS!SMELLS!HEAT!I TAKE YOU TO NICE HOTEL!....COLOURS!
what a trip. we checked into our hotel, the delicious Bee/Bi Saigon, and had a much awaited shower... tried to glimpse the view from our balcony in the fading light... got hungry and went downstairs for our first treat: Vietnamese food in vietnam.

so we chose the hotel because it advertised vegetarian food and we were not disappointed. i almost cried with delight at the aromatic herb blends, the spices, the textures... my system was thrown into a state of bliss that it hasn't yet quite recovered from. We ordered heaps of food, ate it all, finished with a coffee that was to die for... spent a good 3 hours just swimming in the aftermath of bursting tastebuds...

then we went for a walk, i got lost in yards of fabric and ended up ordering three pieces to be custom made and treasured...

the next day we joined a group tour to see some of Saigon in our short day there.
it was bustling with activity.
eye candy left right and center.
non stop.
GOGOGO!
i was buzzin'

we met with our tour organizer, went over the itinerary for the three millionth time, made some last minute adjustments... cut out the stork sanctuary (closed due to the avian flu!) and the next day we headed out, nice and early in the morning with Mr. Nghi (pronounced Mr. Knee!) our very friendly and talkative tour guide for the next few days. we had a sweet van, HUGE, all to ourselves. a little silly we thought. but the ride was as smooth as could be in 'Nam...

i would have to look at our itinerary to properly remember what we did in what order each day...

day one we travelled from Saigon to Can Tho... there were boats involved. i think this was the day that we went to some small riverside communities, visited a place that made candy (which i overdosed on and won't be able to eat for at least 2 years) and that made rice paper, we saw how they pop rice to make popped rice cakes (similar to rice crispy squares)... the children were all smiles and curiosity, the villagers were friendly, Mr. Nghi a riot, the boat drivers colourful, the women in traditional costumes and cone hats everywhere! it was breathtaking.

the next day we traveled from Can Tho (pronounced 'can thuuh' much to our amusement!) to Chau Doc, a day racked with sick stomachs and dizzying headaches... ahhhh the joys of south east asia! but, being super fit, we bounced back quickly and still managed to enjoy the day, the highlight for me being the incense factory... (i love how they call them factories and it's really just a small store or the front of someone's house and it's all so much simpler. gorgeous)...

my
nose
went
insane
tripping
over
the
perfumes

OH! here is my husband, entering the cafe! lovely surprise, he's about 2 hours early! i'll sign off here, continue later, hopefully with some visuals!

hope all of you had happy & safe holidays..

we have a cell phone now, in case you're interested, the country code is six one, our number is four zero six four zero two one eight zero

seeing as we're nomads right now, the phone isn't always charged or in service but if you were to find some good international rates and give us a buzz, we'd be *simply delighted*

kookaberra smiles and koala kisses