Category: Vietnam

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You jinxed us!

These were the words Mark spoke to me when we arrived in Rome. I knew he was going to say it. I had thought it myself, but I was secretly hoping that he wouldn’t actually say it out loud – I felt bad enough already.

I should probably go back 48 hours and explain to you what had happened. It all started when we arrived in Ho Chi Minh. Our bags were some of the last to arrive on the baggage belt and I happened to say out loud what I was thinking. “Our bags haven’t gone missing yet” Mark pretty much had a heart attack then and there. He replied very franticly “I can’t believe you just said yet, you’re going to jinx us now.” If only I knew how quickly we would be jinxed.

The next day was when it all started to go wrong. The taxi to the airport usually only takes half an hour but there was so much traffic that we were running 20 minutes late which doesn’t seem too bad but we have our routine pretty down pat and it kind of threw us off a bit. It all seemed okay though because once we walked into the airport it looked empty and we walked straight up to the check in counter to drop off our bags. We got upgraded to Premium Economy which was a nice treat. However, we normally get access to a business class lounge because of Mark’s frequent flyer points but we weren’t given an entry pass and couldn’t be bothered going back to get one. This should have been our first clue as to how bad things could go. Then, whilst waiting for our flight to Hong Kong we were told it was delayed by half an hour, then an hour and it was at this time that we started trying to work out if we would make our connecting flight to Rome. We didn’t care though, we knew if we missed it we would get another one – after all we weren’t in a huge rush.

Arriving at Hong Kong airport we had 20 minutes to get off the plane, through transit security and onto another plane. The line for transit security was huge but there was a group of us who were rushing to get connecting flights so people let us through. Once through we had staff members telling us to run, so we walked really fast and got onto the plane in time. We were pretty happy with ourselves as we were seated 15 minutes before take off. I already had planned what movies I was going to watch during the flight and worked out I could sleep for maybe 5 out of the 12 hours. Neither of us said it but we were both hoping they would get our bags onto our new flight. And then, another delay. This time we were to sit on the plane, on the tarmac for at least 2 hours. I was so annoyed at this stage and starting thinking we should have just missed the flight, after all I could have at least slept in a hotel bed. It did occur to me though that they would have plenty of time to get our bags onto the plane so I watched the first movie on my list.

14 hours later when we arrived in Rome I was pretty stoked I would be able to use my Italian passport for the first time and I would get through security before Mark. My line took longer than his line and he ended up waiting for me. Not to worry though because we were in Italy and I was super excited. Once we got to Belt 9 to wait for our bags we jumped onto the free wifi to quickly tell our parents we had arrived safely. After a while of waiting our bags just weren’t there so we checked to make sure we had the correct belt and sure enough we did and this is where I started to realise that I had jinxed us. I didn’t tell Mark what I was thinking though because I was hoping I was wrong. After accepting the fact that our bags weren’t going around on Belt 9 we walked over to the help desk where we were told by a lovely lady that our bags “are not in Rome.” “Where are they?” I asked. “It doesn’t say that they are in Hong Kong but they aren’t here in Rome and there is no message to say they missed the flight so I do not know where your bags are.” We were then told that they would contact the airline for us but they only fly every second day to Rome so we worked out we would have to get back to the airport in 2 days time to make sure our bags arrived before we got on a flight to Turkey that day.

So our 2 days in Rome started with missing bags, us getting lost trying to find our AirBnb accommodation, having to go and buy some clean clothes and some toothbrushes, and then getting to the Police station to register Mark’s visa only to be told that they didn’t do that there. In normal circumstances I know that all of those things would have bothered me but they just didn’t. After a lot of help from our AirBnb host we worked out where we needed to go to get Mark’s visa registered, travelled an hour there, ran around the streets near the Immigration office looking for the post office so we could pay the registration fee, ran back to the Immigration office and sorted everything out all with an hour to spare before closing. I took this as a good sign and Mark told me that he kept thinking that the whole process was like a huge puzzle that had to fit together properly for our path to be cleared in time and that’s exactly what happened. Everything fell into place at the right time and worked out. We were only praying it would do the same for our missing bags.

And what do you know, the jinx was lifted. When we arrived at the airport super early  – Mark said he wanted extra time to sort out what to do if our bags weren’t there – we were taken through a staff security entrance where the same lady that had helped us days earlier was there with a smile on her face. I had the biggest smile on my face when I saw her and she told us that our bags had just arrived. We were so happy to have our bags back and know that we wouldn’t have to worry about trying to get them while we were travelling around Turkey.

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I couldn’t contain my excitement when we got our bags! Also, check out my bargain buy pants from H&M

Our flight to Turkey was delayed but we were too happy we didn’t care and once we arrived in Istanbul we went to our connecting gate to wait for our flight to Kayseri which was delayed as well. All up we were delayed by over 2 hours and when we were waiting for our bags in Kayseri they weren’t there. We had been told twice that our bags were going from Rome to Kayseri and we didn’t need to get them in Istanbul and re-check them but I started worrying. I didn’t want to have to go through this all again, so before we freaked out we showed the airport staff our baggage tickets and tried to explain that they weren’t on the baggage belt. They checked the tickets, looked at us as if we were simply tiring them out and told us that our bags were in the next building at the International arrivals. I’m not going to say I ran there, but I think I could have power walked for Australia. And what do you know – there they were, our bags, with 80% of our belongings for the next 12 months just circling around the baggage belt as if they were a glorious prize.

It’s been a hectic couple of days but here’s to our road trip through Turkey!

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Road-trip time!
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Same same but different

Sorry I haven’t written anything in a while. We’ve been traveling through Hong Kong and Shanghai as the last stops of our time in Asia. I find both cities quite amazing places, they are very similar to each other.

Our days in Hong Kong were spent traveling on the metro, shopping and eating dim sum at Tim Ho Wan – a Michelin star dim sum restaurant that doesn’t cost you and arm and a leg. If you ever go to Hong Kong you must go to one of the restaurants at least once! Hong Kong isn’t cheap though and it was fascinating to see how quickly we could spend our money. Of course we couldn’t miss going to Disneyland which I can only describe as the happiest place on earth. I think I actually skipped down the entrance.

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It was in Hong Kong though that stomach pains I had started getting in Vietnam were getting worse and worse.

We got to Shanghai after spending a couple of days in Hong Kong and Mark spent our first day there catching up with his friend while I declined and thought I would just stay in our room to relax, after all the pains seemed to have disappeared but I got really tired suddenly. Just before we left to go to dinner that night the pain was so bad that Mark took me to the hospital. The nurses there were so lovely and although it took them a couple of attempts they managed to get me onto an IV line. They kept saying I was “very thin and arms very small”. Why thank you Olivia Yen for that compliment. I don’t think it dawned on her though that she was in fact half the size of me. I’ll take it though 🙂

After being hooked up to this IV for hours while they pumped fluids and antibiotics into me we were able to leave and go back and I think I slept for a solid 10 hours. The next couple of days were spent with me recovering from the infection in my abdomen while also battling food poisoning from my lunch one day. It was a rough couple of days.

I was disappointed our time in Shanghai turned out the way it did especially because Mark was by my side most of the time keeping an eye on me but as I write this I am sitting on a plane that has been delayed leaving Ho Chi Minh and I’ve eaten a whole bowl of Pho soup so I think I’m on the mend!!

The next time you hear from me we will be in Europe! Until then, B xxx

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A free bed you say?

I mentioned previously how much Mark and I love Vietnam and how we were looking forward to spending 2 weeks exploring places we had never been before. That isn’t the case anymore. I’m still surprised by how quickly our plans can change while on the road. Mark got a call 3 days ago from a friend in China asking where we were and once Mark told him we were in Vietnam, he asked if we would mind going to Shanghai for a few days? We didn’t have any plans so checked the flights, and there are of course direct flights from Ho Chi Minh to Shanghai and there are also flights stopping in Hong Kong. I love both Shanghai and Hong Kong so we’ve decided to spend a few days in Hong Kong and a few in Shanghai before coming back to Ho Chi Minh. If I thought I would never be back to Vietnam I would have asked Mark if we could stay but I know that we will definitely be back so off we go. Who can pass up a free bed in Shanghai?

I think another reason we decided to go was because we’ve spent the last few days so relaxed in Mui Ne that we both secretly wanted to be amongst the hustle and bustle of a big city. Mui Ne has been amazing. When we first arrived at our hotel here after a 4 hour bus ride and 2km walk in the blaring hear the receptionist asked if we were interested in picking between 2 rooms – one in their budget hotel and one in their nicer hotel. Of course we were interested! So Mark ran off and picked the nicer room which as you could have guessed was not in the budget hotel so then after getting to our room we thought it was just a great start to Mui Ne that we should surely stay another 2 nights here especially when they would give us the room at the cheaper rate. I simply thought we were winning at life.

3 of our 5 days in Mui Ne were spent at the beach in the afternoons while Mark learnt to kiteboard and I read a couple books. 2 of our 5 days in Mui Ne were spent exploring the sites on offer. Quad biking on the white sand dunes at sunrise, wandering through the fairy creek, observing the fishing village and admiring the overall feel of Mui Ne. A place I think has the feel of an island but with access from the mainland.

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4 of our 4 nights in Mui Ne were spent down the road from our hotel at a small restaurant that offered the most amazing passion fruit mojitos which are my favorite.

I’m so content right now I feel ill just leave it there… Love B xxx

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Green hair be gone!

Those of us who know me and Mark well know how much we love Vietnam. We find when traveling though we meet people who don’t love it as much as we do and we just don’t get it. How could you not love Vietnam? The food, the people, the landscape, the cities, everything is just as it should be. After spending some time in Koh Chang speaking to other travellers we think we realised why people love other Asian counties more than Vietnam and it’s because most people we meet are from Europe escaping the winter there so they want amazing beaches. We love going to the beach when on holidays but they don’t need to be amazing beaches – we have amazing beaches back home.

Phu Quoc is an island south of Vietnam that is becoming increasingly popular year after year. It’s still at that stage where is quiet enough that we could ride a motorbike (something we never think of doing in other Vietnamese cities) but built up enough that we could go get a decent burger when we were over Asian food.

One thing Phu Quoc didn’t have was a lot of grocery stores so when I was searching for bi-carb soda (after a lovely message from someone back home) to tackle my green hair I quickly gave up and started searching for tomato sauce as I had read that the red and acid from the tomatoes removes the green from hair. I figured there would be tomato sauce at the store as I had seen it at pretty much every restaurant we ate at. Turns out I was wrong. Hardly any stores had it and then one store that I was certain would have it had sold it so heading back to our hotel one night I was certain I was going to have green hair for weeks to come which made me deeply distraught. What if I left it too long and it just stayed for months? Once we got back to our hotel Mark walked to the reception desk and asked for some tomato sauce for my hair. The girl who spoke relatively good English was really confused. By the time I walked in Mark was sitting at the reception desk on google translate explaining what the tomato sauce was for. Her response was “oh I thought that was what you said but I didn’t understand” she then wanted more information about why it happens so there we were at 10pm explaining why blonde hair goes green in chlorine and why she doesn’t need to worry because she has dark hair.

I read that I should wash my hair before putting the tomato sauce in so that’s what I did and half an hour later my dirty hair was washed and then subsequently covered in tomato sauce. I didn’t take a photo of my experience- I was slightly disgusted the whole time as I don’t eat tomato sauce let alone cover my hair in it on a regular basis… I must say though that despite the smell it actually worked! Pretty much all of the green was removed in one go.

Besides tackling my green hair we spent a couple of days on a motorbike riding to different parts of the island checking out the beaches and heading to the market at night to eat. It was there that we found ice-cream rolls. We have these back home at a place called Scrolls so we were stoked to find them on an island in Vietnam for 30,000 Vietnamese Dong (approx. $2). We ate them nearly every night for desert 🙂

We spent Easter Sunday face timing back home and spending the morning booking flights and hotels for the next part of our trip. We have 2 more weeks in Vietnam but are yet to book anything in so will just see how we go once we leave Phu Quoc on Tuesday.

We are really looking forward to coming back to Phu Quoc in years to come to see how much the island has changed. Mark is looking forward to coming back to try out all of the golf courses. Every time we pass one he always notes the name and when we get back to our hotel he is on google looking it up. I’m pretty sure he has a list going in his phone for places we will go back to just so he can play golf. #caddylife

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How relaxed can you be?

We are in Bangkok at the moment. Arrived here from Koh Chang – an island in the Gulf of Thailand – this afternoon.

We’ve spent the last 5 days so relaxed it was brilliant. We stayed in a hostel dorm room which we try to not do on a regular basis but the hostel we stayed at was really good. The beds were huge for dorm standards and the facilities were pretty good too. We slept in everyday, generally missed breakfast and chilled by the pool for the morning until we decided to go out and actually do something. For a couple of days we hired a motorbike and rode around the island. Generally in places like Koh Chang you can circumnavigate the island by following the same road. You can’t do that in Koh Chang, you can only go so far one way before the road stops and you can’t go any further so like what we did, you stop, have a look at your surroundings and drive back the other way until you reach the other end. We stopped occasionally to look at the views and one time even stopped to go check out a waterfall. The waterfall was more like a pool of water than actual running waterfalls. The climb up there was via a barely visible track covered in leaves which I was adamant would contain snakes, spiders and other things I’m scared of. Safe to say I did not enjoy the walk up to the waterfall while wearing my havaianas, especially because Mark has a tendency to walk off ahead and I was helped down a steep slippery section of the path by some locals.

So apart from riding around the island and checking a few things out we sat by the pool at the hostel because it was so hot and humid. Now normally I don’t actually go into public pools because they kind of gross me out but when it’s too hot outside I had no option but to go in constantly. When I was younger and did go into pools throughout summer my hair would always get a slight green tinge to it. I remembered this and mentioned it to Mark but didn’t actually think it would happen after only a couple of days. I was wrong. My hair is now green at the ends and I have to find a way to fix it while in Vietnam over the next couple of weeks.

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See! I’m not lying, my hair is actually green.

Koh Chang is different to other islands we have been to in Thailand. Phuket & Koh Samui can be relaxing but they also have a huge nightlight area which just isn’t present in Koh Chang. As well as the nightlight Koh Chang isn’t as built up and although there are a lot of travellers there, they all seem to be there for the same reason – just to chill out – and we did meet a couple of people who had been to Koh Chang weeks or even months earlier but were back there to take it easy before their next stops.

We are looking forward to having no plans the next couple of weeks and just travelling through one of our favourite places – Vietnam!

Until then, B 🙂

 

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Learning English

We had an overnight stop in Ho Chi Minh City so that we could organise ourselves and buy a couple of things we needed. I don’t think either of us expected Ho Chi Minh to offer much in the 24 hours that we were there as we will be going back soon and have been multiple times before. It did however offer up something to us that for some reason we had never experienced there before.

We were walking to a camera shop opposite Ben Tanh Market when we were stopped by a girl around my age asking us if she could speak to us as she was practising her English. When we looked behind her there were groups of Vietnamese students surrounding a number of different foreigners all practising English. We had to make it to the camera shop before it closed so we told her we were be back. I don’t think she believed us because she looked totally surprised when  we walked up to her half an hour later. She quickly sat us down with a couple of people and before we knew it we had people coming and going trying to get a few words it. It was a really nice experience as many of the people were our age and each had a different reason for studying English although all were loosely based around getting a good job.

Mark and I ended up having separate conversations with people. My conversation was around real estate, because go figure, the guy who first started talking to me wanted to work in real estate.I’m not sure what Mark spoke about but apart from really just talking and getting to know them we helped with any words or phrases they were stuck on. At one stage I had my group of 4 repeating the word ‘island’ multiple times each time with the ‘s’ disappearing more and more until it was silent.

We only planned on staying for half an hour, but didn’t end up leaving for an hour and a half, when we checked the time and realised that we had to race and pick up our laundry before the store closed.

We really enjoyed our experience and I honestly don’t know we had never seen the group before, especially considering they meet everyday… Maybe we’ve always just rushed past and never actually noticed.

B xxx

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Goodbye Vietnam

I thought Nha Trang was hot. Ho Chi Minh is even hotter.

After arriving at 4.30am yesterday and getting a cab to take us to our hotel we weren’t too impressed when we arrived and the hotel had double booked and given our room to someone else. After a few frantic calls from their end they organised another room at their ‘sister’ hotel and we walked there, got our key and slept for 4 hours. It was a decent solid sleep and if we didn’t sleep I can just imagine how angry the 4 of us would be, especially after our train ride. Which was non-eventful for me and Mark but a first time for Chris and Jess.

Chris and Jess were leaving in the afternoon so we went to Ben Than Market for them to get their last minute shopping in. Unfortunately, the market was closed for Tet Holiday so we wandered the streets and found a few stalls for them to buy some shoes and souvenirs for family.

The one thing I didn’t realise about the Tet Holiday is just how long everything is closed for. I really wanted to take them to eat at my favourite restaurant in Ho Chi Minh but after driving for half an hour in search of it, we realised we had already passed it and it was closed. We then asked our taxi driver where we could eat and Chris jokingly said “Imagine he says McDonalds”, well sure enough, after a few calls to his friends he suggested “McDonalds?”. How could we say no to that? It did seem like fate after all. After a large quarter pounder meal with a free apple pie, Chris and Jess got a taxi to the airport and that was the end of their trip. A seemingly quite end to what I think was a rather enjoyable trip for them.

Mark and I wandered around for a bit like we normally do and then ate our usual plate of fried rice, stir fried morning glory and spring rolls and enjoyed our last night away.

Today we didn’t do much apart from more walking and eating while we waited around to go to the airport.

Now that we are at the airport I’ve been thinking of our time away and have so far really enjoyed where we have been. Some places have been very testing but overall I’ve loved it and I can only dream about what the next part of our trip will be like. We do have a whole 2 weeks back home in Melbourne with so much to do, I don’t think I will be thinking about the next part until we are on a plane flying to Manila.

I hope those who have been following our trip have enjoyed it so far and I’m looking forward to sharing the next year with you all.

Mark says hey as well!

Love, THE PLACES WE

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*knock, knock* “House keeping”

So Chris and Jess arrived on Thursday and it was the oddest thing. We didn’t hug them or kiss them hello we just kind of smiled at them. They walked into our room, sat down and we talked and shared stories just like back home. I think something like that only happens when you are really comfortable with people. It was nice. Chris also thought it would be funny to continue everyday after they arrived to knock on our door and yell “house keeping” he also thought it would be funny to yell “come in, it’s open” when we knocked on their door. We combated this by constantly ringing their door bell to drown out the sound.

We’ve seen and done heaps of things while they’ve been here, things I’ve seen before and things I haven’t. Of course we saw the temples here in Nha Trang. After a while things do start to look the same but I always think it’s important to go and look anyway. I’ve learnt that we don’t need hours to look at most attractions while we travel but each place, no matter how similar to the previous is still different and I like knowing I had the opportunity to see those differences for myself.

Apart from seeing the sites here in Nha Trang we’ve been trying to tan in any bit of sunlight we get. It was a bit overcast the other day and I’m constantly reminded by Mark and Chris that it was a lot sunnier that I think but that’s besides the point. I got so burnt while I was reading that I was barely able to walk the next day which is the same day we decided to go to look at yet another waterfall – Ba Ho Waterfall. I was so sore that I considered not going but I’m glad I did. That’s not saying getting to them was easy. Yes there were red arrows painted on the rocks showing which direction to go, but it’s a bit hard when one rock has 3 different arrows pointing in all different directions. We had to turn around a few times but once we made it the water was amazing and the view was just as good. I’m glad I toughened up and went.

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Ohh we have friends this time!

It was Lunar New Year on Sunday night and we really shouldn’t have left dinner so late – so many restaurants were closing early because of all of the celebrations but our Italian favourite was opened. The boys were definitely happy with the outcome and stuffed their faces with pizza, acting as if they hadn’t had one in year when in fact they had one the night before. Tet (Lunar New Year) is the major celebration for Vietnamese and there were people everywhere. The city square had been set up with a stage, decorations and was packed. We didn’t stay for long as we were constantly being pushed from pillar to post, but we were able to watch from Chris and Jess’ hotel room. To get into the spirit of things we ordered cocktails and a cheese platter on room service and played Monopoly while we waited for the fireworks, which in the end were simply amazing. They went on for a good 15 minutes and while the Vietnamese were celebrating the end of the year and start of the new year, Mark and I were in a way celebrating the end of the first leg of our trip. It was a fitting end for us.

Yesterday we took the cable car across to Vinpearl Island, something I had never done on my previous visits to Nha Trang. We were all pleasantly surprised. It was super quiet because of new year so we went on pretty much all of the rides and even waited over an hour for the Apline Coaster at the end of the day. After the ride we wandered over to the cable cars only to find a massive long line. You should have seen us. First Mark realised that there was a ferry leaving at 5pm on the other end of the amusement park. Then we all checked the time – it was 4.55pm. Then we all looked at each other and ran. There was no way we were lining up again for an hour just because we missed the ferry. Turns out that just because they say it leaves at 5pm doesn’t necessarily mean it does, so we sat on the ferry for 15 minutes waiting for it to leave.

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I’m still learning how to use the GoPro.

We’re sitting at our hotel lobby now waiting to go to the train station (we are getting a taxi this time) and waiting for Jess and Chris to experience their first overnight train. Mark and I are waiting to see what they think of the whole overnight train thing. I think it will be slightly amusing.

Cheers 🙂

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We meet again Nha Trang

It’s so hot here in Nha Trang. I love it. This is my third time here, Mark’s second and I oddly find myself relishing in the fact that I know what it’s like here. I normally love experiencing new places but it was nice to arrive somewhere and know what to expect.

The walk from the train station to our hotel was a bit full on in the heat but we made it eventually and I downed a whole bottle of water as soon as we got to reception. It’s a bit frustrating though when you’ve walked for half an hour in the heat and arrive at the hotel to check in to find that they’ve checked you into a dorm. We’ve spent 3 days here so far and are super relaxed.

My brother Chris and his girlfriend Jess arrive here tomorrow afternoon from Hoi An and it will be nice to see some familiar faces. We’ve not really done anything the past few days as we are waiting for them to arrive and it would be pointless to go and do something only to go do it again with them. That’s probably not the only reason why we haven’t done anything, the other reason is probably because we just haven’t cared that we we’ve been doing. We’re ok with doing absolutely nothing and that’s unusual for us but a relief. We are finally truly relaxed. Yay!

much love, (a very relaxed) B

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I left my heart to the sappers ’round Khe Sahn

We arrived here in Hue on Thursday after being on a train for about 24 hours which was pretty much the usual train ride except I got given a baby, luckily, not to keep though… When we first got on the train there was a lady and I assume her baby in our carriage. He was wearing so many layers that he couldn’t move and he looked so cute! Once she removed his number of jackets she handed him to me and then got off the train. Just like that. I laughed at first and then got a bit nervous as I noticed she was walking towards the exit on the platform… She came back shortly after and I was glad to hand her baby back to her. Apart from that we slept, read and watched a movie during our journey.

It’s our first time here in Hue and it feels like such an ancient city which probably explains why visiting the Imperial City is one of the top things to do here. We went to see it yesterday. For such an overcast day it was nice to be able to see so much colour in one place. We’ve both been to a number of ancient cities throughout Asia but we still like to go and see them if we can. They are always so different even if on the exterior they just look the same.

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I think I’ve mentioned it before but we aren’t really tour people. It’s not just the cost associated with them, we’ve worked out that it’s being on someone else’s time that we don’t like. We don’t like being told when we have to be somewhere, what we have to stop to take a photo of or what we have to look at. We also don’t like being dragged around for hours when we could have finished earlier. In saying all of that though we booked ourselves to go on a tour. Mind you we didn’t really read what it was we simply read the main attraction and thought it would be interesting – the DMZ.

We thought the DMZ would be interesting, however we didn’t quite realise how far away it was from the city. A couple hours later we arrived in Khe Sanh where we walked through the small museum there. I don’t know if museum is quite the right word as it was more a humble reminder of what happened there during the Vietnam War. It’s also slightly confusing and points to the fact both America and Vietnam claim victory from the battle in Khe Sanh, but how can both claim victory? Simply from the way both countries teach the younger generations about their versions. It seems so wrong but I guess when you think about it, this type of things happens everywhere. While in Khe Sanh I couldn’t help but remember that classic Cold Chisel song. After that it was stuck in my head for hours.

On the bus ride back we stopped at the Vĩnh Mốc tunnels to see how the locals survived and lived during the war. I quickly found out that I don’t like dark underground spaces and was glad to get out of there as quickly as possible. Mark found this quite amusing especially when we were just standing around underground doing nothing. I was amazed though at how our guide was able to wear small heels as she guided us through the levels of underground spaces.

We just got back to our hotel from a day walking around and are waiting to catch yet another train to Nha Trang. We met some locals today who invited us to their house for beers. We thought they could speak English but they couldn’t and we don’t speak Vietnamese so I sat with a laptop on my lap and typed conversations into Google translate. After an hour there we were starving so began our walk back and on the way we stopped into a pub to eat which was due to show the Australian Open live so we hung around and watched Djokovic beat Murray quite convincingly. I also watched Mark get hustled by a waitress at pool. He won both games but I have the slight feeling she let him win.

 

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