Dalyan – 28th June

On Friday 28th June my parents and I had quite an adventure. Ma & Pa had booked the 3 of us on a Captain Boris boat trip for the day and I was so looking forward to it. I woke up at 6am feeling happy to have the temperature cooler than I was used to in Vietnam. By 8am it was still under 30°C outside but it was definitely getting hotter as I left for our day on the boat. Captain Boris is one of the more luxurious boat trips with exceptional food, hosted by the lovely Rebecca & Basrı. The cost was £40 per person and included a massive lunch with lots of different dishes. Rebecca was a bit miffed that they had 2 lots of bookings today and she had to go on the second boat, leaving 16 of us in the safe hands of Basrı and Anıl.
We headed out to sea and, although there were parts where the sandbanks were high, we got through. The sea was very rough and I was glad I’d taken a precautionary sea sickness tablet, as did one other passenger. After we got to a nice calm bay we had a swim stop and there were crisps and dips to help ourselves to. A BBQ and full buffet (including prawns) was served for lunch just after 1pm and it was absolutely amazing. The prawns and the chicken casserole were definitely my 2 favourite dishes. Ma & Pa stuck to beers but I had rose wine and we were all having a great time with a fantastic bunch of random people.
Just before 3pm, there was a bit of a disaster when something happened to the engine and the Captain instantly called May Day on the walkie talkie. I looked over the side and there seemed to be a fire or something causing a lot of smoke – it didn’t look good and we were out at sea in very choppy waves.

The food was fantastic

Short video of the boat

Captain Boris had to arrange for us to be rescued from our boat trip after we tried to get a tow but the waves were strong and Basrı needed to get out weight off this boat. Already he had neighbouring boats helping, including Princess of Ekincik who we were on last night and a cooperative, smaller boat. It became essential that we were going to have to climb over from our boat to the rescue one while bobbing about. I started to feel a bit worried for my parents; my mom has a dodgy leg and my Dad’s eyesight isn’t great. To be honest, I wasn’t sure my balancing skills stretched to straggling 2 boats of different heights while at sea. It was a bit of a to-do but we all made it – with all our bags! Boris and Anıl kept calm and efficient during the mini crisis and they got us all on to the cooperative boat safely.
We got took off to the beach to wait for Captain Boris to get sorted out but unfortunately, we had forgotten to bring our shoes. Ma braved a walk to the toilet on the beach but the floor was red hot so I didn’t attempt it. By 5pm we had been rescued and were back on Boris’s Boat, the way we had got on but in less choppy waters. We saw yellow boat and also another Captain, Simon, who came by paddle board to say hello. We got towed to Magic Lake and Basrı insisted on a free bar to apologise and, of course, Dad and I made good use of this to help encourage other guests (a couple were first timers). We were meant to be back by 5pm but it was more like 6.45pm when we got off the boat. My Dad was on a mission to carry on the night but my Mom was insisting he’d had enough so we all went home.

Of course, Dalyan wouldn’t be Dalyan without a bit of drama and it turned out neither my parents nor I would stay in that evening. When I arrived back at Jamie’s, the 4 fellas (Jamie, Drew, Nick & Mark) were waiting for me to join them for a drink at Lukka bar. It was their Friday music bingo night and the boys were booked in for food. My parents had a shower and Dad decided they were going to meet up with other Dalyan Dwellers in Tapa and Tez bars.
After a shower and change for me, I joined the guys for Lukka music bingo and it was brilliant. I had some cheesy chips and some wine, to see me through, I had a good boogie and a sing to the first half of the bingo. At the interval, Jamie had decided we were moving on to Sofra bar to enjoy the rest of the night but Mark and I decided to stay a bit longer to hear Joseph sing Sweet Dreams and have a sing-along to the start of the second half.
At Sofra bar the rest of the gang had met up with some of the regular characters and were having a good time. I nursed a pint of beer for the rest of the evening as I’d overdone it but I managed to have a go on the karaoke and probably did a bad Adele or something. I bumped in to Jack, Stan and Nigel and I enjoyed watching Jack perform one of my old favourites, Psycho Killer. It was gone 1am when we finally went home and it was a good job I was working flexible hours for tomorrow.

I love a bit of Psycho Killer

Dalyan – 27th June

On the morning of Thursday 27th June, I didn’t get out of bed until 8am Turkish time, but that was midday in Vietnamese time. By 10am I had set myself up for a working day at Books & Cookies, not far from where Captain Caveman’s apartment is located. It had AC, was very quiet for using it as an office, and had good Turkish tea. I treated myself to a savoury pastry for breakfast and got on with my tasks. By 1pm, I was peckish so I had a linden tea with some delicious homemade cookies. The owner was really lovely and we had a little chat. My bill came to 360 lira (£8.67) which I thought was reasonable.

By 3pm it was hot outside as I ventured to the bank. I needed to ensure I was depositing at least 26,000 lira (£627 at today’s rate of 41.5 lira to the pound), in order to keep my Turkish residency. On my way back ‘home’ to Jamie’s, I called in to see my parents who were on their balcony, and we had an Efes shandy.
In the evening, I had booked the 3 of us on a moonlight boat trip with Princess of Ekincik. It was £30 each and included a BBQ dinner with a few swim stops in the lake and the sea. On our way to the boat my parents and I called in to check out the complex at Captain Caveman’s place to check the pool and grounds. The pool looked fine but there was no sign of any gardening company having removed old leaves or swept the floors in a while. The floor had not been sloshed down with water recently either so, I was disappointed with our pool and garden company.

On the boat we said hello to the other customers and got comfy as we sailed to Köyceğiz lake. A small Efes beer was 100 lira (£2.41) and a glass of wine was 150 lira (£3.61) which was more than what it was 4 months ago but prices and taxes had gone up a lot. To start, Ma & Pa had beers while I had a rosé wine to try it out and we had our first swim stop at just after 7pm. Our BBQ food was as amazing as I remember it being and Ismail cooked us a feast. A bottle of white wine was purchased to have with our dinner and, as I was a bit jetlagged, I felt quite tiddly.
The boat trip was amazing and we all really enjoyed it, it was past 11pm when we got back.

İstanbul to Dalyan – 26th June

My flight from Bangkok to Istanbul on Wednesday 26th June arrived 40 minutes early. I’d purposely not booked an earlier flight in case of delays, so now I had even longer to wait until my flight to Dalaman. Before 5am it was a very chilly 17°C and I was feeling the cold in the airport, even with jeggings and a fleece on. I retrieved my luggage and had a faff about with the trolleys which you have to pay for. My flight wasn’t until 12.15pm and I was feeling a bit jetlagged. I logged in to the free WiFi, which was easy to get at a kiosk using my passport, and let people know I was on track. I’d booked Sonuç to pick me up from the airport and he messaged to check all was as planned.
At the terminal in Istanbul airport, I checked if I could drop off my bags earlier and to my delight it could all be done on the self service machines. I weighed my 2 hold cases which had lost 1kg since Saigon and were now 17kg and 7kg. Due to my tiredness, I completely forgot to take my laptop out of one of them and then proceeded to worry my case would get lost.
My next bit of good luck was when I decided to go to the lounge, which I had booked for 2 hours before my flight. It was before 8am so I explained I was early and they checked to see if there was space on the 09:55 flight. It was already full so they told me I could still enter the lounge until my flight and didn’t seem to care I would be there for 4 hours. There is no alcohol in the Turkish Airlines lounge but it was breakfast time and I was really hungry. I’d been given a spicy dish on the plane which I couldn’t eat and the breakfast meal was omelette which I didn’t eat either.
I got myself cherry juice, Turkish tea, herbal tea, water, croissants, pastries, bagels, cheese and olives and tucked in while using the free WiFi.
The call to board came at 11.40am and the bus was directly from the lounge and half empty. I had chosen an aisle seat and we even got given a chicken sandwich and a water on the 80 minute flight.
I arrived on time in to Dalaman and didn’t have to wait too long for my luggage, where I was glad to see my laptop had made it.
Sonuç was waiting for me and carried the luggage, had water for me in the car and we drove safely to Jamie and Drew’s new villa. I had planned to stay there for a week or so and it was really kind of him as he also had other guests visiting.
I was so hungover that I don’t remember much about that afternoon apart from seeing Norman and Edna, Jamie’s dogs, who seemed to be pleased to see me. The villa was gorgeous and I had a lovely twin room with an ensuite which I couldn’t wait to go to sleep in.
I’d made it just in time for Fat Club but, unfortunately, it was cancelled this week. I had no idea about my weight but I did take my measurements after a much needed shower;
Bust no change,
Waist +1cm,
Hips -1cm.
I had a glass of wine with Jamie, Drew and their house guests, Nick & Mark, before heading over to see my parents, who I hadn’t seen since January. The weather was nice and warm but definitely cooler than Phong Nha.

That evening, we had our first meal together at Duble, one of our favourites. We all had the chicken soup as it’s so good, then I had a chicken shish, Mom had fish and Dad had a chicken casserole. Ma & Pa had beers but I stuck to soda water and we had 2 lots of fresh bread. The whole bill came to 1,720 lira (£41.25) which worked out less than £14 for a starter and a main plus drink and a free shot each. I’d expected prices to be worse given the moaning I’d read on Facebook so I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t a late one as I had work to do tomorrow and I was desperate for sleep.

Danang, Saigon & Bangkok (airports) – 25th June

On Tuesday 25th June Captain Caveman was heading back to Phong Nha as he had a briefing in the evening. I was saying bye and flying back to Dalaman via Saigon, Bangkok and Istanbul. We ate the rest of our Mangosteen from Hoan for our breakfast and Captain Caveman decided he would come to Danang airport to see me off. We got a Grab taxi and went to check-in but, unfortunately, the woman on the Vietnam Airlines desk was not my friend.
My allowance for all my flights was 25kg hold and at least 7kg for hand luggage. The domestic flight from Danang to Saigon didn’t specify that my 25kg had to be in 1 case but that rule was enforced as I tried to pass my 2 cases through. Captain Caveman came into his own when she refused them and instantly went in to ‘super-packer’ mode at top speed! I tried to hastily move my lacy red knickers and random dirty washing as he squeezed the contents of a case at 18kg and one at 7kg into the one case, with the laundry from my hand luggage. He triumphantly set it back on the scales and I thought he looked like he wanted a badge in recognition for it weighing 24.9kg. I managed to get an aisle seat so I was happy but I would struggle to carry that case at the other side. My international tickets both allowed me to take 25kg over 2 pieces so I could do a repack in Saigon.
We said our goodbyes and Captain Caveman went to get a taxi to the train station for the 10.22am train to Dong Hoi. I went through the passport control and stopped at a shop to get a snack. I bought a croissant for 35,000VND (£1.09) and a pack of pomelo for 70,000VND (£2.18).
The flight departed a little late and we landed in Saigon at gone 11am.
I retrieved my bags and then rationalised the space a bit better by splitting the 25kg case back in to 2. I was meant to be getting a taxi to Kim’s house to go to eat pho, made by her mother. Keith (from Grimsby) was on standby to meet for a farewell drink too. The left luggage queue was chaos and it took me a long time to get to the front of the queue. When I reached the front there was a sign, pricing left luggage per item and a few ‘at owners risk’ notices displayed – and now I had 4 bags, 3 of which I wanted to leave. The cost of leaving luggage at the airport plus 2 taxi fares, teamed with having to check-in for the international flight in less than 4.5 hours, made me reluctant to leave the airport. I didn’t have a great track record with Saigon taxi drivers so I messaged Keith (from Grimsby) to ask his opinion. He had flown from Saigon recently and advised not to do it, the queue to leave Saigon had been long previously and had took over 2 hours to get through. I wouldn’t risk it for a delicious bowl of pho and a cheeky beer so I also messaged Kim to cancel. In the end, I had done the right thing as it didn’t feel long in the airport at all.
I checked out the cost of a Burger King; a regular cheeseburger was 120,000VND (£3.74) so I didn’t bother. Instead, I spent 125,000VND (£3.90) on some cherry throat sweets and a pack of Mentos.
At 4pm, I was peckish so I treated myself to a pack of crisps and a vegan baguette for 105,000VND (£3.27) from Puro Gusto and thoroughly enjoyed it. Once through security, which did take quite a while as Keith had warned, I splashed out on some Clinique moisturiser for $32 (£25) which I had been waiting to buy in a Duty Free. My next extravagance was a glass of red wine in Saigon Cafe, an airport bar, which cost a whopping 315,000VND (£9.82) and was the cheapest wine on the menu. It was very nice and I savoured it as I waited for boarding time.
On the plane to Bangkok I had an aisle seat, the in-flight meal was a rather tasty chicken with veg and rice and a glass of red wine. I didn’t bother with any TV as the flight was ready to land as soon as we had eaten.
We landed in to Bangkok an hour later than scheduled, it was raining outside and it was cold as we disembarked on to the shuttle bus. I only had 1 hour to get on the next plane, bound for Istanbul, which was quite a rush. I had a bad stomach so I had to go to the loo while in Bangkok airport and I was lucky to arrive at the gate in time. On the 3rd plane, I had a middle seat and I coped for quite a bit of the flight until the chap next to me, wearing a sunhat and earplugs, became more difficult to get past for toilet visits, so I moved to an aisle seat at the back of the plane. We were due to land at 5.25am tomorrow, Turkish time, where I had several hours to kill in Istanbul airport.

Danang – 24th June

Ordinarily when I leave Vietnam to go back to Turkey, I have to wait a while to see Captain Caveman again. Not this year, Monday 24th June might have been our last full day together but only for 14 days! We were lucky enough to be getting to visit the UK in the middle of the caving season and we were both looking forward to a family wedding, among other things.
We went to ByC for breakfast and it was really beautiful. I ordered a pot of earl grey tea and a pancake with bacon, Captain Caveman had an iced black coffee and a şakşuka. Both were amazing and, even though I was full, I didn’t want to leave any. Our bill came to just 415,000VND (£12.95) for the 2 of us.

On the way back to the hotel we bought a 1.5l bottle of water for 14,000VND (44p). I worked until lunch time and Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone.
At 1pm we met an old friend from Phong Nha who now lives in Danang. We hadn’t seen Diana for a while so it was good to meet at Vietnom Eatery where the staff are deaf. Captain Caveman had a coffee and a bao bun and I had a My Quang style dish with a watermelon juice, both of our meals were rather tasty. Captain Caveman paid the bill of 240,000VND (£7.50) which was very good good value. We had a good but too brief a catch up and then it was back to work for Diana and I.

That evening, we had been invited to join June and Steve at Happy Buffalo in Hoi An but I wasn’t feeling too lively. I didn’t want to ruin my long journey tomorrow so we decided not to go. I still needed a new laptop bag so we found a phone shop and bought one for 150,000VND (£4.69).
We couldn’t be bothered to go too far for dinner so we ate at nearby Pizza 4Ps. We both had a cider and brie to start, which we order every time we visit. Captain Caveman ordered a breakfast pizza which had cheese, spinach and eggs on it while I tried to go healthier with a Spaghetti Bolognese topped with a burrata. Captain Caveman had a second cider, without the cheese, but I’d had enough alcohol yesterday. Our bill came to 769,800VND (£23.89) including VAT, which wasn’t bad.
It wasn’t a late one as my flight from Danang was tomorrow morning at 9.10am and I needed an early night. We ate mangosteen when we got back and I was sad to be leaving Vietnam.

Danang – 23rd June

The Sunday Brunch at Citron restaurant, Intercontinental, on the Son Tra Peninsula in Danang was booked for 12.30pm on Sunday 23rd June. It’s one of our favourite food experiences when we are in Vietnam and is a real treat. Captain Caveman had been working hard but had caught up on his sleep ready for today’s feast.
We arrived by Grab taxi just before 12.30pm and took a seat outside. I tried to get some good photos of us but it never works out well. Captain Caveman is not a fan of taking excessive photos and we agreed that I wouldn’t take photos of my food this time. Inside, we were seated and given a glass of the Billecart Salmon champagne. It retails at about £50 a bottle and we certainly get our money’s worth. The brunch lasts for 3 hours and is a buffet style where you can help yourself to so much seafood, sushi, salads, charcuterie, cheese as well as ask the chefs to prepare meat, prawns, pasta and fois gras. The cost is 3,199,000VND (£98.74) each plus tax/VAT but we were given a 20% discount. The service is always impeccable, the food delicious and there is good music and a spacious dining area. I kept my word and didn’t take any food photos or selfies while dining but I remember what I ate; I started with prawns to go with my champagne while Captain Caveman sampled the sushi. I had a mix of salt and pepper with a squeeze of lime juice to make a paste to dip my prawns in. They were delicious so I had some more and a little of the prawn sushi. I had a bit of the salad to make it healthier and more champagne while Captain Caveman had lobster and oysters. I went on to the lobster and couldn’t help myself get 2 more portions, as my champers got topped up. Next, I went on to cooked prawns in a garlic butter with some steak but I skipped the carbs for salad with chickpeas and lentils in. After a few more champagnes we went on to red wine to go with the steak, more was ordered and Captain Caveman was on the fois gras while I went back to lobster and steak with a couple of bits of pork. I didn’t have potatoes or pasta this time as I didn’t want to fill up too quickly. I also left plenty of room and time for the cheese, charcuterie and fruit. I snuck in a cheeky Cosmopolitan and dodged the desserts but that cheese board with only a couple of bits of bread was truly amazing! More red wine was had and back to the champagne for final drinks, of which we had a couple of top ups and we were stuffed.
By 5.20pm I was in bed and didn’t get back up that day.

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Danang – 22nd June

Captain Caveman was due to arrive at Danang train station on Saturday 22nd June at 6.06am. He also was delayed a little but by 8.30am we were off in search of a launderette and some breakfast. Captain Caveman dropped our washing off and was told to pick it up in the morning, we then got a Grab taxi to Lighthouse in Son Tra. It was pretty plush and I was starving so here’s what we had, prices in Dong;

1 Jasmine tea 70,000
1 Double Espresso 80,000
1 Eggs Benedict 125,000
1 Big Breakfast 150,000
Total 425,000VND (£13.16)

The food was fantastic and I felt super full but I didn’t feel too well after and needed the toilet urgently. I have a feeling that hash browns on the same meal as toast, doesn’t agree with my stomach.

There was a weather warning so we stayed in the AC room for the afternoon and I did some work while Captain Caveman played Bridge then fell asleep. I booked my flight from Istanbul for next week which included a snack, 25kg hold luggage, a specific seat and the Turkish Airlines lounge for about £80.
In the evening we popped out to a Heart of Darkness beer place where I inadvertently ordered a lemongrass and coriander beer. It turned out to be really nice and we shared some salted edamame beans which I loved. For just 105,000VND (£3.25) for a pint of Belgian wheat beer in Vietnam, we decided to have another before walking to a restaurant.

Maazi is a lovely Indian restaurant which also has restaurants in Hanoi, Hoi An, Matlock and Hathersage. How fantastic, and we spoke about this to the manager, Rohit Chandra. We were peckish as hadn’t eaten any lunch so we really went for it. Here’s what we ordered, prices in Dong;

1 steamed rice 40,000
1 garlic naan bread 45,000
1 Vegetable Samosas 60,000
1 Pani Puri 60,000
1 Tandoori chicken 80,000
1 Masala Dosa 129,000
1 Butter Chicken 139,000
2 Kingfisher beers 200,000
Total with tax 817,240VND (£25.30)

It was so lovely and we really enjoyed it before hurrying back, via the cash machine, to watch a firework display.

Those Pani Puri were amazing

I’m not a fan of fireworks so Captain Caveman was a bit disappointed that I would rather watch them from indoors, even though there was a bridge and a place to view them better from. As we were near our hotel, it started to rain so we went inside and tried to watch fireworks from the window. Captain Caveman lasted a few minutes before laying on the bed and then instantly falling asleep and snoring loudly for far too long. I watched all the fireworks even after the spectators on the bridge started leaving because of the rain. Tomorrow we had something special planned and I was really looking forward to it.

As the rain came, the crowds tried to find shelter

Fireworks from our hotel room

Dong Hoi to Danang – 21st June

My train to Danang on Friday 21st June was due to leave Dong Hoi at 7am. By 6.20am I was outside Dolphin Hotel, having had a lovely sleep, waiting for my Grab taxi. The fare was 41,000VND (£1.26) and took less than 10 minutes. When I got to the train station, I found out that the train was delayed by about an hour. I was meant to be arriving in Danang at 12.30pm so I was glad I had leftover pizza for my journey.
At 8am I was waiting on the platform for the SE1 to arrive. I was in Coach 1 and had Seat 6 booked which had cost Captain Caveman 257,000VND (£7.90) – not bad for a 5.5 hour journey.
On the first part of my journey I was sat next to a quiet Vietnamese lady who slept. Once we got to the next stop, she got off and a couple with a kid got on. By 11am the train was rammed and chaotic, every passenger competing for who could watch silly reels on there phone the loudest. The child behind me started climbing on the chairs and making strange and loud noises which eventually tipped me over the edge!
I had a proper Inbetweeners moment!!! It was only after I’d loudly told the kid to shut up and tutted that I realised he was deaf and had special needs!!! Within minutes I was sat next to the Mom, instead of the Dad!!! They switched seats in disgust and the kid was being even louder!

By 2.30pm, just a couple of hours later than expected, I was off the train and walking to a cafe where I could order a Grab taxi from. The taxis at the station have been known to rip me off so I decided, as I only had a couple of bags, I’d find somewhere down the road.
I went to Vevy on Hai Phong and ordered a peach tea for 33,000VND (£1) which was really good. I’d not eaten the leftover pizza as the train was that hot, I felt it might not still be ok to eat. I was hungry but decided to wait until I got to the hotel.

My Grab taxi from Vevy to the Han River Hotel was just 34,000VND (£1.05). The hotel room was located above a coffee shop called Han Riverine and there was a key box to collect the key from. All was straight forward and the room was spacious and clean. I put my bags down and had a bit of a check through my phone to see I had confirmation of our brunch booking for Sunday. I was excited to find we had been given a discount for being a regular customer. I was a bit peckish so I had some mangosteens and then spoke to Captain Caveman. It was raining in Phong Nha for the first time in a while which I was surprised about. Captain Caveman was out of the cave, he was getting ready for his Gala Dinner and had all my bags and suitcase organised as we had discussed. He paid the bill at Son River House, picked up Bluey and took her back to the Glass House. After I came off the phone I went down to the cafe to get something cheap to eat. I paid 42,000VND (£1.29) for what looked like a fresh croissant but, when I broke in to it, there was an egg and sugar filling. I scooped it out as best I could and ate the pastry bits. Unfortunately, I then had an incident back in the room where the bathroom door was locked from the inside so we had to get the owner out to unlock it with a screwdriver. I didn’t go out that evening as I was running out of cash but I did message Captain Caveman to check if he’d set off. I didn’t get a response and so I went to bed. Captain Caveman was getting the SE9 train from Dong Hoi at 00.35am and was due to arrive early in the morning.

Phong Nha & Dong Hoi – 20th June

I woke up to my alarm at 6.30am on Thursday 20th June and got on with my packing. I had already started it and had separate piles based on final destination of each item. This was confusing but I was on it and needed to be done by 8.30am as I was booked in to have my hair done. During the night, Hoan had taken a bus from Xa Lai to Phong Nha and had arrived early this morning. She was back for the Phong Nha Vegan buffet and to see me off. She had already asked Chung to delay me so that I could eat a last lunch at the Vegan before my taxi to Dong Hoi.
I had a lot to thank Chung, Hoan and the girls from the Vegan for, so I agreed. It was down to them that I was leaving Phong Nha only 1.3 kg (2.9lb) heavier than when I arrived in March and I was grateful for all the amazing food I’d eaten because of them. I was only 1cm over my hip and waist target measurements, which I was pleased with. I still wasn’t a vegan convert but I was definitely a strong advocate of vegan dishes and eating less meat. These girls had become such good friends, especially since I’d become the only female Western woman living in town.
Once I’d finished packing, I took photos of each bag and started to move them to the Glass House, ready for Captain Caveman to do his thing with them tomorrow. I took my motorbike helmet, 3 bags and a rather heavy suitcase (with a patched up wheel) the few hundred meters to the house. By 8am, I was walking back to Son River House Homestay and it was incredibly hot and sunny. It was not the best day to have a hair appointment and an all you can eat vegan buffet but, I soldiered on. Chung moved the taxi from 11am to 1pm and we called ‘Onion’ to check she was definitely there today. I wasn’t bothered if she cancelled now as it meant I could go back to bed but she was going to meet me there. I let Chung know I was all packed and brought my bags down to reception. As is usual in Vietnam, when a friend goes away, she saw my full bags and gave me 4 packets of Banh Ep, a fragile pork, shrimp and spring onion cracker type product, to take with me. She had even had her ex boyfriend put them on the bus from Hue for her as she knows how much I like them. How sweet!

Once at the hairdresser’s, she cut my dry hair first while I sat in front of a fan. I was not entirely optimistic it would turn out well but the heat meant I barely cared about anything else but staying alive. Just 1 hour 15 minutes later I had the hair dye on and was told to wait an unknown amount of time for it to take. Next I got a hair wash, conditioner, face, head and shoulder massage and the blow dry I’d said I didn’t need in this heat. Onion was having none of me walking out of her establishment with wet hair! By 10.30am I was finished and my hair looked good.
I headed back to check-out, where Chung had prepared our bill for the 9 day stay at Son River House Homestay. Captain Caveman was going to pay the 3,352,000VND (£101.79) by bank transfer when he returned from the cave. This included 400,000VND (£12.15) for the meal last night which was absolutely delicious. We did get a friend’s discount which was much appreciated and I would definitely stay there again.

Our next stop was the Phong Nha Vegan which was amazing for my last buffet and farewell to everyone. I sat with Kim and her daughter while trying to get a blast of the cooler which was set to 39°C. The food was so good and plentiful but it was so hot I could barely take the heat. Kim recommended I try different dishes which was really nice and we even arranged for me to visit her in Saigon in a few days time. Back at the homestay, I said my goodbyes and Hoan arrived to give me going away gifts of a knitted mobile phone case, some sweets and a big bag of mangosteen. In the end, Chung moved my taxi for Dong Hoi to pick me up at 1.45pm as we were running late, and she promised to take Bluey over to the Glass House tomorrow. It was a sad, sweaty goodbye as I got in to the car and drove through Phong Nha with tears in my eyes.

The drive from Phong Nha to Dong Hoi on that afternoon was comfortable and cool. It took about 45 minutes and cost me 500,000VND (£15.26). The Minh Quang Hotel had already been booked up but the owner had very kindly recommended the Dolphin hotel as a nearby and suitable alternative. It was only 280,000VND (£8.54) per night and located really close to Tree Hugger. The driver couldn’t find it at first but once I was checked in and was in the room, I realised why it was called the Dolphin Hotel. It was located bang opposite the Dolphin statue on the river front. The lady who checked me in was really lovely and the room had the best display of tourist information, I’ve seen in a while. Unfortunately, it was a little wasted on me as I was only there until very early in the morning. I had a shower and a little rest, plus a bit of a repack to get the gifts in, before going out for a stroll.

I called in at Tree Hugger where I had a mint and lime iced drink and some veggie spring rolls while admiring the view with a fan on. It was really lovely and cost just 90,000VND (£2.75) which was definitely good value.

In the evening, I met up with Jack, Stu’s youngest son, for a last leaving drink and meal at Oregano. We drank a Huda beer, ate potato wedges and a Bolognese pizza, which we shared. We had 2 video calls with Stu who was in Ha Tinh doing a summer teaching job and was disappointed he couldn’t join us. The food, as always, was excellent and I’d learned they had wedges on the menu. I couldn’t eat it all so I took a couple of slices of pizza with me and Jack dropped me off at Dolphin Hotel on his way home. The cost of dinner for both of us was a very reasonable 250,000VND (£7.64).
Back at Dolphin, I finished the half bottle of red wine I’d brought with me, from last night, and got ready for bed. My alarm was set for early tomorrow morning as I was getting the train to Danang.

Phong Nha – 19th June

Wednesday 19th June was not only weigh day, but it was my last full day and night in Phong Nha. I had arrived in Vietnam 15 weeks ago and would be leaving after 4 months in the country, longer than I’d expected. I was up early so that I could be ready for an appointment before work and I did my measurements. My bust was the same as the previous week, I’d lost 1cm from my waist but had put 1cm on my hips. I made a note to get weighed later when I went to the vegan.
I cycled down to see ‘Onion’ the hairdresser as Captain Caveman had booked me in for a cut and dye at 8.30am. She is actually called Nghien but it’s kind of pronounced like onion and that’s what a couple of the older cavers had called her. When I arrived, it was already getting hot, there was no sign of her. I bumped in to a young girl who was wearing sunglasses, a mask and a hooded long sleeved coat. This ninja-looking female spoke a little English and told me her mom was in town having coffee with friends. I’d also messaged her to say I was there but the reply came to the daughter to return at midday. There was no way I could take the midday heat while being in the hairdresser’s building so I asked for the same time tomorrow. The daughter didn’t understand so I just left and said I would message. Tomorrow I was leaving to go to Dong Hoi before lunch so that might be a bit of a squeeze, anyway.
Disappointed, I cycled down towards The Villas and as I arrived Onion turned up saying I could cycle back to the hairdresser’s. By this time I’d already rescheduled my work and confirmed lunch with a friend. We agreed on tomorrow at 8.30am so I would just have to get up early.
I worked from The Villas for the rest of the morning and drank a lot of water as the AC wasn’t on yet. At lunch time I logged off as I had invited Khanh Linh to join me for a catch up. We shared a Momma D’s pizza and a garden salad which was very filling. A member of staff popped the AC on and looked confused as to why it wasn’t already on. I had to try the Pina Colada as it was 50% off those on Wednesdays. It was very nice and I had a lovely time with Khanh Linh, who bought me a gift of a pair of jelly shoes. When I tried them on I was surprised to find they fit very well, too. Khanh Linh, who works at Jungle Boss, had to get back to work and it was very hot and humid outside.
I also went back to work but finished before 5pm so that I could hurry back to Son River House Homestay for a shower. The plan was to be back at The Villas to meet anyone who was coming to help me celebrate my last night.

When I got back to the homestay, I decided to chance a full shower with a hair wash – this was a mistake. I was lathered up like a soapy meringue when the water went off! It took a while to get all the bubbles off me and, of course, Vietnamese hotel towels are rather small. I was 10 minutes late to my own leaving party and Chung, who was going to give me a lift, was busy so I cycled back down. René was already there and was a bit concerned he was going to miss me as he had guests back at Greenfield Ecostay who he had to get back to. Ngan, his wife, was in Hanoi and couldn’t join us. René had a drink with me and then left with arrangements to come back if work allowed. Maxime and his 2 daughters joined us, then Bich and Luc came for a drink and food and it was so lovely to catch up. I had also arranged to have a drink and some food at Son River House Homestay with Chung and Uy. It was also their 7 year anniversary. Manu from Victory Road Villas and the girls from Phong Nha Vegan were also meant to be coming to join the small party.
Manu saw René drive past on a motorbike so I cycled back after paying my 1,200,000VND (£36.45). This included breakfast, lunch for 2 of us, 2 smoothies, 4 cocktails and a bottle of red wine to take away.
Back at the homestay, I arrived to an empty seat where René must have been sat, a fresh beer with ice and a 100,000VND (£3) note under the glass as payment. He had obviously got tired of waiting for me and left – I was surprised not to have passed him as I cycled my little legs as fast as I could on Bluey. Manu didn’t arrive as he couldn’t find it, and the Vegan girls were too busy with customers to leave early. Chung was apologetic that the local chicken with sticky rice that I had ordered for us all to share, had been boiled instead of barbecued. I wasn’t, as it was so delicious – Ms My had done a lovely job and I opened the bottle of wine to share with Chung and Linh Giang. Once again, I was the only non-Vietnamese person at the table and we had so much fun. Eventually, Uy noted the date and redeemed himself of forgetting his anniversary with a romantic speech but I was more enthralled by Motthew IV. Chung had chopped up a couple of pineapples for us to share so a big, thirsty moth came to sample it. There was a cake, more cheers and drinks but I was in bed by 10.30pm. I still hadn’t packed for Danang, Dalyan or the UK. Tomorrow was going to be a bit disorganised and rushed.

Phong Nha – 18th June

We were awake early on Tuesday 18th June as Captain Caveman was off in to Son Doong and I said I would see him off before I started work. It was probably the last time I would see him this year in Phong Nha and I was feeling a bit sentimental about that. Captain Caveman doesn’t do emotional stuff so it was just another day to him but at least he posed for a photo while we waited for a coffee and a watermelon juice at Son River House Homestay. We agreed that I would travel by car to Dong Hoi on Thursday, he’d booked me a room at the Dolphin hotel for that night and a train for Friday morning to Danang. He would get the overnight train after his gala dinner on Friday night and see me in Danang on Saturday morning. We would have our final celebrations in Danang before I flew back to Turkey on Tuesday. We were all organised so that it would go smoothly. Captain Caveman took himself off for spicy fish noodle soup for his breakfast, probably to escape my emotional goodbyes and me still being upset about May, the dog. Chung could see I needed a bit of support and told me to come back to the homestay once I’d seen Captain Caveman off on tour from Ho Khanh’s.
I saw Mr Nghia who works on the porter team and is Ha’s (from Phong Nha Vegan) dad. He was holding Ai’s baby who is super cute and so I took photos. I also found a creepy crawly to match his Oxalis shirt which turned out to be poisonous and had a twin nearby! Luckily I moved one to the shrubbery but then it got moved again to further afield. We said bye and Captain Caveman got on the bus with the next tour group, who also didn’t get off for a photo.
Back at the homestay, I waited for Chung so that we could go to Phong Nha Vegan for brunch. I took photos of the Son River House Homestay menu which looked very comprehensive.

At Phong Nha Vegan, Chung had spicy noodle soup, I had Banh Canh and we shared some fresh spring rolls. Ha made me a mango and coconut smoothie which was so good. I would miss this a lot when I left. I decided to work in the AC of my room at the beautiful and peaceful Son River House Homestay for today.

That evening, after work, I cycled down to Phong Nha Vegan again. Tatas came to meet me and had to wait a while until I could leave to go out for dinner. We went to The Villas for our farewell drinks and meal. We had to make do with mojitos with it being a Tuesday as they were half price. We shared a veggie pizza with a bottle of red then took the wine back to mine so that we could finish off the night. Tatas paid the total bill as a farewell gift and we had a lovely night, it was a bit emotional as I had no idea when I would see her again, although we were hoping she could get a visa to come visit us in Turkey this winter. Tomorrow was weigh day and my last full day in Phong Nha, I’d had 303 syns this week so it wasn’t looking great and I had leaving drinks planned for tomorrow evening.

Phong Nha – 16th & 17th June

On the morning of Sunday 16th June I packed a lot of my stuff. Captain Caveman was due back later and would only have a couple of hours today and some of tomorrow for us to get organised for my departure. As we still didn’t know when Captain Caveman and I would be back in Phong Nha after this season, or what job either of us would be doing next year, I decided to take almost everything. I would have one suitcase to take anything I had still in Vietnam so I decided to put all the things I could live without in to a bag to give to Chung and Hoan. They could keep anything which they could make use of and give the rest to charity. It felt a bit weird not really knowing what would happen next year but I felt confident things would find a way of working out.
I worked from The Villas again and had a treat of beans on toast with a pot of tea for breakfast. For my lunch I had fresh veggie spring rolls and I was still working when Captain Caveman arrived at The Villas. He’d had a good trip but it had been incredibly hot, meaning the group had been out a little later. I updated Captain Caveman on my new job, he was pleased but we didn’t have long to chat as he was off to Chay Lap for his gala dinner. After finishing work for the day, I treated myself to a bottle of wine and some peanuts while I waited for Captain Caveman to return. When he arrived he ordered a pizza as the food at Chay Lap is still below par and he never eats there. I decided to try the ‘new to the menu’ cheeseburger, even though I’m not a massive burger fan.
Captain Caveman devoured his dinner and half the bottle of red wine, he was very hungry after his tour. My burger tasted very good but it was a bit chewy with it being beef. I let the manager know and she did say the Victory Road burger was better as it’s mixed with pork so that might have suited me better. Our total bill came to 890,000VND (£27) which included carrot cake. The Villas had started doing fresh cakes again and it did not disappoint! Maxime and his family were back in town to renovate the Nguyen Shack and had waited to say hello to Captain Caveman. It was almost 10pm when we cycled home, Captain Caveman was very tired.

Captain Caveman had the day time off on Monday 17th June but he still had some work tasks to do, of course. We were awake by 6am but his alarm was set for 6.30am anyway. The weather forecast said it was only 28°C but 83% humidity so it definitely felt hot and muggy. It also said it was going to be cloudy all day but the clouds had definitely not got that memo and it was scorching!
By 8.30am we had cycled to The Villas for me to crack on with work and later have brunch. I had my usual Pho and a smoothie but Captain Caveman had his favourite Eggs Benedict washed down with a Bloody Mary (which are usually 50% off on Mondays). Our bill came to 372,000VND (£11.30) and I didn’t notice at the time that the Bloody Mary was charged at full price of 180,000VND (£5.46). I said goodbye to Ben, as he was off to Mongolia tonight and would be away until the 29th June, when I would already be in Turkey.
While Captain Caveman got prepared for his next tour and his briefing tonight, I was thankful for a rest in the AC back at Son River House Homestay. By 3pm the humidity levels had dropped considerably but it still felt unbearable outside.
After work, and while Captain Caveman was at the Oxalis briefing, I went to Phong Nha Vegan. I was chatting with Ha when something truly awful happened. We heard a commotion down the road, towards town and, when I looked, I saw a woman in the street, a motorbike, something white on the floor and a few people gathered around.
I knew it as soon as I saw the white, it was May, the dog. He had been hit by a motorbike and the owner was trying to save him, I called Ha and we ran down. What happened next was quite upsetting so I won’t go in to too much detail. I felt for a heartbeat and little May was still alive. I called Chung and asked her to call Bom’s dad who is a farm vet and tell him to come quickly. She did and he said he was coming. The owner picked up May and was very distressed about the whole situation so we took him inside the gate. We both kept stroking and talking to him and willing him to pull through. Other dogs in the area were coming to check on May and I nervously kept them at a safe distance. The vet was really taking his time and I called several times for Chung to chase him. Ha and the others left me with the dog’s owner, who spoke no English and then May could fight no more. It was terrible and it looked like he had some bleeding from inside. I consoled the woman and we used Google translate to talk to each other and later her daughter. We lay May in a quiet spot in the garden and waited for her relative to arrive. Eventually, I left and having been strong for the owner, I had a little cry. The Vegan girls wanted to feed me but there was no way I could eat and I was conscious that I’d been holding May. I had a good wash but didn’t want to touch any of the tables at the Vegan and decided to call it a night. Our friend Dung was there having dinner and I asked him to come back and help me talk to May’s owner, which he did. It turned out her husband was a vet and there had been nothing we could have done to save May but at least he knew we loved him. I cycled to The Villas to meet Captain Caveman, with a takeaway snack of vegetable tempura which Hanh had insisted on making me. Once I’d calmed down and was getting through the shock, I ordered a Spaghetti Bolognese and shared a bottle of red wine with Captain Caveman. We paid 472,000VND (£14.33) which I didn’t think was bad. Our last night in Phong Nha together wasn’t the celebration it could have been, though.
Back at the homestay, I got some news to cheer me up; my friend, Briony, was going to be in Sheffield when I was, and had booked her flight from America. I ate the veggie tempura and then went to bed, still sad about little May, the dog.

Phong Nha – 14th & 15th June

I woke up at 7am on Friday 14th June, having had a lovely sleep in the bed all to myself. I went to The Villas for 10am, where I had a pot of tea and paid just 40,000VND (£1.21) for a good brew. I then had to scurry off to the Vegan as I said I’d practice English with the staff. I had a Bun Tron (a vegan rice noodle dish) while I was there and Ha asked if she could nip home to see her Dad. I agreed to hold the fort for her while she rushed off, only for her to come back with some sweet treats for me and the other girls. She had obviously wanted to go to get them as a surprise and it was really kind of her. One was a mung bean paste sweet which was not dissimilar to eating a stock cube and I’m glad I didn’t shove it all in my mouth at once.
In the evening, I went back to Phong Nha Vegan where it was so hot that Ha, the waitress, went for a swim in the river. I had tempura Oyster mushrooms with crispy sweet potato fries. It was like a vegan fish and chips and so good! I also met a couple of Vloggers from America who were enjoying the food and were very nice people. After 3 hours at the Vegan, I cycled back to Son River House Homestay and had an early night.

Saturday 15th June was an exciting day as it was the first day of a new part time job. I was doing some sales and marketing work for a friend. I went to The Villas to have breakfast and work there for the day, I find it the best place to work due to the location and the AC. Captain Caveman was due out of the cave tomorrow and didn’t even know I’d got, or started, a new job. I had my usual Pho Ga, familiarised myself with some spreadsheets and started to look at some content. I had a new friend join me while I worked, it was a moth sat on the glass door who I affectionately named Motthew the third. For lunch I had a margarita pizza with extra mushroom and I saved some to take home.
My tab for breakfast, lunch and drinks was 556,000VND (£17) which was particularly good value and I always enjoy the pizzas there.

By 6pm I was at Phong Nha Vegan having a laugh with Ha. I was meant to be having a swim with her but I had no spare clothes and the staff were too busy with their customers. While everyone was having a bit of a rest near the cooler machine, I spotted the Banh Canh lady. She comes by on her motorbike shouting ‘Banh Canh’ and sells her wares of noodles, eggs and sometimes veggies. I shouted Hanh from the kitchen and Ha from the hammock to come to buy some things. There was quite a crowd and the lady did a roaring trade. Hanh just bought the Banh Canh noodles for 10,000VND (31p).

By 9pm I was back at the homestay where Chung and the owner, Linh Giang, were waiting for me to have a drink to celebrate my first day at work. We ate juicy fresh watermelon and drank chilled red wine. I was introduced to Kim and her daughter, who were staying at Son River House too and we all had a good night together.

Phong Nha – 13th June

Captain Caveman went to eat fish noodle soup at the cafe next door to Son River House Homestay on Thursday 13th June, before his next Son Doong trip. It’s far too spicy for me so I said I’d meet him at Ho Khanh’s, where his trip departs from, once they have collected the guests and team. When I got there I said hello to Nghia, Yen and Sexy Quang as well as some of the porters. One of the aunties was there looking after a young child and the guests turned up early. Usually they get off the bus to have photos taken with Ho Khanh, the man who found the cave initially, but today this didn’t happen and I was asked by the staff where Captain Caveman was. It is very unlike him to be late but he was cutting it fine. I called and messaged him but no answer and I wondered if he’d snuck off for a cheeky last game of Bridge. He turned up a couple of minutes later and was a bit peeved that I was chasing him. We said bye and I cycled down to The Villas for my breakfast.

There I had my usual favourite Pho Ga and I tried a peach tea which was new to the menu. It was very nice and I got some writing done before deciding that it would be nice to have lunch at The Villas too. I opted for a bacon roll on freshly baked bread but without the egg and a pot of tea. It was so good and I really enjoyed the food.
I was just about to leave as Ben, the owner, arrived and we had a bit of a chat. He was concerned about what would happen when Captain Caveman and I left Phong Nha and was very aware that it wasn’t too far off that time. I was still toying with the idea of setting up my own company, perhaps with a view to incorporating some sort of travel company with Captain Caveman in the future. I paid 200,000VND (£6.04) for my breakfast and lunch (including the tip) and left to go back to the homestay.

While I’d been gone, the staff had asked if they could take the extra bed from our room as they had a full homestay tonight. This was great news for Chung that they were so busy and so she’d arranged to change the room around and I actually preferred it. I spent the afternoon sorting through all of my belongings in to piles; leave in Phong Nha, take to Danang, take to Turkey, and for Captain Caveman to bring to England.
That evening I went to the Vegan and it was very hot and humid, with limited staff and lots of customers. Luckily, my Vietnamese was getting better and Ha’s confidence in English was improving too. When I finished helping with the table of 14 Vietnamese diners, I ate fake pork with steamed rice and veg which was becoming a firm favourite. I was so hot that I had a lovely kumquat iced tea and a full fat Coke to drink.
I was tired when I cycled back to the homestay but unfortunately the new guests were doing karaoke and then the staff were talking until about 11pm so I watched Netflix on my phone.

Phong Nha – 12th June

Wednesday 12th June was weigh day again and unfortunately I had consumed 353 syns this week, 160 of which had been on alcohol. We had ended up arguing last night as Captain Caveman always argues when we go for an Indian, this time it had been like Pagoda-gate but with words. I didn’t agree with anything he had said and had put it down to him being unhappy, stressed or both. Obviously me not having any paid work was probably not helping but being in 2 countries where I’m not allowed to legally work doesn’t help. There was no sorry at all this morning and we decided to eat breakfast at the homestay to see what it was like. Captain Caveman was due back in to the cave tomorrow and had his briefing tonight so I decided I would try to find some job opportunities while he was gone. He went down to the reception/cafe area to get a coffee while I finished getting ready and took my measurements. I was surprised to find that they weren’t too bad; my bust was the same, my waist had increased by 1cm and my hips had reduced by 1cm. Captain Caveman had egg and bread while I had beef noodle soup. It was quite nice but more like a bun than a pho and I had green tea with it.

Captain Caveman needed to go into Oxalis but I had decided to go to The Villas to do some blogging, I had a mango lassi, a pot of tea and some cute biscuits – not a great idea before getting weighed.
Captain Caveman joined me and we ordered lunch, he had the potato gratin with asparagus and I had the Australian meat pie with chips and gravy (an even worse idea before getting on the scales). We paid just 380,000VND (£11.47) for lunch and then headed to Oxalis on our way back to our homestay. While Captain Caveman sorted work related things out, I chilled out and watched the resident skink go about his business.

Captain Caveman went to his briefing for 6pm so I went to Phong Nha Vegan. Little May, the dog, was there with Lu from next door and came to greet me straight away. He wondered where I had been and brought me a dried leaf as a gift. I got on the scales to find I had put on 1kg while in Dong Hoi, which was less than I was expecting. For dinner I had fresh spring rolls and mushroom fried rice which was delicious. The Vegan girls ate Banh Trang Tron (which is not vegan) and it was quiet so I left about 8pm and went back to Son River House Homestay for wine with Chung and beers with Captain Caveman and Uy. We had some leftover Indian but no arguments. This was Captain Caveman’s last day off while I was here as he had 2 tours back to back and would be in the cave when I left Phong Nha.