Reset search
Südostasien 2023Südostasien 2023
SatelliteEdit route

Südostasien 2023

January 2023 - May 2024
An open-ended adventure by Dakimi & Minh Read more
Currently traveling
  • 15footprints
  • 3countries
  • 473days
  • 230photos
  • 2videos
  • 5.0kkilometers
  • 1.0kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • Südostasien 2023
    Day 10

    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

  • Südostasien 2023
    Day 13

    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
    Day 16

    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
    Day 17

    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
    Day 22

    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
    Day 24

    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
    Day 25

    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
    Day 26

    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
    Day 33

    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
    Day 35

    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

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English