Riding the night train to Lao Cai in Vietnam’s north was like being rocked to sleep as a baby. The following morning we emerged from our compartment a bit bleary eyed and ready for the remaining hour drive to Sapa. If you ask anyone who has been to Sapa what they remember they will surely…
Travelfish, who we look to for advice on travelling South East Asia, informed us that we should ‘count on getting lost’ in Hanoi. No worries, we thought, getting lost is part of the fun. We quickly retracted that statement after an hour of trying to find our hotel in this maze of a city. Getting…
Warning: the photographs in this post will in no way do justice to the magnificence that is Halong Bay. You’ll just have to experience it for yourself one day. A four hour drive from Hanoi lies this group of over 1,600 islands rising from the sea. What makes this a natural wonder of the world…
In three weeks we’ve managed to eat our fair share of Vietnamese food. This is a country where eating is as much a tourist attraction as the hills of Sapa or islands of Halong Bay. That’s why we thought it deserved a post all to itself. So here’s our two cents on food and drink…
After the manic atmosphere of Ho Chi Minh, Hoi An was a welcome change of scenery. This Unesco World Heritage listed city on the central coast of Vietnam is beautiful albeit overly touristy. The Old Town is full of interesting colourful buildings covered in bougainvillea and streets lined with silk lanterns. While surrounding the town…
I haven’t had someone hold my hand to help me cross the street since I was seven years old. Well, until now. Apparently concerned by our lack of experience crossing several lanes of traffic in Ho Chi Minh, a lovely middle aged lady took my hand, put it on her wrist and with a smile guided…
Move over Ella. Watch out Luang Prabang. There’s a new contender for our trip’s most relaxing destination- Kampot. Known for its delicious pepper, Kampot is a peaceful riverside town with a completely different feel to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. We did an awful lot of nothing during our stay, particularly the days we spent…
A lot can change in four years. This was apparent as we made our way down the same street we stayed on during our first visit to Siem Reap. Previously it was lined with local shopfronts, kids playing, roosters and a few other guesthouses scattered along the way. This time round we found far more…
After nearly a month of moving every few days we decided to lay low in Luang Prabang. We spent much of our time relaxing at Khoun and Khone’s bungalows which are run by the most delightful couple and their family. The family also included four friendly dogs and five adorable cats who would happily make…
After hearing stories about how uncomfortable the two day slow boat from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang was, we started having reservations about the tickets we had purchased. So it was a pleasant surprise when we jumped aboard to find that we had old minivan seats instead of the wooden bench that we had been…
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