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Vietnam
  • Shahnavaz Mehta
  • Shahnavaz Mehta

Vietnam

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Fansipan Conquered

    29 aprile 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Our guide then brought in our breakfast... It's 3am!! He's mental! We all then went back sleep, well attempted, before finally getting up and heading out around 6:30am. The rest of our group decided they would get the cable car back down from the top so me and Will were the only ones left to hike. So we headed up on our own again to reach the top. Let's just say the weather was god awful, we were soaked to the bone, we were freezing cold but we got to to the top and we were starving! Well having breakfast at 3am has that effect... We met a lovely couple from Belgium who were presented medals and a certificate from their guide. We were very jealous 😔 They leant us their medals so we could get a photo at the top. We were now super happy! 😊 We then got lost in the fog walking round the site at the top which is full of Buddha statues, Temples, Pagodas and signs in Vietnamese. This is when a guide would have been useful!! Emotions were running low so when we eventually found our way back we stopped in the cafe for an apple and cinnamon tea. Yum yum yum it was like having a warm caramelised apple doughnut. We then headed back to basecamp to have lunch and pic up our bags. I think this was the hardest bit of the walk to be honest. I was so cold and wet and hungry now. As the others in our group had got the cable car down I think our guide just cooked all the food anyway so we had quite a feast... and it was warm!! ☺️

    We then set off in high spirits and made pretty good progress, but it's always the last hour that's a killer. Let's just say there was mostly silence... It's supposed to take about 7 hours to get down and we did it in 6 including stopping for lunch which was pretty good to say it was horrific weather wise. The worst part of the day was having to wait for a minibus to pick us up for over an hour. We were so so cold and weren't anticipating the wait so it was a bit of a shock!

    We then went to pick up our stuff, move hostel and have a long hot shower. Oh my goodness it felt so good!! We are in dorm rooms as its so busy in Sa Pa but it has a hot shower, a comfy bed and so far it's quiet. Can't ask for more!

    And the highlight of our day... We did it... We gave in... We had a chicken burger. Its our first burger in 3 months and I was so worried it wouldn't be good but wow it was soooo good and the chips were perfectly cooked and they had mayo! I was in mayo heaven 😍 The perfect end to a not so perfect day.    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Can't travel without being scammed...

    30 aprile 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    So we had a bit of a lie in and then headed for our next destination. How typical, the weather couldn't have been nicer. You could see Fansipan in all its glory (see pic below)! Typical! We didn't realise that the last bus for the day was at 1pm from Lao Cai. After a bit of a panic we arrived in Lao Cai just in time! Then we jumped on the bus to Bắc Há and of course they took the opportunity to scam us. Luckily we had read an article about the scam price and it even had a price on the bus in Vietnamese!! He tried to charge us 200,000 đồng each when it was supposed to be 60,000 đồng. He was screaming at us telling us to pay and get off the bus. We stood our ground. He then went down to 200, 000 đồng for the two of us. Again we just sat and said no. Eventually he got bored of screaming and got off. He wasn't even the bus driver or bus conductor!! What really upset us is that no one on the bus helped us. They all just sat in silence. Normally in this situation someone on the bus has backed us up and told the scammer to go away. But they didn't. Its truly upsetting when these things happen and really makes us not like a country but we have to remind ourselves about the 90% of the people that we have met who have been so caring, friendly and hospitable. Anyway off the bus went.

    Number 2 fiasco. So the homestay said they'd contacted the bus driver and asked him to drop us off at the homestay. The bus driver refused and refused to ring the homestay. So we were again stranded in the middle of nowhere. Luckily there was a nice bakery so I sent Will to get us something to eat while I watch the bags. He came back with two of the biggest chocolate covered doughnut with sprinkles. Haha well it did make me laugh! So we are just sitting in the bakery until we can get hold of the homestay 😊

    So we decided to pay a tiny bit extra for our accomodation this time due to reviews that we read and it was definitely worth it. When waiting at the bakery we met up with Rob who we hadn't seen since chiang Mai it was so nice to see a familiar and smiley face after such a rotten bus experience. We then all headed to the homestay together and they were so happy to see us and offered us warm tea. Me and Rob then headed out for beer and snacks. We had such a great evening catching up on the last 3 months. We had dinner with Lan and her mum. Wow can her mum drink. She kept telling us to drink happy water and she just kept going too! The food was just amazing and it was so nice to have such a family vibe again! She even made fresh onion rings! It was a really lovely family feel to remind us that Vietnamese people are generous and caring.

    The next day Lan, the owner, took us on a very fun hike the next day. To be honest we were still quite sore from Fansipan but it was fun and we kept getting so lost. She took us to a local Hmong family, we picked and ate orange raspberries, we walked down random rice terraces, down buffalo tracks and up corn fields. She then took us for lunch to her friends restaurant where we ate Phở Cháu Bac Ha, which is completely different to to the traditional Phở we know. It had less soup, thicker noodles, peanuts and lots of herbs cut in already. Really delicous! And she didn't let us paying anything towards it and said it was a gift!

    In the afternoon we just chilled out and caught up on some Vietnamese (we keep skipping it!!). It's so peaceful and beautiful here. We could easily stay a week!    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    The bug hits again...

    2 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Well the next day the plan was to have a lie in and begin planning for our next destination. Well I've not updated my blog for a reason. I've been hit with the flu. Luckily I'm at the end of it it now but by god it was like I had been hit by a car. My temperature was through the roof, I was just sleeping in a puddle of sweat, I couldn't move and let's just say I was quite upset... So I won't go into much detail about the last couple of days apart from how amazingly sweet and kind the family have been. They have been cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for me everyday, giving me herbal remedies which they "grow in their garden"..., cleaning our bedding and washing my clothes, making me endless cups of tea. Honestly I just couldn't have asked to be in a most comforting place when ill. The family have a son who is 5 and he is just the cutest. No matter how ill I was I just couldn't help but play and watch TV with him. He loves Peppa Pig, Tom and Jerry, The Incredibles and very surprisingly Mr Bean!

    So yes it has been annoying to be so ill but I've been in a beautiful location (to be honest it's also rain quite a lot so a good excuse for a duvet day), incredible and endless food with such a caring and loving family. I don't have many pictures, so this ones a short one!    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Can Cau Market and Tribal Villages

    5 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    I was feeling much better after my herbal bath and slept very well. God knows what was in it but it seemed to work. So we borrowed the bike and went to Can Cau Market, famous for being the largest buffalo market in the area. When we left on the bike Phat looked at us with his huge puppy dog eyes for leaving him. But we hadn't done anything for 3 days so we headed off to the market. Well the ground was absolutely sodden from the rain and the sheer number of buffalo's that had trampled their way through. It was a lovely drive but as always in the mountains the weather is very unpredictable, luckily we were on our way back and were able to take cover in a cafe when the heavens opened. After waiting 45 mins it turned to drizzle and felt it was as good as we would get so we grabbed Phat's treat cake and headed back to the homestay. The afternoon was spent playing games with Phat and then having the honour of visiting various local tribal villages. Will even tried their local tobacco! The weather was stunning and the views were lovely on the bike along the way!

    That evening I cooked Aubergine Saak and Chapattis for the family. It was so much fun both Lan, the mum, and Phat joined in rolling the chapattis and they loved it! It was sooo nice to have home cooked food too! Then the family invited us to go to Bac Ha night market. Wow do they put a show on for tourists! First they have performances of their local dance on stage and then they build a huge fire and everyone dances round holding hands. It was so so so much fun!!    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Bac Ha Market and off we go again!

    6 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    The next day we went to the really famous Bac Ha Market which is the largest market bringing together tribes from villages all around wearing their traditional dresses and making the market so colourful! We went with Lan and Phat and it was so interesting! We learnt that a buffalo costs about £1000 and a songbird about £100!

    We then very quickly decided it was definitely time to move on so we booked a super last minute bus to take us to Ha Giang, well two buses.

    The second bus had yet another crazy driver and it was sooo full of furniture and even a car windscreen in a wooden frame. We literally had to climb over it all to get to our seats! It's hilarious when you are on a bus as a tourists being thrown completely out of our seats and barely comfortable when the conductor of the bus stands the whole way barely moving with the manic bus. A girl on the bus described it as "its like the bus off Harry Potter" and honestly I couldn't have summed it up better!! The weather was glorious the whole journey and the views along the way spectacular! On the bus we met Svenja who decided to stay in the same Homestay as us. That evening we decided we would all do the 4 day motorbike loop together.    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Ha Giang to Yen Minh

    7 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    The morning was quite stressful as the 3 night 4 day tour turned into a much bigger loop of 6 days and so we needed to pack very differently and take a bigger bike. Will then practised on the bike for a while to get used to his first semi manual bike. Then off we went. Now having a big bag which was packed in a rush and me and Will was a squeeze to say the least. Honestly towards the end it was truly the most uncomfortable thing ever. But... Oh my goodness... The views... The views... Did I mention the views?! It was wow. Just stunning. I don't think my photos can even give it justice! I have nothing else to say apart from wow, I think the next 6 days are going to be incredible!Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Yên Mình to Wherever We Can!

    8 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    So today's was to drive from Yen Minh Minh to the northern most point in Vietnam in Lưng Cu, which borders China, and then drive to Dong Van approximately 95km.

    We set off with more than enough time and once again had the most stunning scenery with lots of stops for photos. We stopped at a local Hmong village and the Kings Residence.

    We were on the very final 30km stretch of road when all of a sudden we came to a huge traffic jam. On these roads there is normally 0 traffic, sometimes you don't meet another car of bike for miles! So we nipped past all the standstill cars and eventually got to the front to find what we thought was a huge landslide blocking the road. In the end we found out that actually they are widening the road so they cause the landslides to happen so that they can crush the rocks and make the road wider. At first we waited for a while thinking it was being removed but soon realised we would be waiting hours. So we took the decision to take an hour an half detour round. It was super tough going but we finally made it round and we saw that the blockage had only just been elevated when we got there, phew, it was just about worth it. We were on the home stretch, but it was getting very very late now and they were doing this same type of road work the whole way. The roads were terrible and slightly dangerous in parts but we eventually arrived in Lung Cu and decided to stay the night.

    We stayed in a homestay in a local lo lo village and it was really cute and lovely! We had dinner with the family and tried home brewed corn wine. Gosh it was strong!

    So we didn't quite make our destination but we had a great drive, the weather was fantastic and we were safe so I can't complain!    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    It always takes longer than you think...

    9 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    So we are about 30 km behind what we were hoping, but we headed off early for breakfast and to see the sites of Lung Cu including the fake and real most northern points of Vietnam and to see China! Its funny, when someone said we could see China I had this idea in my head that it would look completely different and there would be a Chinese flag etc. Nope there was nothing... Just another mountain on the other side of the river 😂

    We went back to the homestay packed, filled up petrol and even though we got up for 6am it was somehow 10:30am already! The original plan at the start of the journey was to do a very big loop which incorporates the famous Ha Giang loop, Ban Gioc Waterfall and the beautiful Ba Be Lake. The owner of our first hostel said it was easily doable in 6 days. Today was decision day whether we did the big loop or just the Ha Giang loop. So we had a quick look at the map and realised it was completely impossible. The Ban Gioc Waterfall was over 300km away. We were averaging under 100km a day so if we did everything it would take us about 8-9 days and Svenja only had 6. So we took the decision to do the smaller loop which was still going to take us 4-5 days. We had about 113km to drive today... The aim was to get to Du Già via the famous, beautiful, but most dangerous pass, the Mai Pi Leng Pass. So off we went via a few sights and we finally got to Dong Van and had lunch. It was now 2:30pm and we still had 90km to drive...

    We carried on to the beautiful Mai Pi Leng Pass and wow. Round every corner it got more and more spectacular. I just can't describe how stunning it was! It was a bit hazy so the photos might not do it justice but just wow!

    We finally got to a little town Meo Vac which was the last town/ place for accomodation until Du Gia which was still 72km away and it was now after 3:30pm. So we decided to stop here and find a hostel instead. It was a really lovely evening. We met lots of other people who were also doing the loop. Will chatted and drank with the guys and me and Svenja went for a wander and dinner out of the hostel. It was a nice and relaxing evening what felt like quite a tough day.    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Bit of a grey start but a lovely end!!

    10 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Well today we got on the bike and it was looking quite grey. So raincoats were at the ready, let's be honest we've had 3 days without rain so we've been very lucky! It is rainy season after all. So off we went and the views were so different today. The mountains still super epic but with so many small villages dotted around. We met soo many cute children who wanted to give us high fives along the way. And guess what... The sun came out!! It was soo soo peaceful and lovely.

    We got to Du Gia and wow our homestay was in the middle of rice fields, the sun was shining and we had a celebratory beer. ☀️😁 A super lovely last night before travelling back to Ha Giang and finishing our motorbike tour.

    I thought that the rest of the evening wouldn't be worth writing about but actually I was wrong...

    So we were chatting, having a beer in the homestay and slowly but surely lots of others came and 2 couples joined us, one from Paris and the other from Amsterdam. The couple from Amsterdam had literally just got engaged a couple of hours ago so naturally we had to celebrate! The beers rolled in, corn wine was drunk, gymnastics was done and a ninja game was played. It was all hilarious and to be honest you really had to be there, things escalated haha!!!    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Saving the best till last!

    11 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We gelled so well as a group and decided to meet up in the morning for breakfast and then head to the local waterfall for a spot of swimming. The rest of the guys either had more powerful motorbikes or only one person on them, so catching up was difficult with 2 on a 110cc! Swimming in the waterfall was really fun, so we stayed for a couple of hours before heading back to the homestay for a change, lunch and then heading off on the 72km journey back. So in previous days when we have done this it would take 5-6 hours. But with Will playing with the big boys and trying to keep up the whole way we were back in 4! There were a few sketchy moments, a few moments where I nearly flew off, a few moments when he would slam on the break and I'd fly into him, a few moments where I had to get off as the road was just too bad for 2 people on the bike but the most horrifying of all was when we were stuck in traffic and saw why... A huge truck had clearly gone too fast around a corner and drove off the cliff. It was horrific!

    In the evening we all went back to our homestay and had dinner together before they all headed to Hà Nội. Next stop for us is Ba Be National Park. We aren't quite sure how to get there but I think it's going to be another fun multiple bus adventure!    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    To Ba Be National Park

    12 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    So today we started yet another crazy adventure to our next destination, Ba Be National Park. Most people book organised tours from Hà Nội or drive a motorbike for 2 days to get there, but us, we go the local way! Our journey started at 5am and just when we would have liked to have been on a quicker bus it was like being on a sloth! They stopped for breakfast, coffee, lunch and god knows what else but it took 7 hours to get to our first changeover spot and of course this was on a deserted road. I find it incredible how things just work here. The bus driver dropped us off and said you stay here and a bus will pick you up. We barely waited 5 minutes and sure enough on the other side of the road a bus stopped and waved us to get on! The second bus is full of Vietnamese watching what I can only describe as Vietnamese Got Talent. It's pretty funny.

    OK so that was a horrid bus ride. People were being sick all around, the bus was unbelievably bumpy and it was an unexpected 4 hour long ride. When we finally stopped and got off we were on the complete opposite side to where we needed! So then we caught a boat and then finally after another 20 min walk we arrived at the homestay. Shattered is not the word... I think it's time to rest!! I couldn't ask for a more peaceful surrounding to be resting in 😊    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Ba Be Lake

    13 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We are so so tired. The Ha Giang Motorbike trip has really took it out of us. We had quite a reasonable lie in but a neighbouring house were singing karaoke all night so we had very little sleep. In the morning we were had plans to do a 15km hike, but it was too much so we decided to take a 4hr boat trip around the lake with the owner of the homestay. It really is the hot season at the moment just sitting still makes me sweat relentlessly!! On the boat it was nice and cool for most of the journey so it was definitely the right thing to do. We even spent sometime planning our next steps!

    In the evening we booked our flight to Malaysia (woohoo we go in 2 weeks) and then had yet another super yummy dinner at the homestay. They grow and catch their own food and it's just super simple and tasty!

    The next day I woke up with once again very little sleep. I know it sounds ridiculous but I'm actually beginning to worry about coming back, getting a job and having a "normal life" again. I think if I hadn't gone through a redundancy it would be fine, but annoyingly it does still upset me. The plan for the day was to get up super early, pack and go for a hike. We had no idea if we could make the bus back to Hà Nội at 1pm or whether we would need to stay another night. It all depends on how long the hike took.

    Well we were up early and began hiking. It was hot, really really hot. I felt really nausea and had to keep stopping. We ended up cutting the walk early and booked our trip back to Hà Nội instead. Our main reason to get back to Hà Nội as soon as possible is to see Svenja again and be guided round by a local!

    So having had only a pineapple we jumped in the minivan, which dropped us off at a boat, which dropped us off at a bus. The bus is an absolute dream!! We have the whole bus to ourselves!!! There is no way this will last for very long. I'm sure he will drop us off on a street corner where we will be picked up by a bus full of people, animals and furniture... let's see...

    Well I can confirm that the bus was empty the whole way! Everytime the bus indicated we held our breath waiting for the driver to tell us to move bus. I honestly cannot believe it! We couldn't sleep for 6 hours as we were just waiting to be randomly kicked off haha how ridiculous. The journey was great and it dropped us off right in the old quarter. I think today is our lucky day as Svenja's friend has a spare room which she has let us stay in too. So we are sat in our cosy room just chilling. We were going to meet Svenja but ended up just going to bed!    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Hà Nội - Food!

    15 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    So we originally had big plans to do lots in the morning but this wasn't realistic... We had a super chilled morning, ate yummy Banh Xeo and then visited the Temple of Literature. I'm probably going to say this everyday and you're going to get bored of it, but seriously... It's bloody hot. I just cannot stop sweating. It's just disgusting!! After the temple we jumped in an uber to town to meet Svenja for the famous Hà Nội Egg Coffee! It was such a relief to get into the air-conditioned taxi. I didn't want to get out!! Egg Coffee, so it's really nice, but I still don't think it's as good as the coffee from the old men on the street which is so thick and chocolatey. We then headed to the old quarter to see the old market. We stayed there a while in the sweaty indoor market and Svenja bought a couple of things.

    In the evening we headed back to the flat... What an ordeal, so the addresses in Hanoi aren't so useful as Google maps doesn't have half of the tiny streets and alleys. We were walking in circles for ages befote eventually finding the flat. All the tiny alleys and buildings look the same. Phew! We then headed out for Ban Cuan dinner. It is normally a breakfast dish but Svenja knows where to go. It's a pork and mushroom mix rolled in rice noodle and eaten with dried onions dipped in soup. It was super yummy!!

    After that we wanted to experience Hà Nội at night! First we went to Ta Hien Street which is where all the local Vietnamese go for drinks with a quick stop at Roti King. It was fun, we drank beer and ate super spicy dried beef and pork balls. Then we went for Bo Bia which is sugar cane and coconut wrapped in rice paper (oddly super nice) and then for more Bia Hoi. Bia hơi is a daily beer that is brewed and must drank on that same day. I think we need to get the recipe for this.

    We then headed to Phúc thần bar. We walked all the way to find it was closed!! We then headed to a rice wine bar and would you believe it... It was closed too. It was a clear sign it was home time 😊    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Hà Nội - More food glorious food

    16 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    The next day we went for breakfast on the street and ate an array of tofu, noodles, meats and herbs. Then we headed to pottery village, Ba Trang. It was soo nice. There was so so so much we wanted to buy 😭 we couldn't though as we can't justify carrying it all for another 2 months, so I just took pictures of what I wanted. We then headed back to see Ngoc Son Temple, which is a small temple in the middle of a lake. After we went shopping and did a couple of chores before heading for a lemon tea and then dinner.

    Dinner was really fun. We decided to go to a famous barbecue restaurant. Even though one waiter spoke English we didn't have a clue what we needed to do. In the end we went for the set menu which we thought we chose a couple of meats from. Nope... We were very wrong. You actually get all the items from the menu, there must have been over 10 different cuts of meats plus you can order different salads, bibinbap, tea and endless desserts. It was crazy!! I thought I was losing weight in the south of Vietnam... Definitely not in the north!!! We were so full we decided to walk home from there.    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Cat Ba Island

    17 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    The next day we had booked a bus to go Cat Ba, our last destination before heading to Malaysia. So we got up super early to see Ho Chi Chi Minh Mausoleum. Even though we got there super early there was already a queue an hour long. As we didn't have much time we decided to skip seeing Ho Chi Minh and just wander round the grounds, see the Botanical Garden (actually just a park), have Bun Cha for lunch (yummy meat pattys, noodles and herbs in a fish sauce) before seeing Svenja briefly for one last time! I'm so glad we bumped into her, she's been an absolute gem and shown us how people really live in Hanoi even in all the tourist places. We then headed for our bus to Cat Ba. I think we are getting lucky with our transport. It was really efficient and quick! We arrived in Cat Ba and after a bit of an ordeal finding our homestay we were finally able to sit and chill. We met a lovely couple from Brighton, Fabian and Katie, and after a chat we headed out for dinner. We were in the local area of Cat Ba and when walking down the street in search of food we found an evening English Class. The kids were aged 12 and 13 and their level of English was very varied for only basic words to discussing the Illuminati and conspiracies theories of Donald Trump. Seriously, Will actually had this discussion with a 13 year old kid who genuinely believed in the Illuminati and that Hillary... God knows how they got onto that! I was just talking about our travels and showing them different countries and the Google maps of London! It was about 9:30pm when we realised the time and we still hadn't eaten so we walked back to the homestay as nowhere was open and the owner leant us his scooter to go to town for dinner.Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Boats boats boats!

    18 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    It's time for a day on a boat, let's be honest that's why you come to Cat Ba! Cat Ba is one of the larger islands within Ha Long Bay home to the endangered Cat Ba Langur. The best way of seeing this area is by boat, so off we went on an all day boat trip. We swam, we ate amazing seafood, we saw the biggest fish I'd ever seen, we kayaked through caves, we chilled out and the weather was stunning, hot, very hot but perfect. Kayaking is sooo much fun!! I loved every minute of it 😁

    When we came ashore we decided to visit the Canon Fort and watch sunset at the top. Did I mention its hot???! Woweee it's just impossible to walk at all in this heat. Well actually it's the humidity, it's just killer. When we got to the top obviously the clouds came in just as the sun was setting, but it was a lovely view of the boats and the bay anyway.

    In the evening we went for Ban Xéo (the pancake filled with mushroom and pork) dinner and met Fabian and Katie who were staying in our homestay for Bia Hoi (beer) at what became our local for the next couple of days.    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Cruising around and haircut time!

    19 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Today we had a very chilled morning. I forgot to talk about the homestay! The family are super lovely with 2 super shy children, one girl and one boy. The breakfast in the morning is incredible. So first we got fresh Vietnamese coffee then out came salad, omelette and bread. Normally that would be all, but then came out a freshly made doughnut, a cream bun, watermelon, mango and sticky rice! Let's just say we didn't need to have lunch while at this homestay!

    In the afternoon we hired a scooter to go to the national park. We drove to the tip of the island, I drove the scooter (Yey I can do it!) and then walked up to a viewpoint. Did I mention its hot?! It was only a 45 minute walk and I felt like I was in a shower and my lungs were going to collapse and it was 4:30pm! It's 88% humidity and 33 degrees here. 😭

    In the evening we met up with the guys for dinner and beer hoi. Honestly before I came here I would never choose to drink anything lighter than a Guinness, now having a cold refreshing lager at the end of the day is just what you need!

    The next day we had our feast breakfast and started planning for Malaysia. We are flying to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday with Air Asia, who have a 7kg limit for handluggage... Crap... Currently our bags weigh 11-15kg... Looks like we will be wearing everything on the plane 😂 We borrowed some scales and were able to get our bags down to the bare minimum. Hopefully it's OK!!

    We then headed out in search of a haircut for both of us. We found a man on the street cutting hair so Will was sorted. The guy was so delicate and detailed with the cut. Will got a makeover, eyebrows shaped, nose hairs trimmed, the works!

    Then we found one for me. Haha it was an interesting experience. I do need to remember that it was only a fiver so I was expecting something simple. First he looked at my hair as if he had never seen curly or thick hair before. (He probably hadn't!). Then a girl washed my hair as if there was no tomorrow, throwing shampoo everywhere including down my ears. Then he sat me on the chair and began to cut. Well to be honest this was the OK bit. After the cut they washed my hair again or should I say she scraped my scalp with her sharp claws. I don't really understand why but she just kept scraping and scraping for about 10 minutes!! It was rather painful. Finally she stopped and then the blow drying began. I had 2 people blow drying my hair at once, the guy and the girl that washed my hair. The guy did one side very gently and calmly while the girl was just burning my scalp and pulling my hair out of my head. Again, I just sat and had to remember it's only a fiver... Eventually my hair dried and they began straightening it. They might as well have just pulled my hair straight! The straighteners were pretty cool so they just did a light touch. Actually the end result wasn't too bad for a fiver, but obviously in 88% humidity it lasted about 2 mins before the frizz and curls let loose. So glad to have shorter hair again though!

    We then jumped on the bike to watch sunset and meet up with the others in town. I think we got a bit carried away with chatting and drinking beer! We tried a floating bar too which was fun and then quickly drove back for family dinner. We had sashimi with a soy and wasabi dip. We kept making the dip spicier and it just blew our faces off. It was fun 😂 Then we had fish soup, rice with a flax seed crumb, potato and pork and of course plenty of rice wine! As it was our last night we of course had to go back to our local bia hoi place. When we got there he was literally closing the shutters. We knocked and he saw it was us and happily opened up again for us! He was so sweet. 3 more beers and a couple of card games down it was definitely time to let him and us go to bed! Such a fun night.    Leggi altro

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  • Shahnavaz MehtaVietnamViaggiatore

    Final stop Hà Nội ❤️ Goodbye Vietnam

    21 maggio 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Everyone was a bit delicate for breakfast. We were all so excited for our doughnuts, but today it was noodle soup!! The look on everyone's face was classic. The noodle soup was very delicious but it just wasn't the fun carby breakfast we'd been having previously and needed after a beer sesh!

    We then packed and said good byes before jumping on the bus back to Ha Nội. We did a big wash in preparation for our flight tomorrow sorted out some logistics and then headed into town for one last wander. The hardest decision had to be made. What was our last meal in Vietnam going to be?! How can we even choose?! If I could choose anything I think I would go back to Ho Chi Mình and eat Bun Thit Nuong, Bạn Xéo and a Banh Mi. Well actually we saw a street seller with various starter picks, including a crab spring roll which was super tasty and then we went for the one and only Phở, it would be silly not too! It was scummy!! We then spent the evening wandering round the old quarter, the lake, watching kids break dance on the street and soaking in the lively evening culture. It was a lovely end to our time here.

    But that's not all! We still have one morning left before the flight so we got up early and decided to head to the sky deck to have a 360 view of the city and a reflection of the past 9 weeks. A truly beautiful end to our time here. We then went for one last coffee before the craziness of picking up our luggage, dropping off keys and heading to the airport. I can't believe this is our first flight on this trip! I soo much prefer going by land as you don't have to worry about security and luggage...

    On our way to the airport now... waiting in anticipation... We've decided to fly with just hand luggage and for air asia it has to be under 7kg. Nightmare! Hoping our bags are under 7kg...

    Update... So... All luggage weighed 21kg, so we did the typical backpacker thing and wore everything. I wore a dress, a tshirt, a skirts, trousers and a thermal top, wore the coats and stuffed all pockets full to the brim. Will even wore two pairs of shoes! (Look closely at the picture!). But we got through!! 😂 When we got past security we were so hot and sweaty and instantly trimmed down again. We then went to meet a couple we met in Cat Ba who happened to be getting the same flight. Typical...the flight is delayed luckily we have good company to pass the time.

    I can't believe it really is the end of our time here. There is so much we still want to see and do. Ah well it just means we will have to come back!!

    What an incredible journey we have had here. We've eaten the most fresh and tasty food ever, we've seen some incredible landscapes, we've driven bikes and come away injury free, we've had a few funny bus and train journeys, we've learnt Vietnamese, I've been converted to a coffee drinker, we've swam in the sea and kayaked, but the thing that has truly made our time special in Vietnam has been the people we have met along the way, travellers and particularly the locals. Mỹ Tho, Họ Chỉ Mình, Huế, Bac Ha, Ha Giang and Cat Ba were just a handful of the places where we met the most loving, friendly and generous people. They are places we felt like we lived and were part of a family, not just another tourist. If you're reading this and we met you along the way thank you so much for being part of our journey.    Leggi altro

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