Halong Bay - words can not explain

Halong bay was not only a fantastic end to my travels but an awesome reunion with a best friend. Fran, a university friend who is currently living and studying in Beijing, travelled for a long weekend to visit and join me in exploring the magnificent Halong Bay. 
 

We joined a 3 day boat tour to show us the delights of the bay. On the boat were some great people who have now become great friends. The 9 of us all got on extreme well a group of mixed nationalities, one French, one Dutch, one Canadian, one Austrian, three German, and us two English lasses (although Fran can speak 4 different languages so I'm not sure what nationality she classes herself!) We mainly communicated in English as this was the common language, however included in our party of 9 was a lovely deaf couple so our use of sign language, lip reading, miming and note pad and pen all came in to play. It was great finding out about everyone and getting to know such intriguing characters.

The first day was spent cruising around the bay with a trip in to some cool caves (and having seen the caves in Phong Nha they were pretty average!) We then had a spare hour to wonder off kayaking, which involved Fran and I singing Disney songs at the top of our voices. There was also a spot of diving to retrieve a camera that had gone overboard. That evening was then spent on the boat. Fran and I shared a cabin together, which was very luxurious compared to the hostels, we had our own en-suite! A 3 course dinner was served for us all round a long table followed by a spot of night squid fishing.
 

The next day we explored more of Halong Bay including a pearl farm. Here they speed up the process of the oyster pearl making process by giving the oysters a helping hand. We then reached our next stop where we would be spending the rest of the day/night on our own exclusive deserted island. It was pure bliss! Fran and I had our own cabin again with a gorgeous sea view. We spent the afternoon, sunbathing, taking dip in the sea and reading up books and napping. Fran also gave me a history lesson on several Asia countries to broaden my horizons!  

 

 

That evening we enjoyed a delicious meal with all the people staying on the island. This then turned in to drinking games and some great merriment! It was then time for a midnight dip in the sea. The tide had gone out by this point and we could walk with the water about waist deep across to another island. The water was glowing as we waded through it due to the plankton sparkling. I had never seen anything like it, it was fantastic!

The next day with rather sore heads it was time to disembark from our private island to make our way back to the mainland. The journey was a struggle at times with our hangovers but we finally made it back to Hanoi.
 

The next day Fran had an early flight back to China, so we had a final chilled evening together before hitting the sack.

Once Fran had left I had a final day of my travels left, so I checked myself in to a lovely hotel and went off to do some last minute souvenir and present shopping. I bumped in to some friends from the Halong Bay boat trip, so we went for some farewell drinks.

 

Well I guess this is the last post in Beth’s Great Escape. It’s time for me to return to England and start a new adventure in my homeland. Thank you for reading all my posts, I hope you have enjoyed them all. A special thanks to all the friends who have shared my adventure along the way, from those who were fellow TEFL teachers, to old university friends, to family, to travelling buddies. I have had a wonderful 8 months and I couldn’t have asked for a more fantastic time!
 

With Love from Me!

Vietnam's great capital - Hanoi

We arrived in Hanoi early in the morning, Dana and Ella went off to their hostel and I to mine, we would meet up later on for drinks. I checked in to my hostel and went off to meet Rachel who I originally met in Dalat but also spent time with in Hoi An. We went off for the day exploring the city. The first stop was the Women's museum which was full of great Vietnamese history and women's dress. Of course we had to try some on!  

We explored the city some more, doing a bit of shopping, stopping for some amazing but extremely spicy noodle soup street food. There's a big lake in the middle of the city which we walked around in the baking heat. 

Just when we needed a break from the sweltering heat we stumbled across the air-conditioned post it note cafe. Hanisha had told me about the cafe from her visit but I had completely forgotten about it until we saw it. I looked for her note but there were just too many to read. I added a couple special ones of my own.

That evening I had dinner with Rachel and then she was off on an over night train to Sapa to do some trekking. I went off to meet Dana and Ella for a few drinks and to hear about their day. The next day we decided to meet for lunch and then go to the Water Puppets show. We had all read in the guide books it was the thing to do in Hanoi. For lunch I had a delicious potato and vegetable cheese thing! Ellis a girl Dana and Ella had met in their hostel joined us for the interesting puppet show. Ellis also happened to be on the same trip to Halong Bay the next day. The show was in Vietnamese so we had to use our imagination of the storyline. The puppets were great with vibrate colours and movements dipping in and out of the water. They made me giggle with the strange high pitched music going on in the background. It was certainly an experience, I'm not sure I would go again but it did make me giggle! 

In the afternoon we all treated ourselves to beauty treatments. I had a lovely massage while the girls got there nails done. It was then time to say goodbye to the girls as I had to go off and meet Fran my university friend who was flying in from Beijing. They have invited me to Amsterdam so hopefully I will keep in touch and see them again in the future. 

With Love from Vietnam xxx 

The mysterious caves of Phong Nha

 

My next stop on the Vietnamese adventure was Phong Nha National Park. It was my first stop that was slightly off the tourist trail, and although it took a bit more organising in trying to get there it was well worth it. Phong Nha park has only recently opened up to tourist so the infrastructure is not fully in place yet. I took a bus to Dong Hoi and was dropped in the middle of this town at 10.30 at night all on my own. I was being picked up my the hostel driver from the train station but had no idea where this was. After a bit of confusion and a taxi ride later I made it to the driver who drove 30 mins in to middle of nowhere in the pitch black until we stumbled across a tiny town with the Easy Tiger Hostel, a friendly haven for the western traveller as no one else spoke English nearby. I went to sleep and woke up in the middle of paradise. The views where spectacular. 



 

That day I joined a group from the hostel and we went off to explore Phong Nha Cave. It was a boat trip up the river in to the majestic cave. The boat dropped us off inside the cave and then we walked back on the sand banks.

The next day I went off on a tour organised by the hostel to see several caves. We drove deeper in to the national park stopping off at glorious view points in the mountains. Our tour guide, Josh (who I later found out knows a friend from mine at home and is from Cornwall - such a small world) told us a bit about the history of the area. There are still thousands of unexploded bombs that the US dropped on Vietnam in the war which kill local people every year walking through the area. One reason why they say you should stay with a tour guide at all times.

 

 

The first cave we went in to was Paradise cave, named rightly for it is like walking in to paradise. We walked 1km down and in to the cold but beautiful cave, such a relief from the baking heat outside. It was truly spectacular and I'm not sure my photos do it justice. The rock formations were out of this world. 

After an all you can eat buffet lunch it was time for a short Kayak up the Son Chay River to the dark cave which is only accessible by boat. In are swimwear we climbed in to the pitch black dark cave with our head torches on. It was full of slimy mud which at points went above the knee. Once we reached the centre of the cave and were covered in mud, we turned off our lights and were completely plunged in to darkness. There was absolutely no natural light, it was quite eerie and scary. We then swam back out the cave again going in to darkness and having no idea what was below was very daunting. Unfortunately because no one in the group had a waterproof camera I didn't get any photos in the dark cave.

After kayaking back and having a swim to ensure all the mud was washed away it was time to head back to the hostel. We stopped off at another cave which only specialist divers are allowed in as it is completely under water. They have not yet found how long the cave is and suspect it goes all the way through the mountains to Laos. Below is the opening to where the cave comes out.

The next day my bus didn't leave until the evening to take me further north to the great capital Hanoi. Therefore I spent the day with Dana and Ella two Dutch girls I had met on the tour. They were also taking the same bus that evening as me. The Easy Tiger Hostel is also linked with Phong Nha Farmstay another guest house in the area, where they had a pool we could use. It was great relaxing in hammocks and soaking in the beautiful views of the surrounding farmland.

With Love form Vietnam xxx

Picturesque Hoi An

My bus from Nah Trang arrived early in the morning in to Hoi An meaning I couldn't check into my room at the famous Sunflower Hotel, a popular vibrant place for travellers. It’s only when you travel millions of miles around the world you realise what a small place it is on several occasions I have bumped in to people who know someone you know etc. and just when I thought I’d escaped Manchester Uni a UMWHC girl walks in. Hannah Aktar and her sister Sophie were also travelling through Vietnam, and we also happened to be in the same dorm room so the next few days were bound to be filled with antics!

My first day in Hoi An I went off exploring to beautiful French influenced town. It was full of tailors, cobblers and food markets. I booked a cookery course for the next day, ordered a handbag and matching shoes for my brother’s wedding on return to the UK and went for a spot of lunch. Still enjoying the French influences, I had a delicious baguette with cheese and bacon and fries!

That evening I had dinner across the road with Hannah, Sophie and two of our roommates Nicole and Rupert. Dinner was accompanied by several bottles of rum and a visit to “why not bar” meaning the rest of the night was a bit hazy but jolly good fun! 

The next day I was up early with rather a sore head to attend the cookery course. It started by exploring the markets and being shown what food we would be cooking with and where it had come from. I wasn’t too sure about walking through the fish and sea food section in flip flops with live creatures splashing about but it was great learning all about everything. They lay the noodles out on streets to dry in the sun ready to sell to willing customers. 

We then boarded a boat to travel up a river to the exclusive cookery school. Our welcome drink was a yummy passion fruit cocktail. After a quick tour round the herd garden we started on our first course- Spring Rolls. All the dishes were made from scratch and local ingredients and we got to eat them all. I was completely stuffed by the end. The second dish was a Vietnamese pancake with bean sprouts and beef. We finished off by cooking an egg plant and tomatoes stew in a clay pot with delicious herds and spices. I can't wait to attempt all the dishes at home, I'm not sure they will come out quite the same! 

After consuming all the dishes it was time to head back up the river to Hoi An to wonder back to the hotel. I got to drive the boat!! It was lovely seeing the locals fishing on the river too!

The next day Hannah and I hired bikes to cycle and see the local scenery. We cycled to the beach to check it out and then back again, before meeting up with Sophie to grab some food as they were due to catch a flight that evening u to Hanoi. Before the evening I went to a tailors to order a cute summer dress to be made to measure. I then met up with a few friends I’d first met in Dalat to go to a pub quiz, which we failed at epically!

For my last day in Hoi An I chilled by the pool at the hotel and met some more friends from Dalat Vikki and Rachel. They had been biking it from Ho Chi Minh to Hoi An, so we had a trip out on their bikes in to town and a wonder around. We also squeezed in a very much needed massage. We watched the sunset and the lanterns slowly come alive which made a beautiful picture. I did not want to leave this gorgeous town but the next day it was time to move on to a new adventure.  

With love from Vietnam xxx

Dare deviling in Dalat

I arrived in Dalat late at night as the bus I was on broke down half way in to the mountains. It was also a Vietnamese national holiday so the traffic was very busy. However I finally reached the quaint town of Dalat. I booked in to Dalat Family Hostel, and once I had walked down a dark ally with my huge backpack I was greeted by the friendliest of hosts. The hostel is run by Mama and her two crazy daughters (who liked to be called crazy) They all gave me hugs once I arrived and handed me bowls of free food (nice but questionable of what the food actually was)! They were exceptionally welcoming and friendly.

The next day was fairly chilled, a group from the hostel were going to explore the town and head over to the 'Crazy House' an interesting attraction that was a cross between Disney and Alice and Wonderland so they invited me along.

























On the way back to the hostel we stopped for some food and saw this motorbike. I've seen some peculiar things on the back of bikes in Asia but this was a first. About 50 individual bags with gold fish in them.

Every evening in the hostel, Mama cooks a family meal for everyone to sit down and eat together. It was such a lovely thing to do and a great way to meet more people in the hostel.

The main thing to do in Dalat is Canyoning, where you abseil down waterfalls, trek and slide through rivers, a pure adrenaline seeking activity. At dinner I was persuaded by the people who had done it that day that I should sign up for the following day. So off I went.

A group of about 30 of us went off for the day. There were 4 abseils in total connected by wading through the river and sliding down naturally made slides in the rocks head first. The first few were down dry cliffs in to the river making them manageable for the wimp I turned out to be. However the last one down a 25 meter fast flowing waterfall with a 7 meter drop at the end when the rope ran out was just not for me. Overall the day was fantastic and tiring!



































The next day I had a chilled morning before departing for my next stop. On the way from Dalat to Hoi An I stopped overnight in Nha Trang a very touristy seaside town. But it was great as a few friends were travelling south and we were passing each other on route. That evening Jenny, Ruth (both TEFL Teacher friends) and I went out for dinner at a lovely Greek place. The next day we had a fantastic relaxing day at the mud baths, chilling, contemplating life and our futures, relaxing. We then had to get night buses in opposite directions on to our next destinations.

With Love from Vietnam xxx

Mekong Delta

From Ho Chi Minh I travelled south west to the Mekong Delta. The Mekong river is an extremely long river in Asia that starts up north somewhere in China and goes through or boarders Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The delta is where the river splits in to multiple canals and channels until it empties in to the sea, it is a huge life source for the people who live there and make a living from the river. In total I spent 3 days there and each day I went further and further in to the delta the less touristy it got and the more I experienced of their real day life.

 

                                 

 

Day 1 - I had signed up to the 3 day tour thinking I would be with the same group of people for 3 days however there was only me who wanted to do 3 days so I was put with a group doing the one day tour to start with. At each stage over the trip I met some great people from many different countries.

 

We started with a boat trip across one part of the river to see some of the business that thrive on the delta, however they were all set up ready to make there money out of the tourists. We saw the production and got to try honey and coconut candy. there was also a cute boat trip with a Vietnamese hat!!

                                             

 

 

                            

    

We then stopped for lunch where we saw a water buffalo and ate some interesting tasting river fish. After this we travelled back across the main river to the start point of the trip with a slight detour to taste some yummy fruit and listen to some rather high pitched Vietnamese music, which I'm not sure was everyone cup of tea!

 

                         

 

After saying goodbye to the 1 day tour people I had met that day I went off with another group of people further in to the delta. We arrived in the small city of Can Tho and the people I had travelled with were staying in different places so we went our separate ways. I was staying in a rather sketchy hotel on my own down a bit of a dark street. We then had time to ourselves to explore the city until the next day. I luckily bumped in to 3 girls who had been on the bus with me so I had company for dinner.  

 

Day 2 - It was time to explore the floating markets. This was probably my favourite part of the tour, where we got to see what real trading was like on the river. The middle men collect the produce from the farms and come down the rivers to Cai Rang floating market to sell it on to the next stage.  there where boats full of one thing such as potatoes, onions or pineapples. I got to buy the most tasty and juicy pineapple I had ever had.

 

 





We then got to see how noodles were made from rice dust to boiling it with water to drying out sheets of it to shredding it and packing it up ready for the customers to collect.

Life on the delta was fascinating to see. We also stopped off at a rice mill where they packed up huge bags ready to be sold. I was fascinating seeing how the Vietnamese live, eat, bathe and wash there clothes. It was a million miles away from the western way of life.

After lunch I was then joined by some other people from another tour to travel via the crocodile farm (a rather serial place packed full of crocodiles) to Chau Doc a town very close to the Cambodian boarder. That night I went for dinner in the town with a few people from the tour and we stayed in a floating hotel on the river. Not quite as sketchy as the first place but a little bit spooky. It was the kind of hotel you imagine in a horror movie!

Day 3 - The final day of the tour. We visited a fish farm in the morning and a Cham village. Everyone else that I had met the day before where travelling on to Cambodia and I was set to go back to Ho Chi Minh, so after another goodbye I was off again.

On the way back to Ho Chi Minh I stopped at Sam Mountain and Pagoda. There was a beautiful view once I had hiked to the top and looked around the tranquil temple. It was a Buddhist temple however was very different to Thai temples. It had much more influence from China. I arrived back in Ho Chi Minh in time for dinner with 3 girls who I'd met on the first night of the tour so it was lovely to catch up with them.

With Love from Vietnam xxx