Week 15 & 16 (Vietnam)

Da Nang – Hoi An – Lang Co – Hue – Khe Sanh – Phong Nha

Me again, folks. Week 15 and 16, what in the backpacking for over three months?! I think it’s safe to say I feel like a fully fledged backpacker now, I feel suitably dirty and sweaty most of the time, I can hack cold showers over the toilet, I wince at spending over £2 for a beer and I’ve perfectly nailed the packing of my backpack in under 5 minutes. I also have a completely different perspective on life and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. JOKING. Anyway, an update on the last two weeks. 

After a hop, skip and a jump we arrived in Da Nang at about 5pm, not withholding another Banh Mi at the airport OBVIOUSLY, and we were straight in a Grab to Banana Flower Homestay. Decided to spend that evening mooching around the food market, but first we stumbled across a random restaurant on the side of the road that was popping off with locals, so naturally we had to try something from there. Some kind of pork and lemongrass dish which was lovely, albeit a little fatty for my liking. Give me da meat. The Helio food market was sadly a little underwhelming, although I have completely changed my opinion on spring rolls which is nice. At home they are like soggy little dicks, out here they are crispy rolls of JOY. To top the evening off I finally got myself a 5000 puff vape which 3 days later I finished which is v concerning and I am definitely feeling a little closer to addressing the issue because I literally have my vape glued to my fingers at the moment. I can’t smoke it in this coffee shop right now and I am fucking clucking. I am aware I am saying ‘we’ still, I’d feel like a fraudster for saying ‘I’. I am still travelling with P man and having a really lovely time, trying not to think too much into the future and just enjoy the vibes right now. I’m not sure I have the capacity at the moment to think of anything serious relationship wise, and I think he feels the same, so for now, it’s lovely and fun, and we seem to have found a nice balance between doing stuff together and also doing our own thing. Without sounding like a knob, I don’t want to look back on this trip and be reminded entirely of somebody else, it’s all about me basically?

So the plan for the next day in Danang was to go to Ba Na Hills, which is basically a hill station and resort type thing in the mountains with the famous golden bridge. Turned out it was £50 and after battling with the guilt of not doing the tourist attraction in the area, we’d decided not to. It was a great decision, partly because I knew I would rather spend the money on something else, and also because the day was spent getting a massage and then eating, basically, which sounds like a day well spent to me. I also tried my first coconut coffee which was BUFF. I can imagine everyone has really missed me talking about my massages, so let me give you some context for this one guys. This one was actually my FIRST EVER MASSAGE  BY A MAN, isn’t that completely fascinating?! I will say I was a little perturbed at first when I realised it was a smelly boy doing the massage, but actually, it was amazing. As is the way with most massages, I took my bra off and kept my pants on, but he honestly looked like he’d seen a ghost when he went to massage my back and realised I had no bra on… I suddenly felt full of shame. He ran off to get me some kind of backless t-shirt and the massage resumed, boobies covered.

Next up on the trip was Hoi An which I was super excited for. Lots of people had told me how incredible this place was and so I had quite high expectations. Purav and I had decided to spend a few days apart here, both conscious of wanting to do our own thing. Refreshing how honest our conversations are! Before heading off to Hoi An, Danang is a good place to surf so I’d booked myself a surf lesson at Danang Surf Shack at 11am. I haven’t surfed since India but was pleasantly surprised as I was still able to get up, albeit intermittently. My instructor was SO AMAZING, and definitely blowing smoke up my arse but I was here for it. I’m wondering at what point it doesn’t completely wipe you out just dragging the board back out into the sea, that’s the hardest part, and I had someone helping me/doing it for me?! Don’t want to be a drama queen but I will say the waves were INTENSE here so I was pretty exhausted afterwards. Suitably sunburnt and tired, I took myself for GENUINELY my first boujee meal in a really long time. Purav is a huge foodie, which means if we are travelling together there’s no western food in sight, which is amazing because I’ve been pushed completely out of my comfort zone food wise and have eaten some sensational food in some seriously random places. But you know what, sometimes I want a smoothie bowl and a green juice, so that’s what I did, I got myself a fuck off massive overpriced smoothie bowl and green juice and felt lovely in my insides. Hoi An is super close to Danang, so I jumped in a Grab and within 45 minutes I was at my hostel, The Cuckoo’s Nest. I picked this one because it was slightly out of the centre, had amazing reviews and was surrounded by the most stunning rice fields. I’ve got to say I was a little nervous to stay at a hostel on my own again, I felt like I hadn’t done it in a while, which was exactly why I wanted to do it, and it actually was a lovely reminder that I am perfectly capable of travelling alone. You can really get used to relying on someone else, and nothing good lasts forever. No I’m joking, but I did feel an urge to just completely rely on myself again. This hostel had the loveliest vibe to it, and I wanted to get familiar with my surroundings so I hired a bike and cycled into the old town. This was the first and last time I hired a bike, Hoi An feels like 45 degrees right now (I’m not actually being dramatic, check the weather app) and I honestly felt like someone threw lava over me, so from then on it was grab bikes all the way, which is basically uber but on motorbikes and costs about 50p-£1.50 each time. I’m no fool. Anyway, the old town is completely STUNNING (although VERY busy) and it’s no wonder it’s a UNESCO heritage site! 

After stuffing my face with another Banh Mi (there’s so many famous spots in Hoi An for Banh Mi so had to start straight away if I was going to get them all in my mouth) I head back to the hostel to get ready for a night in town with a guy I’d met earlier. This American dude I’d met at the hostel invited me out to watch the lantern festival in town (had no idea this was on, and definitely explains why it was so busy) with him and two of his friends. How lovely I thought, a nice plan for my evening I thought. I quickly realised these guys were POO vibes and managed to get myself out of this plan by basically not looking up when they were heading out 🙂 Really mature. Luckily for me I met another two guys (I just get on better with guys than girls!!!!) and the three of us headed into town separately. Calla was 26 and from London, and Paul (obviously sounds very different in French x) 25 from Paris and I fell completely head over heels for Paul (in a completely platonic way). We had such a great couple of nights out together in Hoi An. But anyway, Calla and Paul were SO fun, and our night started with eating a Cau Lao on the river and playing pool in the Irish bar, and then finished in the trashiest bar we could find with me collapsing after doing a balloon and dropping my (first ever!!!) bucket of rum and coke 😦 On a serious note, I don’t think I’m going to do a balloon again, partly because it’s completely off brand but mostly because I literally blacked out. I’d heard a couple stories of people blacking out from balloons, but assumed this wouldn’t happen to me because I’m hard as nails, but next thing I knew time literally felt like it stopped and I came to with half my toe nail hanging off, a lump on my head, and my clothes were soaked. The guys said I looked like I died, which is actually pretty horrible, and so dangerous!!!!!!!!! Anyway, it was all fine luckily, it’s kind of insane that it can happen and then a minute later everything feels normal again. Aside from that, it was such a fun night, and I was really in the mood for a trashy night.

The next day obviously started with a horrendous hangover and a few existential thoughts. Hoi An is known for its tailoring, and if I wasn’t so painfully hungover and shaky, I’d have probably thought this through better and got a few things made. I went to Huong tailors and they fitted a pretty stunning three piece green suit for me to wear as a bridesmaid to Kate’s wedding. CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS MEAGHS!!!!!!! It was a bit of a sensory overload to be quite honest, but considering the state I was in, it felt quite nice to be touched, in a completely not weird way. I didn’t fancy going back to the hostel so headed to the beach to meet Sam and Bert (the two wonderful guys I’d met in Dalat) at a place called ‘Sound of Silence’ which is this stunning beach side cafe. They’d decided to get a massage, so I ended up watching the sunset on my own and it was glorious. I had a lovely hour-long facetime with Sam, which was much in need as my thoughts tend to run WILD on a hungover. Feeling much more revitalised, the three of us went for dinner at Duoc which is a seafood spot on the river, and it was a really wholesome evening. We ate scallops, clams, some kind of white fish and put the world to rights. Bert was heading into town, but I was in desperate need of some TLC so headed back to the hostel for an early night. 

Feeling in a much better state the next day, I’d initially planned to do a cooking class, but I actually didn’t want to do it, I think I just felt like I should. I decided instead to go back to the beach, it was the kind of wholesome vibe I was after. I’d met a lovely girl called Hannah that morning, and she ended up meeting me at the beach. It was lush how comfortable we felt in each other’s company and did our own thing while being together, intermittently having some really interesting conversations. She’s really into her meditation and spirituality and told me about her 10 day vipassana meditation retreat in Sri Lanka where you meditate for 9 hours a day. She said it completely changed her life, so as you can imagine that really got my cogs turning. Completely fascinating!! I can’t imagine being able to do that, I literally struggle for 30 minutes. She was explaining how much you want to give up in the first few days, and then eventually you just kind of surrender to the experience. We spoke a lot about how meditation kind of gives you this space between a feeling and a reaction, both internally and externally, and it’s almost like a healthy disconnect, like you aren’t as reactive to everything. A pause almost. Not sure that really makes sense, but I really wanted to get that into words. Anyhoo, there was a bbq at the hostel that evening, so I headed back to get ready and spent the evening with just the loveliest bunch of people at the hostel, some of whom I’d definitely see again if our paths cross. This hostel really nailed the social vibe without it being too much, there’s just one long bench in the middle of the garden where about 30 people can sit and it feels super sociable without being intimidating. There’s also free rum and coke from 8pm for 30 minutes so it all went a bit west from ther. After a few games of flip cup and some lovely conversations, I thought we were going to a beach party, but it was actually a pool party in a very random bar in the middle of nowhere. It didn’t really dawn on me until the next day that this wasn’t the beach party I’d thought we were going to, but fun nonetheless. Couple of (blurry) highlights from the evening are a girl called Bella trying to convince this 18 year old guy from the UK that astrology is completely legitimate, he was not buying it, and eating the most sensational pizza with this guy called Andrew at the hostel after smoking a joint (:/) and then literally crying with laughter for a good hour about I’m not really sure what. I’d really wanted to have a couple of fun and trashy nights out, and I felt like I’d really scratched that itch here, which was lush. 

I shan’t bore you with the details of how I felt the next morning, going on about hangovers is PATHETIC. But anyway, I was back to the tailors for a fitting at 11am, stuffed my face with 2 banh mi’s to take the edge off and then gorgeous lovely stunning Mollie had booked me a lantern making class at 2pm for my birthday which was SO wholesome. They talk you through the history of the lantern, which has been around for hundreds of years and is a symbol of good luck and fortune. They are the cultural product of Hoi An and so it was a pretty cool experience. You make the lantern from the very beginning, from threading the bamboo sticks with wire and then sticking the frame together, stretching out the fabric to stick around it and then neaten it all up. I chose an orange silk, and have shipped it home with my suit to hang pride of my place in my room. Wait, I don’t really have a room to hang it in at the moment. What the fuck. Thank you Mo for the lovely birthday present!!!!!!!! After hanging with a couple of people from the hostel for a bit that afternoon, I’d decided my social battery was completely dead and checked out a day early to go and get a private room mega lol. I justified it by basically telling myself I really deserved it, and to be honest I felt no regrets when I was cosied up in bed with a takeaway watching Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring. Had a really gorgeous three way facetime with Maz and Al that evening, and then slept like a little baby. 

Purav had joined me at this lovely hotel, and had a very chilled day mooching around the old town. Funny moment at breakfast when I asked him if he felt connected to his Indian identity, he responded with “Jesus Christ Lily, it’s 10am”. Even if we end up as just friends, he gets it. That afternoon I had my final fitting for my suit and then shipped it back. Bon Voyage little guy! We went for dinner at Duoc that evening and ate like absolute kings, we also had a bottle of white wine which was an absolute treat and worth every penny. This was a particularly wholesome evening. I’m not sure what’s going on at the moment but I keep seeing little kids and feeling incredibly broody. That night I spent about 10 minutes staring at two kids playing with a massive grin on my face. The parents and Purav looked incredibly freaked out. Fair play to them. Back fairly early that evening as we had a 7am start for the big drive over the Hai Van Pass which I was BUZZING about.

Initially I was quite scared to drive to Hue, well actually Purav drove so it was actually the fact I couldn’t be in control of my own potential death that was scaring me, but it was so fine, and SO special. The first day we drove from Hoi An, through Danang along the coast and then over the Hai Van Pass to Lang Co. We stopped in Danang for a roadside breakfast Banh Mi, my tolerance for chilli is on the up so I didn’t need to ask for mine less spicy HEHE. Next up we stopped at somewhere called V Village at the beginning of the pass for a coffee, the actual pass is only 20 km long so we wanted to stop as much as possible to make the most out of it. The roads to the top and round the pass are absolutely stunning, and actually nowhere near as scary as I thought they’d be. Don’t get me wrong, driving around the trucks is freaky deaky, but I think the key might be to just drive with no fear. Vietnamese drivers hold no prisoners and there are basically no road rules here. You snooze you lose, or more like you snooze, you get squished. We stopped a few times along the way to take in the views (see below for me in amongst it x) and the plan was to get to Lang Co and stay there for the evening somewhere. Lang Co is a village on the coast, and is pretty bloody beautiful. Not a backpacker in sight! We stumbled across a place called Homies Coffee & Homestay on google maps and after a brief exchange via facebook we were on our way there. We turned up via a long and very sketchy backroad at the most BEAUTIFUL set of wooden bungalows in the middle of the mountains. The scenery was truly breathtaking and you couldn’t hear a thing. This place was run by a group of local friends/family (we couldn’t quite work out who was related to who) and it turns out we were the very first people ever to stay here. Interesting to find that out considering we had kind of gone off the 6 google reviews online that turned out to be fake. I respect the hustle. On arrival they showed us to our little bungalow, just a double bed and a fan basically, but it was called the ‘Sunset bungalow’ because apparently it’s the best place to see the sun rise on the property. Sold. That evening we joined about 5 of them for beers, a little joint, and a dinner of dumplings and rice made over the fire. At one point there was singing by a couple of the guys that wrote their own music, and Purav even smoked a homemade bong with them. I passed on that one. Really wholesome and lovely vibes.

The next day we set our alarms for 5am to watch the sunrise, and I definitely wasn’t really awake because I don’t actually remember this 20 minutes basically at all. I just remember putting two tea bags in mugs with the intention of making tea and not doing it, and then sitting on a damp rock watching the clouds because there was no sunrise. Vibes. After a few more hours of sleep we headed into the centre of Lang Co (one street) for a breakfast of fish noodle soup at a restaurant that Trin (one of the people that runs Homies) recommended us. I’d be lying if I said that I was the biggest fan of noodle soup for breakfast, but I’m definitely getting used to more savoury meals in the morning. This particular soup was accompanied by quails eggs on the tables, and pork sausage type things wrapped in bamboo. I was dubious about the raw looking sausages, but as is always the way, they were delicious. Trin had also told us about this waterfall near the property that was really nice and relaxing, so we decided to head there after breakfast. The drive there was absolutely gorgeous, completely in the middle of nowhere, it was looking good guys!!! We arrived at basically a four tiered waterfall type thing, each tier is basically made into a lounging area and you can eat/drink by the water, it’s a really cool idea. We also arrived to screeching as we were brutally reminded of the Vietnamese’s love of karaoke!!!!! It’s brilliant, but not quite the vibe we were after when we thought ‘chill by a waterfall’, but hey, we spent a good 3 hours sitting next to a group of 10 people each taking turns to wail into the mic with the HUGE speaker pointing right at us 🙂 This afternoon had a sligh aggy edge to it as we waited two hours for food. We both humbled ourselves quickly afterwards as we were reminded that it’s not really a biggie to sit by a waterfall in Vietnam with a beer and wait for food. The karaoke was getting to me. We’d decided to stay one more night in Lang Co because we are young, wild and free and that evening I journaled while watching the sunset (heaven) and then headed out to a place called Minh Tam for dinner. Another one of those absolutely delicious restaurants on the side of the road, we ate prawns, pork belly and beef and I still get a little bit excited when I think about that pork belly. I had a pang of shame for writing that as I was telling everyone I’d be a vegetarian when I went away… not sure why I decided to make a point out of that, embarrassing. 

The next morning, we ate breakfast at the homestay (pot noodle and an egg x) and then were back on the open road baby. Just us, a pair of wheels and the open road. Another morning of absolutely outrageous views, the kind of countryside in Vietnam I was hoping to see, plains of rice fields and mountains in the background. Worth noting here that an hour in there was a rainstorm sent by the Gods and luckily for me I’d offered to drive, so I was scooting along in what can only be described as wet balls of shit for a good 45 minutes. I was actually in pretty good spirits considering the situation, and there was something quite special about the whole thing. The rain started to clear and as if sent by the heavens there was a BANH MI HEO QUAY stall on the side of the road, and it was one hell of a sandwich let me tell you. The woman that owned the stool was adamant that we take pictures with her son, and after a few minutes we were being filmed by another three of the locals. I can finally relate to my brother??!!! The roads had been pretty chill so far, so getting into Hue was a sensory overload in comparison but I bloody love being in cities, I was also ready sussing out the nearest coffee shop. We arrived at Melody Hostel in Hue at about 3pm for some well needed chill time. I’d found a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner called Maison Trang that I’d been recommended by a girl I’d met in Phuket and it had amazing reviews online. Safe to say I won’t be speaking to her again because it might have been the worst meal I’ve eaten on my trip so far… very disappointing, especially when you chose it lols. It all tasted really oily, and super beige, and just nil pwa. It was all ok in the end because I found an ice cream shop on the way home which sold mint choc chic. 

The next day it was time for some chilled out exploration of Hue, but first it was vape o clock. I trudged around Hue in the scorching heat for a good 45 minutes searching for a vape, but in the end gave up and got a grab bike to a shop 2km outside the centre. When the nicotine calls, you answer. Purav and I then went for a massage, specifically a fusion massage and then an Indian head massage. I won’t go into it, but vibes on vibes on vibes. Feeling flexible and relaxed, we headed to Dong Ba market (where Anthony Bourdain ate) to have my first Bun Bo Hue which is a specialty in Hue and is a really flavourful noodle soup with beef. We ate it at one of the few stalls inside the market where they basically feed you until you ask them to stop and it was delicious. I’m actually not entirely sure what the other things she gave us were, but they were tasty, and I have a vivid memory of both of us sweating profusely in the middle of this market while eating this spicy noodle soup (I was low key trying to show off and mine was far too spicy), both a little wet from the rain outside. For the rest of the afternoon I sat in a lovely coffee shop writing before heading out for a couple of beers at a craft brewery we’d been recommended, and then reluctantly schlepping outside of town to try a dish called Cum Hen, which is basically rice and clams. This one wasn’t up there for me, but the experience was funny as we had to trudge through the flooded roads to get to this random restaurant in the middle of nowhere. My beige trousers weren’t looking too cute at the end of the evening. 

The next day we’d decided to book an easy rider tour for 3 days and 2 nights, from Hue to Phong Nha. Phong Nha is only 200 km from Hue, but on the tour they basically take you off the beaten track and I will say that I saw some of the best views I’ve ever seen, mostly on the last day through the Ho Chi Minh trail but I will get to that later. B and Tue (the ultimate father-son due) turned up at our hostel at 8am to collect us and strap our luggage onto the bikes. I was riding with B, a 32 year old from Hue, easy rider for 10 years, father of 2, absolutely beautiful man who made me feel very safe. He was also completely obsessed with Purav and quickly took to calling him ‘big boy’ for 3 days, and told me about 8 times how I should marry him and have his babies. We hurried those conversations along swiftly. Purav was on Tue’s bike, 62 years old and father of B, easy rider for 30 years and knows pretty much everything there is to know about Vietnam. The first day we set off for some sight seeing of Hue, I had asked if we could stop by the abandoned water park as I was SO intrigued, and I know if I could choose any career it would probably be something to do with exploring old and derelict buildings. Not sure if that’s even a career, pretty niche, but it’s my fantasy so shut up!!! Anyway, the waterpark was only open for two years, and never actually completed, and is now covered in graffiti and a bit of an off the beaten track type attraction. We were the only ones there and it was quite cool to see (see pics below) although the array of empty bottles and butts were a bit of a shame, but all the kewl kids come here to smoke weed and drink beer apparently. You’re technically not allowed to enter it, but apparently there’s a security guard that sits out the front and lets you go in for 20K (dong, duh!) but perhaps because it was 8:30 am, we didn’t see him and we were straight in. Next up were the American bunkers a little further out of Hue, and then the Thien Mu pagoda which is the oldest monument in Hue built in 1601. A coffee break and then the Quảng Trị citadel which was the site of much fighting in the Vietnam war as it was one of the symbols that divided north and south Vietnam within the DMZ, or the demilitarised zone. The DMZ was a strip of land that divided communist north, and anti-communist south, and much of this 3 day trip was spent learning about that from Tue who was 10 years old when the war was happening and remembers hearing the bombs in the tunnels. Agreed to be a zone of no conflict as a buffer between the north and south, it sadly became a blood bath. After a lunch stop, Tue gave us a tour of the Vinh Moc tunnels which were located within the DMZ and were built 30m underground by the villagers of Vohn Noc to protect themselves from the US bombs and effectively relocate their lives. Around 60 families lived down there, and 17 babies were born! An absolutely incredible success story in the face of violence and destruction. After some more driving, we were dropped off at our hotel which I will just say had definitely questionable vibes. The area felt a little like something out of a horror film, there was nobody there, it was very grey and the hotel room was definitely from the 70’s. I feel a bit funny if I think about what the inside of the fridge looked like, and also the massive dead moth type thing by the sink. But, all part of the experience girlies!!!!!! That night, we wandered down the road for dinner and let Tue and B order for us. As I’m in my ‘I will try anything once’ phase of life, we ate frog legs (questionable), fried fish, chips (?) and seafood fried rice. Oh AND I finally tried morning glory, which I know Mol will be chuffed about because she was kind of irate that I hadn’t tried it in Thailand. In my defence it is basically just sauteed spinach with garlic, but it was delicious ok Mo?! Thing is with me, I’m more of like a try the reaaaaally authentic dishes kind of person???? It had been raining on and off throughout the day (you should smell my trainers right now) which wasn’t the biggest vibe on the back of a bike, but as we were finishing our meal the heavens truly opened and I’ve honestly never seen rain like it. The roads were flooded within about 5 minutes and it did not let up. We all debated at what point to make a move, but Tue very kindly organised someone to pick us up ponchos so we wrapped up and headed back to the hotel. It was honestly like something out of a film walking in that rain, only in my birkenstocks so I couldn’t run, and within about 2 minutes I’d surrendered to it and allowed myself to get soaked. I prefer my curls after rain anyway. Hot shower in the hotel from the shining and then early night for an 8am start on the bike. 

Another morning of some lovely views as we drove inland towards the Laos border. B showed us around the Khe Sanh Combat Base which was the US air field and was a bit of a paradox as it was set in the most stunning location outside the village of Khe Sanh basically in the clouds. B was adamant we take pictures, and it did feel a bit poo vibes standing in front of a US fighter jet with a grin on my face, but he wouldn’t let up. After a look around the museum, Tue had stopped and bought us some fresh corn so we sat and drank a coffee (coffee is so much stronger in Vietnam, I was tripping balls) and ate the best corn on the cob I ever did try. So much squishier. Wish I could think of a better adjective. The guys dropped us off at our hotel in Khe Sanh village which was really lovely, and we had a few hours to chill. That evening, B and Tue were showing us a local restaurant that basically served chicken inside sticky rice and they seemed pretty excited. It was absolutely BUFF, and quite literally what it says on the tin. A woman came over with a massive ball of crispy sticky rice, started stabbing it with her scissors and inside was a whole chicken. She started to chop the chicken with such grace, this lady knew what she was doing, and between the four of us we managed to finish the majority of it. Possibly one of my favourite meals so far, fairly simple in flavour but just so well done. It was accompanied by some veg smothered in garlic which is my idea of heaven, so all in all a lovely meal. There was Netflix in our hotel room so it was Hell’s Kitchen time baby!!!!!!! 

Our final day began with noodle soup, stocking up on snacks, coffee and we were on our merry way. B and Tue had said a few times that this was the best day for views as we were driving along the Ho Chi Minh trail which was built to connect North and South Vietnam via the jungle in order to go unseen, and I can honestly say I have never seen views like this. I won’t ever forget driving up the mountain with Elton John and George Michael singing Don’t let the sun go down on me in my ears (best duet of all time) as the view finally became clear through the trees and having fully fledged tears in my eyes. I have never seen anything like it. Purav and I were pretty speechless when we pulled over. I’d thought the Hai Van Pass was impressive, but this was just breathtaking. I’ll let the pictures do the talking because I have a feeling I’m running out of adjectives to use, but the rest of the journey was mind blowing, tiny villages, jungle, huge mountains, little kids waving, two little kids putting up their middle fingers, humbled. Purav said later he wished he’d sworn back, I told him it’s probably not on to swear at an 8 year old. One negative from this journey was that I left my airpods at the big view point. I can see them now on Find my Iphone, sitting and chilling on the top of the mountain. As devastated as I am to not have them anymore, I truly believe they will be happy there. Maybe someone will find them and give them a better life than I ever could. Tue and B dropped us off at our homestay in Phong Nha at about 4pm yesterday, the two of them then had to drive 5 hours back to Hue to potentially go again the next day. The graft is kind of incomprehensible. It was such an incredible 3 days, two of the loveliest people I’ve ever met, so generous and kind and they made the whole experience so special. It was completely out of budget, but an absolutely amazing way to see central Vietnam and learn about its rich history. The afternoon was spent doing some admin by the river with a beer. Decided to do a visa run to Bangkok in a few days in order to extend my stay in Vietnam, 30 days just isn’t enough. So it’s two flights in one day, but worth it! We finished off the evening with an Indian as a lil respite from Vietnamese food, followed by the most delicious and dense donut ever from a little bakery which reminds me, I definitely need to buy a couple of them today to get me through. I’m trying not to feel guilt for all the food I’m eating, which is definitely a challenge I haven’t faced before as I don’t usually worry about that, but with a lack of routine and exercise I feel a little more conscious. Trying to gently remind myself that it doesn’t really matter, and I’m enjoying myself which is more important than anything. Right, guys?

So, that brings me to today. I’ve had no plans for the entire day, which is exactly what I needed, so I’m sitting in this lovely little coffee shop watching the world go by. By world, I mean backpackers coming and going because I’ve definitely picked the wankiest spot in the area 🙂 Phong Nha is known for its caves, and actually holds the world’s biggest cave, but that costs £3000 to go into, so I’ve opted for a different one tomorrow, obv. After Phong Nha, we’ve booked a 9 hour train journey to Ninh Binh which is meant to be stunning and a UNESCO site set on the river. I can’t wait for a long train journey, here’s hoping I cry at the views!!! 

It’s been another lovely two weeks, can’t believe I’m over half way now. I strangely feel less homesick than before, maybe because I feel in the swing of it now. 28 is feeling pretty good, I feel quite out of control of my life but at the risk of sounding like a wanker, I really feel like I’m living. Having to relinquish control is kind of liberating and I’m feeling incredibly grateful to get to see the world like this. Plus I’ve had my first ever holiday romance, so naturally feeling sexy as fuck. 

Until next time,

Lily xx