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  • Family Of 5 Vietnam + Cambodia
    Day 21

    Alas The End of This Adventure by Simi

    August 3, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    So post -holiday blues are well and truly embedded as we await at the airport here in Danang to catch our internal flight to Saigon and then onwards back to London via Qatar. What an epic holiday! Truly not enough superlatives in my vocabulary to express what a special trip this has been- not only to experience these two stunning countries with their beautiful people and culture but also to hang out with these four other gorgeous people. Truly blessed x

    So a collective list of things are going to miss and not miss!

    We are going to miss:

    1. The loo bidet type nozzle- super efficient!
    2. The warmth of the people- everyone says hello, waves and smiles from the toddlers to the grandparents!
    3. The banh-mis from Madam Khan
    4 . The buzz of Vietnamese life
    5. All the plants
    6. The delicious coffees (very partial to having it with condensed milk now)
    7. The animals
    8. The tropical fruit and the smoothies (and the cost!!! No Joe and the Juice prices here!)
    9. Swimming outside everyday
    10. Breakfast buffets
    11. The weather (apart from a downpour in HCMC and another in Hoi An)
    12. Haggling.. with the Vietnamese.. it’s weirdly fun thanks to their charm!
    13. The traffic rules... or lack of them
    14. The Vietnamese’s tolerant attitude and lack of anger
    15. The Vietnamese family Life... we never saw kids cry or moan or argue

    Not wanting to be negative but more of a balanced discussion so we are not going to miss:

    1. The karaoke party boats
    2. The loudness of the cities (and we are city people!)
    3. The traffic
    4. The traffic rules... or lack of them (though Matt claimed he was starting to enjoy it!)
    5. Lack of choice of veggie options (the veggie food on offer was wonderful just not much variety)
    6. Tiny stools (charming even if plastic) but not so comfortable for the more well endowed bottom like mine!

    This list is clearly not exhaustive .. hopefully one we will revisit! So a big cảm ơn Vietnam! It really has been such a fab holiday!    Read more

  • Family Of 5 Vietnam + Cambodia
    Day 21

    Last Full Day in Hoi-An by Simi

    August 3, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Having stayed here the longest we were definitely settling into a routine. The first time all holiday it was a leisurely wake up with breakfast around 9ish… favourites including all the breaded products for Eashan, bacon and eggs for Matt and Millen, chocolate spread for Arushi and the most awesome passion fruit and homemade yoghurt for me. Deffo going to miss that when we go home!

    This morning we did a craft workshop making lanterns. Apparently the humble lantern was brought over by Chinese and Japanese merchants when they came to Hoi An to trade and settle in the late 14th century and is now one of Hoi An’s most famous symbols and they are everywhere!

    We had popped along to this place before and it was very busy, with a great set up of the ubiquitous plastic chairs around a sort of “tuff spot” with all the materials needed. Luckily for us (and boy did I need it) our timing was great as we were the only people there therefore benefitted from the lantern lady, her husband and her mother’s attention and help!

    The process of making lanterns is divided into 2 main stages: making bamboo frames and fabrics covering. The bamboo must first be soaked with salt water for 10 days to avoid termites, then dried, split and sharpened into thin strips depending on the size of each lantern. This has already been done for us.

    We then got to choose which size and which shape lantern we would want. We are hoping we can put these up on the cherry tree at home and bring a bit of Hoi An back into Mallinson Road!

    After using our muscles to force the bamboo into certain shapes, we attached them to 2 wooden rings at two ends and then tied as tightly and neatly as we could with string to hold it altogether.

    We then all pondered over our different silk fabrics and stuck them down with glue whilst snipping off the excess. Finally we finished the lantern off with a decorative tassle and .. ta- da!!! It was a labour of love for some of us.. it was also clear to see how much Arushi and Eashan impressed the lady! But “ Papa” did well too, when he wasn’t cutting the string off!😂

    This had all worked up quite an appetite so with our 5 new lanterns in our bike baskets headed off to our usual lunch haunt… see I told you we had become creatures of habit. We loved Madam Khan’s so much this was our fourth lunch there with exactly the same food and, not like us at all, no one had even had a bite of anyone else’s we were that happy with what we all had ordered no one ever dared deviate away. There was no way we were going anywhere else for lunch!

    As it was our last day, we found ourselves mooching around the shops and markets picking up our last few souvenirs. The children had their own money to go and bargain by themselves. They had learnt some good tips… when asked where they were from, they responded 'India' rather than 'UK' for better exchange rate deals! They had learnt not to pick anything up unless they really wanted it and also to remember yes it was important to not get ripped off but also to be mindful to do it with grace and humour and as a foreigner here maybe don’t worry if it’s a bit more than you wanted to pay! They had also learnt that walking away is a bargaining tool and if they call you back, do not let your pride get in the way of coming back.

    The prices here were definitely inflated for us tourists but with the charm of the Vietnamese you couldn’t help but not mind!

    All the shopping had made us thirsty so we headed off for a coffee. We had heard about “The Reaching Out Tea House” which is a social enterprise that supports the local speech and hearing-impaired community.
    All of the staff at this quaint café are speech and hearing impaired and therefore speaking out loud is actively discouraged. I have loved being with my family every second this holiday but also was suddenly aware how this environment of no talking for half an hour felt like a treat!

    The Tea House provide communication tools to help from notes, to word blocks, gestures, and generous amounts of smiles we found there were plenty of ways to communicate with the friendly staff. Millen wrote me a note saying I’d set him up- he’s not one to enjoy the silence.

    Arushi told us afterwards she found it very stressful trying to order our drinks (they provide you with a tick sheet but we also seems to fill in different ones!) and Eashan seemed happy enough but the cookies we ordered were clearly disappointing for him.. a lovely array of wholesome cookies flavoured with ingredients such as coconut, tea and cardamom.. not quite his ideal!

    I could have stayed longer just people watching. It was fascinating when you turn off your senses (in my case no talking and no listening) how our other three senses dialled up significantly. Sitting in the huge open window of the tea shop made me really open my eyes to all the wonderful daily activities happening in this beautiful town right in front of me. Millen was almost in tears not being able to talk so we left!

    We pedalled back home, becoming accustomed to the crazy driving rules (simply there aren’t any!!) went for a swim and begun packing for our journey home tomorrow. I’ve had such a great time here. I’m going to miss this place so much.

    It’s been 3 weeks of total immersion in a foreign and exciting world. I’ve felt my parents have been with me all the way as I’ve chatted to them here everyday. They would have loved this place and would have adored to hear our recounts of it all.    Read more

  • Family Of 5 Vietnam + Cambodia
    Day 20

    Our time in Hoi An by Arushi

    August 2, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    Over our three free days in Hoi An, we enjoyed exploring the markets, swimming and lots of good food. At first, the markets (day and night) seemed draining and exhausting, I started to enjoy the haggling, eyeing up things we wanted before going on a mission to find the best price.

    One by one, all the items were checked off the “shopping list” (a list of items we liked and were looking out for), including a few fake North Face bags and clothes (suddenly we seem to own a lot of North Face branded things)… we’ll see how long they last anyway!

    Dad and I also got a few things tailored which was exciting! He purchased a new blazer and linen shirt, whilst I got a suit for my new sixth form - riveting stuff! Mum purchased quite a few shoes, taking advantage of the custom sizes and designs and I even got two new bikinis! Millen was constantly on the lookout for bracelets to add to his stack, whilst Eashan bought a small bag. Millen, Eashan and Dad even booked themselves a haircut (or a shave in dads case).

    All in all, our shopping in Hoi An was very successful and fairly enjoyable (depends on who you ask - not sure mum will miss the haggling although she is very good!). We have been having a relaxing last few days, with mornings in bed watching the free spider man movies our hotel provides in the smart tv, shopping mornings as well as afternoons by the pool finished off with cycling to dinner somewhere in town!

    We have been loving Madame Khanh, a Banh Mi restaurant so much that we have in fact had lunch there every day we’ve been here (three days in a row!) and we will absolutely be getting some takeaway Banh Mi on Thursday morning to have at the airport! They also do an amazing egg hot chocolate - it’s so deliciously rich and chocolatey, I love it!

    We enjoyed a morning at the beach as well, although there were lots scammers along the way there. The beach wasn’t too busy, probably due to the grey skies which didn’t look too promising! Nevertheless we had fun splashing around, reading or catching up with the blog.    Read more

  • Family Of 5 Vietnam + Cambodia
    Day 19

    Boats and Bikes in Hoi-An by Eashan

    August 1, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    We met our guide early in the morning, after a delicious buffet, including eggs, pancakes, fruit, toast and yoghurt. Our guide, Tong, was super smiley. He showed us our bikes and off we went speedily flying down alleyways or zipping past red traffic lights, along with the whole of Vietnam.

    We soon got to our first out pitstop. We had paused by some fields. On the other side of the field we spotted a water buffalo. Slowly, it made its way towards us and we realised that we were going to ride it. I was first to ride it. I jumped on and felt it’s cold wet skin from the river. I held on as the driver also hopped on. He held into the animal and off we went.

    We waded through some shallow water of a stream nearby before going up the steep bank. Then we turned around and came back the same way. Then it was Arushi’s turn and then Millen and then mum. Finally dad had his go and once again, off we went.

    We soon came to an organic farm. The organic farm one of five in Vietnam. Tong led us through a path to a small hut where iced tea and sweet potato were laid out for us. After filling our bellies, we all headed to the last stop of our tour. A boat ride in some basket boats!

    Basket boats are simply boats that look like baskets. We set off passing an army of similar boats before coming to a show where a performer was on a basket boat spinning it like crazy. When he stopped, he invited us into the boat where he then started spinning us round and round. Once we got off we were all really dizzy but we were very excited. We then went to the side of the river to do some crab fishing, however Arushi and I didn’t on account of our vegetarianism. The others caught no crabs anyway. We soon set off again and arrived back where we started to have lunch and then cycled back home.

    We headed out for a wander in the old town again later. Always so much to see especially all the lovely lanterns!    Read more

  • Family Of 5 Vietnam + Cambodia
    Day 16

    To Hoi An via Tu Hieu Pagoda by Arushi

    July 29, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C

    This morning we enjoyed a large array of food at the breakfast buffet, featuring crepes, fruits and even croissants and pain au chocolats! Then we were picked up at 8.30 to begin our journey.

    On the way to Hoi An, we stopped at the peaceful Tu Hieu pagoda (merciful, dutiful and loyal pagoda), which is tucked in Pine Tree Hill. The name is inspired by the story of Nhat Dinh’s devotion to his mother, a monk who followed doctors orders to care for his sick mother, preparing meat and fish for her, even though other monks initially judged him.

    This pagoda was so serene and calm, accompanied by picturesque landscaping and silent monks. We walked around, observing the quiet life here and even caught part of a ceremony. Then, we visited the tombs of the monks as well as eunuchs before continuing our journey to Hoi An.

    We drove on the Hai Van Pass, admiring the spectacular views of the blue water and white sandy beaches as we sped past.

    When we arrived in Hoi An, we had a quick tour of the local market, which consisted of lots of sleeping sellers, plastic toys and bizarre smelly which were probably an accumulation of all the various odours from the butchers section.

    When we arrived at our hotel, we were ravenous, so we quickly dumped our stuff before heading out to a local Banh Mi restaurant… in the pouring rain. The food was 100% worth the drizzle, which in the end wasn’t too bad (years of British weather has trained us well), and we returned back to the hotel happy, and went for a dip in the pool.

    We finished the day eating tasty food by the river, excited for tomorrow!    Read more

  • Family Of 5 Vietnam + Cambodia
    Day 15

    Walking streets by Millen

    July 28, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 36 °C

    We ambled down the busy streets, full of street vendors throwing light ufos or birds in the crowds hoping to catch someone’s eye. We bought a couple of posters, a tintin one for Eashan’s room and then mum bought one about anti-war. We then headed to the DMZ bar, it was a really cool place with a free pool table to play on and many cool plane models but unfortunately the music sounded like a rave so we took our drinks and headed to the more chilled out roof top terrace.
    After we had our drink we headed to a restraunt called gecko, struggling because of tiredness and heat, the kind waiter turned the fan in our direction. The veggies had two pad tais but they were really spicy meaning they both downed litre bottles of water. Everyone had hit the wall and battling with our tiredness we plodded home still taking in all the neon lights of the shops and cool fish tank signs.    Read more

  • Family Of 5 Vietnam + Cambodia
    Day 15

    Hue Imperial Citadel by Matt

    July 28, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 37 °C

    After a 4 hour journey from Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, we arrived in Hue and stepped out into the humid afternoon to meet our new tour guide, Juan, another smiley fellow. Hue was once the capital for 150 years in the 19th century and the Citadel is at the heart of the city.

    The main entrance, NGO Mon Gate, atop which is a viewing platform covered by a beautifully restored roof of yellow, gold and red decorative tiles, dragons and symbols. A giant bell, drum, emperor's throne and replica royal stamps of gold dragons in various poses also feature.

    Surrounded by a moat and 10km of 2m thick walls it has 2 more layers, the innermost called the Forbidden Purple City reserved for the emperor, his concubines and eunuch servants, who posed no threat. Around that is the Imperial Enclosure housing temples, palaces, including the queen mother's, a theatre, offices and gardens. Most of it was destroyed during French and US invasions, bullet holes remain in some giant urns, but you can imagine the troops and their horses and elephants gathering for battle.

    From the Citadel we walked a short distance to a museum containing royal artifacts, including games, robes, furniture and betel boxes, which they chewed with lime to protect their teeth. The others seemed most interested in the fans and air conditioning units, we were all feeling utterly drained by the heat!

    We hopped back in the van for our last guided visit of the day to a local market.    Read more

  • Family Of 5 Vietnam + Cambodia
    Day 14

    Dark Cave Water Park by Eashan

    July 27, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 35 °C

    After leaving the dark cave we walked to the wooden walkway where we had arrived earlier. Mum and I then swam around the corner for 200 metres while the others kayaked that distance. We all climbed out of the lake to see a dangerous array of climbing or parkour equipment which I marvelled at while mum and dad's eyes grew in disbelief and worry.

    Arushi, Millen and I all climbed up to where a huge zip line was and we waited in turn until only one person was in front of us. They climbed the steps and jumped clinging onto the bar above her. She flew forwards however she held on too long and the top of her rope hit the stopper on the zip line. She was going with so much force that she did a flip before fortunately landing safely in the water!

    Gingerly, Arushi and I reeled in the zip line and climbed up the steps. There were 2 lines and so Millen bravely offered to go after us. We leaned forward and as our weight shifted to our front foot, the steps soon and teetered on the edge. I was about to go when the man operating the machine soon his head and pointed towards, there, ahead of us was the girl as well as a man who was crossing. They were both Vietnamese and also very bad at swimming. I looked around, none of the locals seemed to be strong swimmers. Finally, it was all clear the man gave his thumbs up and we jumped, also clinging on.

    We landed with a splash and an excited look on our faces we quickly got out and then we ran over to a slide we turned the water on so that it would be slippery and I slid down. At first I was very slow but then I leant back and could feel myself going faster until it ended with a splash. I did it again but facing forwards and leaning forwards the whole time . I dived in although it wasn't long before I got out looking for another thing to do.

    I saw a course above the water which had swinging ropes, zip lines and other things too I ran off towards it and got on the zip line. Immediately I noticed that it was a lot higher but I went for it. I made the mistake of waiting too long and I hit the stopper. Like the girl, I did a half flip and hit my head on the mat and rope. It hurt so much, however, I got out of the water and did it again.

    This time, I got past the zip line and, using the swing ropes, I swing myself over the ropes however I couldn't quite get on the platform and I slipped and fell once again. Third time lucky, I thought on final attempt. I got past the zip line and ropes. Then there was a rope grid that I got past before the final hurdle, some rings that you held onto and swing off like monkey bars, however, I was way too short and I fell off very quickly. After this we all left for the hotel for a swim and to relax.    Read more

  • Family Of 5 Vietnam + Cambodia
    Day 14

    Lunch and Dark Cave by Simi

    July 27, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 35 °C

    We left Paradise cave to head to the Dark cave. We had a large lunch platter to share which looked great but in all honesty tasted only ok!

    It was clear from the off set that this cave visit was going to be a different type of adventure.., for a start we had to go just wearing our swimmers and a life jacket they had provided only and no phones. Luckily we had the go pro so could take a few piccies on that.

    At Paradise cave we walked around a boardwalk and simply admired the spectacular stalactites and stalagmites whereas at the Dark Cave, you are on an adventure but the cave time is minimal! But actually it kept our dog tired family ( following the over night train journey and the early sunrise and tai chi session on the boat the day before ) enthralled and less ratty so was good timing for us!

    The Dark Cave incorporates exploring a cave with some water adventure activities, which appeals to a wide audience especially our children but interestingly a load of Vietnamese who could not swim too. There was huge lack of health and safety in the adventure park and whilst I felt confident of what we could do, I was very nervous for the non swimming brigade who seemed very happy that the life jackets were their super hero jackets. I saw so many people catapulted around, flung hard onto parts of bodies that caused pain and a lot of tears and screaming - it just needs to be safer.

    Nevertheless, zip-lining, kayaking, swimming in crystal waters, attempting an over-water adventure course and throwing mud at your family
    in a pitch-black cavern remains a fun way to experience a cave. Dark Cave was not discovered until 1990, but the locals and tourists haven’t wasted any time making it one of the most visited caves within the park and the country. There are no lights within this cave and that is where it got its name.
    The adventure started with the longest zip wire in Vietnam ( even if there is no safety briefing, thankfully there were harnesses!) and then a plunge into the cool Chay River as we swum up to the entrance of the infamous Dark cave.

    We climbed up a ladder and
    donned our hard hats with head lamps and followed our guide bare footed. I have to say the entrance to the cave is pretty awesome. It’s huge and because of the darkness., it’s just hugely
    impressive. We were also the only people in there for a while as we checked out fossils, trudged through the waters and tested our sensitivities of our feet as we stepped over sand and rock. It was eerily quiet too which just added to the atmosphere.

    Our guide led us through tiny crevasses where we had to scramble over sandy rises to where we took a mud bath. It’s meant to be good for the skin so we all lathered it on and hoped to benefit from the claims ! Let’s see if the photos show the new natural glow!

    Unsurprisingly it did get chilly in these waters and after our “spa” treatment we retraced our steps back to the cave entrance to head to the water adventure park.    Read more

  • Family Of 5 Vietnam + Cambodia
    Day 14

    Paradise Cave by Arushi

    July 27, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    Our journey into Paradise cave started in a bumpy golf cart ride, with a driver who seemed to believe the cart wasn’t able to crash as we veered around sharp corners and practically flew past other carts.

    Once at the starting point, we started the ascent, which was around 550 m on a gradual, but tough incline in the stifling humidity.

    Out of the 31km, tourists are allowed to visit the first 1km (can also book to go a bit further) , so off we set, down the stairs. The entrance to the cave is tiny and was discovered in 2005. The first sight of the cave’s interior was magical, the humongous ceilings and intricate details were lit up by hidden lights and the wooden boardwalk winding past the colossal stalagmites and stalactites.

    We descended down the stairs, marvelling at this underground wonder. Wondering around aimlessly, we followed the boardwalk through the biggest ‘dry cave’ (although it also has a river deeper in the cave?) in Asia. The hundreds-of-millions-of-years-old cave had once been underwater, before the Ice Age and the stalagmites and stalactites are formed from the remaining water and minerals to evaporate / condense until they ‘kiss’, as Sunny joked in Galaxy cave.

    We spent around an hour and a half in the cave as it was only a 1km walk to the end, where we took a family picture, and the boys and I were asked by a stranger to take a photo together which was slightly strange.

    We then walked the 1km back to the entrance of the cave and said goodbye to the incredible Paradise cave. (Which is called Paradise cave as it’s cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter).    Read more

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