Day 120: Hanoi: Going Home

Today was my last day in Asia, and really, I didn't make the most of it at all. I'm ready to go home for a while. I'm excited to see my family, and my boyfriend, and my friends, and to have a steady supply of hot water and tea bags.

It has been a truly incredibly experience, from lugging my stuff through sand on a completely empty road, with only Gibbons to keep me company, to the insanity, glitz and glam of Shinjiku's Scramble Crossing, I have loved almost every minute of this trip.

9 countries, dozens of cities, hundreds of people, and 120 days.

I plan on spending at least some of my time back home editing some pictures and making more country/city specific posts, so stay tuned for those, plus some handy tips and tricks for various places and itineraries. 

Thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with this daily journal. I hope it has been mildly interesting!

Tomorrow, Australia xxxx

Day 119: Hanoi: Coffee and Sickness

Today, I am still unwell. I think I'll be fine for my flight tomorrow, but there goes my last chance to explore Hanoi!!

I did go out and try one of the famous egg coffees this town is known for, and it was delightful.  

Last night I also braved the night and went to see a water puppet show. It was as bizarre as it sounds, all in Vietnamese. 

It is supposedly an ancient art form farmers used to use when rice fields were flooded, with small acts and skits performed by dolls on sticks. They had everything from people to evil fish to sentient eggs in the cast.  

Tomorrow, my flight home xx

Day 118: Hanoi: Still Sick

Sadly, today I am still sick. 

Fortunately I am well enough to use a phone which is a huge improvement, unfortunately I am not well enough to update the last couple of days. 

I did manage to explore for about half an hour, and will try again later, but have spent most of the day alseep. I also watched an episode of Sherlock. So productive.  

It sucks that I'm missing out on the last few days of Vietnam, but there's not much I can do about it.  

Tomorrow, hopefully keeping down food xx

Day 117: Hanoi: Sick

At some point yesterday, I got sick. Really sick. Vomiting into a plastic bag on a tour bus then awake until 4am sick. 

Today is no better. 

Tomorrow, hopefully alive xx

Day 116: Ha Long Bay: Tourists

Today I went on an organised tour to one of Vietnam's most iconic locations - Ha Long Bay. It was fine. 

The scenery was stunning, so I can see why it is so popular, but a 4 hour drive there, and a 4 hour drive back weren't really worth the crowded bay. 

The main boat did a big loop of the bay, following dozens of other boats, with 2 main stops.

The first stop was a small "floating fishing village" that was converted into a tourist trap where you could kayak or get paddled around a small area for 10 minutes for $10, which was alright, but the locals running it seemed miserable, and it was packed with people.

The next stop was a cave which was lit up in the most ridiculous manner. It is clearly aimed at Chinese tourists who love flashy shows, as there were multi-coloured lights dotted around the cave, and the floor had been concreted and paved to make a clear pathway.

The food they provided was really good though.

On the ride home, I got really sick, and it turns out they don't stop the buses, just give you various plastic bags to they can keep to a schedule. Luckily the girl I was with was incredibly helpful and understanding. Again, if you're reading this, thank you!!

Tomorrow, nothing, as I am sick as sick can be xx

Day 115: Road Trip Day 10: Hanoi

Today was the last day of my epic road trip!! At over 2000km, and 14 days of riding, I have finally arrived in Hanoi.

The weather was miserable, so I just took the main highway to Hanoi. The splendor of the mountains soon disappeared to more than just the fog, and was replaced with just more and more traffic.

The ride was quite short and uneventful, so I had the whole afternoon to just bum around and have a wander. It was still raining though, so I just returned the bike (got all of my deposit back, and some money for returning it early) and had a short explore around the area.

Hanoi doesn't seem particularly interesting, so I am going on a couple of tours the hostel has to offer. I'm not sure I'll have any internet, so this may take a while.

Tomorrow, Ha Long Bay xx

Day 114: Ninh Binh: Mountains and Rice Fields

Today would have been unbelievably amazing if it had been just slightly less foggy. As it was, it was still fairly amazing.

Very glad to have my bike, I rode around, between rice paddocks and stark mountains all day, stopping at various places to explore more.

I started off at Mua Caves, but more on that later, as I may have been too scared to properly see this stop.

My first proper stop was at Trang An for a boat tour. A small Vietnamese lady paddled us around a loop for 3 hours (sometimes paddling with her feet like a bike), and we stopped off at various temples.

The scenery was spectacular. From soaring mounds coming from seemingly nowhere, to low cave tunnels we had to duck to get through in the boat, it was worth every dollar (all 9 of them)

After the boat tour, I went back to Mua Caves, hopeful that there might be a few more people around. I climbed to the top of Lying Dragon Mountain, and could see the promise of an incredible view, and then headed back to the cave.

It wasn't that the cave was dark - it was quite well-lit - but when I arrived earlier in the day, there was no one else there, and the only noise I could hear was the echoing sound of my feet sloshing through the ankle deep water.

The cave was quite fun to go through with others though, with a narrow walkway built to keep you out of the depths of the underground river either side, threatening to swallow you.

My final stop was at Bich Dong Pagoda. Once again, I was practically alone here, and I braved walking up the dark steps, though a cave to the top of the mountain to visit it. Conquering my fear was probably more impressive than what was up there, but it was free, so I can't complain.

The views really were amazing, and the area is still quite new to tourists, with mostly farmland around, with animals and locals seemingly oblivious to the occasional bus-load of people coming through their small town.

Tomorrow, Hanoi xx

Day 113: Road Trip Day 9: Ninh Binh

Today's ride was ridiculous. About 400km with no good towns in between, I decided to pull a massive day, and just go for it. 

After a wrong turn early on which lead to me getting directions from a group of 10 year old school children, I was on my way.  

The majesty of the Phong Nha mountains were quickly forgotten, and replaced with highway 1, a very well maintained, but overall quite boring road.  

I stopped for lunch at a small shop that seemed to be full of locals, and with the magic of Google translate, ordered some food. The woman wouldn't take my to of about one dollar, and seemed genuinely offended when I tried to refuse to accept the change from the $2.50 i had given her.  

The real excitement came at around 240km in when the truck I was following suddenly, without indicating, turned right, stopping directly in front of me.  

Everything went slow motion, and I quickly pressed on the breaks, waiting until I was going as slow as possible to serve, and threw the bike away from me as I feel to stop it landing on me, and maybe breaking  less.  

I tucked and rolled, and got away with a tiny scraped knee and hip. The truck driver was super apologetic, and in no time I was ushering the crowd of locals away, insisting I was fine. 

I must have somehow wiped since dirt on my face though, as the petrol station attendant seemed very concerned for my well-being until I got a wet wipe and cleaned myself up in their bathroom. 

I ended up getting to the hostel without a hitch though, and the area seems just as  beautiful as Phong Nha, so i think I'm in for a treat.  

Tomorrow, the national park xx

Day 112: Phong Nha: Caves and Adventure

Today was a truly phenomenal day. I booked another "adventure" style tour from my hostel, and once again, it didn't disappoint. 

Not only is the Phong Nha area just completely spectacular, but within the amazing hills are hundreds of caves - 5  which are open to the public for tours. The tour I went on did 3 of these, missing out on one that was used as a bomb shelter during the war, and the largest cave in the world which costs $3000USD to go into.  

The first cave we went to was more of a temple and memorial, the Eight Lady's Cave, where 8 people were trapped after seeking refuge from bombings, only to have the entrance collapse, and died 8 days later. It was a from start to the day, but an interesting insight into the  of the area.  

The next cave was Paradise Cave. We covered the first kilometre of the cave, with the rest mostly closed off apart from eco tours and scientific research. I thought this cave was amazing. The ceilings were higher than any building I've been in, and the rock formations were just incredible.  

Even a slow walking Chinese tour group didn't diminish from the awe-inspiring place.  

We stopped for lunch after this where I wish I had said I was  vegetarian, because their meal looked so much better than mine, but it was tasty none the less. 

We then got geared up for the dark cave. In just a bikini, life jacket, harness and helmet, we ziplined to the mouth of the cave, and swam about 20 metres to get into it. 

The cave itself was one the coolest places I've ever been. After about a kilometre trek, barefoot through a narrow, slippery mud filled track, we came to a dead end with a mud pool!! It was about waist deep, and just the strangest, most amazing sensations!! It was as close to floating on a cloud as I can imagine. 

After messing around in the mud for half an hour (could have stayed there all day) we headed back up the slippery path to a natural pond in the cave to clean off a bit, then swam back across the river to an adventure course. 

Messing around on the zip lines, floating doughnuts and 5 metre high obstacle course was hilarious fun. Especially when the river was actually a giant crack between two beautiful mountains. The water was bright blue, and deeper than I could see, even though it was clear.  

I really wish I could have taken my camera, but it would have been completely trashed.

After a shower (naked French mother included) we headed back to the bus and to the hostel for some food at the place next-door where I've made friends with their puppy. 

Tomorrow, Ninh Binh xx

Day 111: Road Trip Day 8: Phong Nha

Today's ride was fairly boring for the first half, but once I left the main city, the change between scenery were really amazing. 

After the horrible rain of my last ride, I decided to keep closer to the coast, and not follow the Ho Chi Minh Road through the mountains. I knew my next destination was going to be beautiful enough.

This meant the highway was a bit busier than it had been, and I got to follow some strange modes of transferring animals.

In just a few dozen kilometers, the road changed from city-scape, to desolate land, to incredible farmland and rolling hills almost seamlessly.

Coming up to the Phong Nha mountains was one of the most incredible sights I've seen so far. I literally had to stop and turn off my bike just to get a better look.

Tomorrow, exploring these bad boys xx