Travel Lesson 4 – beans or chilli?

Watch out when eating string beans, green chillies will cleverly disguise themselves amongst the beans and they will wreak havoc in your mout.  Take extra care when eating in the dark. One night in Koh Tao while Chase was sick in bed, I went out for dinner at one of those beachfront restaurants that I … Continue reading →

Travel Lesson 3 – Language

Learning and using the local language will get you further than using English. When Chase and I decided to stay overnight in Chumphon, a town where tourists usually arrive off a 5am train and depart for the islands a few hours after, we had to quickly get an understanding of the language.  We did see … Continue reading →

Southern Vietnam Part 1: Nha Trang

Arrival in Nha Trang = immediate happiness. Sun, beach and a place that reminds me of Australia. I went for my first jog of the trip here (happiness = motivation). I ran 5km in 33 minutes which I thought was not too bad! We went scuba diving here and water was cold and the visibility … Continue reading →

Northern Vietnam Part 3: Sapa

Part 3. Sapa Three buses, one ferry and an overnight train from Cat Ba, we were in Sa Pa, home to Indochina’s tallest peak – Mount Fansipan at 3146m. 1600m above sea level and hugged firmly by thick dense clouds, the town was rather cold. Adventure seekers normally come here to climb Mt Fansipan, however … Continue reading →

Northern Vietnam Part 2: Cat Ba Island

The happiness I was seeking in Ha Noi came in short bursts in Cat Ba. We found a cheap hotel room and were very impressed. We had huge floor to ceiling windows with vast ocean views which made me quite happy. Unfortunately for me, Cat Ba was celebrating the anniversary of Ho Chi Minh’s visit … Continue reading →

Northern Vietnam Part 1: Hanoi

Hanoi wasn’t as people made out. It was not a massive culture shock. It was just like any other city to me. I seemed to have been going through a slight phase of depression while here. I was seeking something exciting, something interesting, but with a bad patch of weather and little more than museums … Continue reading →

a short stop in Hue

Hue was the political capital of Vietnam from 1802-1945 under the Nguyen dynasty. In contrast to our usual style of D.I.Y. Touring, we decided to let the locals take the reins as we joined a guided tour through the city. We visited the old citadel and forbidden city, the tombs of two previous emperors and … Continue reading →