Dalat - Canyoning

The relatively short journey from Nha Trang was one of our better journeys in Vietnam, and so we arrived in the mountainous city of Dalat at around 2pm. The first thing we noticed was the weather, a 'chilly' 25 degrees - how are we going to cope in England?!

In the afternoon we explored the small city and also booked to go canyoning the following day. That evening we had a really nice meal, a few beers and an early night.

We were picked up at 8.30am and made the short journey to the start of the canyoning. Over the course of the next seven hours, and after being kitted out with helmet, harness and life jacket, we faced several different and exciting challenges as we made our way through the canyon. Firstly, we abseiled down two dry cliffs of approximately 20m. We then trekked through the canyon until we reached a natural water slide, which looked uncomfortably dangerous. However, after watching our guide go down backwards without a helmet, we convinced ourselves that it couldn't do any harm to give it a go. It was great fun and we tried loads of different variations, including backwards and a train (see video end of post)!

Next up was the biggest challenge of the day; abseiling down a 25m high waterfall into a plunge pool. The rock was really slippery so every step had to be carefully placed to avoid a nasty fall. The task was made even more difficult by the fact that the water was gushing onto our legs and into our eyes. As we reached the bottom of the cliff we took a large jump as the rope ran out and we fell backwards into the plunge pool.

By now our adrenaline was pumping, and after a short lunch break we moved on to our last two activities of the day. First up was a 7m free jump, before abseiling into the 'washing machine'. The free jump tested Jen's nerves but she plucked up the courage and followed Joe off the cliff and into the water. The 'washing machine' was a great way to end a brilliant trip through the canyon. It involved abseiling straight underneath a huge waterfall, which spun you around and smashed straight onto your head - by the end you didn't know which way was up or where to go next!

Overall, we had a great time and it was certainly one of the highlights of Vietnam so far.

Nha Trang

We were pleased to arrive in one piece when we turned up in Nha Trang after a night bus from Hoi An. Again, we didn't get much sleep - it might have something to do with the neon lights inside the bus, the terrible air conditioning, and the absolutely crazy driving!

At least we had a nice hotel to relax in and catch up on some much needed sleep. Hence, on our first day we were pretty lazy and only ventured out for a glimpse of the beach and some good food.

We had a brilliant time on our second day in Nha Trang. The day before we had booked to go out scuba diving, and it certainly didn't disappoint! We were up early and on the boat to the dive site for 7:30am. We did two fun dives at two different sites during the day; the sites were really interesting and we were able to see a lot of new underwater sea life that we hadn't seen before, such as nudibranches, bumphead parrotfish, and a red seahorse!

We came to Nha Trang for the diving, and so once we had had our fix we were ready to move on to the adventure capital of Vietnam...Dalat!

Hoi An

Four foot beds and a six foot four inch Joe do not mix very well, hence we didn't get much sleep on our overnight 'soft-sleeper' from Hanoi to Hoi An! Luckily, we had booked a nice hotel to stay in for three nights, and we were soon showered, rested, and under the air-conditioning!

Over the next three days we had a great time which included many visits to the tailor, a day cycling to the beach, and lots of ice cream and 'fresh beer'!

We used a highly recommended tailor and got loads of great clothes made-to-measure. Joe got a lovely suit, four shirts, a tie, casual trousers, and a smart jacket. Jen (who struggles to pick a sandwich from a menu) finally decided on a smart jacket and two pairs of casual trousers. The process involved lots of fitting and re-fitting, but it was amazing how quickly the clothes were made and how great they feel when they fit you perfectly. We were both really pleased with the outcome and the whole experience was a lot of fun!

After the craziness of Hanoi we found the quaint streets of Hoi An very relaxing and a lot less intrusive. However, despite there being far fewer mopeds, Joe did manage to get run over by one! The guy was going far too fast down a pedestrianised street, swerved to avoid a bicycle, and ended up hitting Joe before flying in the air and lying in a heap, petrol leaking everywhere. The driver came off far worse, and Joe was only bruised and shaken up a bit. Looking back, it was quite funny and certainly not surprising!

When we weren't at the tailors or being hit by mopeds we manged to hire a couple of bikes for the day (50p each!), get out of town, and cycle to the beach. We had a brilliant time relaxing in the shade of the palm trees on the beach and cycling through some lovely countryside. Not sure about the granny basket on the front though!

The final factor that has cemented Hoi An as a favourite in our eyes was the unbelievably good home-made ice-cream (three nights in a row) and the cheapest beer to date. It was so cheap we though it would be rude not to drink two quid's worth - so that's 16 beers and an interesting bike ride home!

Next stop...Nha Trang and another dreaded bus journey...

Halong Bay

We started our three day tour of Halong Bay with a four hour minibus ride from Hanoi to Halong City. We then had an hour wait before boarding our junk ship for lunch, and sailing the short distance to our first stop of the afternoon, a huge cave. The cave was massive and really impressive, with some of the best cave structures we have ever seen. However, the experience was tainted slightly due to the sheer volume of tourists and the neon lighting they consider appropriate for lighting up the cave - tacky!

Back on the junk ship, we had a fantastic afternoon sailing peacefully through the spectacular limestone formations and islands of the bay. We sailed through to Cat Ba Island to pick up a couple of passengers before doing a U-turn for a small floating fishing village that rented out kayaks to tourists. We enjoyed getting a closer look at the islands from our kayak and were particularly surprised to come across the most remote ATM we have ever seen! After watching sunset from the kayak, we (or rather just Jen) was treated to fresh crab and beer by the locals who understood no English but were happy to share and smile a lot!

After a sound night's sleep in our luxury cabin aboard the junk ship we were dropped off at Cat Ba Island for day two of the tour. The first activity of the day was a hot and sweaty hike to the top of a dodgy old tower in the heart of Cat Ba National Park. The views from the top were amazing but we were reluctant to stay at the top of the rusting tower for too long - it looked like it would break at any moment!

We were then transferred to our hotel in Cat Ba town, where we used our free afternoon to explore the beaches. Unfortunately, it is a very popular destination for Vietnamese holiday makers as well as Western tourists, and we can quite easily say that we have never seen so many people on a beach at the same time! However, we found a peaceful corner and relaxed with a couple of legendary Vietnamese ice coffees.

The next day was just a traveling day, but we got to sail back through the beautiful Halong Bay again, and the high winds and raging storm made it quite a different experience! During our final lunch in Halong Bay City we randomly met a Malaysian couple from Kuala Lumpur who had lived in Bradford for a while. They had been to Ilkley Moor, Chellow Dene, Haworth, Thornton and more - bizarre!

We were back in Hanoi by 5pm, and in time for a shower and takeaway pizza before boarding the nightbus at 6pm to Hoi An...

Hanoi

We arrived in Hanoi in style; a 40 minute plane ride from Luang Prabang! After getting through customs, just, we had a smooth transfer (we managed to swerve past the oxen in the airport car park) to our hotel in the Old Quarter. That evening, we had a little explore around the Old Quarter and went for a nice meal in what turned out to be a fake copycat restaurant of the 'Little Hanoi' restaurant that was recommended to us! - This happens an awful lot in Vietnam.

The next day the heavens opened and stayed open for two days solid. However, we still managed to explore the area south of the Old Quarter and enjoyed great views of the lake and city from the City View Bar. That evening we went to a water puppetry show (an old traditional form of entertainment in Hanoi). It certainly was an experience! Despite the fact that we had absolutely no idea of what was going on, it was all quite funny and, at times, really impressive to watch. The hour of entertainment cost us around two pounds for the two of us; Vietnam is certainly the cheapest country so far!

On our final day in Hanoi we were just about starting to get used to the crazy traffic; 3 million mopeds in such a small city makes crossing the road a somewhat interesting experience. The best tactic is to close your eyes, walk straight, cross your fingers, and hope for the best!

Having seen the best parts of the Old Quarter we used our last day to venture further afield and visit the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. It was well worth a visit, and we were particularly impressed with the temporary exhibit which focused on Highway No.9, the road that bisects north and south Vietnam and continues through Laos, Thailand, and Burma.

Overall, we enjoyed Hanoi and it's 10p beers, but in a way it's appeal is it's craziness, and it grates on you after a while!

From here we take a three day tour to Halong Bay and return to Hanoi to get the bus south to Hoi An...

Luang Prabang

We arrived in Luang Prabang after another bus ride that snaked through the gorgeous Laos countryside. We knew we had exactly five nights before our flight to Hanoi so we set about making the most of our time. On our first full day we spent our time exploring the town, walking around the Old Quarter, and browsing through the stalls at the night market.

The next morning we set off on a two day adventure tour which included trekking, a village stay, and kayaking. Due to the heavy rain we had had the night before, we quickly found ourselves wading through knee deep rivers at regular intervals and scaling around rice paddies. It was hard work in the hot and humid conditions, but we were rewarded with some great views and an amazing lunch including an endless supply of exotic fruit.

We arrived at a typical Hmong village shortly after midday and had the opportunity to have a good look around and ask loads of questions about the life of the villagers. By the evening we had made it to the second Hmong village where we spent the night. After an interesting 'shower' under a bamboo pipe we enjoyed watching the endless games played by the kids in the village; considering how little they had, it was great to see how unbelievably happy they all were. To round off a fantastic day, our guide then cooked us a traditional meal and served us some home-brewed Lao Lao (rice whiskey).

The next morning we trekked back down to the road, where we were picked up and taken to the start of the kayaking. We enjoyed kayaking down the river back towards Luang Prabang for around three hours (including a lunch stop). In general we were pretty successful at steering through the rapids, but we did manage to topple out on a couple of occasions!

On our last full day we hired a tuk tuk driver with a couple of friends and set out to visit the popular waterfalls around Luang Prabang. We were really impressed with how clean and clear the waterfalls were, so we spent the afternoon swimming and relaxing - it was a great end to a fantastic eleven days in Laos.

Next stop...Vietnam (and not sat in the aisle of a horrible bus with chickens for 30 hours, but flashpacking on a comfy 40 minute plane ride!)

Vang Vieng

We took the ‘V.I.P.’ minibus from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, and it was anything but V.I.P.! The one saving grace was that the views along the way were stunning; lush green jungle and jagged limestone cliffs lined the meandering road as we made our way north.

Once in Vang Vieng we booked into our hostel and went out to explore. It was clear that you only come to Vang Vieng for one thing and one thing only – to party! The next day we got our first taste of the phenomenon that is tubing on the Nam Song! Basically, this is a pub crawl on a river with tractor tyre inner tubes for transport and Tarzan swings for entertainment!

Overall, we spent two days tubing and managed to get to most of the bars, swings, slides, and mud-baths along the way. The first bar was the pick of the bunch as it had the best entertainment, the best Tarzan swing, and it seemed to be the best place to get drunk before jumping in the river! Once in the river, if you wanted to go to another bar you had to signal for one of the kids to throw in a ring and hook you out! As you can imagine, this became a serious struggle after a few beers and with a raging current!

On the second day of tubing we experienced the great atmosphere of Bar 3 in the pouring rain. There was plenty of beer and free tequila shots, which led to a lot of singing and dancing! We then missed out the mud bath tug-o-war at Smile Bar (which we experienced on the first day), and moved onto the last bar for mud wrestling and more Tarzan swings!

At the end of each day we were very drunk, very muddy, and very tired by the time we made our way along the last 3km stretch of the river before arriving back in Vang Vieng. It was one of the most random experiences on our trip to date, and although not in-keeping with real Laos culture, it was great fun and had to be done!

Next stop...detox in Luang Prabang and a two day jungle trek!

Vientiane

We arrived in Vientiane around 12pm having taken the overnight bus from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani, a tuk tuk from Udon Thani Station to another bus stop in Udon Thani, a public bus from Udon Thani to Nong Khai, another tuk tuk to the border crossing at Friendship Bridge, a bus across the bridge after passing immigration, and finally a very overloaded tuk tuk to our hostel in Vientiane - it goes without saying that we were pretty tired!

We spent two days in Vientiane and it rained non-stop (it is the rainy season). However, we had a lot of sleep to catch up on and quite a lot of errands to run (Vietnam visas, flights to Hanoi, bus tickets to Vang Vieng etc.), so we were kept quite busy.

There wasn't a great deal to do here except eat and drink - and we did this in abundance! Laos has some great French bakeries, cafes, and cool bars serving some much loved home comforts!

Next stop...Tubing in Vang Vieng!

Chiang Mai - Eco-Adventure Trek

After the fantastic day we had on the cookery course, we booked onto a two day one night 'Eco-Adventure' trek which involved an elephant ride, trekking through the jungle, white-water rafting, and bamboo rafting.

The first day involved a two hour journey into the jungle where we jumped onto the back of an elephant (as you do) and were taken for a ride! Along the way we took plenty of photos and, at times, held on for dear life as the elephants ascended and descended some pretty steep and slippery slopes! We then had lunch and completed a three hour uphill climb to the hilltop village that was our home for the night.

Our little bamboo lodge was perched spectacularly overlooking the surrounding hills and valleys - it was a perfect setting for a great evening. Our tour guide cooked us an amazing curry and then provided the entertainment with some interesting 'Thai' covers of The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Oasis, and many more!

On the second day we descended the 1000m we had climbed the previous day, and made our way along the river to the waterfall (see below). With searing temperatures and humidity it was great to jump in the river and stand under the waterfalls. We then made our way to the start of the white-water rafting, and after a five minute demonstration we were hauled into the 'raging' river! We rafted for about half an hour (it was actually quite good) and then took a ten minute bamboo raft to the pick up point.

After some Pad Thai noodles we squeezed into the van and made the hour and a half journey back to Chiang Mai. Smelly, wet, and dirty, we were glad to send our clothes to the laundry and have a nice shower!

Chiang Mai - Thai Cookery Course

On our first full day in Chiang Mai we decided to put our culinary skills to the test and do a Thai cookery course! It was a great day, which involved a trip to the market to buy and learn all about the different ingredients that are used, preparing and cooking six courses, attempting to carve vegetables, and eating mountains of exceptionally good food!

Between us we made spring rolls, Thai soup, papaya salad, chicken salad, chicken and cashew nut stir-fry, spicy red Thai curry, and sticky mango rice. We were surprised at how quick and easy the dishes were to make - even making fresh curry paste from scratch took less than ten minutes!

We promise to cook for the Pooles and Nuttalls when we get back so you can find out for yourself how good the food really is!