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  • World Trip

    Kim Bong Island

    21 января 2024 г., Вьетнам ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    We decided it was finally time to stop being lazy and to explore a bit further than 1km from our hotel, so we booked ourselves in for a bike tour of rural Hoi An. Our group of 10 cycled from Hoi An over the bike bridge to Kim Bong Island, where we cycled through peaceful rice paddy fields, past traditional farm houses and fishing villages. Along the way, we had three stops to visit local businesses. Our first stop was at a wood carving workshop, where we learnt about traditional carpentry and got to make our own sandalwood keyring. The second stop was our favourite, which was the home of an 80 year old couple where we drank tea and got to make our own handmade rice noodles. Once we'd all made the noodles, we got to eat them as banh dap (smashing rice paper). The last stop was at a weaving house, where we learnt how traditional mats and placemats are woven. As machinery has largely taken over this market, there are only 3 families left in all of Hoi An who still weave by hand - they are also likely to be the last generation, as younger generations have stopped learning the practice. After the bike tour, we cycled back to Hoi An old town, dropped off our bikes and went for lunch and coffee. A great way to get out of the old town for a morning and learn about how the locals live in Vietnam.Читать далее

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    Hue

    23 января 2024 г., Вьетнам ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    After a sunny and peaceful 8 days in Hoi An, we woke up this morning to rain - lots and lots of rain. Today was also a travel day for us, as we were moving on north to Hue, approximately 2hrs north of Hoi An. After an early breakfast and checkout, we failed to find a Grab that would take us the short distance to the bus stop so we had to walk in the rain. As we'd done a decent amount of shopping in Hoi An, we had to upgrade one of our 40L backpacks to a suitcase, which poor Mike had to drag 900m over uneven roads, kerbs and footpaths full of scooters. We boarded our minibus, which made a stop at Da Nang Airport, and then we were on our way. When we arrived in Hue 3hrs later, and feeling rather car sick, the sliding door of the minivan jammed - after the driver spent a good 20mins trying to open it, we eventually had to climb over the front seats to exit the van. A short walk in the rain and 5mins later, we checked into our hotel and grabbed some beef pho for lunch.Читать далее

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    Hue to Phong Nha

    25 января 2024 г., Вьетнам ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Yesterday, we woke up hoping the rain had stopped so we could do some sightseeing in Hue - we weren't so lucky, and it continued to rain all day. Instead of getting soaked, we decided to go to the movies and for the first time ever, we had the entire movie theater to ourselves! We watched Jason Statham's new movie, The Beekeeper, which was a good way to spend our afternoon. After our movie, we took a sleeper bus from Hue to Phong Nha. It was our first experience with a sleeper bus in Vietnam, and while it wasn't the best (quite uncomfortable seats, old bus), it wasn't the worst bus we'd been on this trip. The bus was delayed by half an hour, which combined with a 40min police stop, meant that we arrived in Phong Nha at 10pm, instead of 9pm. Our host was waiting for us at the bus stop and drove us to the guesthouse, where we had pork pho, tea and a warm room waiting for us.

    Today, we slept in after getting into Phong Nha quite late. We had a slow day of doing some trip admin and rode some bikes along the river.    Читать далее

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    Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park

    26 января 2024 г., Вьетнам ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    This morning, we woke up to still cloudy, but slightly warmer weather than yesterday which we were glad for because we planned to head out to Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park. After a breakfast of chocolate and bananas pancakes, we jumped on our scooter and drove north out of Phong Nha, towards Ho Chi Minh Road and the national park. We drove past rice paddy and crop fields and small villages flanked by huge limestone mountains, with the air temperature dropping the further we got into the national park. After about 1hr of driving, we arrived at our main activity for the day - Paradise Cave. Paradise Cave is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is (apparently) the longest dry cave in Asia. We spent about 1.5hrs walking through the cave, admiring the strange stalactites and stalagmites. After the cave, we decided to head back to Phong Nha for a late lunch. On our drive back, the fog over the national park turned into light rain, which over the course of the 1hr drive back to town, left us cold and soaking. We stopped in at Treehouse Cafe for hot drinks and a late lunch before returning to our guesthouse for the afternoon.Читать далее

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    Phong Nha Cave and Bong Lai Valley

    27 января 2024 г., Вьетнам ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We woke up to a slightly warmer (high of 17°C), but still very cloudy and grey, day. As we are catching a sleeper bus tonight to Hanoi, we had the whole day free for activities. We decided to visit Phong Nha Cave in the morning, which is very similar to Paradise Cave, but is a wet cave instead of a dry cave. We arrived at the tourism centre, bought our tickets and shared a boat with 2 English guys. We spent a nice 40min boat ride to the mouth of Phong Nha Cave, from where the girls (one of them was no older than 14 or 15 years old) driving the boat turned off the engine and paddled us into the cave. It was a very peaceful and scenic boat ride through the cave.

    After the cave, we scootered out to a small village in Bong Lai Valley, riding past rice paddy fields, water buffalo, and small family farms. Our main reason for coming to Bong Lai Valley was to visit The Duck Stop, but we also really enjoyed the ride through the village seeing all the small farms and animals. We arrived at The Duck Stop, where we had the best banh xeo (crispy pork pancakes and rice paper) before we visited the ducks. We didn't quite know what to expect from The Duck Stop, but we certainly got a lot more than we were anticipating! After changing into some jelly sandals, we were taken to meet the ducks. The host slowly introduced us to them, and then showed us how to feed them. The ducks would run in herds to whoever had feed in their hands, and they would run over your feet and peck at your feet with their round beaks - it was the strangest feeling! After we all fed the ducks, we were instructed to sit down on a bench and put our feet and knees together. We had no idea what was happening, but we didn't expect to receive a full foot and thigh massage from the ducks! It was the strangest feeling and we couldn't stop giggling - Cass eventually hid her feet up on the bench where the ducks couldn't reach because she couldn't take it anymore! The Duck Stop was so random, but so much fun and definitely a highlight of Vietnam so far!    Читать далее

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    Night bus from Phong Nha to Hanoi*

    28 января 2024 г., Вьетнам ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Last night we took our first night bus in Vietnam from Phong Nha to Hanoi. In true Vietnamese fashion, the bus was an hour late and we were left standing in the cold at 10pm waiting for our bus to arrive. When we eventually got on the bus, we discovered that although we paid a lot more for a VIP bus (as opposed to a normal sleeper bus), it was basically just a sleeper bus with curtains and small TV screens. The seats were actually shorter and less comfortable than the cheaper sleeper bus, which, combined with the extremely rude bus driver, made for an uncomfortable and mostly sleepless 8hr journey to Hanoi. Despite the bus arriving in Phong Nha an hour late, we made up some time on the road (we had the curtains closed so we couldn't see how crazily the bus was being driven - a trick we learnt in South America) and arrived in Hanoi only half an hour late around 7am. After dropping our bags at the hotel, we went for some delicious beef pho from a stall across the street and a hot egg coffee from Cafe Giang to warm us up. We have only a day in Hanoi before we jump on another bus early tomorrow to head north to Ha Giang.Читать далее

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    Hanoi to Ha Giang

    29 января 2024 г., Вьетнам ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    After one of the best sleeps we've had in a while (the result of little sleep from the terrible night bus to Hanoi and the fact that our hotel room had no windows), we had an early wake up for our 6.30am minibus to Ha Giang. We arrived in Ha Giang around 1pm, checked into our hostel and grabbed some lunch (really great pizza and fries - we were needing the comfort food after all the cold weather and early mornings we've had). After lunch, our mission was to find a decent motorbike for the Ha Giang loop, and to talk to other travellers to get some tips for the loop. After hours of walking between 5+ rental shops, we eventually landed on hiring a 125cc manual motorbike, with it being a nice balance between having a bit more power, being more comfortable for two riders and not being too expensive. By the time we sorted the bike, it was nearly dinnertime so we went out for an easy dinner of beef pho before calling it a nightЧитать далее

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    Ha Giang Loop - Day 1

    30 января 2024 г., Вьетнам ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    After we did the Bolaven Plateau Motorbike Loop in Laos in 2020, we loved it so much that when we heard about another (and more extreme) motorbike loop in Vietnam, we knew we had to do it. The Ha Giang Loop is a 350-400km loop that starts and ends in Ha Giang in Northern Vietnam. A large section of it (185km) runs along Happiness Road, which is a road that was constructed by 1,000+ young volunteers from the 16 ethnic groups in Northern Vietnam, to connect the remote northern districts with Ha Giang (and therefore the rest of the country).

    We rugged up and picked up our bike, setting off from Ha Giang around 9.30am. The police in Ha Giang are notorious for "fining" tourists extortionate amounts of money (e.g. 2 million dong, or NZ$133 of bribe money) for having no motorbike drivers license or international driver permit, so we left the rental company with two easy riders. They dropped us past the first permanent police check point just outside the city to avoid being fined within the first 30min of the loop, and then we were off! The drive was spectacular from the start - as soon as we left Ha Giang city, we were driving through windy roads mountain passes and up in the clouds.

    About an hour in, we were pulled over at another police checkpoint. We were prepared to pay the "fine" (as Mike has a motorbike license and an IDP, but our IDP version isn't recognized in Vietnam), but the police seemed happy with us and let us go. We were very glad and didn't see anymore police that day.

    We spent the next 5 hours driving through some of the most spectacular mountain passes and picturesque villages we've ever seen. The weather, although still freezing cold, held out for us all day, encountering only some fog at the top of some of the passes, and at the famous Heavens Gate viewpoint, which meant we didn't get to see it at all (fairly common in winter).

    We arrived in Yen Minh around 2.30pm and checked into our lovely little guesthouse (Tom Homestay), where we were given hot water bottles to keep us warm and played pool until our family dinner. A great first day on the loop!    Читать далее

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    Ha Giang Loop - Day 2

    31 января 2024 г., Вьетнам ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    We thought day 1 was great, but day 2 of the Ha Giang Loop was even better! We left Yen Minh with a Swiss couple (who are also travelling for a year) and headed towards Lung Cu, which is the furthest northern point of Vietnam. The drive today was even more spectacular, and we spent the morning driving along hairpin loops flanked by massive limestone mountains and on the side of cliffs. We stopped at Doc Tham Ma to take some photos and admire the scenery, and again at Doc Chin Khoanh for views over the valley we'd just driven through. We met back up with an American couple we'd met at Yen Minh and planned to ride to Lung Cu together, but we shortly all got separated/took different routes. A few hours of driving later, we arrived at Lung Cu Flagpole, where we had to use our legs for the first time in days to walk up the stairs of the monument. The walk was worth it, as we were treated to 365° views of Lung Cu and the surrounding mountains, farms and villages.

    After Lung Cu, we headed towards Meo Vac, where we would be staying for the night. On the way, we made a few stops at the Ma Pi Leng Skywalk to stretch our legs again, and viewpoints along the way for views over Tu San Canyon. We arrived in Meo Vac around 5.30pm, checked into a hotel with heating (hooray!) and went for another early dinner. So far, we are a bit sore and tired from riding for two days, but the experience has been incredible and worth it!    Читать далее

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    Ha Giang Loop - Day 3

    1 февраля 2024 г., Вьетнам ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    Last day on the bike today! We had originally planned to do the loop over 4 days, but as we wanted more time in Hanoi, we decided to do it in 3 days and combined days 3 and 4 into one long day. After a breakfast of beef pho and sticky rice, we set off from Meo Vac (with our takeaway banh mis for lunch) around 9am as we were anticipating a long day ahead. We'd also been told by multiple people that the roads we were driving today were in the worst condition, so we left early to give ourselves plenty of time to slow down if the conditions were bad.

    The road leaving Meo Vac was terrible - fully under construction with many pot holes, loose gravel, and diggers blocking the road. We drove along this road for a couple of hours, with the road gradually improving with sealed sections, with random gravel and dirt sections. We stopped around 11am for a coffee break overlooking the valleys and winding roads we'd just driven.

    We set off again, energized from our coffee break for many more hairpin corners between big mountains and karst rocks. We stopped again at a small village which had the ruins of a French military outpost. We often stopped at viewpoints for a quick break, but learnt that you wanted to avoid the easy rider groups, or you'd get stuck behind 20 poorly driven scooters, and/or blocked in by their scooters at the viewpoint - we found the large groups and lack of respect for others on the road really frustrating and tried as much as possible to stay ahead of any groups.

    We continued for a few hours, stopping every now again to take some photos, and to have lunch at a local restaurant. When we arrived at the restaurant, there were a few easy rider groups and locals having lunch. Cass took the opportunity to FaceTime her family, leaving Mike to finish the rest of lunch alone. The locals, seeing Mike all lonely, invited him to have some happy water (rice wine). However, as Mike was driving, he politely declined and offered Cass as tribute. She ended up having 4 shots, while communicating with the friendly locals vis Google Translate. It was lovely chatting with them, even if it was in broken English and via Google Translate! We've found Vietnamese people to be very friendly and welcoming - some of the nicest we've met on our whole trip!

    After lunch, we continued to slowly make our way back to Ha Giang. After a failed attempt to off road/mountain bike to a lagoon, we took another break for smoothies around 4pm. We enjoyed the view and called Nate and Vela while we rested before the final stretch. We arrived back in Ha Giang around 5.30pm, during peak traffic, which we thought was the scariest part of the last 3 days. We returned our bike, extremely happy with our time on the road, with the motorbike and that we avoided any "fines" from the police. Overall, the Ha Giang Loop has been one of the best experiences we have had on this trip. The incredible natural landscapes, combined with the small ethnic villages, made it a trip to remember and we would definitely do it all again - 10/10 recommend!    Читать далее

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    Hanoi

    6 февраля 2024 г., Вьетнам ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    After the Ha Giang Loop, we took a night bus (last one on this trip!) back to Hanoi, arriving in Hanoi around 6am. As it was too early to check into our hotel, we dropped off our bags, freshened up and went for breakfast. We had a delicious beef pho at Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su - a Michelin Bin Gourmand recognized testaurant - right after it opened, which was the only time we saw empty tables at the restaurant during our 4 days in Hanoi.

    The next few days in Hanoi were spent shopping (for ourselves and others), eating delicious street food (bun cha, pho, banh mi, banh ran, mango puddings) and visiting Hoa Lo Prison Museum. We were also lucky enough to catch up with Alvin (who Cass went to university with and will be working with when we return home - a total coincidence that we were in Hanoi at the same time), and Sara and Danael (a Swiss couple we met on the Ha Giang Loop who are 6 months into their year long world trip).    Читать далее

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    Ha Long Bay

    7 февраля 2024 г., Вьетнам ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    We left Hanoi for Ha Long Bay - the last 'real' stop for us on this trip. We were picked up early by our tour guide and driven 2hrs to the marina, where we transferred to a small boat to reach our cruise ship. We arrived at the cruise ship around 1pm, where we had some time to wander around the luxury cruise ship, meet the other guests and have lunch before we went out for a kayak that afternoon. We had a nice afternoon of kayaking around the limestone mountains (although Mike did most of the paddling, as usual). After the kayak, Mike jumped into the water for a quick dip as the sunset. Unfortunately, we had cloudy weather and the water wasn't very warm so the swim didn't last very long. Our first day of the cruise ended with a delicious buffet dinner, and an early night (as we're very tired these days). As we docked in Lan Ha Bay, there were much fewer boats around (50 boats in Lan Ha Bay, versus 1000 in Ha Long Bay) and absolutely no other boats docked near us, which made for a peaceful night.

    On the second day of our cruise, we went out to Cat Ba Island and hiked up to Dinh Ngu Lam in Cat Ba National Park. After our hike, we visited Hospital Cave (a cave used as a hospital during the Vietnam War) and the local market in Cat Ba town. We headed back to the ship around 3pm, and had a slow afternoon before dinner. After dinner, we decided to give squid fishing a try for a laugh. We were not expecting to catch anything, but about 15min into fishing, Mike caught a 10cm squid! Cass almost caught one too, but pulled her line too abruptly and lost it. After the excitement of catching Mike's squid, we realized our guide had left with the squid. No less than 5min later, we find him in the kitchen where he has already boiled the squid for his dinner! He was just about to chop it up to eat it before we arrived.

    On our last morning, we woke up early for a bike ride to Viet Han village on Cat Ba Island. It was a nice short 6km bike ride along the waters edge and through caves, and we eventually made our way to the town where we saw traditional houses and farms. The rest of the day was spent cruising back to the mainland, where we were transferred back to Hanoi for our last night in Vietnam.    Читать далее

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    Hanoi

    8 февраля 2024 г., Вьетнам ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Back in Hanoi for one night before we fly back home (via Melbourne). We had our last meal in Vietnam (noodle soup, of course), packed our bags and finally went for a stroll to Beer Street and Hoan Kiem Lake before calling it an early night. We are very glad to be flying out early tomorrow morning ahead of Tet as a lot of shops (probably 70% of shops and cafes) in the Old Quarter were already shut for the Lunar New Year, which would have made it very hard to do anything (let alone eat) as a tourist over the next week. Next stop, Melbourne!Читать далее

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    Melbourne

    9 февраля 2024 г., Австралия ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    A long travel day for us as we begin making our way home - we left our hotel in Hanoi for the airport at 5am for our 9pm flight to Kuala Lumpur. We had a 4hr layover in KLIA2, and then a 7.5hr flight to Melbourne, arriving around 5am on Saturday morning (about 21hrs of travel). Erica was waiting for us with pink hair, big smiles and hugs in the arrivals and it was so nice to see her after so long! Erica drove us to her house, where we caught up until around 8am, when we all started getting sleepy and couldn't keep our eyes open.

    After a much needed 4hr nap, we had coffee and breakfast while we watched a slideshow of photos from Erica and Callum's wedding, which we missed while we were in India. The rest of the day was slow, with a visit to the mall and Costco, a bbq dinner and movie to finish off our day.    Читать далее

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    Home!

    12 февраля 2024 г., Новая Зеландия ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Today was the final day of our big trip. We had a slow morning at Erica's, including a short silks session, ham and cheese croissants and the Super Bowl before heading to the airport.

    We luckily arrived at the airport early, because Cass's name was wrong on her ticket (an error on the Air NZ app). Half an hour and $50 later, we had the name on the ticket changed and we headed to the Air NZ Lounge for a late lunch before our flight. We boarded our flight around 5.30pm, and arrived in Auckland at 11pm, where we were back on New Zealand soil for the first time in 361 days!

    P.S. thanks to mum and dad for picking us up at the airport so late.    Читать далее

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    12 февраля 2024 г.