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Manuel NonnenmacherManuel Nonnenmacher
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  • Vietnam 2018
    Day 14

    Day 14 Da Lat

    October 15, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Day 2 in Da Lat: After breakfast another outdoor sports activity was waiting for us. We wanted to hike on the Langbiang mountain. First we rented 2 scooters for the day and drove to the parking lot at the foot of the mountain. Then we hiked up to the peak at 2167 metres. It was sunny and at the end the path was very steep, but there was a nice view at the top. Back at the parking lot we drove to the next stop around 30 km away: The Elephant Waterfall. Once we arrived there climbed down to see the waterfall from below, quite impressive. Afterwards we visited the pagoda next to it. It wouldn't have been an interesting one if they were not building a massive Buddha statue, about 70m high! Then we drove back to Da Lat, had a coffee at the Xuan Huong lake and later dinner in a great local BBQ restaurant. At around 9 PM we got picked up by a bus company to bring us to the bus station. In this night we took a sleeping bus to Ho Chi Minh City (Sai Gon).Read more

  • Vietnam 2018
    Day 13

    Day 13 Da Lat

    October 14, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    For this day the plan was to do a downhill bike tour in the hills around Da Lat. Originally we wanted to do Canyoning but this and Rafting is closed at the moment (because a Korean man died lately - had a heart attack) and so cycling was the best option. Christi told Lion (our guide) we are experienced and want to have the hardest tour they offer. In fact I never did a downhill tour in my life and I even didn't sit on a Mountainbike since years ;-) What a good tour to start with. It did make fun and the landscape was amazing but I was also scared going down the hills too fast. The parts going up the hills nearly killed me, it was also quite hot and if you are not used to it - that is not the best combination. On the steepest downhill part I also fell off the bike but fortunately only at a small pace. At the end of the tour we visited an impressive pagoda and its cellar where the hell of Buddhism is visualized. Back in the city we went to a night market after having a shower. For dinner the owner of the hostel prepared fresh spring rolls and fried rice. There were also other hostel guests joining and so it was quite nice. We went to bed early because of the exhausting day.Read more

  • Vietnam 2018
    Day 12

    Day 12 Hoi An/Da Lat

    October 13, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    The morning after breakfast was very hectic, we had to visit all shops from the day before to fit on the clothes. Nevertheless we made it right on time for the departure to the airport. We flew to Nha Trang, respectively Cam Ranh Airport south of this city and chartered a taxi to Da Lat. After 3 hours we arrived and had dinner. We tried the first pizza in Vietnam, it tasted well but the style was more like American pizza. Then we went to a bar to have a beer, but then we were invited to a table from local guys. They gave us Whisky, beer and fruits - an offer which we couldn't refuse, they were so kind. When they left at around 12 PM we also left and went to our hostel.Read more

  • Vietnam 2018
    Day 11

    Day 11 Hoi An

    October 12, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 30 °C

    After breakfast we rented scooters and met Eggi&Theresa to hit the road. First we drove to An Bang Beach northwest of Hoi An. Driving is quite easy, just use the horn and then you can pass other vehicles. Traffic is less here so it is possible to drive even as beginner. Handling a scooter itself can be a challenge sometimes. At the beach we jumped into the wild sea with big waves. Once we got out of the water we noticed that there was a red flag waving and it was not allowed to swim on that day :-D Later we drove to other beaches and areas. It was raining from time to time and we had to hide from it. On the way back to town Nonni's scooter broke down, so Christi had to carry him. In the afternoon we had a fitting appointment at the tailor. After we were all happy with the result we went on to have a late lunch. It was raining cats and dogs, so we had to run to a restaurant. As it got better we took again the scooters and drove around the town until it got dark. We went for a shopping run and then had dinner. Again it was raining and we had to bridge over the time with a beer until we had to see goodbye to Eggi&Theresa.Read more

  • Vietnam 2018
    Day 10

    Day 10 Hoi An

    October 11, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    The night ended already at 4 AM! We left for the airport with a taxi. Then we flew to Da Nang which is a city close to Hoi An in the center of Vietnam. When we arrived in Hoi An we met Eggi&Theresa who came from Ho-Chi-Minh City. We went to the tailor together to treat ourselves with custom tailored shirts and suits - Hoi An is famous for their tailors. Afterwards we strolled through the old town and just as we stopped in a place to drink a beer it was beginning to rain. It was the first rain we saw so far on our trip. Later the day we did a bike tour organized by our hostel. It led us on Cam Kim Island south of Hoi An. The guide showed us a temple, explained a lot of the symbols and how the local people worship their ancestors. Then we had to leave the tour because of an appointment at the tailor. In the evening we enjoyed some beers and free Rum+Coke in the hostel with Eggi&Theresa. For dinner we went to Bup Café which was a recommendation from Joni and it was really worth it. Awesome food and great owner, he is so dedicated to his work: Perfect end of a day although it was raining heavily in between.Read more

  • Vietnam 2018
    Day 9

    Day 9 Ha Long Bay

    October 10, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    We got up at 7:30 AM for breakfast, the only food without rice :-) Pancakes with bananas and honey. Then we kayaked again through the bay - into caves, holes and in hidden lagoons. After that we took swims to small beaches, were snorkeling and were jumping from the boat. The weather changed a little bit, it was not that sunny anymore but still warm. After lunch we left the cabin and the boat was going back to the harbour on Cat Ba island. After the transfer back to Hanoi we met Sarah again who was spontaneously for this night in the city. We had dinner together and chatted until the restaurant closed. Then we went to bed because it was going to be a short night.Read more

  • Vietnam 2018
    Day 8

    Day 8 Lan Ha Bay

    October 9, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    This morning we went to the office of Cat Ba Ventures to do a 2-Day-Tour. The tour started in the Lan Ha Bay which is a smaller bay next to Ha Long Bay. On a boat we were driven through a floating village where people are living on floating homes. Then the journey continued to the famous Ha Long Bay which is UNESCO World Cultural Heritage and voted as one of the new natural Wonders of the World. Over 2000 limestone rocks and islands are covering a huge bay. We were able to jump from our boat and swim around in the warm water. After lunch we entered kayaks to explore caves and hidden lagoons within the bay. Then we changed our boat to have dinner after another swim session. On the second boat we stayed overnight in the Lan Ha Bay with our group: 2 German couples, 2 Dutch girls, a Belgian girl and a French couple. The sunset happened in a quite impressive scenery and we had some beers on the deck with the group before we went to bed in our spacious cabin.Read more

  • Vietnam 2018
    2
    Day 7

    Day 7 Ha Noi

    October 8, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We woke up at 4 AM and arrived in Hanoi shortly after that time. The challenge was now to get the day over until 2 PM. We dropped our baggage in our hostel from the days before and walked through the half city to the temple of literature. Luckily the traffic was quite okay in these morning hours. On the way we had breakfast at a local place: A soup with meat, vegetables and rice noodles - "yummy". They seem to eat like this at any time of the day. The temple was a great place to learn more about the history and culture of Vietnam. It included also an early university. After a while we went to see an old traditional house from the 19th century. It is built like a tube with a narrow front and a long interiour. After a short stop at a local market we went back to the hostel waiting for our tranport to Cat Ba. The ride to Cat Ba island was taking 3,5 hours including a speed boat. We arrived when the sun just went down. Then we went to have dinner and afterwards we found a party of Vietnamese tour guides on a floating reataurant. It was very funny to see them drinking and dancing. After a billard game in a newly renovated pub we went back to the hotel.Read more

  • Vietnam 2018
    Day 6

    Day 6 Sa Pa

    October 7, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We got up at 8 AM and got a great breakfast. Then it was time to say goodbye to the rest of the family and we continued the hike. Again we first went up the hills, and then crossed lots of rice fields. Additionally we came through bamboo forests. When we came by a waterfall we took a quick bath in the cold water. The weather was even more foggy than the day before, but still very warm. The whole day we only met a few other people on our way. For lunch we made a stop in a village and got again great Vietnamese food. After that we sat on motorbikes and were driven back to Sapa. From there we took a bus back to Lao Cai after saying goodbye to Chi. We met Sarah on our way which met our fellow Vietnam travelers before in Sapa, so we went to have dinner with her. There was a power outage in the whole town, but nobody really cared, we were eating with candle light. Then it was time to take the train back to Hanoi. Another shaky night laid before us.Read more

  • Vietnam 2018
    Day 5

    Day 5 Sa Pa

    October 6, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    And it was shaky and bumpy the whole night. We arrived in Lao Cai when the sun was almost rising. A transfer bus brought us to Sapa. We got breakfast at the company of our 2-day-trek we have booked. Then our guide Chi showed up and explained us what was going to happen. We started the hike in the city and then it went steep up the hills. We overtook several other groups and had a very good pace so that even Chi came into a hussle. She is doing these treks since 2009 almost every day. The weather was quite foggy in the morning, but got better later. After reaching the highest point we climbed down through lots of rice terraces and different areas of the valley. This was the most interesting part as it was beautiful and challenging at the same time. We were walking on the ridge - actually on the rigde of rice terraces. Sometimes it was not easy to find a dry way or not to fall from stones. Additonally we saw some animals like buffalos, pigs and ducks. In the afternoon we arrived in the small village where Chi lives with her family. We got French fries as snack and we were wondering if we get more food or not for quite a long time. Eventually her husband brought tons of food on the table. We could eat great food until we were almost exploding. Later we washed the dishes and slept.Read more

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