One of the biggest reasons I wanted to go to Southeast Asia was for the food. Some of my favourite foods are noodles and dumplings so it was an easy decision. When we got to Hanoi, we were bombarded with a cacophony of noises, smells, and sights of food everywhere. Street vendors grilling various meats …
Vietnam’s commercial centre. This city on first impression was like no other in Vietnam. And after we left, that conclusion still holds. Full of food, culture and vibrancy. It was a long and short 22 hour bus ride from Hanoi. Long because the bus arrived three hours late. Short because the bus arrived three hours …
This lovely little river and ocean city was a delight for a few days to live in. The city of Hoi An is a tourist hub of activity. The local things to do are go to the tailors for clothes, and to do cooking classes! We did both of those, as well as other walking …
This was the adventure of a lifetime. We saw some of the rarest geology on the planet, and caved through 5km of limestone underneath snakes, boars, tigers and the rest of the thick, war torn Vietnamese jungle. Our hostel host Linh went over some tour and adventure options for while we were in Phong Nha. …
A debacle of a bus ride to get here, the land of massive caves. Cao Bang, where we were coming form, isn’t exactly on the tourist trail. It’s also not populated either. So the only bus is to Hanoi, and it arrives at 4:30 am. We arranged a early morning transfer to a different but …
One more stop in the cold mountains for us, and that is the town and province of Cao Bang. The journey here was an adventure in itself. We took the “local bus,” which is just a 20 seat minivan that is also loaded with cargo. No live animals were with us. It’s apparently a possibility. …
The night buses are getting easier. Or maybe they are not. But it was seven hours back deep into the Northern Vietnam mountains for us. Our goal was a motorbike tour of the Ha Giang province, to witness some massive limestone mountains, gorgeous terraced agriculture valleys, and high vantage lake lookouts. We arrived at 4am, …
We were dancing, and moving, Ninh Binhing around. We were shaking, and grooving Ninh Binhing around. Our little jingle for the backcountry exploration around Ninh Binh province. We never actually went to Ninh Binh city. We stayed in Tam Coc instead, which is the tourist home base for the area. There are a few things …
After a quick taste the day before, we were now ready for the full adventure that the limestone islands of Lan Ha Bay would bring. The cruise started at 11 in the morning, and travelled maybe half an hour until the first excursion. We spent that time getting to know our new travel companions. There …
A long sleeper bus to the coast took us from the mountains to the ocean. We woke up to the oversized bus trying to fit on an undersized ferry. A nervous Cam took a quick survey of the nearby emergency exits, determined herself satisfied, and relaxed. Cat Ba Island has turned itself into somewhat of …