Where do I start with this amazing country, amazing food, fabulous culture and a hell of a lot of fun, sometimes maybe a little too much fun lol. There is something about Asia that draws me back to it, most of the time on my travels I visit a place and feel as though I have seen all I need and there is no need to go back, Asia is different, the vibrant lifestyle gets rather addictive. After spending 3 months in Asia I thought I would have had enough but reality was I wasn't ready to leave. whilst I was there I kept saying I just want some western food there's only so many rice and noodle dishes one can endure. The funny thing is now all I crave is noodles & rice ( as long as there is soy sauce & sweet chilli to go with it ).
I started off my Vietnam adventure in Ho Chi Minh city, which was rather an ordeal getting through immigration, I had a visa but it seemed rather pointless as I basically had to go through everything all over again in the airport, 3 hours later & losing my luggage temporarily, nearly pulling my hair out in frustration I made it. I actually had booked the flight well in advance and forgot the fact I was meeting my friends the other end of the country at Christmas but we live and learn, flights in Asia are pretty cheap and if you're a wing it and see person you can just rock up at the airport and book the next flight to where ever you fancy. Probably not the cheapest way of travelling but its doable. Now if you think you have seen crazy traffic you probably need to compare it to Ho Chi Minh, I remember my first experience trying to cross the road, I was stood there for about half an hour thinking what the heck am I meant to do here!!! Think your safe on the path? think again, if there's a gap it means there's room for a scooter. By the end of my trip I looked at crossing the road more as a fun game of chicken. The trick is don't look and keep walking and they actually stop for you. The system there is so funny, everyone drives from all directions, traffic lights? what are those? Its all a massive mess of unorganised chaos but for some strange reason it works!
Off I go hopping on another flight to the other end of the country hoping this time my airport experience is a lot less stressful... Thankfully all is sweet and I arrived in Hanoi, being in this awesome city on a weekend is the best time to be there as the place just comes alive. They close the roads for street performers, so every few steps you go there is something to entertain you. Fancy dancing in the street why not? join in with the traditional dancing, it seriously is a lot of fun. Anyone like cheap beer? I certainly do, here there are tiny little plastic stools which look as though it was designed for a two year old dotted all around the side streets. I questioned myself will this tiny stool hold my big butt, there's only one way to find out lol. There are kegs of beer lined up along the streets, you can sit down and enjoy a beer to the equivalent of 5 - 7 British pence!!!! You would think at that price it must taste vile but seriously they are pretty good. Fancy a yummy meal sure 50 pence and you are on to a winner.
Christmas here was a very different experience, I am not that big into Christmas these days so fully appreciate throwing myself out of the norm. I was joined on Christmas day by my amazing friends who I actually met whilst backpacking Australia, Its amazing the connections you make when your travelling solo, I really urge everyone to try it at least once. So we decided to do something completely bonkers and went to see a water puppet show, probably up there with one of the strangest things I have ever seen but I am glad I have done it. Walking along the streets at night was pretty magical watching the school children sing Christmas carols, I would recognise the tune but the lyrics are in Vietnamese, everyone holding candles, It actually brought a tear to my eye.
Snake wine, over sized baloons, terrible train journeys, Asia belly and getting jumped on by a monkey are all things you should try and avoid. I unfortunately have experienced the affects of all of them. Trekking up the Sapa mountains which do get really cold by the way!!! hiking through the rice paddies all well and good unless you have a bad belly then its probably the worst place in the world for you to be right now. We stayed at a home stay where you are met by the guide ready to take you on your adventure its amazing seeing the traditional clothing and how everyone lives, you are well looked after and provided with a traditional feast fit for kings, you definitely wont be going hungry.
If you want a day exploring that costs nothing, get a bicycle ( some places you stay will provide them you for free ) A great place to do this was in Hoi An, cycling through vegetable fields with the occasional buffalo blocking your way, they can seem pretty scary when your face to face with one, the only thing going through my mind was I hope his horn doesn't come anywhere near me!
Hoi An the city of lanterns its so pretty all lit up at night, the basket picture on this post was taken here, you can either get picked up directly from your accommodation or meet at the tour shop. As there were a few of us we had our own private boat which was cool, free coconut for refreshments. Spinning around repeatedly in this thing reminded me a lot of the walsers ride at the fair back in England, I was surprised how many people were doing it, you can tell its a hot spot for tourists. The Vietnamese singing loudly and dancing whilst your getting dizzy, its a good laugh. Walking through the night markets you can get anything from fake trainers to cooked frogs on a stick not really my idea of a tasty snack so I gave that one a miss.
We did the most amazing motorcycle trip from Hoi An to Hue, A lot of people do the trip the other way round but honestly either is amazing. Hire the motorbikes yourself or if you're like me and too scared as you have crashed them in the past,then you can hire easy riders. They really take care of you, ensuring your safety, despite the fact we were off to a rocky start as one of the bikers engines didn't seem to work (my friend was on the back of this one) normally its me having the strange experience, one driver was riding along pushing the other with his leg to ensure he was gaining speed lol only in Asia would you see something like this. My driver didn't speak much English but found it quite amusing to tell my friends to elbow their driver as they are going along just for the crack. You have lunch included in the day, your drivers also make excellent photographers even telling you how to pose in all the scenic shots, cant miss a photo opp, one for the gram! They stopped off at the elephant waterfalls which was pretty magical as you could actually slide down it, Had a lot of fun doing this, who doesn't love a natural water slide.
One of the highlights of my trip in Vietnam has to be New year, We were on a 3 day party cruise Oasis bay, from the moment I stepped on board I was in love, jacuzzi's on each floor, nightclub, restaurant, giant bouncy trampoline attached the boat, beautiful scenery.
Day 1 - Welcome meeting, drink & dinner followed by beer yoga!!! who doesn't want to have a go at beer yoga!! so much fun. Also party games, beer pong, flippy cup, true backpacker style.
Day 2 - Kayaking, trampoline fun, freedom island ( which is where you are taken to a private island, left for the night then picked up the next day.
Day 3 - Traditional Vietnamese cooking class & returning to the shore.
This party cruise was so magical I actually considered working on there and delaying my flight to New Zealand. Living in Halong Bay with these stunning rock faces in the ocean now wouldn't that be a dream! I spent my birthday in Vietnam on an island called Phu Quoc as well this is where starfish beach is, an amazing cable cart ride and a safari where you can take a meal at the giraffe restaurant! Everything about Vietnam lights my soul up with joy and I will definitely be planning a return visit.
