Reset search
Southeast AsiaSoutheast Asia
SatelliteEdit route

Southeast Asia

September - November 2017
A 35-day adventure by Kerry and David Read more
  • 36footprints
  • 6countries
  • 35days
  • 169photos
  • 0videos
  • 24.3kkilometers
  • 21.6kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast Asia
    Day 19

    Last day of Tranquility

    October 17, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We overfilled on breakfast again, but unfortunately had to cancel our kayaking trip due to more rain. Instead we had a chilled morning at Daniel and Leila's villa. We then went off for our couples 30 minute back massages and facials. The spa was lovely and relaxing, we started off getting into the gowns and slippers before having a foot wash and massage. Next was our back massages which were perfect, before moving on to our facials. By the end of it we were truly relaxed. We then had some fruit, yoghurt and local teas.
    We met up for lunch in the sister resort at Momba restaurant before David and Daniel set off for an ATV safari. Kerry and Leila had a wander round before getting another drink and waited for the boys. The ATV was great but very bumpy! We then relaxed again in the hot tub at the parents' villa before getting ready for dinner.
    It was a manager's reception in the bar so met for some pre-dinner drinks before heading up to Saffron, the resorts Thai restaurant in the hills, looking over the rest of the beach. We were warmly welcomed in by the managers and they had a live musician playing a local instrument. The food, wine and service were impeccable, and we had an absolutely lovely last evening.
    When we got back to our room, there was a birthday cake, sparkler candles and card waiting for us (we had told them we were celebrating Kerry's birthday at the start).    Read more

  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast Asia
    Day 20

    Watery Goodbyes

    October 18, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    After another filling breakfast we finished packing up our villa and headed to reception to wave Daniel and Leila off; they were getting a flight to Singapore. It was sad to say goodbye, especially not knowing when we will next get to see them. We, after more tea (this time cinnamon flavour), also left for our next adventure. We had a taxi to Hoí An, an old French colonial town a couple hours south.
    We arrived, somehow tired from all of our recent relaxing, hoping for a quick nap. After feeling the bed felt like another wooden plank we decided to head straight out to explore. Hoí An is now a World Heritage Site, but used to be a large trade centre with people coming from China, Japan and Europe often for months at a time. This has led to a mixture of architecture, foods and cultures coming together. We had to pay a small fee to enter the town. We had lunch looking over the river and watching some local lizards chasing one another. A good few hours and thousands of steps later we headed back to our new hotel to change for dinner. We borrowed some of their bicycles and headed out for an Indian. It was brilliant, filling and just want we needed after a long day.    Read more

  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast Asia
    1
    Day 21

    Cycling the sights of Hoí An

    October 19, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today we borrowed the free bikes from the homestay we are staying at and went for a long ride, past the old town and over to the coastline. We were collared by a lady going past on a motorbike and guided to her shack. From here she sold us a trip on a Vietnamese round basket boat, after a bit of bartering we agreed. She paddled us, all in Vietnamese hats, through the waterways and between the mangrove palms. We bumped (literally) into a South Korean group ahead of us, consisting of three boats and a karaoke machine. One of their guides obviously like to show off and demonstrated how to spin the boats round and round in circles. Our guide stopped to make us some accessories from the nearby palms - we got a ring each and David got a peter pan hat. It was, apart from the music, very peaceful and beautiful. Just as we were getting back to dry land the rain started, really started.
    Once the rain settled we got back on our bikes and headed to the beaches north of Hoí An. On our way, we had to stop twice as escorted vehicles flew past us, heading to the APEC conference - if interested, David will tell you more. The beaches were very windy with rough seas so we continued across the coast until we found a nice bar on the beach. David tried another local beer while Kerry had a coconut.
    Next, we rode to a burger place we had heard good reviews about; Chef Burger 2 (the 1st one is in Hoí An old town). We enjoyed a really good burger each and shared some fries, before cycling back to our homestay.
    In the early evening we cycled back into the old town, just in time to catch a small boat down the river for sunset. The place felt much calmer and romantic at night, especially on water. We were able to light a candle each and make a wish as we set them to float on the river. We then found a quiet bar where we headed upstairs for a drink and spring rolls over looking the lantern-lit riverside town.
    For dinner we cycled a little out of the town to a cute little restaurant we had read about. Unfortunately, this one did not quite live up to reviews, although the food was authentic and tasty, the mood was broken by the local pests (cockroaches). On our way home, we bought ourselves a little keepsake, a silk painting.    Read more

  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast Asia
    Day 22

    Same Hué, Different Day

    October 20, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Another early start in the rain, we were served banana 'pancakes' (actually banana omelettes covered in chocolate sauce) and fruit before catching a lift to the bus to Hué, via another sleeper bus. By the time we arrived the rain had stopped and we had a quick walk to the next hotel, Hong Thien Ruby Hotel, which is located on the edge of the tourist square. Here we were greeted by a smoothie and plate of fruit - a welcome surprise - before being shown our room.
    Our next priority was lunch, we had a great chicken curry and special Malaysian rice (with chicken and prawn). We sorted out a tour for tomorrow, then headed to the citadel.
    Hué was the previous capital and there is still the remnants of the old walled city where the last emperor had his palace. It is a huge area, over 2km x 2km, which felt even bigger when walking around. We wandered through the imperial city, the centre of the citadel before our feet started to give up and we headed back for a much needed rest.
    Recharged, we had a drink, or two, at the 'Why not?' bar pre-dinner. Some guys from Belgium invited us to play a game - basically a round robin using a pool table and balls. Three rounds later, we left in search of food. We found a cute little restaurant called the Rustic Kitchen, which we realised is not actually a building but was instead located between two other buildings with some lights attached between making it feel like a ceiling. The food and service was great here.    Read more

  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast Asia
    2
    Day 23

    The DMZ

    October 21, 2017 in Vietnam

    Another early start for us this morning! Our hotel kindly allowed us to order some breakfast before we left at 7am for our bus ride and tour up to the old de-militarised zone between then North and South Vietnam. The morning was spent heading up to Dong Ha where we picked up our tour guide, a lady called Thu, before continuing up to part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and seeing the river which was used to transport weaponry from the North to the South. Then we went to the remains of the Khe Sanh American Military base which has been converted into a museum. It contains some helicopters, tanks and planes used in the war as well as rebuilt old bunkers. As we were wandering around we saw a bride and groom having wedding photos taken which seemed slightly strange...
    Our next stop was an ethnic minority village, the bus pulled over at the side of the road next to a few wooden-stilted houses with children and animals outside. We were expected to go and take photos of this, but most on the tour felt this was an invasion of privacy and unnecessary.
    After a particularly unspectacular lunch but a good chance to catch up with some of the others on the tour, we were back on the bus and heading to the Vịnh Mốc tunnels. These are a network of hand dug tunnels just under 2km long which go down in three levels to a maximum of 30 metres with multiple entrances and exits. Inside the tunnels there were small holes 2m x 2m for each family to live, a maternity room, a meeting room, wells and one toilet. The tunnels were used for around 6 years to hide from the American bombing and families could hide out for up to 5 days at a time. Ducking through these tight spaces made us realise how difficult and cramped it must have been.
    Our last stop was a war cemetery built on the remains of an American firebase with 3000 graves, most of which were unnamed, being told this is one of the smaller cemetery's of its time just brought home how many lives were lost.
    Back in Hué we booked our bus for tomorrow, not an early start for once! Then settled on another great Indian for dinner. We met a couple who have been traveling for 11 months so far, they had some great stories and they gave us some good advice (especially regarding India).    Read more

  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast Asia
    Day 24

    The waiting game to Phong Nha

    October 22, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    After making the most of our included breakfast in the hotel we had a chilled morning organising the rest of our trip before heading out for a walk before lunch. We had a cool drink and lunch at the 'Are you Tipsy yet?' bar and bistro where we got to sit on a swing and watch the (tourist) world go by. Lunch was the best pizza we have had so far, shared. We then collected our bags and headed to the DMZ bar where our bus was leaving from.
    Crammed onto a bus with all the other backpackers, most of them complaining that this was the worst bus ever and after one who even tried to refuse to sit next to anyone, we were off. As we got further from Hué the scenery changed; it became flatter and more barren then again to huge areas of rice paddies drowned in water. As the sun began to set, there were even some men fishing in one of the paddies. Four hours and one pit stop later we arrived in Cuo Lac, a little village that makes the most of tourists visiting the national park and caves.
    By now it had gone 6pm so we headed to our hotel, Son Tinh Hotel and were shown to our room - a huge space with two double beds. We booked our tour for the following day and had more food, this time local beef stew with bread and fried rice with chicken - both very tasty and filling.    Read more

  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast Asia
    Day 25

    The Caves of Phong Nha

    October 23, 2017 in Vietnam

    Today we did a tour of some of the caves in the Phong Nha national park. There were 12 others in our tour and a Vietnamese guide. On our way to the first stop the guide explained a bit about the Vietnamese war and the history of the caves. There are a total of 300 caves in the national park, including the biggest cave in the world ($3,000 for a trip inside that one!). We arrived at the the 8 ladies cave - now a memorial site to remember the 8 men and women that died inside after a rock avalanche, caused by American bombing which blocked the exit. After paying our respects, we continued in the minibus to the Paradise Cave, where we got a buggy 1.6km and then walked a further 500m up stairs through the rainforest to get to the entrance. By the time we arrived we were all very warm (and certain hungover members of our group finally stopped complaining).
    Paradise Cave (Thien Duong) is 31km in length, making it the longest dry cave in Asia. Inside it has vaulted ceilings with huge stalactites and stalagmites. I don't think our descriptions could ever do it justices, and neither do the pictures; the place is mighty and beautiful. An hour later we headed back down the stairs and towards the next stop - the Dark Cave.
    Lunch was presented to the group on a large platter of banana leaves with rice, bits of meat (well, bone), noodles and salad. It was also a good chance to get to know some of the other travellers - meeting a second person from West Yorkshire.
    Next, we changed into our swimwear, picked up a helmet with a head-torch, harness and lifejacket. We climbed more stairs to reach the top of a zip-line, hooked on one-by-one we flew down, across the river below to land just outside the next cave. Leaving our harness behind we creeped into the chilly water and headed into the Dark Cave. Walking barefoot over slippery wooden planks, sharp rocks and slimy mud we made our way 500m into the quiet cave to reach a mud bath. We bathed and covered ourselves with the mud before heading back via a mud slide.
    Next we hopped into some blow-up kayaks to paddle back across the river. Here we had some time to play - including swinging down short zip-lines into the water below. Once dried off we went back to the restaurant to find a bottles of local rum and coke waiting for us before the drive back.
    In the evening, we had a starter in one restaurant, some drinks and shared a main in the Easy Tiger Hostel, before finally sharing a curry and roti in an Indian for dessert. Completely and utterly stuffed we rolled back to our hotel.    Read more

  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast Asia
    Day 26

    Cycling up and down Phong Nha

    October 24, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Today we rented bikes from our hotel. Please keep in mind while reading the rest, these were two road bicycles with baskets but no gears. We started off in the wrong direction, realising not when the path turned to a fly-tipping area and further narrowed but when it finally ended at a wall. Back we went, dodging the young children on their bikes as they yelled hello at us. We followed the track parallel to the river, stopping at the Bomb Crater Bar which was shut but had beautiful views. We turned off the main track onto a dirt path, past a farmstay and to our first big hill of the day. Most of the rest of the cycle until we stopped for ‘lunch’ was rough, rocky and hilly terrain. We were glad to see signs for the Moi Moi restaurant, pulled up ready to fill up. Unfortunately, the chef wasn’t there so the girl serving us got some water, lemon juice and heated up some spring rolls for us. We soon remembered why we always order vegetable spring rolls as Kerry dissected, with a chopstick, the grizzle and fat from each of the 9 rolls to make them palatable. A bit disappointed we got back on our bikes and headed down the river to a bridge and then we were on our way back. More rough hills, a duck farm and local villages brought us back to our town, totalling 27km.
    Our hotel host was kind enough to allow us to use our room until our night bus so we had a quick shower and went to have some proper food. The drinks tasted more like grass than the fruit smoothies we had ordered. We then watched a film and packed up before sharing a blue cheese pizza at Capture. It was delicious, and the brownie was gone too quick to comment.    Read more

  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast Asia
    Day 27

    What a welcome to Hanoi!

    October 25, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    After dinner last night we got on the sleeper bus to Hanoi. A bumpy ride and little sleep later we arrived just past 5am. Exhausted we tried to barter with a taxi driver but he agreed to put the meter on so we got in. The meter started at 80,000 dong ($4) which seemed high but didn't go up straight away so we didn't think there was a problem. About a kilometre later then meter started increasing and fast. Before we knew it, it stated 320,000 dong ($16) and we asked the taxi driver to stop. He pulled over and we checked the amount, he suddenly spoke no English and kept pointing at the meter. The doors were locked and with the recent news story of a guy being 'kidnapped' after refusing to pay in our minds, we decided to cut our losses, pay and walk the rest of the way.
    Stumbling the last steps to the hotel we were met by a locked door and a guy inside asleep on a mattress. He luckily awoke and let us in but informed us our room would not be ready until after midday. With 6 1/2 hours to kill, we left our big bags and wandered through the streets of Hanoi. We found a restaurant just opening overlooking the lake so had breakfast and played some uno for next couple of hours.
    Feeling we had out-stayed our welcome, we totted off and found the women's museum. It focused on the women's role in Vietnamese history, marriage and children, and fashion. We walked around the lake and picked up a croissant on our way back to the hotel. By now it was half 12 and we were so ready for a shower and nap. We were asked to sit down (hoping for a welcome drink) and were told they had a water problem and so we needed to find another hotel to stay in tonight. The only help we got was the Wi-Fi password, and trying to sell us a tour. Deciding we deserved a comfortable bed to make up for it we splashed out for a $28 room including breakfast and dragged our tired legs across the old city. The hotel gave us some fruit juice and even took our bags up to our room, which they had kindly upgraded to a family suite with balcony. We made the most of the shower but decided as it was mid afternoon we should head back out to see what the city had to offer.
    Hanoi is a busy city full of motorbikes, people and tourist traps. We weren't in the mood to be sold souvenirs, tours or foot massages so went for lunch (where the owner tried to sell us a tour). The food was good, sharing a beef coconut curry and sweet and sour chicken. We then booked tickets for the water puppet show and had a coffee and smoothie while we waited for it to start. Although the show was very interesting, we struggled to keep our eyes open. Afterwards, hardly hungry we decided to share a baked black pepper chicken pot in a cool little restaurant, Lantern Lounge. Completely exhausted we headed back to the hotel for one of our best night's sleep.    Read more

  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast Asia
    Day 28

    Out of Hanoi, into the Wild

    October 26, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Glad to be leaving the capital, we got picked up by Mr Linh's Adventures. Our driver is called Long, our tour guide is also called Long. Oh, and the group consists of David and Kerry.. Yes we are having a one-to-one tour with the Longs.
    We were driven north out of Hanoi, a total of 340km to the Chinese border. We stopped at the Ethnic Minority museum where Long showed us the different typical houses of the different minorities (including one with someone asleep in it) and then let us wander round the rest of the museum on our own. Next stop was an hour an half later for lunch, a local restaurant with whole cooked chickens with heads still on. Long told us to sit down and he would order. We sat anxiously wondering what would be served. Luckily, a selection of steamed rice, bits of lemongrass chicken, pork ribs, whole shrimps and vegetables came out. All of it was pretty tasty and we washed it down with iced green tea.
    The scenery on the way up into the hills was beautiful, although it was misty. The Longs kindly stopped so we could take some pictures. We arrived at a Nung's (local minority group) village which is known for making incense. We got out the minibus and walked with Long through the centre, past water-buffalos being washed, corn being hand-harvested and the sun setting behind the huge hills around.
    Tonight we are stay at Mr Him's homestay. It is a stilted house with a downstairs kitchen/dining room/garage and outside toilets. We are sleeping upstairs on a firm (a complete understatement) mattress on the floor beneath a mosquito net and behind a curtain. We had dinner with the family just after sunset. It is customary to serve green tea and corn wine to visitors and they plied us with both. Dinner was the usual rice, chicken, pork (both BBQ and roasted) and then pig's colon. Kerry politely declined but David was braver and had a piece - it was...chewy. The rest of the food was tasty. We had a great evening chatting to Long before getting an early night. Hopefully the alcohol will help us sleep, as the mattress will not.    Read more

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