Today we went to the huge sand dunes. We went sandboarding. It was fun. We had to pull the board up to the top then we sat on it and slid all the way down. It felt fast. Sometimes I fell off and rolled all the way down.
Author: Martha
Perth (part 1)
We got a train in to Perth city centre and had lunch. Then we went to a fire station. We dressed up as firemen and then went in a fire engine. There was a climbing wall and a fireman’s pole.
Next we went to a water park at Elizabeth Quay. We got very wet. There was also steam.
After that I went on a 3 and a half mile walk with mummy.
Another day at Da Nang Beach
Today we went to the beach. We played in the sea and swam the massive waves. I built a mountain with a moat and wall around it in the sand.
We brought our goggles so we could go under the waves but it was salty and went in my mouth!
Huế Imperial City
Today we went to Huế with the same taxi man as yesterday. We saw old tanks and guns from the war. Then we went to the Emperor’s Citadel. It is like a castle with thick walls and had a moat. The Emperor and his family lived there 200 years ago. It was very big.
My favourite part was the elephant shaped bushes.
(Note from parents: Huế was the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), the last of the dynasties in Vietnam. The Imperial City was the centre and was once an enormous complex of temples, palaces, offices, gardens and residences. It was enclosed within a square fortress (also called Huế Citadel) with each thick wall around 2km long and a wide moat on the outside. Much of the Imperial city has been destroyed, with the Vietnam War causing the most damage. Of the 160 significant buildings within the site, only 10 major ones survived the bombings of 1968. Many buildings have been gradually restored. It was a massive area to explore and we were there for most of the day. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.)
Water Festival
It was the Water Festival today and we walked along the river and saw lots of boats. They were having a race and went really fast.
We also saw a dunk tank and a boxing over water game.
In the evening we saw fireworks and then went to ‘Jungle Burger’ for pizza and delicious burgers!
(Note from parents: After having lunch in Siem Reap today we went down to the river as we were lucky enough to be there for the Cambodian Water Festival. The festival, also known as Bon Om Touk, is one of the largest and most celebrated in the country. It usually occurs in October/November over 3 days and marks the reversal of the flow of the Tonle Sap River and the end of the rainy season.)
To Cần Thơ
Today we went to Cần Thơ on a lying down bus. It was very comfortable!
In the evening we went on some exercise machines in a park on the way back to our guest house.
Tin Hau Temple, Yau Ma Tai
On our last full day in Hong Kong, we went to Tin Hau Temple which was very close to where we were staying.
It is a traditional Chinese temple and was built in around 1864 to honour the Chinese goddess of the sea, Tin Hau. Inside there were lots of incense coils burning which made the temple smell.
