Author: Sophie Piearcey

Leaving ‘home’ is always difficult but with the next destination being Queenstown I was so excited to pack my bags and get on that plane. Sydney well and truly served its purpose, it allowed me to meet Robbie, make wonderful friends and explore Australia while having somewhere to call home. Our last weekend in Sydney we spent drinking copious amounts of coffee, trips to Freshwater beach and beautiful food in our favourite cafe that serves the most incredible mexican food at night! We also completed the spit to Manly walk, something that we’ve been meaning to do the whole time we’ve been in Sydney. The coastal walk follows the harbour the whole way round and brings you out at the wharf bar where a much needed pint of cider was waiting for us. Then the dreading packing began, I have been for the past few weeks taking multiple bags to the charity shops and throwing bags of rubbish. Then it came to actually packing my bag, I panicked I took everything out of the wardrobe and pretty much had a meltdown, how and why do I have so many clothes, It was an absolute mountain but I managed it. I eventually managed to consolidate everything I own into a suitcase, a rucksack and a laptop bag that trust me was stuffed with much more than just a laptop. My bag was so heavy and pretty much bursting at the seams so god knows what will happen in Queenstown airport when it comes off the plane.

The night before we left the Nepalese family we had been living with for the past year cooked us a huge feed, so much food and drink and they even gave us presents which was ridiculously nice and so thoughtful. We posed for family album pics and had to say our goodbyes, but its only goodbye until we meet them again in Nepal as they have invited us to visit when they next go and stay with their family. We retired to our room for one last night, We sold pretty much all our furniture so a mattress on the floor surrounded by luggage was how we spent our last night. I had decorated the walls and everything in our first little home but it was all packed away ready for NZ. The taxi was picking us up at 5 AM! I couldn’t sleep through nerves and excitement and also the thought of maybe sleeping through the alarm and having a home alone style rush to the airport! We were fine though and made it safe and sound. My bag weighed 26KG!!!! I couldn’t believe it.. well I could I had stuffed everything in there and had to sit on it to close it, the woman behind the desk wasn’t so understanding we were moving our whole lives to another country and when she weighed my hand luggage I got a telling off for the 3KG over it was, when she asked if I had any other bags I lied straight out and then had to kick my laptop case all the way to the end under the other desks and run through the security to stop her charging me god knows what, naughty I know but I dread to think how much the whole library in my bag weighed.

After purchasing ridiculously overpriced airport food and coffee we were at the gate ready to board, still looking like I hadn’t checked any luggage in I made Robbie carry my laptop bag through for an even distribution of all my bags (I was still scared that they were going to charge me for being the crazy bag lady at the gate) on the plane and ready to go I was so so excited and ready for our next adventure. The flight into Queenstown is anything to get anybody excited, the views from the plane window were incredible, flying over the southern alps I was snap happy on my phone until we hit the worst turbulence ever! We literally left our seats as the plane bounced its way down on to the runway. I was waiting for my case to come out on the belt, we kept waiting and it just wasn’t coming out, Robbie had all his stuff and was ready to go, I was convinced they were just chucking the remains of my overly stuffed bag on the belt and we would be picking up all my clothes and underwear one at a time as it came out BUT finally my case came out, It was such a relief.

Now to find our accommodation, We had booked an Air BnB for a week pretty close to the airport in Frankton, The taxi drivers told us it would be a 5 min walk and to much to get a taxi so they pointed us in the direction of the house. I had screen shots of google maps on my phone but my navigational skills are terrible so naturally we ended up a ten minute walk away in the opposite direction. Eventually we found the house, empty yet open (something we are now getting used to, nobody locks their doors in Queenstown) we went inside to try and find a number or the internet so we could ring the owner as our Australian sims weren’t working. We got hold of a lovely lady called Trudy who told us to make ourselves at home as she was working. We went out and grabbed some dinner and drinks at the local as it was too late to cook anything and we were tired from all my misdirection. The house was beautiful, homely and had a wood burning fire which made life so much more bearable! We knew it would be cold here as its winter but jeez it was FREEZING!I am so happy I packed and bought extra jumpers and woolly hats! We decided we were going to have the weekend off and start looking for jobs and somewhere to live next week however Robbie saw two jobs online and applied for them both just on a whim, this was the first night in Queenstown and by the time we woke up Friday morning he had been offered both jobs and a start date- now to get him some tools and decide which one he wanted, he was on for a winner.

Friday we decided to walk into Queenstown which is about a 10km walk from Frankton but along the Queenstown trail which follows the lake all the way and right into the centre of town, a beautiful walk and views of the mountains and the lake, we had coffees and lunch, well when I say lunch we went to Fergburger, its a tiny little shop in the middle of town that always has queues out the door of hungry tourists and locals, there’s only one Fergburger in the whole world and its here, the guy who invented must be one happy chap! I’m going to be one of those really annoying people who tells you that you’ve never had a burger like it because you have actually never had a burger like it THEY ARE AMAZING, you could share one they are that huge and the menu is so confusing but I remember it from last time always being so busy which is was so you have to decide quick and then wait outside for your little bundle of heaven! Robbie declared its his mission to complete the menu by the time we leave!! I had already 100% fallen in love with this place and it already felt like home. We had heard that jobs and accommodation were pretty tight around this time of year so we decided to look for somewhere to live. We viewed some pretty crappy places that were just not up our street at all but we thought we were going to have to take as it was looking pretty slim in other places until we got a message from Imogen telling us she had a room but it wasn’t available for another three weeks, we decided to go and have a look anyway and as soon as we got to the house I was so in love with it. Its right on the lake, beautiful views of the mountains and two wonderful flatmates, Imogen from Brighton and her boyfriend Cam who is a kiwi! Its a modern three story house and we wanted it, As we were walking back to Trudy’s it was decision time.. If we didn’t get this room then we were going to road trip up to Auckland and start fresh there after enjoying the snow for a few weeks. Imogen text that night and we could move in in three weeks, Trudy said we could stay at hers in the mean time and Robbie started his new job on Monday! Everything is going swimmingly.

We bought a car, a Subaru legacy four wheel drive so that we could get up and down the mountain and we had snowboarding lessons booked for next weekend. I think I am the happiest I have ever been. One of the conditions of moving to the south island first was so that Robbie could learn to snowboard, I say just Robbie because I thought I would have one lesson, not be able to do it, hate it and give up but I was wrong and we both absolutely love it which resulted in us buying all new gear and the season pass for our favourite mountain- The Remarkables. We met a couple called Jenny and Connor while we were at the Air BnB from Newcastle, lovely lovely people who had come to the south island after living in the north to snowboard for the season, it worked perfect. We shared the driving up the mountain and Robbie had someone to whizz down the big runs with while I was still teaching myself not to fall over on the baby slopes.

I got a job in a cafe as a barista which suits me as its situated on an industrial estate so there’s no trade on the weekends so the owner closes WHAT!! A hospitality jobs where you get weekends off guaranteed!!! I was a happy camper! Unfortunately Robbies job didn’t turn out as good as he wanted to to so he quit and now works for a Stonemason in a beautiful little town called Arrowtown, he’s learning new trades and he says for once enjoying going to work everyday, I work at the cafe full time and the regulars and staff are lovely and we get the weekends to go up the mountain, explore Queenstown and spend time in our lovely little home. I am so happy that we moved here and started a new adventure. New Zealand is beautiful, everywhere you go, the landscape, the people and the lifestyle is just perfect.

          Our time in Vietnam north to south in one video, shot on GoPro Hero 3.

We got the night bus from Hoi An to arrive in Dalat the next morning, I did wonder if taking a bus would ever be smooth in this country, this one broke down and ran out of petrol in the middle of no where. I seemed to be the only person awake. I woke Robbie to which he just wanted to sleep. Thankfully a mate of the driver filled us up and we were on the way to Dalat. We pulled into a huge bus station and loaded onto another mini bus which spent the morning winding up the mountains very very very close to the edge, you’d think an overturned truck on one corner would maybe spur the driver to slow down and be a bit cautious but nope he sped up toward Dalat. We arrived in the afternoon and it was a little grim, the weather was dull and he whole place had a really weird vibe, we ended up only booking one night and leaving the next day, we didn’t feel the need to waste the time staying there when we weren’t overly fussed. Opting for a day bus this time I enjoyed the views the whole way to HCMC and when pulling in it resembled Hanoi with the bustling streets and thousands of mopeds zooming around.

We had been given a hostel recommendation so we set off and found ourselves on the main strip, which turned out to be the backpacker street, very similar to Koh San Road. It was hot, so so hot in the city but it was full of life and I was loving it. We visited the war museum, which was a full collection of photographs and memorabilia from the war. Although the photographs were all very heavily one sided it really opened our eyes to the brutality of the Vietnamese war and the barbaric nature of the Americans, we took so much information about the war away with us and it was really emotional at times. I’ve always been a fan of war photography and a certain war photographer Robert Capa, who unfortunately was shot dead while documenting the war. I saw his some of his most famous images in the museum and it was so moving.

 

We really wanted to visit the Chu Chi tunnels. They were used by the Vietnamese in the war; this was such a good trip. We again had a guide who fought in the war and he was so serious and commanded attention the whole tour, I was staring at him the whole time in the hope I didn’t get told off! He kept directing questions at the group and was so angry when people didn’t know the answers. Robbie was brave and squeezed in the little holes they dug in the ground to hide, I was scared my ass would get stuck or I wouldn’t be able to lift myself back out so to save embarrassment I just watched. We saw all the tricks and traps the Viet Cong used against the Americans. They were so clever and managed to fight back with nothing but sticks and the land, that’s until they started killing them and taking their weapons. The tunnels were used as little rat runs to out smart the Americans but also housed a fair few Vietnamese during the course of the war, they have been slightly modified for tourists but still they were pitch black and so small. I braved it and walked the 40 meter trail with Robbie behind pushing me through, god it was hot and claustrophobic but so worth it and I am still baffled at how people managed to live, work and fight a war from down there!

For my birthday we decided to visit the Mekong Delta for three days, a boat trip down the Mekong and to the largest floating markets in Asia, it was amazing. The palm covered river was so peaceful and I finally got myself a traditional Vietnamese hat, but I had to give it back at the end! The three days went so quick as we visited loads of little villages, one that makes coconut candy, one that makes honey and one that makes rice paper used for noodles or spring rolls. It was all very exciting and of course I wanted to play with everything and make my own rice noodles. we also randomly got a tour in a horse drawn carriage which meant I could pat all the horses until we had to get back on the boat. The floating markets were so much fun, we got to watch as everyone went about their day throwing pineapples and all other kinds of fruit and goodies back and forth to each other. The boats were not only the distribution centre but also the homes for the market workers, it was all very busy and such a buzz. Back in HCMC and it was my actual birthday, we spent the night in a beautiful roof top bar with a view over the city all lit up, I drank cosmopolitans and enjoyed a beautiful steak dinner, it was such a lovely way to spend my birthday and round off an amazing adventure through Vietnam. The next day we went for birthday coffee and cake and chilled in the park before having to pack the bag one final time. We fine dined a takeaway pizza and enjoyed our last night in Vietnam, Australia bound in the morning.

Asia was incredible, start to finish and I only have Robbie to thank for that. It was the most thoughtful Christmas present and I’m so happy I got my first taste of Asia with him by my side.

 

We boarded the bus to Hoi An, via Hue. We were under the impression that this was a 12 hour bus, getting us into Hoi An the next morning, it wasn’t it was a near 24 hour bus. We must of misheard the girl in the hotel. The bus was pretty full as it turned up so we knew we wouldnt get seats together, Robbie headed to the back and I sat at the front, after waving night to each other I was determined to get some sleep on this bus. I tried and tried for ages and eventually dropped off until the bus started stopping and starting all the time, looks like we were on another taxi bus for all the drivers mates. So after they had all hopped on and got themselves comfy in the aisle I tried again to fall back to sleep… But no, one of our ride alongs in the aisle next to me was snoring so loud I don’t know how anyone was getting sleep, I either needed to ignore it or casually drop one of my cushions down onto his face, I did the latter and to my delight the snoring stopped and I slept until Hue.

We were to get off at Hue wait an hour and get on another bus that would then get us into Hoi An at 6pm, in true ticket office style it was all very unorganised and there was a group of unsure people hanging around the streets but I was happy we got a brew and some food and waited for our next bus. This time we got to sit together so at least I had someone to talk to. Arriving in Hoi an with our chosen hostel from the lonely planet book we set off to find it, I was in charge of the map, we were walking down the cutest street, all lit up with lanterns. We reached the river and I was so excited it was so so beautiful, turns out however I had the map upside down, so back we went to the other side of the town.. You’d think Robbie would of learnt by now not to trust me with the map, maybe he feels sorry for me or something. We found the hotel, checked in and went straight back out through the little town, we kept seeing signs for beer at 3000 Dong, that’s about 30 cents a beer! It was locally brewed, tasted alright with a squeeze of lime and went down very nicely with the beautiful view.

We had decided to only stay a few days here but in the end spent 6 days as we loved it so much. The next day it rained but we didn’t mind, went for a little wander around the old town to get our bearings and then the heavens really opened. Nothing our pac a macs couldn’t handle as we darted into a cafe while the worst of it passed over. When we got back to our room the window had flooded and luckily just missed our bag, we tried to clean it up as best we could and asked if we could move rooms, they said no, I said why, they said no, I said we would leave, they gave us a new room. But not before the maid came upstairs and used our own personal towels to mop up the water, we were trying not to laugh at her swishing them around on her feet and mumbling to herself. After getting in the new room everything was all good so we went out for dinner and a few drinks, a few drinks turned into a few to many home brewed beers. The lady at the bar told us they were closing because they have no power, it was 8.45 pm and the lights were still on, it was all very confusing.

I had seen people walking down towards the river all night and wondered if there was something going on, we headed down after paying the bill and there was so many people, big groups of kids lighting lanterns and making a 60 pattern on the floor. Then at 9pm the whole city’s lights turned off, all the street lamps, restaurants and bars all in darkness, the only thing lighting the town was candles everywhere, even floating down the river, it was all very exciting and everyone started clapping and singing and dancing. We paid to make a wish and put our own candle in the river too and then walked around while everyone was celebrating. Apparently all major city’s have a power hour to celebrate the world and reserve energy, something I didn’t know about until now. We bought some more floating lanterns for the river to add to the masses already in there and walked around the markets all lit by candle light and the handy lantern stall on the end. It was so beautiful to see everyone so excited and happy. We walked past a bar and the guy asked us to sit down to make it look busy, clearly people were boycotting places while the power was off, we paid for one drink and he promised to refill our drinks all night if people came in the bar, we started to speak to one couple who joined us with our refilled drinks, this then went on all night, Robbie and Sean handed out the occasional flyer and this guy was loving life with a busy bar, stumbling to a very sketchy club and throwing out some very questionable dance moves I don’t know who decided or how we even got home but we made it and all in all spent around $5 each all night. At some point in the night we had promised the bar owner we would borrow his moped the next day to drive the Haivan pass, and boy I’m glad we didn’t we couldn’t even remember breakfast and spent the morning nursing a sore head.

However the sun was shining and I thought I was feeling loads better, so we hired push bikes instead and rode out to the beach, round the town and back to the hotel, It was so much fun and we were out all day, riding through the rice paddies and watching he farmers and water buffalos do their thing. I was pretty sure I had avoided any kind of hangover, but no it hit me like a tonne of bricks and I spent the rest of the night having a breakdown and not being able to move, all very dramatic and stopped quiet suddenly a few hours later when I had some food. We had reserved a moped for the next morning to drive the Haivan pass feeling a little fresher. We didn’t have a map or the internet we decided to screen shot the route from Google maps on my phone and hope for the best.

After telling the first guy where we were going he straight up said no and didn’t give us a bike, the second guy we lied to just said we were popping to the beach. Six hours later, a few tanks of fuel and the riskiest bike ride ever we were back in one piece, but it was so worth it. The Haivan pass made famous from Top Gear is the scenic road connecting Hue to Hoi An, we decided to drive the other way towards Hue and stop halfway and drive back. The roads were so crazy and we dodged many buses and fellow bike riders. The moped we had wasn’t the best and we were sure to break down at some point but it stuck with us and we completed the trip. The views from the top were incredible and we were right up in the clouds, winding back down through the hills along the costal road, I had the easy job hanging off the back and taking pictures while Robbie full on trooped through concentrating till the end although we did make it there and back with my navigational skills so I deserve a little credit.

We spent the night eating delicious food and wandering all the streets of Hoi An around the river, this place is beautiful in the day but really comes to life at night when it’s all lit up, I quickly fell in love here. After the most relaxing four days we booked an extra few nights and a bus to Dalat. When we were in the booking office they sold us a tour that was about $7 each to the Myson ruins which is a historical site that was so badly damaged by the Americans. There is one building still standing that the Vietnamese are trying to restore holding precious artifacts they managed to recover after the bombings. Our guide was so hilarious and reminded us of the guy that sings ‘Gangham style’, he didn’t take his sunnies off all day and referred to us as his ‘Tiger Team’ with accompanying tiger paw gesture.

His father was a lieutenant in the Viet Cong and told us the most incredible stories and showed us around the site that the Viet Cong used as a base in the war, which is why unfortunately it was so badly damaged as the Americans found out and bombed the whole area. The day was so so hot and I spent most of it trying to find shade and slowly dying at the back of the group, good jobs Robbie’s a dab hand with the camera, we then got to visit an island dedicated to carpentry and watched them build some boats. We cruised along the river back to Hoi An which again was so lovely. I really really really didn’t want to leave Hoi An it was so much fun and incredibly beautiful, I spent the night buying gifts and a lovely handmade bag and then packed the backpack ready for our next destination. I think I was getting super sad because the trip was more than halfway through now and I really couldn’t bare the thought of leaving Asia. We spent the night looking into Dalat and what we could do from there and finally in HCMC.

After arriving back at our trusty Hanoi hostel we booked one more night as we decided the next step of our journey. We were enjoying some lovely tea in the hotel reception, making most of the wifi, countless maps and our Lonely Planet guide book and we were joined by an old boy from Australia. He filled us in on his whole life, showed us pictures of his daughters, grandchildren and we found out how he had ended up travelling Asia alone. He is still receiving his state pension even when out of the country so week by week he uses this to enjoy a trip with no end around Asia with his newly purchased Honda motorcycle, which he kept staring at through the window protectivly. He was so lovely and we took our time listening to his tales to which then provided us with our next destination.

Tam Coc is a small town just outside of Ninh Binh, he advised us that there was nothing to to at all in Ninh Binh and we should catch a bus to Tam Coc and stay in the same hotel that he did as he loved it and after looking at some of his pictures we asked the reception to book us a bus to leave the following morning. When that was all sorted we went off in search for some street food and ended up at a restaurant that only served fish dishes but it was delicious and after a night time stroll and people watch around the lake we were back packing the bag and getting ready to leave in the morning.

A mini bus picked us up in the morning for the four hour bus ride to Ninh Binh. Two empty seats left at the back so we got comfy, well I say comfy, we tried at least, some guy in front of Robbie had reclined his seat that far his head was basically in his crotch and it was very uncomfortable for everyone involved, after asking him to politely sit his seat up he then proceeded to stretch his arms over the aisle onto the seat opposite, again would of been fine if it wasn’t for the smell coming from his armpits, Robbie again polite as ever asked him to move his arm as we couldnt concentrate on what the guide at the front was trying to tell us. We spent the rest of the journey trying to avoid eye contact with the man and his girlfriend.

We had been booked on a bus that was an orgnaised tour group and we were just hitching a ride. We stopped at a huge ancient town, that was barely all still there but the bits that were you had to pay to go behind the old city walls to view, as we weren’t that fussed and thought it was just a toilet stop we wandered around the gardens and found some very sassy looking cows, they were beautifully brightly decorated and just stood waiting for me to arrive and shower them with my love. After taking more pictures of the cows than anything else we decided its best to use the loo before the rest of the coach ride. Now toilets in Asia are gross, bottom line disgusting most of the time, so with a deep breath of fresh air I ran in, ran out and paid the woman for what was one of the worst experiences of my life, this is something I am learning to get used too. Back on the bus we rolled into Ninh Binh, the guide asked us if we wanted to get off here and make our own way to Tam Coc or just stay on the bus and boy am I glad we stayed on that bus. Ninh Binh was literally ghost town. It looked like something terrible had happened there and everyone had fled, apparently not just happens that there is actually nothing to do there. So we carried on with the rest of the bus leaving our smelly companion and his girlfriend behind.

Tam Coc is described as the Halong Bay on the land. The town is surrounded by rock formations with two rivers running through it where you can take a boat ride with a local. It was so beautiful and quiet despite the fact it was a little rainy. The bus dropped us off and pointed us in the way of the hotel, it was starting to get dark, the rain was setting in and we were walking into what seemed like nothing, just down a road hoping to see the sign for the hotel. After twenty minuets thankfully we started to see signs of life and after the fourth one, we took a right turn down a dirt path over a little bridge and there was our hotel. The girl on reception was everything, receptionist, cleaner, cook, waitress, tour guide and she was fab. She only looked young but in the family run hotel it was clear her English was the best. We got into our huge room with the biggest bed ever and a lovely balcony with a beautiful view. After a hearty traditional feed we retired to bed.

The next morning we asked the girl if we could hire a moped to explore the area, to which her uncle lent us his and asked we returned it with fuel, with a very inaccurate hand drawn map of the town we set of for a full day exploring. I’ve never been on the back of a moped before or driven one for that matter so I was clutching on for dear life, under strict instructions not to lean or move, after a bit I was alright and calmed down enough to just hold on like a normal person. Tam Coc is such a quaint little place, that must not see many backpackers as people were staring at us and the kids were high fiving us as we drove past. We drove down roads to where there was no end but beautiful views and so many goats.

On the map ‘the 500 steps’ was highlighted so we set off to find it, after turning down so many wrong roads with my excellent navigational skills I decided to ask at a hotel reception, after some very questionable sign language for steps the couple who owned the hotel stared at me and tried to show me a room upstairs, I don’t think they totally understood what I was getting at so we decided to keep going. In Vietnam they drive on the other side of the road to us, well they drive wherever they want really so you have to be so switched on to the roads and other bikes that appear from nowhere. As we turned down one road Robbie accidentally got on the wrong side and two locals on their moped nearly crashed into us, we were saying sorry like mad while trying to turn the bike around and speed off, the two old men continued to scream at us in Vietnamese and shook their fists angrily. I was trying so hard to not laugh and we carried on tootling down the road.

We drove on through this little residential area and found a path, one we hadn’t tried so went for it and at the end was the 500 steps, yes I found it! Well it was a joint effort. After parking up the bike it was time to tackle the steps, I didn’t count but it sure felt more than 500 and some were uneven and a huge step up so it was an effort to get to the top, but worth it for the pagoda and the view of the river and land all around Tam Coc.

It was a slow and steady decent for me as I was terrified of falling the whole way down. We found a cave that was used by the Vietnamese in the war to treat injured soldiers. Tam Coc and the surrounding area was retained by the Vietnamese during the war as they knew the waterways so well, used the long grass to their advantage and managed to push back the Americans. We filled up the moped and took it back to the hotel, I think everyone was glad we got it back in one piece. The evening was spent eating outside and enjoying the peaceful vibe. The next day we had the most relaxing day just waking up and not really getting out of bed until we thought we best. Today we walked around the village, sat by the river and drank so much tea, it was still a bit chilly so it was nice to sit and watch the people of Tam Coc going about their business.

The hotel lady booked us a bus to leave that night at 9pm which would get us to Hoi an at 6.30.. Another adventure on the night buses. After we had packed up and giving our host a tip she fully deserved she arranged for her sister and father to run us into town on the back of their mopeds. Robbie took the big backpack and I the small, now I didn’t know this girl so clinging on for dear life may have been a shock to her..but as we set off I had to, this was not the normal road into the town, oh no they took a right turn and down the narrowest darkest back alleys, I mean we were turning corners at a rapid pace and I had no choice but to pray we would make it to the bus alive, in one piece and hopefully forgiven for the constant weeping noises I made in this poor girls ear, it was like something out of a film. After safely arriving at the bus stop and seeing Robbie’s face I’m guessing his getaway drive was the same as mine. As the bus pulled up it looked pretty full and our chances of getting two seats together were slim to none so I perched myself at the front and Robbie at the back, said good night and tried to sleep as was headed for Hoi An.

 

So after waiting four hours in the hotel reception, drinking copious amounts of tea with condensed milk, which sounds gross but is so delicious we were bundled onto another mini bus heading east for Halong city, the gateway for Halong bay. From the harbour we would catch a boat to sail around the bay for two days. Before we went to Vietnam we watched Charlie Boreman ‘By any means’ A travel documentary where he travels from Dublin to Sydney on different modes of transport… his stint through Vietnam got us both ridiculously excited and me especially for Halong bay as not only have I never been to Asia but I have always dreamed of seeing the huge rock formations that are in the water. He also visited a pearl farm and after finding out one of the boats stops there I was super excited for this tour.

Halong Bays 3000 or more beautiful islands rise up from the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin and make the landscape so amazing. Even though the weather was slightly dull it was mysteriously beautiful. The mini bus ride to the bay was again horrific and I spent most of the time with my eyes shut trying to sleep or holding on for dear life witnessing every near fatal collision with the hundreds of moped riders. When we reached the bay our very young, inexperienced yet hilarious guide told us to follow him but he ran off through the crowd so fast we were all stood in a bit of a huddle staring at each other and wondering what the hell was going on. He obviously realised that five minuets into his tour he had lost everyone and came running back through the crowds ushering us onto a long wooden boat insisting we all wear the life jackets provided. I wasn’t taking any chances after the way these people drive cars, god knows what they are like driving boats. The harbour was full of big wooden ‘junks’ most of them painted white with red sails on the top. There was a few dodgy looking ones and I was happy when our water taxi went round these and finally stopped at our boat. We were given some time to get our stuff into the room, a lovely little wooden cabin with a window by the bed so we could look out over the bay. In true Vietnamese style we were welcomed with huge buffet style lunch, which was very much appreciated after only eating toast at about 7 hours ago.

Our guide was really young and super nervous, repeating himself constantly and smiling awkwardly in my direction because I looked like the only person paying him much attention. The boat set sail into the harbour and we were given an itinerary for the next few days, today we were going to see some caves and the islands with the best viewpoints, a cooking class and then a night of fun filled karaoke (my absolute worse nightmare and thankfully this didn’t happen) then the pearl farms and a kayak around the bay tomorrow. We set off for the caves as did every other boat in the world it seemed, I’m not one for super busy places, let alone stuck underground surrounded by people so we hung around at the back and entertained ourselves while the rest of the tour group listened intently to the stories of how rocks miraculously look like dragons and frogs (Vietnamese handiwork if you ask us) after this we went to one of the islands that had a beach and 200 steps to a pagoda which had wonderful views. We climbed to the top and then chilled out on the beach while our guy frantically ran around checking everyone was still on the island, I mean honestly there was no where else to go. As we were admiring the view from the beach and wondering what was going to happen tonight on the boat with the organised fun karaoke we were accosted by a Japanese family, they physically pulled us up from where we were standing laughing and stroking our arms, apparently its okay to just grab random white people to be in your family photo, we posed with them, I smiled and Robbie with the most un-amused look and physical stance just stood there while they laughed and jostled us around, then they were off walking down the beach waving at us as if we were new best friends. It was all very strange.

We saw a familiar face from Sapa in the crowd, Johan from Sapa emerged from behind a group of boys and I think he was equally happy to see us and gutted he couldn’t be on our boat, as we were pretty much doing the same route down the country we told him hopefully we would see him again some place else. Back to strapping myself in my life jacket and having a wonderful time on the little wooden boats that were whizzing us around, we were off kayaking for the afternoon. I’m not very steady on my feet and something about stepping into a boat that someone is only keeping still with their foot nerves me.. I had a vision of me doing some kind of splits movement between the kayak and the deck, but Robbie assured me id be okay and had the GoPro ready you know just in case. Off we went splashing around, our guide warned us not to go to far, so we did a huge loop right out of sight around the islands, I know were crazy. The sun was starting to set as we were paddling around and it was so beautiful, as we were determined to be the last ones back we soaked up the amazing views around us and I had a moment of immense clarity, I was sat here with my wonderful boyfriend, with the most amazing views and having the best time.

We joined the rest of the returning kayaks and back to our home for the night. We finished off watching the sunset with a beer on the top deck. Our guide had arranged a cooking class. I was excited, as this is one thing I has wanted to do while in Vietnam so I was super happy we were doing one on the boat… even though it only turned out we were making spring rolls, I got stuck straight in producing the worst, fattest uneven spring rolls to a point where I hoped they ended up on the other peoples table at dinner. I had fun and made Robbie join in too, obviously he produced some perfect looking rolls! The food again was incredible and to my delight my spring rolls had made it nowhere near our feed. We were sat with an ex traffic cop from London who was filling us I on all his stories from the UK and his daughters which was lovely. There was also a Brazilian guy who by the sound of it smoked 175 cigs a day and a bottle of whiskey but it turned out he was hilariously funny and an extremely well travelled gent who graced us with his travel adventures and humour. It was pretty obvious that the kill joys on our boats didn’t want to drink or do the karaoke (to my delight) so they lowered the price of the beer in the hope to sell more we took full advantage of this and bought bottles to sit up on the deck and listen to the other boats killing the Spice Girls and Justin Bieber.

All the boats were lit up and the moon was reflecting off the water it was all very romantic and lovely until the crew took it in turns to sleep on the sun lounger opposite us. We were told specifically to be up at 6.30am for the sunrise and breakfast at 7am I got up at 6am so I could get ready and on the deck for the sunrise however the sun had already risen, our guide had got confused and just laughed at us when I told him the sun was already up. Anyway we were off to the pearl farm and I was so excited. The boat pulled around loads of nets that were all set out in grids in the bay and we got off and onto the farm, there was so much information about pearls  and how they are made I was taking it all in. I know that a natural pearl is formed by a bit of sand getting into an oyster and then the oyster then naturally manufactures this into a pearl by coating it over years and years. On a pearl farm however, because the world is in high demand for jewellery they place a small white calcium ball inside the oyster, then string these to the nets and place them back in the water, allowing them to naturally complete the process. The longer a pearl is left the bigger it gets and we were looking at all the different grids, some were only a year old, 18 months and some are left for up to four years. Round on the deck there was a huge pile of smashed open oysters and four Vietnamese farmers opening the shells and flicking out the pearls which had successfully grown into a huge pile, the colours were so beautiful and it was such a surreal process.

We went into the shop as I had heard that you could buy a small imperfect pearl for around $10 so I was excited to turn that into something, by imperfect it means they aren’t perfectly round or the colours are a little different. However Robbie had already decided that for an early birthday present he would buy me a necklace so I left with the most beautiful single perfect pearl on a silver chain, I am a very lucky gal. Unfortunately our time at Halong bay was coming to an end and our after another seat gripping bus journey back to Hanoi we booked into the same hostel for one night while we decided where next on the map. Halong bay was so beautiful and I loved sailing around on the little boats and sleeping in a wooden cabin, it was a perfect relaxing little trip after our trek in Sapa and I would defiantly recommend going and witnessing the natural beauty of this place.

So I experienced my first night bus from Hanoi complete with pushy rude people trying to get on first, well more fool you because you filled up from the front which resulted in us getting three seats together at the back, equivalent to the size of double bed,winner! Gloating around until we got comfy, Mr Sleepy was kicking out the Z’s before we even left Hanoi and didn’t wake until seven hours later when we reached Sapa. I on the other hand for the first time in my life couldn’t sleep, I was drifting in and out experiencing every single bump on the road.

By morning we had reached Sapa, a little town percheded on a steep slope overlooking valleys of rice terraces overshadowed by beautiful mountains. We were quickly hustled into a taxi, with these kind of tours you have a feeling no one actually knows whats going on, you’re just a name on a piece of paper and you point when you see it. The taxi sped through the streets and arrived at the Grand View Sapa hotel, looking up we thought oh god we’ve booked into some huge hotel and a walk around the town for the next few days. There was nothing grand about the view either, the whole town was covered in a low hanging grey mist, we couldn’t see a thing.  In we went for a egg and bread breakfast and awaited our fate, not to sound dramatic but we literally had no idea what was going on. Into the restaurant came a young Vietnamese girl dressed in traditional village attire; black woven coat with colourful stitching and matching long black socks tied below the knee. Her name was Na.

She told us to pack a small day bag with overnight clothes and meet her at the front desk. Turns out we had booked the best tour in the town, an 18km trek through the rice paddies and villages and a home stay with one of the village families, now I was excited and stood eagerly at the front, packed and ready to go. We went in a mini bus down the mountain, the driving is no better on the mountains, swinging its way round corners and through the town down small roads and on the edge of the cliff I feared for my life. Its better to just close your eyes and pretend its not happening and then take your next breath when the bus stops.

Out of the mini bus and back on my own two feet I felt safe. Our guide told us that we would be walking 12km to the villages and eventually the home stay that day through the rice paddies. The scenery was just incredible, the early morning fog had started to lift and it slowly started to show off the beautiful mountains and miles of pure greenery. The sun was shining and it was breathtaking. We had a little following of five older ladies and four kids that were from the villages, they walked next to you and asked you questions in the little English they knew and to my delight helped me walk the unsteady harder bits of the trek. We both found out on the trek that I am unsteady, uncoordinated, unbalanced and useless just to add. I have never found it so difficult to do something i have been doing from a young age, walk, just walk Sophie like the rest of the group instead of slipping and sliding around at the back. But it’s fine I like tackling things alone anyway.

The ladies that had now become somewhat a support system for me were making handicrafts on the way down and when we sat for lunch it was their time to get them all out in the hope that you bought something, unfortunately you couldn’t just look at one persons as then they all came over for a sale so I sadly declined them all as I didn’t think it was fair if I gave money to one and not the others when I believe that they all work together to make the goods. When you sit down for lunch you don’t know when you’re going to eat again or how far you’ve got to walk so we ate until we were fit to burst, rice, chicken, pork, veg, spring rolls and watermelon. Then off for more trekking to another village where our guide went to school. Here all children have to go to school until they are 17 and if their families have more money they go on to further education in the main town, it humbled me knowing that all the kids go to school and get chance for education. Our guide told us that when her family didn’t have much money she used to live further up in the mountains and walk two hours to get to school in the morning and two hours back at night. Na talked to us all day, telling us that she learnt English just from speaking to tourists and it was perfect.

She didn’t want us to miss out on anything and as some of the group were only on a day tour she took us off the normal route and higher into the rice paddies to a place where she had never taken a group before. The view from up here was breathtaking, the rice paddies all falling into each other down the hill and the villages at the bottom it was just so peaceful and beautiful. After another hour of balancing on the edges (the white bits) of the rice paddies and stopping to take pictures of everything I could, we reached a small town. Weaving through all the houses and up some pretty steep paths, chickens and children running everywhere we reached the family home stay, a quaint house with a huge courtyard and some pet water Buffalos. The host family came out to say hello and gave us tea, the lady only looked young and three kids were running around, one strapped tightly to her back, we later learned they were all hers. Na told us we had some free time before dinner so we went back down the hill and into the village, we found a local bar, joined by the lovely German girls from our group we sat and chatted for ages until it was time to see what delicious food the family were cooking… and what a feed they produced from a room that had two small fire pits in the middle and a sink for washing up.

The food is pretty similar everywhere, rice, meat, veg but so so tasty, accompanied with the foulest home brewed rice wine we retired to bed early, ready for another day hiking.  Bed was a huge wooden platform with single mattresses laid out, big colourful blankets and a mosquito net. We bunked up in one and fell asleep under a thick cosy blanket, which was defiantly needed, Sapa gets a bit chilly at night! The next morning we were up and ready so early I don’t even think the family were awake yet. So we went on a hunt for coffee, to which we found nothing but Japanese tourists staring at us. Back up to the house and we had the biggest stack of pancakes, honey, banana, sugar and as mug of coffee, perfect. For some reason today I was super unsteady on my feet, was I the only person to fall over in the group, yes, multiple times, yes, was I also the only person to submerge both my feet in two different muddy puddles, much to Robbie’s delight and video skills.

After stopping again for a lunch we opted for another hours trekking higher into the mountain and back down to the village school to get picked up. Loading everything onto my packhorse boyfriend and making him go first down every hill or path as I proceeded to slide down on my bum or ungracefully slip, slide and end up in Robbie’s arms, useful for many things is Robbie and being my human barrier and saving my life was paramount today. We arrived back at the Grand View hotel after another death defying mini bus ride, it was raining and cold. We were very lucky on our trek, it was beautiful sunshine everyday.

 

Killing time before our night bus we showered in the courtesy hotel room. It was so creepy, I am so happy I wasn’t alone as the door had no handle and a huge hole where the lock had been taken off. We wedged the door shut with a set of draws and had the quickest showers known to man. When walking round the town one of the village girls remembered me from the hills after promising to purchase things from her I had to run away from her as she was so relentless and would not leave me alone. We sat with everyone left from our trek and had a lovely dinner, drinks and chat about life before having to board the night bus/night club back to Hanoi, this one equipped with bright neon’s which may I add don’t get turned off at all throughout the night. We managed to somehow blag the bed at the back again. As we had arranged a trip to Halong bay leaving four hours after we got to Hanoi I was determined to get some good kip. This time I managed it which then made trying to find the hostel in the maze of Hanoi’s old quarter at 4am a lot more bearable. Welcomed with a warm shower and unlimited tea, coffee and breakfast we were in surprisingly good spirits ready for our next destination.

Crazy crazy Hanoi, after being big kids in the airport and treating ourselves to a proper coffee from Starbucks we were buckled into our seats on board the smallest plane bound for Hanoi. When we arrived it was straight through and onto a shuttle that would take us to the middle of the old quarter where all the hostels are. Being the first ones on the shuttle we had to wait for the man to fill it before he set off, 15 mins later and watching Brazilian girls argue over one dollar we left. The same girls that argued over one dollar got dropped off at a high rise five star hotel, we physically could not believe it! Anyway as we paid fair (6 dollars for the both of us for a 50 min journey) the guy kindly dropped us further into the old quarter. This is probably my favorite part of traveling, that you don’t have a clue where you are, dropped on a busy street with nothing but our trusty Lonely Planet guide. After quickly exiting Hanoi rocks where beer pong chants greeted us- I mean don’t get me wrong were both up for a good drink but tonight a decent nights sleep was more appealing.

We found a hostel hand picked from the Lonely Planet guide,  greeted by the friendliest person ever we had to book into a dorm room for the night until a double room became available. I was just happy for a bed. Free tea, coffee and breakfast from the hostel staff was a delight to wake up to & set us up nicely ready to tackle the streets of Hanoi. The most important thing to remember when in Hanoi is look both ways, or four ways or just do a 360, these mopeds don’t stop, however they do beep to let you know they’re coming which is ever so polite, so it’s a case of run or die. Although all you can hear is beeping and you’re constantly looking over your shoulder to make sure a moped that’s piled high with chickens or bamboo isn’t coming your way. Hanoi has a real sense of community and a wonderful buzz about life, everyone’s on the go yet everyone looks happy. The mopeds double up for mini vans piled high and wide, they also seem to be a popular family car, kids either stand in front of the driver and hold on or are wedged between mum and dad, but that’s only if they are tiny babies.. I know, tiny people whizzing around these crazy streets… oh and there’s no helmet laws or road rules for that matter. The roads are about as crazy as the power lines too, it seems like instead of taking old dead wires down they add more wires to it and then some reinforcements so they don’t fall down, the power cables are crazy, how they don’t blow and cause some serious damage I don’t know but it seems to oddly work for them and I was probably the only person ever to be concerned about other peoples electrical safety.

Hanoi is built on a grid system surrounding the Ho Kiem Lake, which is where we were headed but kept taking wrong turns and ended up way out, guess who was in charge of the map. But its wonderful to get lost somewhere there’s so much to see, smell and taste. I thought the lake in Hanoi would be the main tourist hub but it doubles as a huge roundabout, making it slightly easier to cross the road as the masses of mopeds are only coming from one direction. The lake is a popular place to get married. Bride after bride we passed having her photos by the lake while her new husband looked on. We crossed the death trap road and found a huge statue of a late king behind a small park with a bandstand. This is where make up artists and hairdressers were sat getting the brides ready for the ceremony in the bandstand, so many beautiful brides and such a stress free way of getting married, this didn’t stop at night either, as we walked around the beautifully illuminated lake… maybe we just found a 24 hour marriage service.

Street food in Hanoi is literally street food. These tiny little kitchens set up on the pavement, plastic tables and tiny chairs so you sit in a frog like position to eat your bowl of soup, “pho” is the popular dish in Vietnam which is meat and vegetable noodle soup and its bloody delicious. Eating street food can sometimes be a risk especially with the meat as it can be a little bit dodgy however were under the assumption that even in restaurants the refrigeration cant be up to scratch. They do however just say meat or veg? veg just seems a little boring so we opted for meat every time.. Chicken, Pork, veg and noodles in a huge bowl of soup for 25,000 Dong, so about $1.50. I thought the food here was going to be super spicy but not at all just full of flavor, then they give you limes, chilies and a pot of garlic water to add yourself, cheap and amazing.

Vietnamese people are so far ridiculously nice, they are just so happy to serve you and make sure you are okay, especially our hostel staff in Lucky house 2. They helped us organize and plan our next destination and trips. Were not ones for organized tours but the places we wanted to visit had to be done through tours. After a 10km walk around what seemed like the whole of Hanoi, we stopped for a well deserved beer and watched the continuous stream of mopeds and street food vendors up and down in front of us. The sun was pumping down so it was the perfect time for a break. Some of the food vendors carry their goods on a huge stick over their shoulder with a basket either side and these are the only people that hassle you in the street to buy from them, even walking into shops you don’t get bombarded or things put under your nose. Don’t expect luscious Vietnamese handmade markets in Hanoi its very commercialized and proper clothes and shoe shops line the streets, most of the streets seem to be dedicated to one particular product so one street you’re surrounded by kids toys and games and the next street is full of bamboo ladders and other handmade bamboo goods. Back to the crazy lady in her pointy straw hat and basket of goodies, what looked like hard balls covered in something I thought was sugar… it literally could have been anything from fruit to meat. After paying 10,000 Dong which is under a dollar for a bag of treats (even though we only wanted one to try and we ended up with one of everything from the basket) and oh my they were treats! Sweet donut style little balls of goodness.. AMAZING! That good it was so tempting to stop all the ladies we saw with these baskets again. Looking at the map, pointing out somewhere and setting off just seems to be the best way, it’s also the best way to find things you never normally would.

We headed for the top of the old quarter to a market. I’m a sucker for any kind of market and this one turned out to be a food market, heaven. This market is the main hub for food trade in Hanoi, there was everything you could imagine and no one was hassling us at all. After working our way round, staring at a bucket of frogs and trying to work out what this weird little turtle animal was it was time to retire for more pork noodles and a chilled night in the hostel. Our hostel staff who get top marks from me for their tea and coffee making skills whenever they saw you enter were also super friendly and helpful when it came to booking our trips, going at it alone means paying over the odds when you reach the place, so we decided to book some stuff up. Our first trip will be to Sapa, we don’t really know what to expect as were not 100% sure what we’ve booked.. but for now we leave the crazy streets and beeping horns of Hanoi for some countryside.