South East Asia 2019 | FindPenguins

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Trip start
February 5, 2019
South East Asia 2019 Traveler
Ho Chi Minh City Feb. 5th-7th
February 5, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ 34 °C
Dan had already been traveling for a few months, but we had planned to meet in Vietnam. I flew in on the 5th. We spent a few days exploring the city and the surrounding area. The traffic is intimidating in the city but if you cross with confidence, you make it right across. The city is a little dirty but pretty incredible. The food is unreal as well and just so cheap. We went up to the Cu Chi tunnels, relics of the Vietnam war. Tight tunnels and examples of different traps that were placed inside, awaiting brave but unlucky soldiers. A trip to the war museum was also very interesting. To see the war from the other side in a different prospective was a learning experience. The city was fun but it was time to move on to Mui Ne.Read more
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Mui Ne Feb. 8th-10th
February 8, 2019 in Vietnam
We took our first night bus to get to Mui Ne. The busses here have very reclined seats that allow you to lay back and try and sleep. However the ride is fast, bumpy, loud, and sways alot. I dont sleep well on them but Dan can sleep anywhere. Mui Ne is a beach town on the East coast. No surf but beautiful sunsets. We made some good friends at Ihome hostel and toured the nearby sand dunes. After a few days we were ready for Dalat, which meant another night bus.Read more
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Dalat Feb. 10th-12th
February 10, 2019 in Vietnam
Dalat is mountain town known for its flowers. We arrived and found a nice hostel named Tigon Hostel. We rented scooters and toured Dalat's hills and waterfalls. The night market has great food and atmosphere. The weather was a little chilly which was a repreive from the normal heat.Read more
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Bai Xep Feb. 12th-13th
February 12, 2019 in Vietnam
We made a stop at Bai Xep, its a little off the main backpacker trail. We stayed at Big Tree Backpacker's Hostel where they gave you a free beer if you filled a small bag with trash from the beach. We chilled at the beach and explored a nearby waterfall. Some locals fed us lunch while we sat and spoke with them. At night I found the locals playing a simple dice game called Cow Fish Prawn. I figured out how to play and started gambling. They were amazed I was playing and waatched me play alone for a few rolls until I urged them to join back in. Walked away with a few thousand extra Dong. The game is played during their New Year celebrations. We headed to Hoi Ann next via night bus out of a nearby town call Quy Khon.Read more
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Hoi An Feb. 15th- 18th
February 15, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ 28 °C
Hoi An is known for its tailors and shops. We each had customs suits made at Kimmy Tailor. They came out amazing and were only $200. I also found a leather shop and had them replicate my old wallet. They did an amazing job at Buffalo Custom Leather. We also took a bike ride to the beach and along the way I found a fishing pond. Caught a small fish and the owner offered to cook it for me but I declined. The next stop was Hue and the way to get there is over the Hai Van Pass. After a few fittings and days waiting for our suits to be finished we rented motos and drove the pass.Read more
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Hai Van Pass Feb.18th
February 18, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ 26 °C
Driving the pass was addicting with all the turns and hills. The company we rented bikes from also shuttled our main luggage over for us. Great swimming holes and caves to explore on the way over.
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South East Asia 2019 Traveler
Hue Feb. 18th
February 18, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ 32 °C
We only stayed in Hue for a day before taking another night bus to Phong Nha. However we explored the city and found the abandoned theme park. There was a guard but we bribed him 20k Dong to let us pass. It was a little creepy but fun to exploreRead more
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Phong Nha Feb. 19th-21st
February 19, 2019 in Vietnam
Phong Nha was one of the most heavely bombed areas in Vietnam due to the concentrations of movement there on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. In Tiger Hostel where we stayed there was a large display of un-exploded ordinances. They locals find them in the jungle and in the ground when they are digging to build a new home. There is a whole team of volunteers that destroy them all the time. It is also famous for its caves. Most of the top ten largest caves ever found are found here including #1. There are some great ones to explore around the town includng the main one call Phong Nha cave. The largest one is a two day trek thru the jungle and only so many people are aloud to see it each year. Phong Nha is one of my favorites. With the duck farm where you can throw a duck or all the caves, its easy to stay there a while. Also Tiger hostel is connected to The Phong Nha Farmstay. So you can use a bicycle for free and ride it everyday to the farmstay and enjoy cocktails and sunset over rice paddies while chilling pool side. Phong Nha is also where I met Wieke for the first time. We talked and planned to meet in Thailand and travel the Philippines together. Upnext, Ninh Binh.Read more
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Ninh BInh Feb. 22nd-24th
February 22, 2019 in Vietnam
NInh Binh is where you start to get into the famous granite peaks of Veitnam call karst. There are boat tours around them and caves explore along with hikes to temples on top of some of the karst. We stayed a few days at the Central Backpackers exploring before moving on to Ha Long Bay.Read more
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Ha Long Bay Feb. 25th-27th
February 25, 2019 in Vietnam
We arrived in Ha Long Bay the morning of the 25th. After getting our beds in another Central Backpackers Hostel we started hunting for the best trip into the bay itself. We ending up using Catba Vision Tours. They seem to have the best guides and boats at the best price. Also their boats were not party boats. We signed up for a 2 day/ 1 night trip. We headed out the morning of the 26th into the bay. We passed by some amazing granite karst in the water and then stopped to explore one of the floating fishing villages. They raise fish in small pools that keep the fish in place with nets. We eventually found a nice small bay and achored for the night. Another larger boat pulled up and began to blast music for thier party. Our captain promptly pulled anchor and went around the large karst we were next to for some noise blockage. The owner of the company showed up for dinner and joined us. He was wanting to show off his new boat that we were on and take us on a bioluminescent kayak tour. With each paddle stroke the waters lit up with a green and blue cloud. It was incredible to say the least. Being that Dan and I were the only ones for the overnight trip we had a private boat. Ofcourse until morning when another group joined us and we went cruising around the bay, including Bai Tu Long Bay. Afterwards we returned to port and immediately started our journey to Hanoi via some speed boats, a shuttle, a motorbike ride with local college kids, and a bus.Read more
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Ha Giang Loop Feb. 28th-Mar. 2
February 28, 2019 in Vietnam
We skipped Hanoi to get up to the Ha Giang Loop first. The loop is a four day motocycle loop thru the northern mountains near China. The drive was beautiful and at times slightly challenging for our litttle bikes. Geat views and hostels everyday and night. We ended up with a crew of around 10 to drive with. After the ride we headed to Hanoi for a few dasy before flying to Loas.Read more
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Laos Mar. 5th- 20th
March 5, 2019 in Laos ⋅ 33 °C
After Vietnam Dan and I flew to Vientiane, Laos. We met up with our friend Maris and her friend in Vang Vieng. I hardly took any photos of Laos. We visited a couple towns and villages including Vientiane, Vang Vieng, and Luang Prabang. In Vang Vieng we rented scooters and toured a lot of the local Lagoons. Each one slightly different but fun. Rope swings, jumping platforms, and restuarants. Some with tourist others with locals. In Luang Prabang with explored some caves, waterfalls, and a butterfly hatchery. We also did a one night stay in a traditional Laos village. We hiked in the first day and stayed in the village. They showed us their way of life from growing crops to makeing clothing. We were treated with dinner and a showing of their traditional dance. All in all Loas is pretty similar to Vietnam just more inland. The trip was along time ago, so i don't remember as much as I would like to at the time of posting. We did find a fun bowling alley in Luang Prabang that had an archery range outside. If you scored enough points you could win beer or cigarettes. I won three packs and gave them all away haha. I left from Luang Prabang airport for Thailand afterwards.Read more
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Trip end
April 30, 2019