Reset search
AsiaAsia
SatelliteEdit route

Asia

September - October 2023
Taiwan
Vietnam
Cambodia Read more
  • 25footprints
  • 3countries
  • 34days
  • 432photos
  • 29videos
  • 5.3kkilometers
  • 1.6kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • TravelerAsia
    Day 13

    Day 1 - Vietnam

    October 9, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Arrived around 6pm in Hanoi and met Harry. Luckily plane journey was only 3 hours and there's only a 1 hour time difference so no jet lag 😁
    Checked into the hotel... bathroom situation is... interesting... I think this trip is going to be largely dependent on trust 😶

    Harry had already been in Hanoi for most the day but we went to find somewhere for a drink and catch up... and stumbled upon the street with the train that runs through it... thought that this is the ideal place for a bevvy and wait for the train. First experience of Vietnam hospitality, beer is either warm or cold and half empty 🤣
    We also went to a rooftop bar for a cocktail but had an early night as planned to go to Ha Long Bay tomorrow 👍    Read more

  • TravelerAsia
    Day 15

    Ha Long Bay

    October 11, 2023 ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    2 day trip to Ha Long Bay... the only plan we actually have for Vietnam and Cambodia!
    The boat was awesome... definately the best one out there... room was fab, even had a lil balcony, bathroom privacy was again somewhat questionable 🤣
    We set sail to a quieter part of the bay and enjoyed the amazing scenery, and great food...
    We went on a bamboo raft to some caves, went for a swim in the sea, drank some cocktails on the top deck of the boat, did a cooking class... and failed at squid fishing... 🐙 lucky squid!    Read more

  • TravelerAsia
    Day 15

    Ha Long Bay and back to Hanoi

    October 11, 2023 ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Got up early and went for a kayak around the bay... tad language communication issue meant that Harry and I ran over time and had to get picked up by our shuttle boat as the main boat left without us... whoops 🙈🤣
    Back on the boat we just enjoyed the trip back to the mainland and hopped on the bus back to Hanoi...
    Ha Long Bay was beautiful but there were a lot of tourists and boats... some strategic placements of our heads... and Harry's nose... meant we managed to get some snaps without them in...!
    went for dinner and drinks on a few rooftop terraces and enjoyed the city views by night 👍(also one had a fun moon we used as a prop to be Atlas! 😅) shout out to Emma and Beth in the video... I clearly talk too much about my friends when I'm missing them 🤣    Read more

  • TravelerAsia
    Day 16

    Hanoi and night train

    October 12, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Spent most the day wondering around Hanoi enjoying the chaos, sights, noises and smells (some more potent than others! 😅)
    Wandered up to Tran Quoc Pagoda before heading down towards Den Quan Thanh, a park and Ho Chi Minh museum and general around that area...
    Needed to buy some impromptu souvineers as didn't realise the extent I needed to cover up so two silky scarfs had to suffice as a long skirt and shoulder throw!
    Anyways learnt a lot about Ho Chi Minh which was great - I just thought it was a city in Vietnam rather than a revolutionary political leader!
    We decided on getting the night train down to Da Nang ready for Hoi An tomorrow... let's see how this goes 😬    Read more

  • TravelerAsia
    Day 17

    Hoi An day 1

    October 13, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Slept pretty well on the night train, was quite comfy really but woke up to pretty much a monsoon... and a questionable roof (there was no point in it, our room was basically flooded 🤣)
    Arrived in Da Nang around midday and took a cab to Hoi An... we didn't want to muck about waiting for transport in that weather!
    Arrived in Hoi An to a lovely homestay and chilled for a bit hoping the rain would stop... it didn't! So we braved it and actually had a lovely time wandering around the old town taking in all the sights and smells and a ridiculous amount of food!
    Hoi An has a lot of influence from China, Japan and Europe, so noticing all the different architecture was cool... and the lanterns at night were just gorgeous 😍    Read more

  • TravelerAsia
    Day 18

    Hoi An day 2

    October 14, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    After realising how fun the monsoony water actually was, we got up early to do more sightseeing in Hoi An... using (bravely) the free bikes the homestay had...
    We attempted to get up to the beaches in the north but a flat tyre foiled those plans... but it was hilarious, we may as well have cycled through the river! Got absolutely drenched but it's warm so okay.
    Headed back to Old Town and just enjoyed the atmosphere etc went for coffee...
    In the afternoon we decided to go to the coconut forest and go on a 'eco tour' in one of thenround boats... was pretty chaotic and had no idea what was going on but pretty fun! And yer, I embraced the plastic poncho look!
    Took a ride to the beaches in the end, just to check them out... was a cute dog and trees to attempt to climb! 😅
    Did some souvineer shopping, made a pretty lantern and found a pub to watch the rugby (at least the first 3/4)    Read more

  • TravelerAsia
    Day 19

    Hoi An - Hue

    October 15, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Had an interesting bus experience traveling from Hoi An to Hue today... the initial bus was actually a car with some other people in it... none of us knew if this was the 'bus' taking us all the way to Hue or if we were getting shuttled somewhere... turned out to be the later. Got on the bus which turned out to be a sleeper bus even though the trip we were taking was only a couple of hours... so obvs had to get a top bunk... but then needed a wee... no loo on the bus so had to pee full view on side of the road 🫣 not pleasant for anyone involved!
    Anyways, arrived in Hue... again absolutely hooning it down (rain) and went to the citadel/ancient city which was huge and really cool... although it is still undergoing restoration after the war it was pretty spectacular and was quite nice to see how nature was reclaiming some of the space and how the structures had been changed as result of the war and human abandonment...
    This took the majority of the afternoon so in the evening we just went for a walk and chilled (I wanted to watch the rugby but couldn't find anywhere showing the game 😪)    Read more

  • TravelerAsia
    Day 20

    Another rainy day

    October 16, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Another sunny day in paradise 🤣
    Flying to Ho Chi Minh in the afternoon so spent the morning visiting a temple and Pagoda just outside of Hue.
    Pretty cool tbf, but the slate-ish tiles with moss are not made for wet weather so there was a lot of slipping, sliding and a fall down some steps (oucha! Coulda been worse 😅)

    Arrived in Ho Chi Minh... it was dry 🥹 just went for a walk around the city to orientate ourselves... seems nit as chaotic as Hanoi and there was lots of good looking bars 😏    Read more

  • TravelerAsia
    Day 21

    Cu Chi tunnels

    October 17, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 31 °C

    In the morning we got up early and walked around the city before going on a tour of the Cu Chi war tunnels to understand more about the conditions that the poor people were subjected to during the Vietnam War...
    We had heard a few stories that this tour wasn't very sensitive to the situation, however we had a great tour guide who we thought did a great job... maybe it's luck of the draw when it comes to tour guides...
    Anyway, got to experience the secret entrances, run through 100m of the tunnels (Harry and I were the only 2 who made the 100m, everyone else only got to 20, 40 or 60m...) the guide was super quick but glad that my height (or lack of) meant I could almost keep up!
    Learnt a lot on this tour and an appreciation for how resourceful and smart the Vietnamese people were during this awful time, and how terrifying it would have been for all the people involved...
    I also shot an AK47 which, admittedly I was very apprehensive about... but only fired 1 shot...
    Was Harry's birthday so in the evening we went to a skydeck (floor 49) for a view of the city and went for a few drinks back in the evening at a rooftop bar...    Read more

  • TravelerAsia
    Day 22

    Mekong Delta

    October 18, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Got up early and did a day tour of Mekong Delta... was a very long day but very good. Not as commercial as the Coconut forest in Hoi An.
    Saw a couple of the islands, how they made honey, coconut candy, pop rice (bit like honey nut cereal but without the honey and nuts... but they do flavour with stuff), boat tour, dancing, tuktuks, bike ride... and another temple...Read more

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