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Südostasien 2023
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  • Dakimi
  • Minh Pham

Südostasien 2023

An open-ended adventure by Dakimi & Minh Read more
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    Südostasien 2023

    Phu quoc island

    March 29, 2023 in Vietnam

    Hey lovely souls,
    I had a great week in Phu Quoc Island with my friend Marcel who is travelling with me for one month.
    We rented a scooter, checked out several beaches, (live music) bars, the night market, did a snorkeling trip on surrounding islands, went parasailing, went on a cable car to a water park, visited little italy and caught the sunset almost everyday with a mocktail by our side.

    Phu Quoc is quite big, you would need about 1,5h from north to south with the scooter. The roads are mainly paved and it's quite comfortable to drive with the scooter.

    But there were also negative experiences on our journey. Many beaches were filled with trash - Mainly plastic. We witnessed a fight on the streets where 1 guy was beaten up by 7 other boys. We were really shocked by the brutality and sudden change of situation.

    As always, I try to highlight one learning/observation that I had from my stay and it is about traveling alone vs with someone else. For me both have its beauty. It is really nice to share the experiences with someone you know. However traveling alone gives you more flexibility and freedom to do whatever you want without taking the time to discuss and to decide. Anyways, I appreciate and enjoy both options. By now Marcel and I have found our travel groove and enjoy the time together.
    He told me he's super happy to travel around here and that he's impressed by how open, kind, warmhearted and welcoming the people are who we've met so far. For example, one day we were strolling along an empty beach and got spontaneously invited by some locals to join them for some food and drinks. We even played some songs for them and sang karaoke.

    Summing up staying in Phu Quoc was a wonderful experience and we would love to go on another island soon.
    Breathe and smile,
    Kim and Marcel    Read more

  • Südostasien 2023

    Chiang Mai (loop) - Pai - monastery

    March 21, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 35 °C

    Hello beautiful,
    many things have happened in the last 2 weeks - outside and inside (also aftereffects of the retreat)

    Minh and I went on a scooter loop around Chiang Mai for 5 days, stopping in Chiang Dao, Mae Salong and Chiang Rai. Enjoying hot springs, beautiful mountains, hiking, seeing waterfalls, doing tea tasting, visiting beautiful parks, meeting lovely people, camping overnight in the jungle ...
    The loop was very nice but we had one scooter fall 🙈 but luckily we only got some scratches, nothing severe.
    After our loop Minh ended his traveling to go back to Germany and I continued alone. However, I met lovely people and was never really alone ☺️. Even the alone time I really enjoyed. It feels liberating to live into the day and going with the flow trusting in my intuition. At the same time, I will miss having Minh by my side and sharing moments together. I reflected on our time together and am very grateful for everything we did and shared together.

    I spent a few days in Chiang Mai visiting temples, spending much time with people in the hostel and attended a Buddhist teaching class by David Roylance which was very insightful.

    After Chiang Mai I moved on to go to Pai a small village known for its hippie vibe. The vibe and energy are really relaxing. Probably because everyone is stoned 😂 the nature in Pai is incredibly beautiful, I went to see sunsets at beautiful viewpoints, joined jam sessions everyday, danced, spent much time with people exploring the town. I think Pai is one of my highlights, magical things have happened here but somehow you are in a bubble. The town is so small everything is in walking distance and you regularly bump into people you know. It feels like a big family since everyone is so welcoming and open.

    After Pai I spent one day in a vipassana monastery near Pai. It was nice to get away from the party scene in Pai and to ground myself.

    I had many inspiring conversations and gained many impressions and experience that I need to process. But this is something I deal with myself. Step by step I will move on, go with the flow and trust in my intuition and clear mind. I might share the insights in the future post. But for now I just share with you that I somehow found back my spark in life and want to explore that. I was and still am somehow lost, not knowing where I go, wandering around in the dark tunnel but can see a small light, trying to find happiness and true love, trying to find answers to understand myself better and the world outside. I think its really important to find a purpose a drive in your life to keep on going. Otherwise you will feel depressed and have no energy to live. I experienced that for quite some time and there are some days I can't get out of bed because I don't know why I should even wake up and do things. Or moments during the day where I just wish to be back in bed, sleeping - because that's the only moment where I don't feel this suffering inside ... I felt restless, having no energy. On the surface I try to be optimistic and positive because what other options are there? I don't know, I am not sure, it's for now love and spreading love and understanding, to keep on learning from lessons that life throws at you. For me it is to be mindful with your motivation, thought, speech and action. To water the wholesome and healthy seeds.

    With that said I send you lovely vibes to wherever you are ❤️
    Don't forget to breath, smile and connect to the here and now. We are alive and let's make the best out of it ☀️
    Kim    Read more

  • Südostasien 2023

    Retreat at Thai Plum Village

    March 6, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    [Thai Plum Village close to Bangkok - 6 days]

    I stayed at Thai Plum Village for 6 days for a meditation retreat with the topic happiness is here and now. Here is what I take with me and learned from my stay including some information material to reflect on. The quoted texts are usually from Thay Thich Nhat Hanh, the founder of plum village and a great teacher who has been nominated for the noble peace price and has written many influential books inspiring people worldwide.
    I created 3 categories here: Happiness, mindfulness and other thoughts.
    1.HAPPINESS
    a)To start off, I want to share with you an original Buddhist text called discourse on happiness where the Buddha talked about happiness: https://plumvillage.org/library/sutras/discours…
    I will just leave the text like that so we can reflect on it and find parallels for our life's. If you are interested in exchange, I am down for that - just hit me up and we arrange a dharma exchange coffee/tea time.

    b) "happiness is in the here and now, we have the conditions to be happy in this moment". It's somehow a choice to be happy and joyjul in this moment. With that said I want to share a meditation with you that I think is really impactful:
    Breath in, breath out, breath in deep, breath out long, breath in calm, out ease, in smile, out release, in present moment, out wonderful moment. I like to stay for at least 3 breaths on each stage.

    "this moment is full of wonders"
    "I have arrived, I am home"

    c) i think we are all somehow on the quest to find happiness, to live meaningful and peaceful lives. One thing that I want to share here, that has been a big topic in my life is love. I believe that (true) love can make you happy and heal you. I was also at the same time reading a book about true love by Thay Thich Nhat Hanh and want to share the definition of it here - true love is loving kindness, compassion, joy and freedom/equanimity. I could go on and give you definitions to that but I will leave it at that and share with you my take on true love. You could have true love for things/material/environment and people/sentient beings. For me it is accepting the things and beings as they are, understand why the things are as they are, why people are as they are without ego driven judgemental thoughts and give the things and people space to develop themselves, let them flow freely (in the moment). True love is very much intertwined with seing and accepting reality as it is without a dualistic thinking (see also Buddhist concept on emptiness if this strikes you). That's one aspect or characteristic of true love for me. Of course you also have an impact on the things and persons (afterall we are all connected, because we affect each other or in other buddhist words we are interdependent). I believe to create the conditions for happiness you should give love through understanding, goodwill and a deep desire for things and people to unfold in a wholesome way (nourishing happiness in the world, lessen the suffering etc). One thing that I want to touch upon here is that importance of motivation. Ask yourself: what drives your decision and where does that drive come from? Is it from an egoistic desire to benefit yourself or from a place of truthfully wishing the person to be happy, to create a happy, peaceful and inclusive environment for the benefit of all sentient beings. Anyways just some food for thought 😁. So your expression of true love can be to listen mindfully and deeply, to practice loving speech, to try to understand (compassion) and to give the person's and things space to unfold - not holding on to ego-driven expectations (freedom) and to make decisions that come from a loving space, from your heart ❤️.
    -"true love heals"
    -"compassion protects and heals"

    2. MINDFULNESS

    -"mindfulness is a source of happyness"

    a) mindful breathing: can be practiced anywhere and helps to anchor yourself in the present moment and to not be caught up with a wandering monkey mind. Everytime I do a retreat, I feel so motivated to continue and deepen my mindfulness practice. This time also and I hope I can also encourage you to pick up any mindfulness practice that you feel connected to.

    b) mindful walking: I found out there are many ways to practice it. We were introduced to the plum village practice of mindful walking which for beginners is to connect your breathing with every step you make. I especially loved the teaching on breathing in, saying love to each step; breathing out, saying peace to each step. In addition to that you can try to feel your feet and body moving. If you are interested in it, hit me up and I can introduce you to that.
    -"healing in every step"

    c) mindful eating: has many aspects. What I take with me is
    Before a meal:to be grateful for the meal, to try to understand the conditions that lead to this moment that you can enjoy it, and recall yourself that eating this meal shall nourish you so you can live a happy life spreading much love.
    During the meal: Eating mindfully also means not to be too greedy (take too much food and fall into a food coma), to mindfully observe your taste senses which lead to you enjoying the food even more, to eat silently, and to chew properly

    f) 14 mindfulness Trainings: one special gem and practice that I take with me from the retreat is the recitation, reflection and application of the 14 mindfulness trainings that I will share here:
    https://plumvillage.org/mindfulness/the-14-mind…
    I would say that this is one of the most precious and impactful teachings from the retreat. They are so accessible and practical. Definitely check them out ☺️

    3) Others/random thoughts
    - other activities apart from sitting and walking meditation included the practice of total relaxation, singing meditation, dharma talks and sharings and excersises. There was also a bonfire, a picnic, watching sunrise and sunset and drinking tea together.
    -Another thing that I am grateful for is the lovely and wonderful people that I have met which made the experience even more meaningful, rich and deep (especially the sharings). I realized that the people surrounding you make a really big impact on how you perceive and experience a moment. So I want to take good care of the people and provide a safe space for everyone.

    With that said, breath and smile my lovely friends,
    Kim

    __________
    Following here, Minh's notes and insights

    • The Light of the Buddha shines everywhere in every thing
    • You can find the teachings of the buddha in everything
    • If you touch upon one teaching of the buddha you see all teachings and all teachings are one teaching
    • The human is the composite of all its emotions, wholesone and unwholesome seeds, weaknesses, strenghts, suffering and happiness
    • The human condition is only acknowledging one thing at a time
    • Therefore if we focus on our negative emotions and our suffering all the time we can suffer more from it and nourish/ enforce the bad habits, beahviours, thought patterns
    • The practice of buddhism is to expand your mindfulness
    • Mindfulness is the practice of seeing things as they are, seeing yourself as you are, as the composite of conditions that made your life able
    • Hence, in mindulness you see yourself as the composition of everything that makes you up
    • Mindfulness is seeing the bigger picture, the conditional state that a life is, that there is nothing that constitutes the creation and cessation of a self
    • The human condition is seeing a self that is seperate from everything else, the differentiation in subject and object
    • Mindfulness is lifting the illusion that there is a seperate self and happiness is conditioned not only by our own happiness but the happiness of everything around us
    • One can see a bowl of rice as a direct teaching of the buddha, a bowl of rice itself is a thing that consists of its ingredients which some of them you like or dislike
    • You can not see the bowl as a dish that you like nor dislike but as the composition of all its parts
    • A life of a human is like the bowl of rice
    • When you focus on your suffering in life it is like eating only the vegetable that you dislike and finish the dish just leaving all the delicious ingredients in the bowl
    • Life is about mixing the whole bowl of rice and enjoying it as a whole with its good and bad
    • Suffering should be used as a vehicle that brings us joy
    • Relative truth and absolute truth are the two truths in buddhism
    • Relative truth means we should maximize our happiness and the happiness of all around us by buddhist practices
    • Absolute truth means that suffering is/ brings happiness and happiness is/ brings suffering
    • The beauty of a flower brings happiness to yourself and the ones that it is gifted to, a flower bears a clear mark of impermanence when the flower dies which is associated with suffering, because of the impermanence of the flower we embrace the appreciation when it is alive which brings more happiness
    • Also the material of the dying flower can be tranformed into soil again which can bring about the life of another flower which can be admired
    • The past is the conditions for the present, whereas the present is the condition of the past
    • By practicing mindfulness we can be in the present moment to transform the past and set the optimal conditions for the future
    • being truly present in the moment can prevent one from being imprisoned by the past and being swept away by the future    Read more

  • Südostasien 2023

    Bangkok

    February 28, 2023 in Thailand

    Hey lovely beings,
    This is a lazy post with not much content but some pictures of our stay in Bangkok. We mainly spent our time in the city centre, eating streetfood, strolling through the markets and seeing sights.

    Sending much love to wherever you are.
    Breath and smile,
    Kim    Read more

  • Südostasien 2023

    Sihanoukville & island koh rong sanloem

    February 25, 2023 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    [Sihanoukville - koh rong sanloem (M'Pai bay - sunset beach) 6 days]

    Hello again,
    We are currently sitting on the car making our way to Bangkok, reflecting the last days which were filled with beach life, making lots of music and enjoying time with newly made friends.

    We started in Sihanoukville, the coastal city that is the gateway to get to the islands Koh rong and Koh rong samloem. It has some nice beaches but the city in itself is not very pretty and appealing because it's quite dirty and construction works are happening everywhere. You could see that Chinese have taken over some parts of the city somehow because there were roads with shops mainly run by Chinese and mainly in mandarin language. It reminded us of our time in Beijing. Anyways, we ended up having a really delicious chinese noodle soup 😋

    On our second day, we headed to Koh Rong Samloem, and specifically to M'Pai Bay the relaxed backpacker friendly part of the island where food and accommodation were still affordable compared to the other side of the island that had resorts and were more touristy.
    The beach was a little bit dirty but the vibe was really nice. We ended up playing live music four nights in a row, and hanging out afterwards until late. We even had our own beach rave on the sand with trippy lights. It felt like being on a beach festival.
    For me as a musician it has been like a dream coming true, playing music directly on the beach with the waves and soothing wind in the background. I also got all the food and drinks for free 🥰
    We also hiked to some other beaches that were more untouched and not (yet) occupied by shops and accommodation - for example the clear water bay which had like the name suggests clear blue waters.
    We met so many beautiful souls on our stay here and are super grateful for the magical time together. Shoutout to Oliver, CJ, Keana, Sascha, Andi, Kerstin and many more others.

    On the forth day, we took the slow boat to sunset beach on the other part of the island Koh rong samloem. It is one of the most beautiful beaches that I have ever seen. So clean, clear and turquoise blue. We stayed at a beautiful bungalow directly at the beach. The most stunning accommodation so far. It was also quite expensive but we got a discount for the accommodation (and food, drinks) since I played live music for 2 nights. That was again a wonderful experience, in the end more musicians joined us and we had great jam session. I was afraid of not being able to play music on my traveling but it turns out music follows me anywhere I go ☺️

    Meeting so many people of different walks of life makes you reflect more on what path you want to pursue while balancing various aspects like sustainability​, quality of life​, happiness, stable income. What I have found is that if one dares to stray slightly out of their comfort zone to explore alternative ways of living it comes with an over-proportional benefit in other areas of life.

    Obviously, we also feel humbled that we even have the choice to do whatever we want to do. It is nonetheless a huge privilege that only few people get to have and even fewer people that are brave enough to live it out. It remains to discover if this recent insight is just a short-lived euphoric experience while travelling or might lead to some significant decisions later in our life.

    Cheers,
    Kim and Minh    Read more

  • Südostasien 2023

    Phnom Penh

    February 20, 2023 in Cambodia

    [Phnom Penh 2days]

    With the guided tour, we drove 4h to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. On the way we visited a market that sold insects. We also visited the Royal Palace where the king resides and had a cruise on the Mekong river with Vietnamese karaoke and vinahouse music. I (Kim) am honestly not a big fan of this kind of music, but I still had a lot of fun watching the others of the travel group partying and having a good time.

    The forth day on our guided tour we parted with the group to continue traveling in Cambodia. They traveled back to HCMC.

    What comes now might be one of the most heartbreaking and terrifying experience that we had so far on our trip. We went to the genocide museum that was at the same time a memorial place for the victims that suffered and died from the torture of the Khmer rouge regime back in 1975-1978 which have become a national tragedy and trauma for Cambodia. We spent 3-4h in the museum with a really good audio guide that explained the prison complex to us which was back than a school where children played and laughed. It's unbelievable what cruelties have happened inside. I think, there are no words and pictures that describe fully what the prisoners have experienced. And there are no words to describe the experience that we had on the audio tour and by walking through the site.
    I felt really nauseous and had to take several breaks from the tour because it was so intense, so sad and upsetting. There was so much injustice.

    I noted some of many thoughts below that I share with you on the bottom of this post.
    We also met Umut, someone we have connected with before in Ninh Binh. We had an intensive talk and exchange to process all the information and impressions we received from the visit. Then, we went to the central market, the night market and to some bars where we had great deep conversations about life, being lost, wandering around and searching a purpose in life.

    _____________________________
    Thoughts during the visit of the genocide museum

    - sad about the unfairness of the world

    - how could people do this, what might be in their heads to do this, what drives them to do this?

    -How can they turn into monsters, learn hatred etc and normalize it? Education is key.

    -so much cruelty is happening also in our present times and we just live our lives... How can we live a happy life with all the suffering and injustice present... What can we do, what should we do?

    -we have responsibilities and are a keeper of memory. We should learn from the past.

    -spreading love and loving kindness, compassion is my mission, invoking that in people, inspiring that, living that.

    How do I do that? Through music, poetry, though my work, through spirituality - trying to understand life more, exploring what love is, only if I understand it deeply I can give it away strongly and intensively in its purest form.

    -empowered to speak up!  To not let power to those who do not spread love. Who are guided by greed, anger, hatred, ignorance 

    And here an approach to write a poem...

    So much pain
    So much suffering
    So much injustice
    Surrounding me, surrounding us
    What can we do to change the face of the world to the better?
    What can we do to make the a world a better place filled with love, for you and me, for everyone?

    What is the answer to all the hatred, to all the ignorance?
    It's love, pure love, loving kindness and compassion.

    This world lead by desire, hatred and ingnorance
    Where is the light, where is the hope, where is the love.
    It's inside of us, under all the layers, inside of you and me.
    It's here, in the now, it's in every moment, in every flower, in everything.
    You just need to open up your senses, your eyes, your heart.
    Embrace the air of freedom, that is in all of us.

    Identify the ego mind, and let go of it and expand.
    It's not easy, it needs practice. Meditation. Visualisation. Manifestation.
    Sink into yourself
    Who are you, who am I, who are we?
    Who is looking? Who is feeling? 

    The quest of life is to find the answer to that.
    And one answer to that is love, pure love
    The next quest is to find out what love is
    The next quest is to live love truly and faithfully.
    That's the meaning of life, to find love, there you will find true lasting happiness.

    You can find love in the moment. Connect back to it. Breath in breath out. Be one with yourself, your true self. And set it free. 

    Peace out    Read more

  • Südostasien 2023

    Angkor Wat, Siem Reap

    February 18, 2023 in Cambodia

    [Angkor Wat, Siem Reap 2 days]

    After HCMC we started our journey to Cambodia. My mother and her husband wanted to go on a guided tour, so we agreed on trying that out with them. A guided tour meant doing a trip together with a fix travel group and a tour guide, sitting on one bus the whole time that brought us to the different locations, 3 meals were included and one did not had to think about where to go and what to do. It was all laid out for us with a more or less fixed time schedule. It was partly really exhausting and I missed the flexibility that we had on our journey so far. On the other hand, we did not have to spent time on searching for accomandation, sights, restaurants etc.
    The journey started at 4am, with a sleepy 8h bus ride to Siem Reap, a city close to the big temple complex Angkor Wat.

    Angkor wat is the largest religious monument in the world, on a site measuring 162.6 hectares (1,626,000 m2) Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire during the 12th century, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the century; as such, it is also described as a "Hindu-Buddhist" temple. The city of Angkor served as the royal centre from which a dynasty of Khmer kings ruled one of the largest, most prosperous, and most sophisticated kingdoms in the history of Southeast Asia. From the end of the 9th century until early in the 13th century, numerous construction projects were undertaken, the most notable of which was Angkor Wat. (Wikipedia).
    The Angkor Wat complex was huge and beautiful. It felt so mystical to walk through the temple complex. I was wondering how the people back then lived their lives in this area.
    One thing that I take with me is the realisation that empires rise and fall often because of war and conflicts or crisis'. We live in an impermanent world, things constantly change or 'flow'. Also there will be a time in the future where people will look back, analyse our era and be amazed by how we lived. Maybe think that we weren't quite developed. But we live our lives and only know what we know right.

    After Angkor Wat, we visited a child protection center that is floating on a canal/lake. We donated money and food to that center and played with the children. It's already the third institution that I encounter on my journey that takes care of children from financially poor families. It's heartbreaking to see the children begging for money. On the streets of Cambodia and also in Vietnam we also encountered children who were working and selling goods. Here the government obviously fails to support those families with low income and fails to support those centers that take care of the children. These centers mainly usually rely on donations which is not a reliable source of income. I had conversations with locals on this topics and it just upsets me how also corruption plays a big role in why the money does not go to the people who really need it, and how the government fails to provide equal opportunities for everyone (every child). I just wish the best for these children and their families and hope the government spends more money efficiently on education and wellfare.

    With that said and with a feeling of content and gratefulness for how privileged we are to have all the things we need, I end this post,
    Sending much love and warmth to whoever is reading this,
    Kim and Minh    Read more

  • Südostasien 2023

    Ho Chi Minh City

    February 11, 2023 in Vietnam

    Ho Chi Minh City [5 days]

    As foreshadowed in the last post going from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City is not your usual commute connection as it takes 22 hours roughly. We spent the whole night and almost the whole day on the bus and arrived in Saigon at 3.30PM.

    Upon arrival we called for a cab to get to our place where we would spent the night. When we got our things sorted we left for the city and that was when we realized how big Sai Gon was. It is the biggest city in Viet Nam and home to 6.5 million Saigoners. Sai Gon is the name given to the city previous to 1975 which is the year in which the communists occupied the city and officially ended the American war on vietnamese soil.

    In remembrance to Uncle Ho who has died even before he could see the end of the war the city was renamed after him, hence the name Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). A lot of history regarding the reunification of Viet Nam can therefore be found in HCMC especially in the Independence Palace and the War museum.

    First things to do in HCMC is obviously eating Banh Xeo which is a traditional dish from South Viet Nam. They are a savory pancake filled with shrimps, mung beans and other optional ingredients and a must eat in HCMC.

    Obviously, with a city as big as HCMC nightlife was also buzzing and we visited lots of rooftop bars and walked along the infamous Bui Vien walking street. Duc and Linh from Germany also joined us for a night to dance on the spinning platform with the DJ.

    Also thanks to Anh Duy who welcomed us in HCMC and showed us around and introduced us to his friends.

    Besides having fun and all Kim and the team of SoNaWi organized a tour to a manufacturer in HCMC producing mounting systems for solar panels where they engaged in discussions for potential cooperations. Additionally, with the help of Chi Hien we also joined a charity campaign raising money for a local orphanage.

    For the end of the trip we reunited with Kim's mom and her husband and prepared for our 4 day trip to Cambodia.

    Summarizing we experienced a lively city with welcoming Saigoners. Due to its economical importance HCMC has become one of the most important hubs in SEA which is exhibited by the international lifestyle and the higher diversity of people that you meet around the city. The locals describe the city that never sleeps and the weather as an one season summer throughout the whole year which nails it.

    One thing that I (Kim) take with me is that I wouldn't want to live in HCMC because it is just too big, too crowded and busy. The same thing applies to Hanoi. It somehow upsets me that there is barely space for pedestrians, that it is quite dirty and smoggy and that there are only few green parks. Now, I really appreciate the parks and many lakes around Berlin even more.

    With that said and with the love for our home in Berlin including the love for our friends and family, we end this post
    Sending warm and lovely greetings from Cambodia,
    Minh and Kim 💕    Read more

  • Südostasien 2023

    Hoi An Beach

    February 10, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    [Hoi An - An Bang Beach 0,5 days]

    Our next stop was Hoi An, we originally didn't plan to come here but on our way to Saigon we decided to spent a few hours on the beach. The beach was beautiful and the waves were so good we even tried to surf 😁. Funnily enough, we reunited with Hendrik and Julia shortly, since they left Phong Nha a day before us.

    Arriving in Hoi An we realized that getting to Saigon would take another 22 hours by bus. You read it right 22 HOURS. Obviously, no sane person would do something like that. Usually, there are many must stops on the way between Hoi An and Saigon like Quy Nhon, Da Lat and Mui Ne but time was running short because we had to be in Saigon in 2 days. So we left Hoi An at 7PM and embarked on our longest bus ride yet.

    Sunny kisses from,
    Kim and Minh 😘    Read more

  • Südostasien 2023

    Phong Nha

    February 9, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    [Phong Nha 2 days]

    We arrived at 4 am in the morning and spent the rest of the day in bed because I was sick.
    On the second day, we rent a scooter again and did a mini loop around Phong Nha. The first stop was the paradise cave, which is the fourth biggest cave in the world. The sights were breathtaking (see photos). After that we went for another hike at the botanical garden which sounds nice but was more like a tropical jungle in the mountains. On the jungle trek you can find a beautiful waterfall, that you climb up on ropes. In the numerous rock pools we also took a swim to cool down. The water was wonderful 🥰.

    It was a short stay and we would have stayed longer but it was time to move on to some place warmer. Additionally we had 3 days to get to Ho Chi Minh City. So, we prepared for lots of hours in the bus. Next time we are around we will also definetely check out the biggest cave in the world Son Doong which we unfortunately had to skip.

    One thing that I take from our stay here is to get enough rest on our traveling, to listen to your body and state of mind. Health is so important when it comes to traveling, without it you won't be able to do anything and it alters/affects how you perceive things too.

    With that said, stay healthy lovely beings ❤️
    Yours,
    Kim and Minh    Read more

  • Südostasien 2023

    Ninh Binh

    February 7, 2023 in Vietnam

    [Ninh Binh 3days]

    KIM
    After Cat Ba, we (Minh, Henrik, Julia and I) decided to go to Ninh Binh, also known as the Ha Long Bay on land.
    The bus ride this time was quite good and we arrived during lunch time in Ninh Binh at a beautiful homestay called mom's homestay with a pool and lovely plants. We spent the rest of the day doing some orga work and relaxed at a nice cafe with a beautiful view. We stayed there also during the whole evening/night because they had a bonfire. And of course I played some music and sang together with everyone at the fire place. We met nice people too and had a great and cosy time.
    After the bonfire we went to a karaoke bus (see video) and partied with the people. That was so much fun and unforgettable 😂

    On the second day, we rented a scooter to explore the region. Firstly, we went on a 3h boat tour through caves and mountains which was one of my visual highlights so far. During most of the time on the boat ride I made music inspired by the scenery and the vibe. Wasn't very successful regarding new content though but it felt lovely to play and soak in the energy of the fresh air and mountains. After that experience, we went to Bai Dinh Pagoda, a big Pagoda complex which took us 3h to fully see and explore. It was the biggest Pagoda complex back in the days and still many spiritual events take place there. Fortunately, there was an audio guide which helped us understand the architectural buildings and the history behind it all. I felt really connected to the place because of my connection to buddhist philosophy. And I was proud to recognize some elements that I have learned before about buddhism. It was interesting to see and experience spiritual materialism and recognize it's importance for people to develop faith in buddhism.
    After the Pagoda, we went home, got dinner at a lovely restaurant that had delicious bánh mì (vietnamese baguette) and spent the rest of the day at the bonfire cafe again. There I met some musicians and we did a jam session, even wrote on a song that I started a few days ago. It's about fire and was inspired by sitting at bonfires ☺️ We went again to the party bus and danced 😁. Props do not go out to the DJ because there was none and the playlist consisted of peoples song requests that were skipped after the refrain.

    The third day was a rest and chill day, we did some work and music at the nice bonfire cafe, connected with people and played wizard, a card game. In the evening we took the bus to Phong Nha.

    All on all, I really enjoyed our stay in Ninh Binh although the weather was quite rainy. We met lovely people (some we also met in Cat Ba), had good food, saw beautiful places and stayed healthy (no accidents yay)
    One thing that I learned at this stop is that bonfires are magical, they connect, nurture and can be very meditative. At the same time fire can be destructive and intimidating.

    Many hugs and kisses, yours,
    Kim    Read more

  • Südostasien 2023

    Cat Ba

    February 2, 2023 in Vietnam

    Cat Ba [3 days]

     As we record the highs of our journey, we must also record the lows of the journey. The drive from Ha Giang to Cat Ba, which takes more than 10 hours, was notorious. The duration was not the problem, but mainly what happened on the trip. On the one hand, the bus drivers were extremely loud and shouted through the bus. On the other hand, people were constantly being taken onto the bus on the journey, so that the bus was packed and people were already sitting in the corridor at night and you had to climb on top of each other to get to the toilet.

    We also met familiar faces on the bus ride. Henrik and Julia from Wuppertal, who we met on the bus ride from Sapa to Ha Giang, joined our little tour group.

     Cat Ba itself is an island in northeastern Vietnam from which one can visit Ha Long Bay in a day, made up of stunning rock formations in the sea. On the other hand, the island also offers climbing on natural rock formations or beaches for swimming. Since we mainly had rainy weather during our stay, all of the above options could only be enjoyed to a limited extent. But that's how it is sometimes when traveling and we decided to shorten our Cat Ba stay to just 3 days instead of 6.

     The bathing experience was limited to visiting the beaches, the rock climbing was done on the damp partly wet rock and the Ha Long boat tour offered only a limited view of the landscape.

     One of our highlights was the Secret Garden bar, where live music was played almost every night at a bonfire. Kim herself sang 3 songs in the bar.

    Warm greetings, Yours, Minh and Kim    Read more

    See translation
  • Südostasien 2023

    Ha Giang Loop Motorbike

    February 1, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    [Ha Giang motorbike loop 4 days]
    After 3 cold days in Sapa, we went further north but to the warmer Ha Giang, which borders on China. The landscape is also characterized by mountains that line up next to each other. Due to the breathtaking scenery that Ha Giang has to offer, the "Ha Giang Loop" is popular among tourists. This represents a round tour, which is completed with the moped within 4 days. Since the ride is also challenging and dangerous, there is the possibility to book a driver with the motorcycle (easy riders)

     Minh and I decided to do the Ha Giang Loop on our own, i.e. we rented a scooter and naively drove off. In retrospect we overestimated ourselves a bit... We stayed in homestays on the way, i.e. we were at different places every night and it was uncertain where we would end up and what we would see. But it always ended very well, we had warm water, plenty of food and relatively warm accommodation.

     The area in Ha Giang is so incredibly beautiful. I can't find the words to describe the beauty and complexity. It's definitely one of the most beautiful things I've seen live in my life so far. The feeling of adrenaline from the challenging ride coupled with the breathtaking views and incredibly friendly people are just some of the things we encountered over the four days.

     We weren't entirely unscathed. We fell four times and I hurt my leg as well... But it's still okay somehow😅.

     It was also cool that our crew kept growing. The second night Sagar, Chris and Yohan joined and with Jerome we were six.

     We were in caves, at waterfalls, drove uphill and downhill through the mountains, through small remote villages, were stopped twice by the police who wanted to see our driving licenses, of course we went hiking and talked a lot with the locals. We even went to a kindergarten and played with the children there. It is pretty handy to be able to speak Vietnamese. We get to learn and experience much more by being able to speak to locals.

     The farewell from our little travel group at the end of the loop came so suddenly. The challenges on our journey welded us together so much that every day that we survived was celebrated like an unbelievable victory.

     In reflection I'm glad we did the trip as we were very flexible and it was adventurous. But I'm also glad that we're still alive, even if that sounds a little bit exaggerated. We were already living at the limit because the route was very scary sometimes

     One thing I take away from many (see the pictures) is that I'm incredibly grateful that we can travel. We are so privileged in so many ways - most notably financially and educationally. I have the feeling that the world is at our feet, there are hardly any limits. We can travel anywhere, learn and work and do what we want.

     The trip has sometimes shown me to appreciate my life and my opportunities more - this also goes hand in hand with a certain responsibility that I bear for my environment and surroundings. I definitely take that as a motivation to push my future projects forward.

     It's so fascinating how much I learn from traveling and being on the road. I could still write novels here about the lessons and impressions, what I get from them on the meta level, etc. But I'll leave it at one lesson per post and end with a quote: the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.

    Lovely greetings, your Kim and Minh    Read more

    See translation
  • Südostasien 2023

    Sa Pa

    January 29, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 7 °C

    [Sa Pa Mountains 3 days]
    Together with Jerome from Hawaii, we headed towards Sapa, which is known for its incredibly beautiful mountain landscapes.

    First we had to get there. We took the bus and not just any ordinary one, but a so-called "Sleeper Van". As can be seen in the second photo, the bus consists of 3 rows of double beds, in which one can lie during the entire journey. Although Sapa is only 300km away, the bus ride took more than 6 hours with a few breaks.

    Many ethnic minorities live in the mountains of northern Vietnam who have both a different language and a different culture than the Vietnamese in the rest of the country. Nevertheless, they are also part of the Vietnamese population. Cuong, who is of Dzay descent, runs a homestay near Sapa and welcomed us into his home. Along with other travelers and his family we ate, slept and warmed up around the campfire it got up to 5 degrees at night (both outside and in the room). The hospitality we received from him and other homestays was incredible and we recommend authentic homestays away from the touristy hubs.

     We also rented a scooter, explored the area, hiked a lot, past waterfalls and rice fields, and explored the city.
    It was very interesting to see how people live in the mountains, sometimes under very poor conditions.
    One of many things that I take from our experience and stay in Sa Pa is the warmth and hospitality of the local people.

    Yours warmly,
    Kim and Minh    Read more

    See translation
  • Südostasien 2023

    Hanoi

    January 26, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    [Hanoi 10 days]
    I stayed in Hanoi during the Lunar New Year (Tết) and it was great, but also partly stressful because the city was so busy.
    The city looked especially beautiful with all the festive decorations.
    During Tết there were many family gatherings with a loooots of food.
    After 11 years not being in Vietnam, it was nice to see how the city transformed. The city is so big now and there are so many high buildings.
    Apart from that I was so surprised of the warm welcome of my family.
    One impression that I take with me is that family plays a big role in the life of Vietnamese people. One lesson that I learn is to appreciate my family more, check in with them more frequently and try to find out more about my family's history. The latter is one of my mission for the next couple of months - exploring my roots.
    Two days before leaving Hanoi we met Jerome from Hawaii in a street food shop. We connected quickly and we joined him spontaneously to go to Sapa.    Read more

    Trip start
    January 17, 2023
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