Highs, but then terrible, terrible lows.
14.2.23 The highs. We didn’t have any intention of going anywhere big this year, although there was discussion about maybe doing a family trip to Bali to celebrate the end of my sister Jackie’s treatment for lymphoma but realistically it got complicated with everyone in different place, annual leave and exam dates etc. Jackie’s been…
Off to Vietnam.
16.2.23 Breakfast at Tune would have been great if it had been hot. We gave our options yesterday, John went for traditional chicken, rice, noodles etc. I opted for the American with the hash browns. It was buffet service, no hash browns but the sausages, scrambled egg and beans although luke warm were good. We…
Hanoi explorations
17.2.23 We made our way to Hanoi Old Quarter for a wander.Just as fabulous as we remember, mad crazy atmosphere, impossible to walk on pavements because of scooters and my head was on a constant swivel avoiding cars, scooters, sellers and people who just walk into you. John had a scooter that was pulling over…
A lake, a gruelling walk and a few hiccups
18.2.23We didn’t wake up until 9.30am.It was the first time I’d slept past 5am since leaving home.We definitely needed it. Our plan today was train street and the lake, but not time to do both as we’re meeting the Hanoi Hashers at 1.30pm. Hash House Harriers are world wide. https://images.app.goo.gl/EL35oMzqcLwfKiHw8 We belong to 1 of…
Off to Sapa
19.2.23Our alarms went off at 5.30am.We had a message last night to say meet at 6.30am at 26 Hang Tre for the bus to Sapa.I had booked from Hanoi SSB as close to our hotel and we’d even checked out where it is.Hang Tre is an additional 15 minutes walk. Left our cases with the…
Trekking
20.2.23We received a text yesterday saying to be ready for trekking by 9am.We packed what we needed for an overnight as we will be staying in the mountains tonight. There are just 3 bathrooms between everyone. In the end I decided to wait by the sink area so that I was next in line for…
Trekking day 2
21.2.23 We all slept surprisingly well, at Buffalo homestay, but all struggled to be brave enough to come out from under the duvet. I slept in my clothes as the pjs I laid on the bed on arrival felt damp. When first dozing off I swear I could hear a water buffalo trying to break…
Last trekking day
22.2.23 I could have so easily opted out of today’s trek. It was cold and our clothes still haven’t dried out fully. Getting out of bed was hard. We sat with Saffron, Josh and Nick at breakfast debating what to do. In the end it came down to whether our main bag would be delivered…
Sapa town and back to Hanoi
23.2.23We slept well at Heart of Sapa and went down for breakfast. The hotel is so quiet, and the staff are just lovely.We chatted to a guy from New Zealand. Not sure what his job is but he’d spent a lot of time in Turkey with Syrian refugees.He loved his time there and was overwhelmed…
Off to Tam Coc, Ninh Binh
24.2.23We’d been told to be ready by 9am for our 9.30am minibus pick up.Another similarity to Turkey is Vietnamese time. At 9.30 I asked the reception girls to call and check they’re coming.15 minutes later they arrived, then we had 3 more pick ups.A young lad at the back by me keeps doing very loud…