Paris

Some tower

Notre Dame

Montemarch

The Arch from the Eiffel Tower.

Cambridge and surrounds

King's College school boys.

At the river cam with my bike.

The famous 'Orchard' tea house in Grantchester. Many influencial individuals have taken tea here, such as Stephen Fry, Alan Turing, and S Kellett esq.

Hoi An

Hoi An is a great town near a great beach. I spent 4 days here swimming, drinking, and eating. Fun.

The beach: The river:

Free shower in rural Viet Nam: Part of the actual Ho Chi Mihn trail:

Rice terraces:

Local farmers often cultivate tapioca in the hills. Local bridges help with transportation of the goods:
This local tribe considered the water buffalo to be a sacred animal. Their long house is made to look like one (note the horns on the top):

I made for a good communist:

Local school kids:

More traditional buildings:

A local family uses a machine to strip corn off the cob:

The bridge into Buou Ma Thuot (BMT). Teh river below was a vital supply line for the North during the war:

Biggest waterfall in Viet Nam:

Locals use a thrashing machine to seperate rice from the chaff:

Elephant ride - we went into the lake where he tried to submerge, taking me and the driver with him:

Da Lat to Hoi An by motor bike

I decided to take a 5 day trip from Da Lat to Hoi An (on the coast about half way up Viet Nam) on the back of a motorbike. My driver, Mui, also acted as a guide. This was a fantastic experience as I got to see the Viet Nam that sometimes gets missed by travellers. We met all sorts of people, including many from the hill tribes who still live a traditional life. I did not see another westerner for the whole trip.

Here are some photos from those 5 days, in no particular order.

The Mynong people still live a traditional lifestyle. Houses are built off the ground so animals can sleep below:

Mynong house under construction. Traditional methods and design are still used, even if the materials are modern (concrete and sheet iron are common):

The Mynong use long boats to travers the lake and get to fishing spots. This one had seen better days:

Rice drying on the road:

Farmer's house:

Road works:

Main street of a rural town:

My guide, Mui, with a rice wine distiller:

Me with traditional basket and blade. There are many hundreds of different hill tribes, but they all use the same basic tool. Their skill was used by the North during the war - it was this simple blade that was used to cut much of the Ho Chi Minh trail:

Elephant falls (named because the rocks look like elephant skin)

Labour intensive silk factory: