Hanoi and Halong Bay

January 24, 2026 ~ Cat ~ Leave a comment

We arrived into the airport in Hanoi in the late afternoon after a 45 minute flight from Vientiane during which time we were thrown a fairly decent sandwich. On the descent, you could see the smog hanging low over the city, and the air quality was ‘very unhealthy’. After inhaling quite a lot of dust and pollution in Laos, my throat and lungs were not very happy…

I’ve been to Vietnam before, in 2017, and in fact I am doing the exact same route with the same company. It has been interesting to see how things have changed in the last 9 years. The first noticeable difference was the number of cars on the roads. Last time they really were few and far between (due to high import taxes and lack of access to credit), with almost everyone driving scooters or motorbikes. There are so many more cars now (due to easier access to credit) and a lot of large EVs too. This makes crossing the road even more tricky as, while the scooters can weave around you, cars aren’t quite so nimble. I also felt that they are less willing to stop for pedestrians. Not that the traffic actually stops, you very much do just have to walk into the road with a sense of purpose and don’t stop until you get to the other side!!

After checking into the hotel, we went for dinner (Bun Cha for me) and then for drinks on Hanoi’s Beer Street

Bun Cha – minced pork meatballs in soup with white vermicelli noodles

The next day started with a trip to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Despite his wishes to be cremated and scattered around Vietnam, he was embalmed for people to proceed past him every day. A bit of an odd experience if I’m perfectly honest. We also went to the palace which is alongside the mausoleum and saw the stilt house that was built for Ho Chi Minh as he preferred this than the grander presidential palace.

Afterwards we went to possibly one of the newer ‘sights’ in Hanoi, Train Street. This is a narrow street which the trains from Ga Ha Noi pass through on their way out of the city. It’s lined with cafes and coffee shops and has definitely become something for the ‘gram.

We had an egg coffee, a Hanoi specialty, whilst we waited for the train to come through. When it’s on its way, the ladies come out of all the cafes and blow their whistles to clear all the tourists off the tracks (as it’s sort of a regular street when the trains aren’t there) and then the train chugs slowly past.

A free afternoon meant I retraced some of the things I remembered from my last trip, including a walk around Hoan Kiam lake, which had lots of beautiful plants and flowers in bloom, as well as a lunch stop at Banh Mi 25 which has become significantly more popular since my previous visit. Great banh mi though!!

In the evening we went to a Water Puppet Theatre show. Water puppets are particular to Vietnam and the puppetry was very interesting to watch even if I couldn’t really follow what was going on as it was all in Vietnamese!

This evening marked the final night of the trip for most of the group who had booked a 2 week trip from Bangkok to Hanoi (I am on nearly a month’s loop back to Bangkok), and we also met a number of new travellers who would be joining for the Vietnam leg of the trip. After dinner in a local restaurant, the Thailand and Laos crew enjoyed a final night on Beer Street to say our goodbyes.

It was a relatively early start with the new group the following morning as we headed the 4 or so hours out to Halong Bay for an overnight junk boat stay.

As we did last time, we had a stop at a workshop for disabled people, mostly women, where they are taught to sew and embroider. The artwork they produce is fantastic but as I’m not going home for 3 more months, I didn’t purchase anything.

We arrived in Halong Bay (the city is increasingly resembling Gold Coast with high rises and hotels) around midday and got on our junk boat which would be home for the next 24 hours. The weather was perfect, blue sky (unlike last time) and pleasantly warm. As we set sail we were served a delicious lunch which ended up being many different dishes being brought out for us to eat – more food than we could all manage.

Our home for the night and Halong Bay views

We sailed through the bay and past soaring limestone karsts on our way to Ti Top, an island with a viewpoint some 400 or so steps upwards. Much much busier than last time but still worth the views

After a gentle row around a bit of a lagoon, it was back to the boat for an incredible sunset, and more delicious food for dinner.

The following morning was a fairly early start to go to the caves, and then afterwards we had brunch whilst sailing back to land.

We drove back to Hanoi and arrived mid afternoon. I opted to do a food tour for the few hours before our overnight train south to Hue. Lots more delicious food and finished off with an egg coffee with an added shot of rum!!

I hugely enjoyed revisiting both these places. I really like the hustle and bustle of Hanoi’s old town even if it is completely exhausting trying to cross the road! And it was very special to see Halong Bay with beautiful clear blue sky.

Onwards on the night train to Hue…

Laos

January 16, 2026 ~ Cat ~ 2 Comments

My first new country on this trip. It’s been on the South East Asia backpacker route for quite a while but perhaps not the top of many holiday destinations lists.

We crossed the border from Thailand at Chiang Khong, at the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge VI. Visas are available on arrival for 40 USD (in crisp notes) plus a passport photo. I’ve now got a lovely full page visa in my passport!

After the border formalities, we drove a short distance up the river to get on a slowboat which would be our transport for the next 2 days to take us down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang. It’s early January and winter here, though definitely a different winter to the UK! There was a chill in the air in the morning which necessitated a couple of layers, but by mid morning when the sun came out, it was very pleasantly warm.

We sailed for perhaps 7 hours on the first day, to our overnight stop at a local Lao village. This was a real eye-opening experience into how people live along the river. There is no phone signal here, and whilst there are electricity wires and telegraph poles running through the village, it isn’t yet connected. Some of the houses have generators, cooking is done over an open fire, which also provides heat. There is a village water pump. The village is supported by G Adventures as a home stay stop on their tours, so there were sit-down western toilets, albeit with a large barrel of water beside for a manual flush…

The families here are large, with a lot of children running around amongst the roosters and ducks and dogs. Houses are wooden and on stilts to help with both the heat in the summer and the flooding in the rainy season. There was a school in the village so the children can get an education. Everyone seemed happy, and I suppose they know no different but it was a very rustic experience. I was also on my period at this point which, despite the western toilets, I was generally finding quite tough to deal with so can hardly imagine how the girls and women here cope. It was really good to experience the home stay and the genuine way of life when travelling as it really does put things into perspective.

We had Laotian food for dinner which was absolutely delicious and were then treated to a traditional dance performance from the girls in the village. We were also invited to have a go, there’s a lot of twirling wrists which I found surprisingly tiring!!

The next day it was back to the boat for another 7 hours after which we arrived at Luang Prabang. I hugely enjoyed sailing down the river and watching the scenery pass by. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting but I don’t think it was lush hillsides and limestone peaks. It was a very calming experience watching the world go by.

About an hour out of Luang Prabang are the Pak Ou caves, housing numerous Buddha statues in the caves on the riverside.

We arrived in the late afternoon for a 3 night stay in Luang Prabang, at one point the capital of Laos. Just in time for sunset, we headed up Phu Si, for views of the city and surrounding area

The night markets in Luang Prabang were perhaps the best we saw in Laos, or at least felt like they had the most local goods, and we frequented them each night we were there.

The next day we had a full day of activities starting with a tour of the ethnology museum to learn about some of the different peoples who live in Laos. We then drove out in a tuk tuk to a local community supported by G Adventures where we were received with a welcome ceremony and a number of cotton strings tied around our wrists, these provide good luck and fortune on travels and in theory shouldn’t be taken off before arriving home, but I’m not home for another 3 months…

We had lunch there and were then given a demonstration of making rice noodles and cotton weaving, before being persuaded to buy some scarves.

After that it was off to Kuang Si waterfalls for a paddle, and also to see some bears which have been rescued from the countryside and being cared for here.

The following day was a free day in Luang Prabang. Laos has the dubious distinction of being the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world. During the Second Indochina war, on average a plane load of munitions were dropped every 8 minutes for 9 years as the US bombed the Ho Chi Minh trail. An enormous amount of Unexploded Ordinance (UXO) remains here and continues to have a devastating impact on people’s lives. There is a very good UXO museum in Luang Prabang which I visited to learn more about this and the efforts being made to clear the land of the ordinance.

I then wandered around the old town and into Wat Xieng Thong, where despite the bus load of tourists which had just arrived, it was surprisingly peaceful. That evening a few of us went to Manda de Laos where we had a tasting menu of Lao food, and some imported wine. It was all delicious.

After an early start the next morning to see the daily Tak Bat ceremony where the monks proceed along the streets and townsfolk (or, increasingly, large tour groups) offer sticky rice and other foods, we set off to Vang Vieng, on a high speed train. By bus, this journey would take around 7 hours, but once we’d driven the 20 or so minutes to Luang Prabang train station, the train only takes just over an hour (thank you China…)

Vang Vieng used to be the party town in Laos, and to a certain extent it still is, but nowadays it is reinventing itself as an adventure destination with activities such as kayaking, rafting, climbing and hiking on the menu in the beautiful surrounding countryside . I took the opportunity to have a very chilled day and beyond a wander around town and finding a lunch spot overlooking the river, I did very little else. It was actually very nice to have a day almost to myself especially when on a long trip.

In the mornings and evenings, there are hot air balloon rides to capture sunrise and sunset, which were great to watch from the rooftop bar in the hotel.

After a relaxing time in Vang Vieng, it was off to Vientiane for the last stop in Laos. Again I need to give thanks to the Chinese for building a smooth highway and we were in Vientiane in a little over 2 hours. Vientiane is the capital of Laos, and there’s a lot of construction work going on, but it’s perhaps one of the quieter capitals I’ve been to. In the afternoon we went to Patuxai, the Victory Gate, modelled on the Arc de Triomphe, and were able to climb for views of the city. I also went into another temple where all the interior walls had little insets which housed 2 small Buddhas, there must have been thousands in total in the temple.

After a final evening of Beerlaos, we left the next day to fly to Hanoi, Vietnam.

I found Laos to be a beautiful and fascinating country. A much slower pace of life than its surrounding countries. Wonderful scenery, fantastic food and definitely an up-and-coming tourist destination. The slow boat down the Mekong was, I think, my favourite part. Go before the tourists take over!

Oman & India

August 21, 2020August 30, 2020 ~ Cat ~ Leave a comment

Next up in my series of ‘catch-up’ blog posts – a family trip cruising Oman and India. This trip was December 2016.

We had a direct flight from London Heathrow to Muscat, Oman – approximately 7 hours flight time if I remember rightly. We flew with Oman Air and arrived in Muscat in the early evening. At the time of travel, British citizens were required to purchase a visa on arrival for $17USD to be paid in cash.

We were transferred over to the port area to board our vessel before having dinner and the required life jacket muster.

The next day we remained in Muscat, I went on a Muscat city tour which included a visit to the Sultan Qaboos Mosque. This is one of the very few mosques in Oman which welcome non-Muslim visitors, though visitors are obviously required to be respectful. Women are required to be fully covered apart from the face so be sure to wear trousers/long skirt, and have a cardigan/shawl to cover arms all the way to the wrist. Once inside, it is quite an awe-inspiring sight, with some wonderful, ornate features such as the chandelier below.

After we’d finished the mosque visit, we also visited the palace, a museum and a souk before returning to the ship for lunch. I then enjoyed a free afternoon relaxing on the ship whilst some of the other passengers were on a full day trip inland.

The ship sailed east overnight to Sur. Here the ship moored offshore and we got to land via zodiacs, which made for an interesting ride! Once ashore we had a trip visiting a local fish market before heading to a fort with some great views overlooking the city, and finally to a dhow boatyard to see dhows under construction (dhows are traditional fishing boats in this part of the world).

Back on the ship at lunchtime before continuing to head east to India. It was a day and a half’s sailing to India, so plenty of time for relaxing on board on the sun deck, and practicing my photography skills.

We arrived after lunch the following day at our first port of call in India – Porbander, in Gujarat. Porbander is famous for being the birthplace of Gandhi, and in the afternoon we went on a trip to the house where he was born. It was extremely hot but the inside of the house was surprisingly cool. We also had a tuk tuk ride to a temple in Porbander before returning to the ship.

As first impressions of India go, Porbander was a massive assault on the senses. Of all the places we visit, I felt that this was the ‘real’ India. Bumpy roads, cows on the roadside, hustle and bustle in Porbander itself, and signs of poor living conditions.

We were moored overnight in Porbander, and the next day I went on a trip inland to the fort at Junagadh. Getting there featured the singularly most uncomfortable bus ride of my entire life – 3 hours of being flung around on the back seat of a bus. When we arrived, we visited Uparkot Fort, which had some good views over the city. Later we also stopped at the Mahabat Maqbara Palace, which is one of the most intricate buildings I think I’ve ever seen.

Uparkot Fort and sights over Junagadh (top); Mahabat Maqbara Palace (bottom)

The return bus journey was just as uncomfortable as the outbound journey and I was relieved to be able to stretch out my back when we arrived back at the ship. We sailed south overnight to Diu and arrived at anchor early the next morning. After using the zodiacs again to get to shore, we visited another fort before wandering around the pretty town and visiting a very colourful market.

Diu harbour and coast (top); colour in Diu

We had lunch back onboard and set sail for Mumbai in the afternoon. We arrived the next morning. One of the features of a cruise to India is that we must clear immigration each time we enter the country. Before travelling to India, we had to obtain a ‘multiple entry visa’ which was quite a laborious process requiring a lengthy form and 2-inch square photos to be sent off to the Indian Embassy in London, along with your passport, payment and a stamped addressed envelope. Make sure to leave plenty of time to obtain the right visas before leaving, especially if making multiple entries to the same country.

Once we cleared immigration (again!), we had a tour of some of the main city sights in Mumbai including the Gateway Of India, and the Taj Mahal Hotel. We also visited some markets – I love visiting markets in Asia – so many sights, sounds, colours, and saw some of the Dhaba-wallas at work outside Church Gate Station. After a short ride on a train, during which I noticed that Mumbai uses the same signage for its stations as the London Underground, we also walked passed an open air laundry before having lunch – actual Indian food in India – delicious!

The Gateway of India; Taj Mahal Hotel; Churchgate Station
Market sights; Dhaba-walla’s at work; some familiar signage
Open air laundry

In the afternoon I took a trip to Elephanta Island, off the coast of Mumbai, which is where the Elephanta Caves are. The caves a dedicated to Shiva and contain many carvings for both Hindu and Buddhist iconography. It’s quite extensive and I really enjoyed this trip – a must-do if you find yourself in Mumbai.

The following morning was a free morning in Mumbai before we set sail in the afternoon to Goa. We arrived in Goa the next day, and headed off on a trip to a spice plantation, which was very interesting, before visiting old Goa. We visited a basilica and a church. It was extremely hot and I was extremely hungover so I wasn’t able to enjoy it quite as much as I’d hoped!

We sailed overnight to Mangalore, I didn’t partake in any trips in Mangalore and spent the day relaxing on board. We sailed overnight to Cochin.

We had 2 days in the Cochin region. On the first day we had a tuk tuk ride to a village where we learnt about traditional skills such as coconut shelling, crabbing, fishing and weaving – in fact this was very similar to traditional skills I’d learnt about in other regions, particularly the Pacific Islands, which goes to show that these are fundamental skills that humans have developed regardless of where people live.

After lunch we had a punt across a river which was very relaxing. In the afternoon we went to Fort Kochi and watched some traditional Kathakali dancing. I’ve never seen anything like this before – a lot of the performance was based around eye movement and facial expressions with brightly painted faces to convey the story.

The following day was one of the things I was most looking forward to in India – a cruise on the Kerala Backwaters. We drove for about 90 minutes before getting on our boat and cruising around for around the backwaters for around an hour and a half after which we stopped for lunch at a hotel. One of the noticeable things was the amount of building work going on – lots of new hotels and resorts being constructed. It’s easy to see why – the Kerala Backwaters are a beautiful, peaceful spot, but it seems like that is on the cusp of changing into a very commercialised area. Hopefully it won’t take away too much of the reason that people would like to visit in the first place.

After lunch we had a shorter boat ride back to our bus, and then travelled back to the ship.

Overnight we continued sailing south, and arrived the next morning at the port of Vizhinjam, for Trivandrum. Immensely hot and sweaty – we did a morning tour of Trivandrum where we visited some more amazing architectural sites including the museum of horses.

Port at Vizhinjam; horse iconography decoration; Trivandrum

In the afternoon we set sail for the last time, and arrived into Colombo in Sri Lanka the following morning. Aside from a drive through Colombo to the airport, we didn’t get to see much of Sri Lanka (that’s for another time!), and after heading to the airport for the long flight home, we arrived in a cold UK in the early hours of Christmas Eve. It was quite the juxtaposition coming from the heat and hustle and bustle of South Asia to the cold festive season in the UK.

This was a family holiday, and without it, I’m not sure I’d ever have got to India. But I’m glad I went. An assault on all the senses, and such an interesting country, even if all I saw was a few ports on the west coast. It’s a culture shock, it’s hot, it’s busy and gives you lots of things to think about. I’d also never particularly considered Oman, and didn’t know what to expect. It seems a prosperous country with some interesting sights, and seems to be up-and-coming from a tourism point of view. Certainly somewhere to consider for near year round sunshine in the Middle East.

Gooooooood morning Vietnam

July 25, 2020August 14, 2020 ~ Cat ~ 1 Comment

It’s actually over 3 years since I went to Vietnam, better late than never in writing up about it! This trip was March 2017.

I had a direct flight from London to Hanoi with Vietnam Airlines, an extremely reasonable flight price of around £450 return if I remember rightly. After a 12+ hour flight, I landed at 4.30am local time, and after swiftly clearing immigration (British citizens didn’t – at time of travel – require a visa for stays under 15 days) I had quite a long wait for my bag as it was basically the last one round the carousel – always a slightly worrying time! I’d arranged a transfer to my hotel in central Hanoi, and after arriving at the hotel at around 6.30am I took myself off to bed. Top tip, especially when travelling somewhere where accommodation is cheap by western standards – if you are arriving somewhere first thing in the morning, book a hotel room for the previous night so you can check in and either get some kip for a few hours, or freshen up before you start exploring. The hotel I was staying in was approx £30 per night which was worth every penny to be able to crash for a few hours.

As it turned out, I was absolutely knackered, the product of being in a job I didn’t enjoy (part of the reason I’d gone on sabbatical the year before), and at the time I’d actually just been successful in interviewing for another job in the same company which I would start shortly after returning from this trip. Much less stress and a better work/life balance, but that isn’t the topic of this blog, and as such I pretty much slept through the entire day. Fortunately I’d arrived a day early to join the trip so I didn’t miss out on that much, and it gave my body clock a chance to adjust.

After a long sleep, I awoke refreshed on the second day and after breakfasting in the hotel, I set off exploring Hanoi. One thing I had been warned about prior to this trip was that attempting to cross the street in Hanoi would be an interesting experience, certainly if you waited as you would in the U.K. for a break in the traffic, I’d still be stuck on the wrong side of the street now! It is a little unnerving basically having to walk out into traffic but, unbelievably, it works. Most people in Vietnam ride scooters as the taxes on (usually imported) cars are prohibitively expensive, and they are used to adjusting their speeds for pedestrians. After building up confidence to cross the street, I made my way to Hoan Kiam Lake and walked around it, enjoying the early morning sights including the locals enjoying some early morning yoga/meditation along the shores.

After some more wandering to a temple and to the market, I headed back to my hotel for some much needed air-con. After a short break from the heat, I ventured back outside and grabbed lunch – a delicious Bánh Mì from Banh Mi 25, one of the top-rated places for Bánh Mì in Hanoi. Bánh Mì are a delicious fusion sandwich, a baguette-style bread roll filled with pate, grilled meat, cucumber and pickled veg, and an absolute bargain with a Bánh Mì and bottle of water costing the equivalent of 75p!

In the afternoon I walked to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum complex and around the botanical gardens before retreating back to the hotel. In the evening I met the rest of the group (a G Adventures trip) and we headed out for dinner.

An early start the next morning as we headed to Halong Bay. It was a 4 hour drive punctuated by a stop at a project which creates employment for disabled people by teaching them crafts and needlework which is then sold. A very interesting idea.

We arrived at Halong Bay and boarded our overnight junk boat in time for lunch. As we set sail through the bay, the limestone karsts that we passed through reminded me a little bit of Milford Sound. I’ve since also been to Khao Sok in Thailand which was very reminiscent of Halong Bay. We sailed through the bay in the afternoon, stopping off in a couple of places including Ti Top Island where we climbed up 400 steps to take in the views.

We had dinner on the boat, all freshly made on board and plate after plate of delicious food was served up. After enjoying the stars with a couple of drinks, I retreated to bed. Another early start the following morning with breakfast at 7am before we visited a Sung Sot Cave, the largest cave in Halong Bay, which had this amazing, wave-like ceiling.

We then headed back to land and late morning got off the boat and headed on the 4 hour journey back to Hanoi. We were taking the overnight train south to Hue but had a few hours spare before then, so I went on a street food tour. If you haven’t already gathered, I absolutely loved the food in Vietnam. I think it’s the best food I’ve had anywhere, and certainly the cheapest. We wandered the streets of Hanoi, sampling lots of delicious food before ending up in Hanoi Food Culture where we had the Vietnamese speciality of egg coffee (or egg chocolate in my case as I’m not a coffee drinker)

Egg chocolate – an alternate version of the Vietnamese speciality egg coffee

We boarded the train in the evening, around 9pm. We were travelling in first class which comprised of 4-berth bunks with shared toilets/squats at the ends of the carriages. Second class was 6-berth bunks, followed by soft seats and hard seats (as you might recall from the Top Gear Vietnam special). I took a top bunk. The journey itself was very loud and the train was very shaky, and I don’t remember sleeping too much. The overnight train I’ve since been on in Thailand was a much more comfortable ride.

We arrived in Hue at 10.30am the next morning. It was noticeably hotter and more humid. Despite arriving early, we were able to check in to our hotel where I promptly showered before heading out for a quick wander before we went on our included trips in the afternoon. I ventured for a walk along the Perfume River before retreating to the air con ahead of our afternoon tours. Firstly we went to the Tien Mu Pagoda:

We then went to the main attraction in Hue, the Imperial Citadel. An imposing collection of buildings, and much, much larger than I imagined. The citadel was built in the early 1800s and was targeted during the Vietnam War. You can see the bullet holes from the Vietnam War in some of the walls.

We also squeezed in a visit to the Royal Tombs on an busy sightseeing afternoon.

The next morning I did a motorbike tour (as backseat passenger!) – an absolute must-do in a country where motorbikes/scooters are the primary form of transport. We were taken out to the countryside outside of Hue, seeing rice fields, monasteries and a colosseum where elephants and tigers once fought. We had an included vegetarian lunch at the monastery which was, once again, absolutely delicious.

We arrived back in Hue after lunch and then headed south over the Hai Van Pass towards Hoi An. Unfortunately it was a bit cloudier than ideal which didn’t make for the best photos, but we still saw some great views.

We arrived in Hoi An in the late afternoon. Our guide took us on a brief orientation tour as we had 3 nights here to explore. We bumped into Jack Whitehall and his dad filming their Netflix travel series whilst we were wandering down tailors row – an unexpected sight! Hoi An is famous for getting cheap tailoring which can be ready in as little as 24 hours, but I didn’t partake on this occasion.

The following day we had an included excursion in the morning to Planeterra’s project here, Oodles of Noodles. This project taught local kids both the skills of cooking in a professional environment, as well as some English language. We learned to make rice pancakes, and then enjoyed a delicious bowl of noodles for lunch:

We had a free afternoon where I enjoyed walking around Hoi An old town. Sincerely the prettiest place I’ve ever been.

Sights of Hoi An, the prettiest place I’ve ever been

The next day was a free day. The weather was a bit dodgy, grey with the occasionally downpour but still very warm, so after a relaxing morning at the hotel, I went for a hot stone massage in the afternoon. £20 for a 90 minute massage was an absolute bargain, even if I was a bit sore the following day! In the evening we enjoyed a walk (and some bargains) in the night markets.

The next morning was an early start for a flight from nearby Danang to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), formerly Saigon. Even hotter and more sticky than Hue. After checking in to the hotel mid morning, and then going for lunch to have pho (finally!), we then had a free afternoon. Ho Chi Minh City has some pretty spectacular architecture, including many remnants of the French colonial era:

Notre Dame Cathedral, HCMC; City Hall; The Post Office, HCMC

The following day we had an included trip out to the Cu Chi Tunnels, a network of tunnels built by the Viet Cong outside of Saigon during the Vietnam War. It was fascinating to learn about the guerilla tactics used by the Viet Cong, and amazing to see the size of the tunnels, which were utterly minuscule.

Cu Chi Tunnels, barely big enough for a body to fit through

We came back to HCMC for lunch and then had a free afternoon. I decided to go to the War Remnants museum which is is a sobering affair. Be warned – there are some very graphic pictures of the effects of the chemical warfare. It was also horrifying to learn that people still live with the effects having been exposed at the time, but also because some of the effects can be passed on to offspring. A sobering reminder of the legacy of war, and well worth a visit.

That evening was our final group dinner before I left the following day. More delicious food, this time Vietnamese barbecue.

I had most of the next day free before an evening flight back to London via Hanoi. It was extremely hot and sticky again, and after a walk in the morning to the Reunification Palace and a failed attempt to find the Jade Emperor Pagoda, I retreated back to the hotel and air con and a shower before heading to the airport in the late afternoon.

So, what were my impressions of Vietnam? Genuinely part of the reason I went was after I’d seen the Top Gear Vietnam show, it looked a beautiful and fascinating country. A few people I’d met on my previous travels had also been and talked about what a wonderful country it is. And it certainly was. Everyone was friendly, I didn’t feel afraid walking around by myself, a solo female traveller (albeit on a group tour). It was very cheap – obviously I’d paid for the trip and accommodation/transport beforehand, and so all I had to buy whilst there was food, drinks, excursions and souvenirs. I was there for 10 days and spent less than £150 – and that included a $40 motorbike trip and a £20 massage. The absolute best food I’ve had anywhere I’ve been either before or since (with Peru close behind). And a fascinating, and devastating, recent history. Would absolutely recommend, and when I do go back again to South East Asia, I wouldn’t think twice about going back.

Thailand

January 4, 2020 ~ Cat ~ 2 Comments

I’ve previously taken holidays in November, in many ways it’s a great time of year to take a holiday, just before the festive season gets into full swing, and before the worst of winter sets in. It’s been a while since I took a winter holiday though, and I was excited to get back to it. I was even more excited about being able to get to Thailand from Cardiff airport. Less than an hour between me leaving the house, to being sat in the airport lounge with a glass of vino – ideal.

Qatar Airways fly 3-4 times a week from Cardiff via Doha, and to say the plane wasn’t full would be an understatement – I had 3 seats to myself! I would definitely encourage anyone in south Wales or the south west of England to use this route if you’re thinking of heading to Asia, Australia or New Zealand, it is no more expensive than flying from London, particularly when you factor in the cost of getting to Heathrow, and especially on the way back, being home just over an hour after landing is almost priceless. Anyway, after that pitch for Qatar Airways (I am not affiliated with them in any way…), onto Thailand…

I had been warned that immigration in Bangkok could be a long experience, but I must have landed at a fortunate time as there was a very short queue. British citizens don’t need a visa for trips up to 30 days, you just need to keep hold of your stamped departure card until you leave. After picking up my rucksack (gotta live the backpacker lifestyle in Thailand), I then had a transfer to the hotel. It was about an hour in some pretty heavy traffic.

I travelled with a company I haven’t been with before, Intro Travel, always good to try a new company. You can see the trip itinerary here.

We were staying in a hotel one street away from the famous backpacker mecca of Khao San Road. The plus side of this was that it was very close to the hubbub of this part of Bangkok, and the nightlife, the downside was trying to sleep over the noise coming from outside!

I arrived mid afternoon, and after a brief snooze, we met up as a group in the evening and went for dinner before going to a sky bar on the 84th floor of Baiyoke Sky Tower. I love getting up high in a new city, especially at night

The next day was a late start (10am!), we had breakfast, and then headed out on a bit of a city tour. The first stop was Wat Chana Songkhram, a temple (Wat means temple), where we received a Buddhist blessing, and then individually we offered a prayer along with incense and a lotus flower, which is an important symbol in Buddhism.

We walked through the streets and then had a short river cruise. I had no idea that Bangkok had so many rivers and canals in it. After that we headed to a market for some coconut ice cream before heading to Wat Pho, one of the largest temples in Bangkok and home to an enormous reclining Buddha

as well as numerous smaller Buddhas

We then had a tuk tuk ride back to the hotel for a little down-time before our big night out on Khao San Road. First up we went for dinner at Bombay Blues, an Indian restaurant (when in Rome…), where we started the drinking with enormous sharing cocktails and jelly shots, before heading to a bucket bar on Khao San Road for buckets of alcohol and some critters as snacks (the second time this year I’ve eaten fried critters on holiday, they have got no better since Mexico!)

I retired at midnight and left the others to it. The next morning we had a cooking class, for which I was very glad I didn’t have a hangover. We made Tom Yam soup, Pad Thai and Massaman curry, all delicious:

We then had a free afternoon before we were getting the overnight train south to Surat Thani. The train journey was about 14 hours, we were sleeping in bunks (which had been converted from seats) in an open carriage. Definitely comfier than the bunks on the train in Vietnam:

In Bangkok, the skies had been clear, but as we headed south it was greyer and more prone to tropical showers, still very hot though, absolutely no need for a sweater. When we got to Surat Thani the next morning, we had breakfast before hopping on the minibus inland to Khao Sok National Park. We drove for about an hour and then got on a boat across the lake for about an hour to the floating bungalows. A pretty idyllic place, the lake is man-made, but the scenery reminded me of Halong Bay in Vietnam. We spent the afternoon lounging around in big rubber rings with an adult beverage in hand, admiring the scenery and enjoying life.

The next day was a long travel day, we started off with an hour back across the lake, and then an hour in the mini bus back to Surat Thani, then an hour’s break in a mall for lunch before another hour or so to the ferry port, before a two-and-a-half hour ferry to Koh Pha-ngan, and then a 15 minute taxi ride to Sarana Bungalows, our home for the next 4 nights. It’s in a perfect location right on the beach, I could definitely get used to this view:

Koh Pha-ngan is famous for its Full Moon Parties on Haad Rin beach. Despite not being there for full moon, we still partied as though it was. We had dinner at Same Same in Haad Rin, got painted with luminous body paint before heading to a bucket bar to get pre-fuelled before eventually heading to the beach. A fun night of drinking and dancing before getting into bed at 3am

The next day I felt surprisingly well, which was a good job as I had a Thai massage at 11am. Not necessarily a relaxing experience as I was pulled into angles I didn’t know I could do! I spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool and in a hammock – blissful. We went to Pandip Food Market in the evening, there was a large array of food to choose from – I had sushi and some Thai-style ice cream, before heading back to the bungalows for a chilled evening.

The next day we did an island tour, heading firstly to Secret Beach:

As became the norm with the weather, the day started off with blue skies before turning cloudy and showery in the afternoon. There was a downpour whilst we were at lunch, and then it was showery at Malibu Beach in the afternoon. I lounged in a hammock, sheltering under some palm trees, whilst some of the others played volleyball.

After that we headed to Apichada viewpoint, where we would have been able to see a lovely sunset if it hadn’t been quite so cloudy.

In the evening we had a barbecue and bonfire on the beach, a lush, chilled evening. The lights you can just about see in the distance are on Koh Samui:

The next day we had a Muay Thai boxing class in the morning. Hot and sweaty but very enjoyable. After a chilled afternoon we had a final dinner with those only doing the 9 day trip, including more buckets and beach-partying. A late evening was then followed by an early morning and another long travel day to Phi Phi Islands.

A 6.15am start (following a 2am finish), with a taxi to the pier, a 2+ hour ferry back to the mainland, a coach (I think 3 hours but I was asleep for most of it) across the mainland to Krabi, and then another 2 hours on a ferry to Koh Phi Phi, and a 10 minute walk (no cars on Phi Phi) to the hotel. A downpour greeted our arrival. After relaxing in the room for a bit, we then went for dinner, and went to see a fire show, somewhat similar to those I’ve seen in Fiji and Rarotonga.

The next morning we met at 8am to walk up to the viewpoint on Phi Phi, it was a sticky walk as it was very humid, but the view was well worth the effort:

All the main hotels, restaurants, cafes and bars on Phi Phi Don are on the isthmus you can see in the photo, and from this angle you can imagine the devastation which was caused by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. The isthmus is so low-lying and would be easily washed away by a tsunami. Thankfully it has been rebuilt, but as the island is so heavily dependent on tourism, this brings new issues. Everything has to be shipped on and off the island, including all food, drinks, consumables and waste. It certainly eye-opening and made me think about the environmental impact of tourism on these idyllic islands.

In the afternoon we had a boat trip to some of the other islands, including Ko Phi Phi Lee, which is where Viking Bay and Maya Bay are located. You might know Maya Bay from the film The Beach. As a consequence of over tourism following the popularity of that film, Maya Beach remains closed to tourists. You can see it from the water but can’t get close or land on the beach, the red flags signal it’s closed, and later on there was a security boat patrolling the bay.

It was also raining again. We all got in the water for a swim – lovely and warm, like having a warm bath – before having dinner on board. After dinner, once it had got dark, we all got back into the water to see bioluminescent plankton which reside in these waters. I’ve seen this phenomenon once before in New Zealand whilst kayaking, but this time I could see it up close. It’s pretty cool to see the water lighting up beside you.

The next day, after a free morning, we went on another boat trip, this time around the main island of Phi Phi Don. We went to Phi Phi Village, Nui Bay and Monkey Bay. The monkeys were cute, but be sure to keep back as they will bite!

That evening was our last night on the trip, we went for a final group dinner before drinking and dancing the night away in some of the local bars.

All in all, a great trip. Lots of great (and different) sites, lovely food, great people, and generally good weather – I even came home with a bit of a tan!

	Hanoi and Halong Bay… on Gooooooood morning Vietnam
	Cat on Laos
	India Safaris on Laos
	Adelaide – cat… on Adelaide to Melbourne
	Brisbane – cat… on Byron Bay to Cairns