Round the world in pictures: China, Vietnam & Cambodia

While we were on our whizz round the world, Nigel published a daily picture on Instagram. For those of you who are not Instagrammers, we’ve reproduced the photos in 4 blog posts. This one covers China, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Day 39 was our first full day in #Beijing and it was off to the #ForbiddenCity. It’s a vast complex of courtyards within courtyards, and a huge number of palace buildings. It’s hugely impressive. Nigel braved one of the lunches inside the grounds. There were flavours involved that were … let’s say … unfamiliar.

Day 40 (40!!) Was a murky, drizzly day which we spend visiting the #Emperor’s #SummerPalace in Beijing. Whilst most visitors took a boat around the lake to get to the palace, we enjoyed a lovely, hood-up, 4-mile stroll round the edge. It provided some much needed tranquillity. And it ended at the beautiful palace complex.

Day 41 was our last day in #Beijing and what else, but the #GreatWall. We went up to the wall in a gondola and had a fabulous amble along a 1.5 mile stretch of the wall before descending on a toboggan. It’s just one of those iconic things that has to be done and amongst the autumn colours on a pretty bright day, it was magical.

Day 42 and a one night cruise on #halongbay. We had just climbed out of the sea, back onto the boat, when the sun was setting. Unforgettable, unique place. #Vietnam

Day 43 and we’re still enjoying stunning #halongbay in #Vietnam. We took a little boat to a beautiful cave inside one of the #limestone mountains. Are we really into our 7th week?!

Day 44 and we’ve arrived in the mountainous town of #Sapa, #Vietnam. We went on a shortish #trek with our guide, Pham, today. We stopped to look around a typical house. The corn is cooking in the pot for the pigs, whilst moggy is getting as warm as possible. Pham told us that cats and dogs are eaten here, but usually only by people without religion. Make of that what you will.

Day 45 and our final day in #Sapa, #Vietnam. This is the scenery we’ve been trekking through. Absolutely stunning. How they build and work the steep paddy terraces is astonishing. Learnt so much. Really humbling.

Day 46 was our day to take in #hanoi. The place really put on a show for us (watch out for Jane’s upcoming blog post on our day). It’s pretty clear that #hochiminh is still revered to this day. This is his mausoleum.

Day 47 and after a 13hr night train, we arrived in #hue. In the days of #Vietnam’s emperors, Hue was the capital. The Imperial City was heavily bombed in the war and they are slowly restoring the beautiful buildings. I came across this stockpile of roof dragons, which I thought were rather poignant.

Day 48 and it was a fairly short train journey today from #hue to #danang. We’re doing 1,407 miles on these #Vietnamese trains. We’ve now done 801 of them. Arriving at each station there are always sights to behold!

Day 49 and we pottered around #hoian old town. This wonderful beef noodle soup is Pho Ba. No filter needed on this one as everything was so fresh. It’s the national dish and it was delicious.

Day 50 and we had 9.5 hours on the train today from #danang to #nhatrang. So not much opportunity for pics. But we were upgraded to the honeymoon suite on arrival at our hotel, which has this beast in the bedroom. This is the 27th hotel we’ve stayed in so far. Only 2 more after this.

Day 51 and we finish our epic rail journey in #Saigon (or #hochiminhcity) I know we’ve been banging on about the motorbikes, but this should give you a feel for what it’s like everywhere. Complete chaos!

Day 52 and a visit to the #warremnantsmuseum in #Saigon which contains photos and artefacts from the Vietnam War. This is from the guide book. I guess the victors get to write the history. Makes you think about the history we’ve written. Thought provoking …

Day 53 and our last day in #Saigon.This is the impressive interior of the #centralpostoffice, with, of course, a huge portrait of #hochiminh. Off to Cambodia tonight.

Day 54 and a visit to #angkorwat in #cambodia. Such a stunning piece of architecture, built in the 12th century and ‘lost’ to the jungle for 400 years. Initially Hindu, it’s now a Buddhist temple.

Day 55 and we spent the morning visiting more of the exquisite temples around #siemreap. This pic is from #TaProhm temple, which was used in the #tombraider film. It’s astonishing seeing the jungle take over the 900 year old buildings.

Day 56 and it’s the last full day of our trip. So we’ve been relaxing by the pool at the fabulous #angkorpalaceresortandspa. Just love what they’ve done with the showers (look carefully). After our crazy schedule, we’ve needed a bit or RnR.

Day 57 and we’re at #siemreap airport waiting for a flight to #Singapore, then Heathrow. It’s been amazing and we’re returning, both determined to collect more passport stamps, rather than ‘stuff’. They say #travel changes you. Well, this incredible adventure has certainly done that for us. See you on the other side. 🙂