The city is mad - and you take your life in your own hands just crossing the road. Getting over the jet lag was pretty stressful: drinking cold beer, reading and playing cards in the backpacker part of town, Banglamphu (we really miss all you guys at the office). You should see some of the "professional" backpacker types - all headscarves and men in skirts (they'd give Ghandi a run for his money!) We'll obviously have to start cultivating that unwashed look soon..

The Grand Palace and Temple (Wat Phra Kaeo) are truly spectactular and it was well worth braving the heat to see them. Every available surface was covered in either gold leaf or coloured glass mosaics. The guide book reckoned that they looked like a 5 year old had gone mad drawing a fairy castle and it wasn't far wrong. All in all an amazing technicolour sight and one we won't forget for a long time.

We checked out the floating market at Damnoen Saduak which was very strange. Basically the whole town is on stilts over the river and the market consists of hundreds of boats selling everything from tourist nic-naks to banana and spring onion fritters (which by the way were lovely even if they do sound a bit gross!) After spending a few more days chilling out it was time to leave this dirty ol' town.

We caught a minibus about 90 miles West to Kanchanaburi, which is on the River Kwai. We've booked into a raft house which is IN the river - it is beautiful! It's got air con, bath, shower and veranda overlooking the riverine lillies, so we've had to shell out a bit more . . . GBP10 per night. There's no excuse really at the moment to go above budget though we may need to revise a substantial beer kitty!

From here we hope to see the local sights (Kwai death railway, waterfalls, etc) and do some elephant riding and river rafting - as you do. At the moment though we are just taking it easy having just experienced what all the lovely spicy food can do to a poor British tummy - still the weight loss is an added bonus!

Look out for next week's thrilling installment.

Don't forget to drop us a line if you get a moment.

Sophs and J

• OK, OK, apologies to everyone who e-mailed us asking where the entries were on the web site - give us time. We're working on Thai time and really have meant to write every week - we'll do better next time. Also the photos are getting developed so again it will be a week or two until they can be viewed!! The internet service is twice as expensive and unreliable where we are at the moment, so sorry if we can't reply to everyone at the moment (please keep writing though).

  We started off still in Kanchanaburi, between bouts of "discomfort" we visited the Erawan (or "Elephant") Waterfalls - so called as they are supposed to resemble a 3-headed elephant. It's basically a beautiful series of limestone waterfalls in 7 stages going up a mountain along a 2 mile trek. It was muddy and sweaty work but well worth it. (Couldn't really make out the elephant resemblnce, but one set did resemble something we'll have to tell the adults at a later date. )

  Our final excursion out here was elephant riding (v. cool), river rafting and then a ride on the death railway before catching THE last bus to Bangkok. The river rafting was a very gentle and calming ride on a bamboo raft. We didn't realise the sun was so strong and both got a tad red as a result! We saw some very beautiful birds and even a river snake! Also visited Hell Fire Pass railway museum and saw the conditions that the POWs worked in - it was a real eye opener and very moving.

  When we got back into Bangkok we based ourselves in an area called Sukhumvit road for what the guidebook alleged would be some comfort. In fact Sukhumvit Road lived up to its name and, well . . . .sucked! It was pretty interesting to see the "other" side of the tourist business in Bankok but it was far too seedy.

  Nevertheless we managed to get some shopping done over the next few days and visited Jim Thompson's house (which is a series of 6 gorgeous teak Thai houses which have been preserved from Jim Thompsons lifetime), quite frankly we could have moved in! We then caught the sleeper train (which put British Rail to shame) to a small, one-pony town in Southern Thailand called Chumphon. Chumphon is really a ferry stop to Ko Tao, a beautiful island in the Gulf of Thailand that's a big diving centre. Unfortunately our train was 5 hours late and we spent more time than we had planned within Chumphon City limits. At least we had MTV.

  We're now settling in on Ko Tao in a beachside bungalow on the Buddah View resort. It's about 20 yards from the water in a lush, secluded bay. We're looking forward to starting our PADI diving course the day after tomorrow, but need to stop drinking cocktails first.

  We'll let you know next week if we sink or swim.

  Keep in touch.

  Sophie and Jamie XXXX

• Where were we . . .? We started our PADI course and were looking forward to going on our first dive. Unfortunately Sophie had an allergic reaction to something on the beach (we think it was fuel oil) and we were unable to finish the course. We'll have another go in Vietnam, if possible, or Oz.

  To fill the time we took our lives into our own hands and hired a moped to see a bit more of the island. Luckily there's very little traffic on Ko Tao (you see, Jamie's never ridden a motorbike before) and the sand bridges, we kid you not, are a real engineering feat and wash away with alarming regularity. We only fell off once - don't worry, Jamie only had a few cuts and bruises so were alright - Sophie's lightening Ninja reflexes saved her. No trips to the hospital for a change.

  Every evening there is an amazing BBQ on the beach. The prawns we had were so huge that they looked like Mackeral and tasted amazing. It's very chilled out, just the ubiquitous beachside bungalows on a palm-fringed shore - usual tropical fare!

  The next day we packed up and shipped out to Ko Samui on the "express" speedboat which should really be called the bone shaker. Jamie still has the bruises on his back and it's going to cost a fortune in Thai massage (which, by the way, is second to none) to put right. We're now settled in again on the North shore of the island on a quiet beach called Bophut. There's a lot of French influence so the Western food is also fantastic. Ko Samui is much larger than Ko Tao and has all the added benfits of a big island: 24 hr electricity, flushing toilets and 60ft golden Buddahs. There's also 2 hospitals, so all Sophie's possible whims are covered: stung by killer jellyfish, dismembered by giant Octopus or mowed down by Hell's Angel moped squads. (All the above can seriously mess with your tanning routine).

  We hired a jeep yesterday to have a good look round the island which is beautiful and we're definitely on the best part, of course. We indulged a bit last night and tried "Royal" Thai cuisine at an amazing restaurant - absolutely first class. It's not the usual sort of food that we've had here in Thailand and traditionally was only served up in Royal households. All we can say is that the frilly chicken dumplings were purple - go figure. Apparently it's all in the presentation.

  Anyway, we've booked a trip to the Ang Thong Marine Park for tomorrow to get in some snorkelling action. And then we fly into Bangkok on Friday. Next smug installment will hopefully be from Vietnam, if they ever let us in the country!

  Take care everyone. Thanks for the emails, we really appreciate them.

  Talk soon,

  Jamie and Sophie

• Our last week in Thailand was very stressful. A lot of sunbathing by the pool and beach, fresh racehorse-sized prawns and endless margheritas and beer was a nightmare. The seafood is first-rate on Ko Samui and the massage at a cafe called "Starfish and Coffee" was very tranquil and second to none. It was a great shame to have to leave Bophut Beach on Friday morning to fly to Bangkok. The flight from Ko Samui only takes an hour and the check-in was more like hiring snorkel gear from a beachside hut - very laid back. The terminal buildings are all open air and thatched with palm leaves and you can get fresh coconuts to sip on before boarding the plane.

  For our last day in Thailand we took a trip to the ancient ruins of Ayutthaya. The ruins are really a collection of sites built across an island in the middle of a river. Before getting to Ayutthaya, though, we visited the King's Summer Palace which was a cross between Buckingham Palace and Disneyland, complete with tinkly looping music being played from every lamppost, crazy Japanese tourists in golf carts trying to mow you down and dozens of lovely French-style buildings that you can look at but can't go into. The deep-fried bananas were great, though.

  At Ayutthaya we first took a boat around the island to take in our first 3 Wats (temples) which was a welcome break from walking in the heat. Ayutthaya was originally the ancient capital of Thailand (or Siam) before the Burmese came over to burn it to the ground 350 years ago. (We think it was 350 years, but the guide was a bit vague. Less of a guide, more a silent companion!)

  The ruins, though, are stunning. Given the Burmese did a thorough job of laying waste to the city, an astounding number of Wats remain fairly intact; we visited about 9 and there were many others we missed (over 500). We made sure we took plenty of Athena photos and moody black & whites. N.B. For those Barry Normans amongst you, "Mortal Kombat" was filmed at one of the Wats here.

  Finally, on Sunday, we said goodbye to Thailand and flew to Vietnam. After reading the guidebook we were expecting all sorts of hassle and jostling at Ho Chi Minh City airport but it couldn't have been more straightforward and a taxi driver took us exactly where we wanted to go. Ho Chi Minh backpacker centre was hectic, though. How we crossed the road the first day without being mowed down by the army of cyclists and motorbikes we will never know. Anyway, a few beers and a great meal later sorted us out and we started to "catch the rhythmn" of how things work here.

• Rather than hang about for too long, as we did in Bangkok, we booked our first trip for the second day in Vietnam and headed off North of the city to see the Cu Chi tunnels. This is where the main tunnel complex was in South Vietnam, where the Vietcong lived and it was quite an eye-opener. After seeing a short film about life fighting in the tunnels and women who had won "American Killer" medals we were allowed to crawl around the tunnels - hot and sweaty work. Japanese tourists were also very enthusiastic about firing M16s and AK47s at USD1 per bullet - a little bit scary to watch and the noise was quite authentic as you were crawling around the tunnels.

  The tour also included a stop at Vietnam's biggest Cao Dai temple - tres bizarre, as our French companions commented. Cao Dai followers believe in Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Jesus Christ and the temple is painted in lurid pinks and yellows with dragons and the omnipotent "divine eye" everywhere. We watched a ceremony for about 15 minutes and still didn't have a clue what on earth was going on.

  The scenary around Ho Chi Minh is beautiful: coconut palms, endless flat green rice paddies, pineapple fields and smiling people in conical straw hats everywhere. There also seems to be fresh fruit hanging off plants everywhere, too: mangos, guavas, melons, pineapples, strawberries, bananas, coconuts, etc. Our guide was a very charming man who delighted in telling jokes and teasing us with logic puzzles and riddles the entire 11 hours.

  We spent the next day back in Ho Chi Minh sending mail and perusing the local lacquerware. The highlight of the day was a cyclo ride to the War Remnants Museum - so many times the wall of oncoming cyclists and mopeds rushed up to us at road junctions (you sit in front of the Cyclo driver, you see) and miraculously parted before we collided.

  Next we travelled down to the Mekong Delta for 3 days. Again the landscape changes and we crossed all manner of rivers and canals, stopping the boat to buy watermelon at the floating market, visit minority villages, fish farms, etc. The Mekong was beautiful and again we had an excellent guide called Tien who told us absolutely everything about the local people and customs.

  We're now in Dalat in the Central Highlands. It's a lot cooler, though that didn't stop the bus from breaking down on the way. It's a bit like an Alpine resort where Vietnamese couples come for their honeymoons and instead of a plethora of fruit it's all pine trees, coffee bushes and vegetables. We're staying in an excellent hotel that doubles as an art gallery. We've done some sightseeing and taken in the tribal minority Lat Village and Chicken Village - which, of course, has a large 15ft concrete chicken and a crazy story to go along with it. In fact, every tourist sight seems to have a tragic, Lewis Carrol-like legend to go with it involving dying star-crossed lovers, evil fathers, virgins and the odd chicken or poisoned arrow. Go figure!

  Anyway, we're off to Na Trang tomorrow to get some beach.

  See you next week.

  Jamie and Sophie

• Nha Trang - this was our next stop North and just what the doctor ordered: beach and relaxation. Our first day there we just hung out on the beach and had a few beers and topped up our tans.

  The next day we took one of Nha Trangs infamous boat trips. Unfortunately Mama Hanh's boat trip was closed down (or rather, Mama herself has been "removed") by the police last year, while there are others they are not to the same standard of debauchery as once existed - sorry, guys! However, the boat trip we took was by no means tame. After getting out of port the guides explained the trip and rules: 1st stop is snorkelling; 2nd stop is for lunch and floating bar; 3rd stop is a government run tourist island; 4th stop you ride your own bamboo coracle; rule 1, no-one is allowed on the roof to sunbathe unless they have a beer in their hand; no more rules.

  So at 10am, beer in hand, we set-up on the roof and caught the rays. Not much else to say apart from lunch was huge, we met some great people and the floating bar with free Vietnamese Mulberry wine was an experience.

  After a couple more days of beach, we set out at 6am for Hoi An. According to our ticket we should have got to Hoi An for 6:30pm, but unfortunately the roads were a bit poor but more tellingly, as it got dark the driver realised that the lights didn't work. In the UK this would be a big problem but in Vietnam, it seems, even though there is no street lighting or road markings a pen torch will suffice, hung out of the passenger window by a couple of willing Taiwanese businessmen. When we got to the next food shack / layby the driver called out an engineer and an hour later, with only fog lights, we set off again. We finally reached Hoi An at 11:30pm!

  Hoi An is just the most charming and chilled out town and so far, the best in Vietnam. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and full of beautiful Chinese-style teak houses, covered bridges and tailors. The tailors are great. Jamie got a suit made up in 4 hours after just pointing at one in the NEXT directory with a shirt and 2 pairs of trousers, for 35 quid. And, for the girls, Sophie got a pair of tailor-made Chinese mules in 3 hours for 2 quid!

  We also cycled into a Buddhist convent by accident (not literally) and got given an impromtu tour by the confused nuns. Sophie had a go at making her own incense sticks and there is definitely no future career in it for her when she gets back!

  At night, Hoi An is all lit up with multi-coloured Chinese lanterns and is perfect for dinner by the river. Hoi An certainly gets the 5-star cool award.

  We've now hauled our preverbial rucksacks to Hue, the "Ancient Capital" of Vietnam and booked a freelance tour of the DMZ with some people we met in a cafe yesterday. There is a totally mad woman who runs the cafe round the corner and her 10 brothers do these amazing motorcycle tours. Rumour has it that we may venture out on motorbikes again . . . we'll keep you posted.

  Bye for now, Soph and J.

• From Hue we took 2 tours. The first was to the DMZ (De-Militarised Zone) with some people we met in a cafe. It's a long drive up the notorious Highway 1 to the DMZ, the worst road in Vietnam. For most sights there you do have to use your imagination. For example, one stop was a bombed church, left as a memorial to the town flattened around it, but now the town has been totally rebuilt. Though quite atmospheric it seemed a little incongrous with the surroundings.

  Some of the scenary around the DMZ is also quite alien and the grey sand looks like a moonscape with bomb craters and not much growing on it. We couldn't find out from our guide if the sand was natural or due to the defoliants used during the war. The last stop was to visit the Vinh Moc tunnels. More extensive than the Cu Chi tunnels near HCM, these were also easier to walk around, though not for the claustraphobic.

  On our way back, the obligatory stop at a government-run tourist cafe for lunch wasn't too bad for a change though we did resist the snake-head gruel and fried pork uterus that was on the menu!

  The next day we went on a motorcycle tour of the Royal Tombs around Hue with the "Cafe on Thu Wheels", which was recommended to us. The cafe is run by a mad Vietnamese lady called Thu and her 10 brothers drive for the tours. She is certifiable but really good fun and friendly and the food and music were the best in Hue. The motorcycle tour was equally excellent and we didn't fall off (though we did have to close our eyes once or twice).

  The same day we packed up and prepared for the 18 hour night bus to Hanoi. Now, as you know, we haven't been exactly lucky with the transport and this was no exception. Around 7pm, after slowly driving round town to pick everyone up we were about to leave when someone got on board to tell us to have a great journey but remember that the state of Vietnamese roads and traffic wasn't their fault and we could get into Hanoi anytime the next day: 11:30am, 1pm, 2pm, 11pm, who knew!! With that sobering thought he wished us Bon Voyage and got off the bus. After a quick heated debate on the pavement with some other guys, he got back on to say that we would have to be patient for another 5 or 10 minutes while they checked the tyre pressure and oil for our "safety and enjoyment". Then someone ran out of a nearby hotel to the back of the bus with a screwdriver. Then someone else ran out with a hammer. Then, from the back of the bus, a terrific anvil chorus broke out as the driver delicately adjusted the oil and tyre pressure for our safety and enjoyment. Finally we set off with no air-con and all the windows open. When we finally arrived in Hanoi, we were orange with road dust from Highway 1.

  Hanoi is a great town. Just as mad as Ho Chi Minh City, but more interesting. We got a great room in the colonial Old Quarter and booked a trip out to Halong Bay with a private company. As opposed to the government-run trips the difference was amazing. The bus to the boat was new and had working air-con as well as complimentary face towels and bottled water - we thought we were on the wrong bus!

  At the port we tranferred to the boat that was to take us around Halong Bay. The scenary is amazing. There are over 3000 limestone islands just off the coast and yet another legend to explain them (involves a dragon). Once you get into the marine park the scenary surrounds the entire horizon and is indescribable and so peaceful: beautiful Chinese Junkets with full sails, pearl farms, soaring eagles and breath-taking caves.

  We were able to stop for some swimming (no floating bar this time) and we slept on the boat overnight. This was one of the best trips we've taken.

• Back in Hanoi we took a day to recharge and look around the town. We saw a water-puppet show which was bizarre but excellent. We were not exactly sure what was going on, but basically there were a lot of pastoral scenes performed by wooden puppets which rise out of a huge pool of water. We lost the plot around the time a water buffalo with a boy playing flute on it's back emerged, but the dancing dragons with fireworks were the hands down winner.

  Another strange thing about Vietnam is that you can only travel North or South and with only 7 major towns that properly cater for tourists you begin to see the same travellers again and again, either on the bus or in the street. One day in Hanoi we must have seen 14 people we'd met before , including a lovely couple called Pam and Pete who we met in Thailand and never thought that we would see again. They're retired and so far have been travelling the backpacker route for 18 months - an inspiration to us all! Also, Kelly deserves a mention - someone we met on the Nha Trang boat trip; great company and bonkers, a good combination. She's now headed off to China, but no doubt we will bump into her again in Oz. (Kelly, we do remember the story about the wasps and the rubbish men?!)

  One night we happened across a Vietnamese rock band in a bar doing Motorhead and Green Day covers - very original but not sure that all the lyrics were correct. We saw the same group 3 nights later in a jazz club, still doing the same Motorhead covers! (Hardly John Coltrane.)

  We next caught the night train hard sleeper service from Hanoi to Lao Cai, which is in the North-west highlands. The town is right on the Chinese border, so close that you could see over the checkpoint. Our final destination was Sapa, a one hour drive from Lao Cai over some very dodgy mountain bridges. Sapa is very peaceful, apart from the local H'Mong tribe women who constantly try to sell you all manner of wares in the street. They're not too stressful, though, because they're so cute.

  Much cooler than Hanoi, at 1600m above sea level, the whole town is shrouded in cloud. Our room had the most excellent hill-top views of the valleys and rice paddy terraces and a roaring log fire. This was the best room we had in Vietnam - total luxury at $15 per night. As the clouds moved up the hills towards us we were closed in with mist, so we moved off the balcony and sat in front of the fire as dusk fell - superb!

  We felt adventurous the next day and went on a trek with some Canadian friends we met in Nha Trang (same boat trip again), Elaine and Jeff. The 15km trek started off pretty easily, walking downhill on clear paths. The scenary was spectacular: all native hill tribe villages and rice paddy terraces. As we got into the Black H'Mong village the women made another daring sales pitch; we were caught in a classic fabric/amulet pincer movement by 12 women. There was no escape and we surrendered hard cash for pillowcases.

  After lunch at the village school (?) the trek turned into something out of the Krypton Factor and we were scrambling up treacherous muddy paths, fording streams and teetering on 5ft paddy walls. Our guide was even attacked by a leech at one point. The motorcycle ride back was interesting: Jamie's Russian motorcycle broke down 3 times and the driver had to keep cooling it with water from a nearby stream using his hat!

  The next day we caught another Russian vehicle, a jeep this time, back to Lao Cai with 6 other Vietnamese (even though it was a 4-seater!). We then endured a 10 hour hard-seater train journey back to Hanoi. They don't call it hard seat for nothing (wooden slats). By lucky coincidence some other friends, Jim and Tara from Exeter, were booked right next to us and were great company. We all enjoyed watching the conductor locking the numerous hawkers and shoe-shiners in the goods van; she was ruthless.

  Back in Hanoi, more coincidence, as we bumped into Pip and Alex who we know from home. They just happened to be in our hotel. It was a bit freaky to say the least but great to see them. The world seems too samll sometimes and we can't believe the number of people we keep coming across.

  To celebrate the Wimbledon reunion, we headed off to a very cool bar and restaurant where you sit on the floor. It had such delicacies as: fried monkey brain, rabbbit marrow and 20 varieties of snake wine and herbal liquors. We stuck to lemon chicken and apple wine, obviously.

  Anyway, today is our last day in Vietnam and we have bought every possible souvenir we can carry. Tomorrow we're off to Singapore. Two countries down . . . see you later.

• No trip to Vietnam would be complete without popping in on Uncle Ho, and on our last day in Hanoi we set out early to visit Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. The queue lasted over an hour in the heat and in the last 10 minutes we discovered that we didn't have to join the end of the queue like everyone else (i.e. the Vietnamese), but as Westeners you are allowed to barge in at the last 100 meters, but nobody told us that! However, our fellow queuers were friendly enough. One gentleman was very pleased that we were married, even though we don't have any children (unlucky in Vietnam) and was very proud to tell us that he had 10 boys. The woman queueing behind Sophie was more friendly . . . so friendly that she kept burrowing her nose in Sophie's back which doesn't really suit the British idea of personal space. Eventually we swapped places and I was pleased that she left my personal space alone. Instead she invented a new torture of constantly stepping on the back of my shoes. Quaint for the first 10 minutes . . .

  Anyway, Uncle Ho's tomb is a very serious affair for the Vietnamese and there is a lot of Pomp and Ceremony. The mausoleum itself is packed with bayonet toting rigid guards in ice-cream white uniforms. There is a strict dress code and you are not allowed to take pictures, talk, touch the tomb, put your hands in your pockets or have a "disrespectful demeanour". The Lonely Planet guide also suggests that it's a pretty bad idea to ask the guard "Is he really dead?" As you progress through the mausoleum to the main chamber, it gets colder, and combined with the armed guards, black marble wall and floor and the dimmed lights it's difficult to have anything but a respectful demeanour. The main tomb is a bit of anti-climax as most of Ho Chi Minh's body is covered up by a black sheet and his face is lit with weird orange lights which makes the whole picture look more surreal. Ho looks waxy but relaxed, like he's sleeping. A lot of people seem to wonder whether it's really him or Madame Taussauds. We must admit that it's very strange to be looking at a dead historical figure but our money is on that it really is him.

  Nearby the mausoleum is Ho Chi Minh's house and a museum of Vietnamese history. The house is quite simple and interesting, not least because the English guide brochure describes the spacious rooms as being "full of wind" . . mmmmm.

  The museum is very bizarre - less a museum, more a symbolist installation art gallery that has some historical objects and documents in the displays. For example: a Ford Edsel crashing out of the wall symbolises America's industrial and technological failure (the Edsel was a flop) and hence reflects America's failure in the war; a giant plastic pineapple symbolises Vietnam's progression in gearing it's economical victory around agriculture. Altogether now: "Hmmmm".

  The next day we flew to Singapore and were never so glad to reach civilisation. The airport was spotless and efficient and not only did the taxi driver NOT rip us off and obey the highway code, but after giving us loads of helpful information about the city, he refused a tip and rounded the fare down!!! Our hotel was just what we needed after Vietnam: soft beds, english TV, big bath with hot water and a roof-top pool. We were also right in the heart of things in Bencoolen street.

  For our first day we walked to the shops in Orchard road; there are literally dozens of shopping malls and streetside cafes - a shopper's heaven. Also, we couldn't believe how easy and cheap it was to make a phone call and use the internet. Better still, not one person grabbed us, touched us or tried to sell us something (i.e. postcards, books, conical hats). We kept going on about how civilised it was - I mean, for goodness sake, they even have 3-pin plugs.

  The second night we met up with a lovely couple we'd never met before, Karen and James. Karen's Mum is a family friend from home. They made us feel very welcome, gave us a few pointers and as Karen is Welsh, Sophie felt like she was at home again.

  The next couple of days we must have walked all over Singapore, visiting Little India, Arab street and Chinatown. All three districts have a distinct feel about them and are very colourful and picturesque with multi-coloured shutters and doors and original 2-storey shop terraces. They sold all sorts of things including massive amounts of religious garlands, incense and wood carvings.

  Most importantly, we dropped in on the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel for the obligatory Singapore Sling. The bar is excellent, not that long, but there is plenty of atmosphere. The ceiling was covered with mechanical rattan spade-shaped fans which gently waft you like something out of "Passage to India" and the floor is awash with peanut shells which everyone is encouraged to snack and scatter between quaffs of "Sling". We felt like Merchant Ivory barflies.

  Also worth a big mention was everyone at the Singapore GS office who we met for lunch. Thanks, guys, for making us feel so welcome and showing us round - Jamie felt as though he was at work again! Also thanks especially for the double-boiled snow frog desert - it was the best we've ever had.

  For the best seafood Sophie's ever had, we ate at Boat Quay one night. It was very romantic watching the boats go up and down the water, lit with coloured lanterns, as we practically pelted each other with peppered crab. Very messy, but excellent.

  Finally, we headed back to the airport and caught our next flight to Denpasar, Bali. It's an island just East of Java in the Indonesian archipeligo and it's beautiful. Immigration was very slow, but finally after 2 hours and only one bag search we managed to get out of the airport. We're staying in a really nice hotel with ornate Balinese-style carved wooden doors and a super balcony. The garden is full of palms and flowers and the pool is great.

• We've been very lazy for the first week in Bali and sat round the pool practically the entire time, avoiding the transport touts on the street. Though not as bad as Vietnam, people do shout in your face "Oi!", "You!", "Hello! Transport?" all the time when you walk down the street. But we have met some very friendly people who are very genuine.

  We were very lucky with our timing, as a full-moon festival was being held at our hotel which only happens twice a year. There were a lot of ceremonial preparations with shrines and statues being adorned with flowers and religious parasols and offerings of fruit, incense and rice. These are also left out for good and bad spirits alike in small palm trays all over the pavements, which makes walking sometimes fairly hazardous. Sorry to say that we have kicked a few flying by accident; but we have been hindered in the fact that the pavements are so high and zig-zagged that it's a wonder that we haven't broken our ankles (this is for the benefit of bad spirits who can only walk in straight lines . . of course!).

  For 2 days a Gamelan orchestra set-up in our hotel and it was excellent to listen to it, even if it did go on all day. The Gamelan orchestra is usually a percussion ensemble of gongs, metallophones and drums. Without going into too pretentious detail, the sound is sparkly and is said to shimmer, which seems quite appropriate. Anyway, on the main day of the festival, local actors came to perform a lengthy play (about 6 hours) by the hotel shrine. They wore very garish masks and there was a lot of out-doing each other on the Jackanory-style delivery. Also, every now and then, an actor would have the ladies in the audience in stitches by saying something while flapping the tail-end of his loin cloth - very Carry-On Bali.

  We've booked a trip for Ubud tomorrow, a major craft and chill-out centre in the middle of Bali. We've hired a driver who was recommended to us by some fellow travellers and our itinerary seems to be dancing, gold and silversmiths, Batik, temples and woodcarvings . . . Sophie's especially looking forward to the shopping opportunities.

  Will write more soon. Take care, Sophie and Jamie.

  P.S. Thanks for the emails, please keep sending them as it's great to hear what's going on at home.

  P.P.S To all you concerned folks that keep emailing us as to the serious expressions on our faces in the photos posted on the web. What can we say, we thought they were rather good and didn't want to rub your noses in the fact that we're having such a great time. But, to allay your worries, from now on we will take frighteningly cheesy and cheerful photos at every opportunity - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED XXX

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