Blogs from Quang Binh, North Central Coast, Vietnam, Asia - page 2

This morning we slept in a little late and rushed to get dressed in time to have breakfast before our trip to the caves. Thank goodness Dani was a lot better and able to do the tour with us. Delicious (I know I’m using this word a LOT, but seriously all the food here is fantastic.) breakfast of banana pancakes (as good as Cactus, Langkawi), perfectly poached eggs with baguettes, omelette and fresh fruit salad with yoghurt. Breakfast was included with our room rate but rather than being a buffet, you order off a menu. We literally had to throw back our cuppas before joining the tour bus for the day. The bus left just before 9 and we were off driving alongside farms, rice paddies and waterways. It wasn’t long before we were turning into ... read more

Today was easily one of the nicest days of my life. Why? Because sometimes all you need is a reminder that life is simple, and simple things are beautiful and can make you very happy. I travelled from Hue to Phong Nha with Andrew, whom I met in the hostel in Hanoi. Phong Nha National Park has many caves, and you basically come here to explore caves. Many caves are still being discovered in this area on an annual if not weekly basis. Just 4 years ago, the largest cave in the world was discovered here. A trek in this cave takes 7 days. Let's talk about caves. I love caves. Which makes little sense since I'm intensely claustrophobic, but then again I'm also ridiculously stubborn .... so, I came here. To explore caves. Which I ... read more

The whole point of heading north to Huế was to eventually make our way to Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park and one of Asia's largest cave systems. Our homestay was in Cu Nam, a rural village surrounded by rice paddies, about 180km north of Huế near the Laotian border. Cu Nam is off the beaten path and the tourist industry is pretty undeveloped so the people we met were extra-friendly and curious. The following morning we were picked up early for the 90 minute drive to the caves and met our fellow trekkers which included an experienced caver and photographer from Calgary named Joseph. Just our luck as Matt doesn't have a tripod and knew that the low light situation in the caves would make photography challenging. Luckily Joseph most generously gave us permission to use some ... read more

heute zeigt sich vietnam so, wie man es sich vorstellt. mit endlosen reisfeldern unter durch eine milde brise durchbrochener schwüle und abwechselnd bewölktem himmel. in aller frühe kommen wir mit unserem open bus in dong hoi an und stärken uns gleich mal mit wunderbrau frisch gebrautem vietnamesischen kaffee. dieser wird in eigenen kleinen aufsetzen direkt in die gläser gefiltert und schmeckt herrlich karamellig. mit händen und füßen verständigen wir uns mit dem cafe-inhaber und schlussendlich bringen wir ein zielführendes telefongespräch mit unserer homestay lady zu stande. wir werden abgeholt und durch herrlich grünes landleben zum pepperhouse homestay gebracht. das sehr authentische homestay (betten sind nur durch vorhänge getrennt) inmitten von pfeffer, reis und bananenfeldern ist unter vietnamesisch-australischer führung (die chefin hat einen australier geheirate... read more

Right around 4 am I was rustled awake and took a few seconds to get my bearings - 'Dong Hoi' one of the employees said softly, 'this is Dong Hoi.' I shook Tara awake and we looked around the sleeping town a bit disoriented. The maps in guide books or even on google maps easily provide that false sense of security, looking at it from above it all seems so easy - until you are dropped down into the streets and suddenly it all falls apart - completely unfamiliar from those simple lines on the pages. While the rest of the bus dreamed, huddled up tight in their blankets, their destination of Hoi An a few more restful hours down the high-way, Tara and I gathered our luggage and trudged out into the dark streets – ... read more