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  • Gemma Craig HVietnam
    Day 8

    Day 7 - Hoi An

    February 3 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    After a pretty hectic first 6 days, and the hangover from HELL after Lan Ha Bay, Hoi An was EXACTLY what I needed. We stayed 3km away from the town in a gorgeous guest house called Nghe Garden resort. The hotel overlooked a beautiful rice field, the decor was gorgeous colonial vibes with beautiful tiled floors and rattan furniture and the staff couldn't do enough for us (and it only cost £40 per night!!!)

    We enjoyed a lie in and a lovely breakfast outside feeling very chilled and Zen. After catching our breath for a minute we were straight out to Hoi An old town to explore and enquire about getting suits made. Although it was slightly Chaotic, the tailor was a little insane and obviously Craig hated every minute of it, we were happy with the price and excited to see our creations unfold.

    Having underestimated the time it would take to get measured up etc, we rushed to our next activity, a bike tour around the rural islands surrounding Hoi An. Our tour guide was Lola and she was hilarious. The first stop was a traditional Vietnamese house, where we learned that the middle third of the house was entirely for the first 5 generations of ancestors and not used at all by the living family and thay King Cobras venom was great for Viagra. We also watched an old couple weave a traditional sleeping mat, which takes 4 hours and makes them £1 profit per mat! And that's why Lola works in tourism!

    The next stop was a rice wine distillery where as well as tasting 60% proof, we learned about the process from start to finish. From cooking the rice, to fermenting, to the pigs who eat the waste and provide methane gas for cooking! There were lots of fruit infused rice wines which were slightly easier on the oesophagus than the 60% one.

    Following this was lots of cycling, rice fields and my highlight - Craig clambering into a traditional coconut boat and actually being pretty good at sailing it. What a tour, Lola was brilliant and it was great to learn more about traditional Vietnamese life in Hoi An.

    I hadn't eaten since breakfast and the tour finished at 6 so I was ravenous and we went straight for an incredible Indian dinner (I know.. Indian in Vietnam but it was recommended to us by a couple on the Ha Long boat cruise). The night was spent watching the spurs match, although we met a great guy from Paraguay and had a few too many shots in the three dragon sports bar. But a great day and night nonetheless!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HVietnam
    Day 6

    Day 6 - Lan Ha Bay

    February 1 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Our next day trip was out to Lan Ha Bay - a part of the iconic Ha Long Bay and a real bucket list visit for both of us! The 7am bus was a lowlight but beyond that the day was incredible!

    As soon as we arrived on the boat we were treated to a buffet lunch and drinks - all in their beautiful dining hall thats clear panoramic windows showcase the other worldy mountains seemingly popping out of the sea like giant wack'a'moles!

    Then onto our room for some relaxing - the balcony was perfect to sit and take in the sights as we headed towards our next stop for the canoing!

    The water was freezing but being able to canoe right next to one of the giant mountains was great - considering we had climbed to the top of one similair in Ninh Binh only the day before!! We then braved a quick dip in the cold see for a photo before heading off to freshen up!

    We then headed for some rooftop drinks and a spring roll making class (which we both done surprisingly well at!!) And got chatting with an Aussie couple and a nice couple from Fulham! After a few more drinks and another lovely buffet dinner - it was out squid fishing which seemed an impossible task until one of our new friends finally caught one after 45 minutes or so of struggling!

    We ended up back on the rooftop with our friends for more drinks and music before settling in for our early start the next day flying to Da Nang!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HVietnam
    Day 5

    Day 5 - Hanoi

    January 31 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    With me still struggling with jet lag and Craig up until 5am watching spurs, today was the perfect day for a 7am start for a day trip! Our first stop was Ninh Binh - the ha long bay on land and one of the set locations for King Kong Skull Island. Our incredibly sweet driver for the day was Dung (pronounced Zung) and although he didn't speak a word of English, we had great chats for the whole 2 hour journey via Google translate (it's hands free, don't worry mum).

    When we arrived at Ninh Binh we jumped in a rickety rowing boat with a tiny Vietnamese lady who seamlessly rowed us through caves and around breathtaking limestone structures for three whole hours. The longest cave was Dot cave and we were rowing through it for almost five minutes, having to duck down frequently to avoid being knocked out. Although it was really misty and a bit drizzly the views were still great.

    Dung picked us up for lunch and took us to his favourite goat restaurant (which had a pretty tourist friendly menu so I was fine too). Enough said about that!

    The next stop of the tour was viewpoint Đầm sen Hang múa. We climbed 400 stairs to get to the top and definitely aren't as young as we used to be (calves were killing the next day). The view from the top was incredible. Again the weather was pretty grey and misty but the views still well worth the climb!

    When we finally arrived back in Hanoi we headed straight out to grab the last bit of street food - Bun Cha for Craig and a Banh Mi for me. It was then straight back to pack to Meritel for one final drink on the rooftop with our favourite barman Harry who told us all about life in Vietnam in the COVID years and how he still managed to avoid the lockdowns to party with his friends!!

    A great final day in Hanoi. A crazy place but full of charm and excitement!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HVietnam
    Day 4

    Day 3 & 4 - Hanoi

    January 30 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    My first venture out into the bustling streets of Hanoi solo this morning, with Gem getting lashes done and our friend Thao Nguyen working, I set off tentitively... Basically waiting for any road to clear or for any driver/biker to stop at a pedestrian crossing is never going to happen... So to cross any street, you edge out (Frogger style...) and let the traffic avoid you - sounds mad but works surprisingly well..

    The sounds, smells and general craziness of Hanoi's Old Quarter are a sensory overload!! The availability of amazing food at ridiculously low pricea was a highlight for me. I had my first Bun Cha - which is essentially a pork filled broth with a side of crab spring rolls and big plate of noodle!! I found everything delicious and bared the cramping pains that come with sitting on the tiny plastic furniture, to finish every drop!!

    Wirh Gems lashes sorted we headed off to meet TN for another local delicacy Egg Coffee! Surprisingly alot nicer than it sounds for me, but one Gem wasnt a fan of - coffee for the non-coffee drinkers was our takeaway!

    Then on to train street - a cool, carnival styled street thats main attraction is its madly close proximity to the passing trains! We settled at a bar and quickly established nothing was happening untll later that evening - the lady kindly offered us a spot for the 820pm train passing and we set off for dinner to make it back in plenty of time.

    Dinner at Cha Ca Thang Long was a great experience! They provided a hot plate at your table and all the relevent ingredients to cook your Swamp Fish (we werent sure either....) and off you went!! Despite almost burning their pan, we got on ok and food turned out delicious!!

    Back to the train street - making sure not to miss the 820pm! It was a surreal experience to see the train wizz past so closely, and we were in a prime position thanks to our new friend to get some great videos! From they we headed to Beer Street (you really know what your getting from thier road names..) and we finished our night in a great bar called Purple Blues - they had live music with a great band doing covers of all the classics!!

    Day 4 was far more chilled - a nice relaxing morning followed by a stroll around the lake, some coffee with TN at a cool place that used old mopeds for furniture, some sightseeing at local temples and churches then some drinks on our lovely hotels rooftop!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HVietnam
    Day 2

    Day 2 - Singapore/ Hanoi

    January 28 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We set an alarm and woke up at 7am to make the most of our morning at the amazing hotel. Straight to the gym for a quick 30 minute work out and then on to breakfast which was unsurprisingly incredible. I had a spicy crab omelette and Craig had smoked salmon. There was also a huge buffet with everything we could hope for.

    And soon enough our 16 hours in Singapore was over and we were on our way to Vietnam (after a slightly embarrassing run in with the automatic eye and face recognition gates in Singapore airport for Craig - although nice to know that the border security guy had a sense of humour).

    The flight to Vietnam was over before we knew it and we were met by a super excited Thao Nguyen at the airport. We went straight out for dinner at Tam Vi. The food was authentic, fresh, and really tasty. Craig loved the pork belly and the broths, tofu and veg were great for me!

    After dinner we went for a whistle stop tour of the old quarter, through the crazy beer street and then onto the quieter back roads, settling for a night cap and a speakeasy style basement bar. After an intense day of travelling and exploring we were definitely ready for a comfy night's sleep at our hotel Meritel.    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HVietnam
    Day 1

    Day 1 - Singapore

    January 27 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    After a hectic couple of hours at the airport trying to get our last bits of work finished & handed over, we were on our way to Singapore for the first part of our trip! The flight was super easy and before we knew it we were checking into our hotel The Mondrian.

    The first stop had to be the hotel's rooftop for our first drink, overlooking the city skyline and the infinity pool. The location was perfect - right by China town. We swiftly finished our £30 round and went straight to the Metro Hawker centre for some incredible dumplings and fish cakes. Then for a stroll around the lively streets of China town, stopping off for a few more expensive rounds en route.

    We had to head back up to the Mondrian rooftop to see the view at night and it didn't disappoint. Obviously the night was still young in our eyes so we tried to get into the club in the hotel but were very politely turned away due to a strict dress code (haha). It was a blessing in disguise as we decided to polish off one final drink in the bar and had a great chat with the barman Hacton, who was extremely generous with the servings of Veuve (couldn't turn it down!!)    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HLatin America 2021
    Day 120

    Costa Rica Day 16 - 18 Pacure River

    May 10, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    The 4am bus to San Jose was actually great for me, 3 hours asleep across all 4 back row seats was beyond first class!! We had to leave so soon in order to make the 10am check in time to White Water Raft into our next hotel!

    We made it in perfect time and seemingly before we could considering backing out were in the raft getting taught how/what to do! It was amazing fun and though the class 1/2 rapids were the lowest difficulty we could still feel the challenge and power of the water!

    Arriving so wet we might has well have swam in, we showered and rested for the rest of the day! The next morning was a hike to a beautiful waterfall, we also met some fellow travellers who were volunteer workers at the lodge and ended up spending the evening together!

    The next morning was another hike (which turned out to be a wade upstream towards a waterfall) It was harder than any of the first 4 days of Kilimanjaro and the combination of slippery rocks and running water meant progress was slow!! Our guide seemed keen to push on regardless and hilariously would react to us falling over by shouting from miles ahead 'be careful!!' yeah cheers for that Ronnie haha!

    That afternoon Gem went horse riding and I set out on another hike with the other volunteers, but this time to find the only local bar! (Which was 2 hours away)

    Gem loved her ride and luckily we found someone in the bar with a pick up truck, so after a few drinks we didn't all have to walk back! We all had a great night in camp playing cards and promised to keep in touch with the English couple this summer.

    The next morning we rafted the Class 3 & 4 rapids - the maximum is class 5! After around an hour we were both exhausted and for some reason we had no help from any of the volunteers (possibly because we sat up drinking with them all the night before and they're not supposed to) On one of the last class 4 rapids we lost control and didn't have the power to get out of trouble, we hit a rock and after I went in Gem followed and somehow the guide steadied everything before the raft flipped as well!! After around 10/15 seconds in the water we were back to safety and luckily the rest of the trip was class 1's and 2's.    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HLatin America 2021
    Day 117

    Costa Rica Day 14 - 15 Manuel Antonio

    May 7, 2021 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    The next day we settled on a Kayak tour through the local Mangroves of Damas Island! This was brilliant and our guide .... was great at telling us about all 55 different types of mangrove and how much all wildlife benefits individually from each one. He also taught us about the importance of the mangroves and had some interesting insights on the comparisons of Palm Oil Plantations and Rice Fields (arguing both to be as bad as each other) Something which we had never previously considered but based on the land required alone seemed obvious!

    After this we headed back to our Jurassic Park beach, more confident this time based on advice from our mangrove guide that today would be 'the perfect day' for it... The walk seemed easier this time and with the dying element of worry no longer hanging over us we flew down! The weather again decided we weren't welcome and almost as we touched the sand a dark storm cloud appeared and the heavens opened! With some (even wetter) pictures we left again after minutes! Two trips - total walking time 3hours total beach time - 15 minutes haha!

    That evening we arranged to meet our friends from Gems birthday boat trip in Barbados that had randomly got in touch and were also in Costa Rica! They had some great recommendations for our whole trip through CR and didn't let us down with the restaurant choice of Sushi, it was delicious! We had more beers than food though and despite a great evening by 10pm the thought of our 4am bus to San Jose meant it was time for bed!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HLatin America 2021
    Day 115

    Costa Rica Day 7 - 13 Manuel Antonio

    May 5, 2021 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    After a 5 hour van/bus we made it down to Manuel Antonio/Quepos and our hotel Castillo de la rivera was sat perfectly between the two towns!

    Our first morning was a 3 hour walking tour of Manuel Antonio National Park with a perfect guide recommended by our friend called Edwin. He had x-ray like vision and luckily for me a telescope with his phone camera attached to it! Meaning I had at least a chance of seeing what he was describing.

    We saw all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures - from sloths hanging in the trees, to white faced monkeys jumping between them. We also saw an anteater crossing the road, the most deadly snake in Costa Rica and a lizard that runs on water... The Jesus Christ lizard of course!

    The following day after some long walks exploring both towns we settled on dinner at a bar with an old Cargo Aeroplane one of two involving the Reagan administration, Iranian Arms deal and some Nicaraguan Rebel Groups! The food was delicious and the restaurant itself was set on a cliffs edge with beautiful see views, making the effort to transport a Cargo Plane in pieces up there seem even more impressive! The plane even had its own bar which was unfortunately closed but we still got to have a walk around it.

    The next day we had heard about a public beach which was very private but was also 'difficult' to get to... We set out on the walk and it became immediately apparent 'difficult' was an understatement! Luckily as we walked the winding up and down path, we had been made aware that the giant red and black crabs werent poisonous, though avoiding their giant pincer was advisable. The path became narrower and steeper seemingly in unison with a rainstorm but we safely made the beach! The dark sand and rocks surrounding made it look like something from Jurassic Park - but the changing weather meant we only had a short while to soak it up before making our way back up the mountain!    Read more

  • Gemma Craig HLatin America 2021
    Day 109

    Costa Rica Day 6 - Monteverde

    April 29, 2021 in Costa Rica

    We had our final traditional breakfast of eggs, rice, beans and plantain at the lovely Arenal Manoa resort and jumped in our transfer to Monteverde. On a map it looks as if it should only take about half an hour but due to the lack of roads around the volcano, it's actually a 3/4 hour drive! But lucky for us (and to our surprise) the transfer was actually a bus, then a boat, and then another bus which actually only took 2 hours in total. The scenery on the bus was amazing, and on the boat, even better - a clear view of the volcano for the second time! How lucky are we?!

    We arrived at our hotel in Monteverde, dropped the bags off and went straight to Monteverde cloud forest for la cable car through the clouds and some more zip lining (a network of 11, all through the clod forest)! The zip lines are apparently the highest in the world (although need to check this, probably just sales talk) and were much faster and scarier than the ones we did the day before. The best part was that on the last one we got to zipline in tandem which was brilliant! At the end there was the chance to do a mini bungee jump (which I politely declined) but Craig bravely attempted! They didn't tell him until the end that you have to jump backwards, which made it even scarier!

    We had a well deserved drink after with the other adventurous tourists in our group. There was a couple from Georgia on their honeymoon, a Californian and a couple from France & California.

    That evening I found a place for dinner where you eat in a treehouse. It looked a little pricey, but the reviews were great and I had some birthday money from mum and dad so we went for it! And I'm so glad we did. Probably our best dining experience ever. We were in our own little tree house, served about 6 courses of delicious food and everything represented an aspect of Costa Rica. The last course represented the cloud forest and they actually released vapor all around us so we were literally eating in a cloud! The perfect ending to a brilliant day.    Read more

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