There are some places which act as the traveller’s Bermuda Triangle, places which you can never seem to leave, and Nha Trang is one of them.
At first we took one look at the eurotrash-y nightlife and insane amount of Russian tourists acting like they owned the place and decided to stay for 3, maybe 4 nights. We stayed for 12.
We’re finally out of the capital! We ended up staying in Hanoi for various reasons- illness, poor organisation, extended beerpong-induced hangovers.. but the silver lining was that by chatting to one of the guys at the hostel we heard about the Phong Nha Farmstay. Since it’s only two years old it’s not in our slightly outdated Lonely Planet, and the combination of cool cave tours and a laid-back lifestyle sounded perfect. We booked in for four nights.
Phong Nha National Park
Within half a day I never wanted to leave. Rainy days were spent reading in a hammock, cuddling the puppies that run around, enjoying the view of rice paddies and mountains, and working on my pool game. The highlight of the second day was taking a bike tour through the neighbouring villages just as kids were coming out of school in the morning- their screams of “hello!! HELLO!!” and high-fives made us feel like celebrities. At one point a motorbike with one adult and no less than 4 kids whizzed past, the children just going mental at the sight of us. The tour led us to one side of Phong Nha Ke-Bang national park and into Dragon’s Breath cave, which was pretty cool. But that was simply a warm-up for the next day: an incredible tour through the national park and to Paradise cave.
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Hanoi from Hong Kong was a shock. We got a hint of how mental it is here when the cab to our hotel came to an abrupt stop in front of a truckload of chickens parked across the motorway; from then on it was in at the deep end. The heat whacks you in the face, there is no discernible way to cross the heaving streets, and the language barrier made it nearly impossible to order that crucial beer on our first night.
If I’m honest, I hated it- and missed the order and cleanliness of Hong Kong. It probably had a lot to do with staying in a hotel away from people our own age, and we spent most evenings hanging out at the backpacker hostel down the road. The turning point came on the third day: tired and hungover from the hostel bar crawl the night before, we avoided the midday heat in Tamarind, a veggie cafe in the Old Quarter. We emerged after a good meal and a couple of mango lassis (and agreeing to come back and speak English with the friendly staff in exchange for our dinner) completely relaxed- suddenly walking in the path of oncoming traffic came naturally. It also helps a great deal that the staff, like most of the people we’ve met so far, are constantly smiling and keen to talk to you to improve their English.
A disproportionate amount of our time here has been spent seeking out Hanoi’s gastronomic delights, and we have two favourites. At Bún bò nam bộ you can get a plate of delicious crab spring rolls, noodles and a beer for around £1.50. For a DIY barbecue of beef and vegetables cooked with a mix of lime juice, sugar and pepper, 47 Ma May is the place to go.
The one thing I was looking forward to most was touring Halong Bay, and it didn’t disappoint. Kayaking, cave exploring, swimming and sunbathing in the afternoon, squid-fishing (unsuccessfully), karaoke and drinking at night- and that was just the first day. I’m pleased we decided to stay for 2 nights because next on the agenda was a trip to an oyster farm, more swimming and beach-bumming, plus a bike ride and jungle trek on Cat Ba island, where we stayed in a hotel. Our guide was brilliant and showed a couple of us round Cat Ba town after dinner, where we drank green tea watching kids beat drums and do the dragon dance in preparation for the Mid-Autumn festival that weekend. All of this set against a backdrop of looming rock formations making it impossible to stop taking pictures.
Now we’re in the downtown Hanoi Backpackers Hostel, and we’re taking full advantage of the chilled atmosphere and great nightlife. The one bad thing about staying in such a great place is that we never want to leave!
my view writing this..
Next up is Sapa, where we’ll be heading, walking boots in hand, on a sleeper train tomorrow night. Fingers crossed for minimal mozzie bites in the mountains…
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