When the alarm went off before sunrise on Tuesday 19th January I wanted to go back to sleep but Captain Caveman was already up and ready, on the terrace with his chair positioned facing the lake, to see the sun come up at Phong Nha Lake House. I made us both a cup of tea and decided to join him and I’m glad that I did – the sunrise was lovely.

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Our breakfast was included in our stay so I chose a pho bo and a tea, Captain Caveman had fried egg on toast and a coffee. We had really enjoyed celebrating my birthday (again) at the Lake House and felt very lucky. There was a bit of a chill in the air but it looked like it was going to be a sunny day, hence why the walking group had picked today for their outing. Captain Caveman took the motorbike and dropped our bags at home before heading off to meet Matty, Veronika and Shannon at Tree House in Phong Nha for a pre walk coffee. Although I was suffering badly the effects of gluten and probably too much wine I decided to walk the 1.5km home (without any sticks) and set off along the main road, down the hill.

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It took me 35 minutes and by the time I got home the sun was shining and I needed a rest.
I had mini hot dog sausages for lunch but then was ill again and felt really cold, I sat out in the sun, I put warmer clothes on and I even got in bed but just couldn’t keep warm.

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In the evening I went to the Farmstay for shepherd’s pie night and had a Magner’s cider and felt better. Captain Caveman had brought our Henderson’s relish to put on the shepherd’s pie and by the time I had eaten just a quarter of mine, he had cleared his bowl! I was full after half of my dinner so I took the rest home to finish off tomorrow, Veronika did the same with her’s. We didn’t stay long and went home for an early night, I think all the celebrations were taking their toll on me, finally!

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We decided to go to Phong Nha Farmstay for a late breakfast on Monday 18th January so we could see off Captain Caveman’s friend, who was heading back to Saigon. Captain Caveman had already been to work and met me at the Farmstay after 10am where I had a pho bo and an orange juice, Matty joined us so he could also say bye to his fellow Hang Va tour participant who had tried out the private pool that morning and was definitely going to be booking in again at the Jungalo Collection when he could enjoy it in hotter weather.
I just had a bit of bread and butter for lunch as we were off for dinner later with Tham and Tony at the Lake House for another birthday celebration. Captain Caveman needed to go by motorbike because he had an early start the next day but I got a lift in the van with Co and our bags. We arrived around 5.30pm and were checked in to the fabulous accomodation overlooking the lake, there was a massive bathroom with both indoor and outdoor showers and an outdoor luxurious bath. We had a four-poster bed with comfy pillows and nice furniture in the room. The walk from reception took me about 5 minutes down a steep slope and was a little painful and slow, which is why we were given the first room.

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We met Tony first for red wine and a catch up, I’d not seen him since he had managed to get back from Australia and it was good to hear about his 14 day quarantine experience in Hanoi – it seems he had enjoyed his better than some had experienced! Tham came to join us at the table, bringing us a starter of pumpkin soup and a massive plate of the most amazing looking Yorkshire puddings I had seen in a few years! I felt a bit overwhelmed and I couldn’t be polite in reaching out for one straight away – they tasted just as good as they looked. I can honestly say they were as good as my nan used to make and better than my mom’s (sorry, ma). I ate a small one and a big one and I was amazed that a young Vietnamese man had made these incredible Yorkshire puddings. The wine was great and going down well and we were then brought, what I thought was a sharing plate of, ribs and roasted vegetables. We were to be given a plate each and the portion was so massive that I couldn’t finish mine. Tham had a vegetarian meal while we shoved sticky ribs in our faces, drank more wine and had to leave the chicken side salad as we were far too full. It was such a lovely night with amazing food, too much wine and fantastic company. Tham had an early morning the next day and Captain Caveman was keen to see the sunrise from our villa terrace so we said goodnight. Tony, the legend, insisted we take another bottle of wine to drink in the room, of which I managed half a glass before falling fast asleep in the comfy bed.
I had been glutened by the Yorkshire puddings but they were so worth it! Captain Caveman set his alarm for just before sunrise and drank another glass of wine.

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Phuong dropped me off at home after my trip to Dong Hoi and I had toast, cheese and a massive dragon fruit for lunch. I was a bit behind on the To Do List so I worked my way through some of it until it was time to get ready for a quiet Sunday dinner at Phong Nha Farmstay. Captain Caveman came back from his Hang Va tour and we headed up in the rascal with Duyet. He and Matty went in to the sauna while Veronika and I chatted with Bich and Howie.
On the Oxalis Hang Va tour there had been some great guests and 3 of them had decided to come to join us for a Sunday roast dinner at the Farmstay, one of them decided to book a room there and got an upgrade to one of the pool villas in the Jungalo Collection. Another was from the UK, although works in Saigon and she was really lovely, her friend (a South African Canadian) was bright and funny and we all enjoyed a spot of wine together by the fire. We moved to a table for dining and all ordered the fantastic Sunday dinner and more wine. I’d optimistically brought tupperwear to put my cake in but when I saw it, I had to have the carrot cake, which was very nice. Everyone agreed to meet up again and the Hang Va group were going to be coming back to Phong Nha to explore more and do another Oxalis tour in May. It was a good night and everyone enjoyed lots of wine, an excellent Sunday roast and some great conversation, with an interesting and fun bunch of visitors. Captain Caveman organised another exploration walk with Veronika and Matty for Tuesday and I had definitely drank more wine than I anticipated. The next day Captain Caveman was off to meet his work colleagues in the morning but then we had another birthday celebration planned!

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I was up and about before Captain Caveman on Saturday 16th January as I was also leaving Phong Nha for the weekend. He was off on tour to Hang Va with some customers he knew (including Matty) and was looking forward to it. I had decided to book in for an 8am physio session and so Phuong was picking me up at 7.10am. I had an aching ankle from the 10,000 steps I walked yesterday and so a few different therapists had a go on sorting that out. Before lunchtime I went to the Nam Long Plus hotel, where I was booked for 1 night, to drop my bag off. I then walked all the way to Earth cafe (about a 20 minute walk for me) in the sunshine. I had tofu vegan rolls for breakfast, followed by udon soup for lunch and some lovely herbal tea. It was all very delicious and there was a new waitress, Ly, who’s English was very good and she was on the ball.
Back at the hotel my usual room with a bath was already booked so I had room 703, a really nice room with good views, better WiFi and a shower. I managed the shower fine without slipping and I finished off Night Stalker on Netflix in the afternoon before having another walk, this time to Tree Hugger. I treated myself to a White Russian and a toasted sandwich before ordering a chicken salad to take away for later. It was my sister’s birthday and, even though she was in the UK in lockdown, the photos of her birthday celebrations (at home) looked fantastic with a birthday cake I would have loved a slice of. For a Saturday in Dong Hoi I’d been pretty healthy and eaten fairly cheaply, spending less than £30 on transport, a hotel room and all my food and drink for the day. I was pleased at my mastering a shower in a hotel room without a cubicle without my shower shoes.

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Even though I was trying to stick to a healthier eating regime I wasn’t going to miss out on the roast dinner on Sunday 17th January and so I was heading back to Phong Nha from Dong Hoi around lunch time. I’d left it too late to walk to breakfast at the vegan Earth cafe and so I went to the nearby Mr Bull, I’d had a good night’s sleep at the Nam Long Plus hotel and was feeling pretty good. I ordered Bo Ne but without the fried egg and so I had a steak sandwich for breakfast. After a bargain and delicious breakfast I left, walked back to the Nam Long Plus hotel and checked out. Phuong (of Phuong’s Transfers) picked me up around 11.15am and I thought the rest of the day would be a pretty steady one in Phong Nha.

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It was a momentous day on Friday 15th January in my injured leg progress! In the morning I decided to walk to the Farmstay which is about 2.2km away and I walked up and down the block first, while waiting for Veronika to catch me up. It took me 45 minutes to do 2.3km, which I was still disappointed with as it is probably twice as slow as it should be. Once there I had fresh spring rolls (a healthy choice) with soda water while Veronika had a cappuccino and a slice of cheesecake. Veronika and I decided to walk back, this time Howie came with us and there was an incident involving a buffalo. We had passed the buffalo which was tied at the side of the road and paddy fields, minding its own business on the way there but on the way back I thought it’s rope looked a bit stuck and too short for the animal to move and so I suggested to Veronika we should move his rope a little. Without further ado the sprightly septuagenarian sprung in to action and leapt across the water gully, much to the buffalo’s surprise, and started to unravel the rope which was caught on a small bush. Howie and I stood in the middle of the road watching when a man on a motorbike raced up shouting ‘no, no, no, no!’ He thought Veronika was trying to steal the massive, confused looking, buffalo and made her wrap the rope back again. She did and we went on our merry way with a feeling of buffalo rustling accusations and a concern locals would be watching out for her in future. I’m pleased to say I was slightly quicker than a 5 year old – I did 2.2km in 43 minutes on the way back, even with the stop off for the buffalo. I also continued with my exercise plan but found I still can’t do press ups, lunges or the pretending to step down a step with my good leg so I was a bit frustrated with it.
Captain Caveman and Watto came back from Son Doong that afternoon and met us at The Villas, along with Matty and Colin, for the infamous Friday Pizza night.
The all you can eat pizza night was good and I managed a massive 10 slices but only had the 1 glass of wine, this week. It always starts off slowly and you feel like you could eat so much more and then you realise you are almost too full for your favourite slice, mine is The Showstopper (blue, cheese, spring onion and fig/apricot jam) but Captain Caveman prefers the ones with salami or pepperoni on. That night, before bed, I checked my pedometer and found I had completed 10,000 steps for the first time since before my injury, 9 months ago this weekend, and I felt more positive about my progress!

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I was hoping for some extra sleep on the morning of Thursday 14th January but the housekeeping staff knocked to come in and clean our room, it was a lovely sunny day. I went in to the kitchen to watch more Night Stalker on Netflix and was glad I had not had jam on my toast! I also finished off the rest of the breakfasty potatoes which were still in the fridge. Tatas had arranged to meet me that evening for more birthday celebrations and so I had a light lunch of dates and crackers. I booked Phuong’s Transfers for my jaunt in to town and back and got to The Villas at the exact same time as Tatas. We got on the Happy Hour and a Half margaritas and stayed on them all night – we both love a margarita and they make really good ones. For my meal I decided to go for a dish I’d never tried before, one of Tatas’ favourites, salami and prawn spaghetti. She had it without parmesan or spring onion but extra chillies and I had it without chillies and it turned out to be one of the nicest meals I have had. I really enjoyed it and it is now on the list of (neverending) favourites. We had a good catch up after her trip to see her family before the holidays and we even got to chat with Manu, the manager, and Ha, one of our favourite waitresses in town. The evening was lovely and it went so fast, too soon my chariot home awaited, Tatas and I topped the night off with a Jameson’s and it was such a lovely birthday treat with probably a small hangover due tomorrow.

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I was glad to be celebrating someone else getting older on Wednesday 13th January and Bich had arranged to pick Veronika and I up to take us to The Villas for brunch. On arrival it was absolutely stunning scenery outside, overlooking the river, the weather was starting to warm up a bit but we still sat inside by the fire. The sun was out again but it wasn’t particularly hot and I ordered a hot chocolate with cream for my breakfast. Bich had work to do and had to go to meetings so we sat and had a chat until Matty arrived by motorbike. Veronika ordered the smoked duck salad for brunch and both Matty and I ordered the tomato soup with cheese toastie (or grilled cheese if you order it in American). We had a chilled bottle of our favourite Lindeman’s sparkling wine, which we had polished off before midday! Unfortunately by the time I got home I had been glutened by the bread (it was worth it though) and felt terrible so I went to bed. I didn’t realise it at the time but Veronika didn’t get away with a quiet night in and had to go to the Farmstay for birthday wishes and cheesecake. I was grateful to get to stay in and eat a handful of dates and walnuts, once my stomach was back to normal(ish) because tomorrow I had another celebration to go to!

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Captain Caveman’s alarm went off very early on Tuesday 12th January as he was off to Hang Son Doong. He was going on the preparation trip with Watto for 4 days to get it ready for the first customer tour of the season. I had an online job that I needed to complete so I decided to get that out of the way before my important appointment at 9am.
Bich had organised a joint birthday celebration for Veronika and I at Tree Hugger in Dong Hoi and had also invited Matty and Hien. We arranged to meet at the Farmstay at 9am and so I got there early.
We arrived at Tree Hugger and we were seated in the shop area upstairs, I managed to get up the stairs, for the first time, fairly easily too. Hien was meeting us on her lunch break from work and so we ordered. I decided to have the honey, lemongrass, ginger and kumquat tea which I really like. Bich had the same, Howie a hot lemon juice, Veronika and Matty went for cappuccino with Bailey’s in. Howie and Bich shared pork spring rolls and the beef and veg rice plate, Veronika went for a pretty breakfast bowl with beetroot in, I had pork and ham toasties and Matty ordered the special which was pumpkin soup, burger and ice-cream. I was still a little hungry after mine so I ordered a portion of spring rolls and Howie shared them. The meal was finished off with plates of free fresh fruit that was so juicy and then we had a browse of the shop where I picked up some wool socks. It was a lovely brunch and I was feeling rather full as I slowly tackled the stairs and we left. Bich had an idea to wander round a massive market which had smelly fried food on sale – we weren’t in there long but it was interesting to see all the stalls – I even crossed a big road with traffic on for the first time since my injury. We also had to have a pee in the bathroom of a bedding shop and a stop off at the organic shop, just for good measure.

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That evening we met back up at Phong Nha Farmstay as it was shepherd’s pie night and we opened the bottle of Bordeaux from Matty which we had between the 3 of us. I was grateful to get home and get my warm socks on as it had turned cold again and I’m not sure how much more birthday celebration-ing I could handle.

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I was another year older on Monday 11th January and because Captain Caveman had to work in the afternoon he got up and made me a superb birthday breakfast. There were sausages (proper ones from Hue), mushrooms, bacon, buttered toast and even breakfasty potatoes (we were still unable to get the Heinz baked beans locally). It was great and really filling, Captain Caveman had eggs and tomatoes added to his version. My mom was the first person to message me with a birthday wish and that made my day! Throughout the day I got loads of birthday wishes that really made me happy and I even got a few surprises! While Captain Caveman was at work I watched some Netflix and chilled out a bit, in the news there was an update that in preparation for the lunar new year TET holiday here in Vietnam, incoming flights would be limited, link below:
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210110/vietnam-to-limit-inbound-flights-ahead-of-lunar-new-year/58713.html
I just had a few walnuts for lunch as we were eating at the Farmstay that night. Captain Caveman was on his way home and I told him we would go straight out but I wasn’t expecting Co and Duyet to turn up with a cooked chicken from East Hill for me as a birthday present, how nice is that!? We decided to take it to the Phong Nha Farmstay where most of the usual gang was and Bich got out the plastic gloves and scissors to dish it out. We enjoyed the chicken and sticky rice and washed it down with a bit of birthday present booze, which was very enjoyable. A few of us ordered the chicken quesadillas too and then Hien and Khanh (owners of Elements Collection) arrived with the biggest bunch of flowers I have ever had and a wrapped present and a card. The surprise birthday cake came, made by the Farmstay kitchen and a rendition of Happy Birthday was sung. It was really nice and I was a bit tipsy when I got home but we had a drop of rum as a nightcap and I caught up on as many messages as I could before falling fast asleep.

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Sunday 10th January started with a buffet breakfast at the Vinpearl Hotel in Dong Hoi as part of my birthday treat from Captain Caveman. I even ate croissants, which were so delicious, as well as pho ga (chicken noodle soup) with bread things in and a bacon sandwich. I had juices, an ominous looking detox water and some tea, I overdid it on the gluten though and suffered when I had the last of the Danish pastries. We went to the indoor swimming pool and I did some walking and swimming without doing the breaststroke style legs. Captain Caveman took some videos but he didn’t last long in the pool because it was too cold. I also found it cold and had a bad stomach so instead of the planned hour, I managed 30 minutes (better than nothing).

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Back in the room we packed and got ready to leave, Captain Caveman got a call from Deb to say that her and Colin were finished shopping in Dong Hoi and were just waiting for Watto to come out of the dentist, if we would like to meet up and then get a lift back in the Oxalis minibus. We checked out and headed off to meet them at Earth cafe, the lovely Vegan place. When we arrived Watto was there, as well as Thao and Mo (the owner) and everyone was having a coffee. I had a kumquat and daisy tea which came in a fancy cup and tasted great, when the complementary tofu vegan rolls came out I couldn’t help but try a couple and I really enjoyed them. The driver picked us up and we called at Tuan Viet Gourmet, the shop which sells the chocolate digestive biscuits, then a tool shop and finally we were on our way back to Phong Nha.

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After a motorbike ride from the Glass House to Elements I couldn’t get warm, even after being in bed for a bit with clothes on, so we went up to the Farmstay early so that we could have a Jameson’s hot chocolate. Matty joined us, while Veronika had a rum in her tea, round the fire and started to thaw out a bit. Captain Caveman and Matty went off to the sauna but I stayed enjoying another whisky.
At least the Sunday roast dinner would warm me up and we had a very good meal with red wine – I even got the biggest piece of pork crackling on my dinner. At the end of the meal Bich and Ben came over to the table where Veronika, Matty, Captain Caveman and I were finishing off our cake, to wish us a happy birthday and give us a gift of wine – I was a bit emotional and was so grateful for their kindness. Matty went to his room and came back with a bottle of wine, to add to our birthday wine collection too. Veronika and I decided we would keep the wine at the Farmstay and drink it together once it had got to our actual birthdays – everything was all warm and lovely again!

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I was about to start the celebrations of my forthcoming birthday on Saturday 9th January, Captain Caveman had booked us in to the Vinpearl Hotel in Dong Hoi to celebrate early, due to him having to work next week. We had arranged to go to Dong Hoi in the morning but things didn’t go to plan, and at the last minute Captain Caveman had to work, so I set off by myself. I was assured that he would still come to join me that night and should be there by 6pm.
I decided to treat myself to a Tree Hugger brunch after dropping both our bags off at the hotel. I had 3 cups of ginger, honey, lemongrass and kumquat tea (as you do), 2 herbal teas which they give you for free and my favourite beef and veg rice plate. I didn’t chance a gluten or dairy food because I had physio in the afternoon and that all went well, as usual. When I checked in at the Vinpearl everyone was wearing masks, including me, and they were doing the usual hand sanitizer and temperature check (I was a cool 36°C). Our room was on the 20th floor and had a free fruit plate already waiting for me, I ate all but the persimmon and an apple, with a couple of green teas and an earl grey. Finally a message came from Captain Caveman that he was on his way to Dong Hoi using a new Grab style shared car service with An, from Phong Nha. He charges just 50,000vnd each way and there are up to 4 set journeys per day for a car share. Armed with 2 bottles of Lindeman’s sparkling wine he arrived and I had my glass of fizz in the bath! Captain Caveman also had a bath with his fizz and we decided it was too cold to go out and ordered room service, while dressed in our robes. We watched some films including Call of the Wild which I thought was great, we didn’t go to sleep until late but still remembered to set the alarm for the buffet breakfast.

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It was no surprise to read that the UK was reporting the most cases of Corona they had had in one day, on Friday 8th January, because it was exactly 2 weeks after Christmas, when people were allowed to meet up. It sounds pessimistic but I had even written in my diary a note to expect the surge in reported cases in countries where Christmas day would be celebrated, this way I wouldn’t be overly worried about my immediate family. So, while Captain Caveman got up at 5am to go surfing with Ben and Matty, I did some blogging and learning Vietnamese.
Captain Caveman was back, earlier than planned because it was too windy, before I even got out of bed. He made me a bacon sandwich and we decided to go to the Farmstay for a late lunch. I had the very nice mushroom soup and Captain Caveman had chicken quesadillas. I tried to do some work in the afternoon, from the Farmstay but I find it easier to work at home so I did all my exercises outside, using the stairs. That evening we joined Phong Nha Farmstay guests for pizza night at The Villas. There was a nice Danish family here and an American guy with a cool motorbike. Our night turned out really well and we had so much pizza I thought I might burst. I managed 10 slices and 3 glasses of red wine before getting a lift back home.

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Thursday 7th January was a bit of a steady one, we got up late after I was catching up on blogging in bed and Captain Caveman made me a bacon sandwich. By lunchtime I wasn’t hungry and we didn’t have anything taken out of the freezer so I just had raisins, knowing I’d be eating well later.
For dinner we went to Phong Nha Farmstay, I’d even washed and blow-dried my hair, where we met with Matty and Tatas. I ordered the meat pie with chips and gravy (no beans!), Captain Caveman went for an unpredictable Bun Cha, Matty also had pie and Tatas went for a vegan curry with steamed rice. The wine kept on flowing and we had 3 bottles between the 4 of us, as you do, which meant we drank all of the stock of my favourite red wine. We decided to follow Captain Caveman’s lead by having a dessert, he had the passion fruit cake, I went for the chocolate fondant cake. The dessert made the evening and it was so good that I didn’t care if I was getting fatter again!

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I decided to have a late brunch at Phong Nha Farmstay on Wednesday 6th January and from there I planned my lift to Dong Hoi. As I ate my beef noodle soup (pho bo) and fried veggie spring rolls I read the news.
Just 4 days after Vietnam had discovered the new variant of the Corona virus had come in to the country from the UK, there was an announcement from the Vietnamese Prime Minister that they would suspend all flights from the UK. It’s worth noting no holiday makers had been allowed in for over 10 months now, this meant any special flights or repatriation flights would be stopped! Of course with no flights coming in from the UK that usually means they don’t go to the UK either. Here’s the link if you want to read more.
https://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/853302/pm-orders-suspension-of-flights-from-uk-south-africa-due-to-new-coronavirus-variants.html.

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I left with Phuong’s Transfers at 12.40 and arrived at my physio appointment before 1.30pm, my first one this year. Building works had started out the front of the clinic and it was slightly hazardous for anyone with walking difficulties. Inside there had been walls knocked down and a bit of wallpaper put up. My physio went well, no pain in particular aside from my ankle and my visa agent, Kimmie, popped in to pick up my passport so that I could apply for another one month visa extension.

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On the way back, in Phuong’s comfy minibus, Captain Caveman messaged to say he was also on his way home and we decided to eat out, at the Phong Nha Farmstay. Matty was there and so we shared a table and a bottle of wine, he ordered the carbonara, Captain Caveman had one of his favourite meals, meat pie, chips, beans and gravy and I had the pork clay pot with steamed veg and rice – it’s my new favourite dish now. When we got home the room had been cleaned and it was so nice to get in the freshly made bed and not have to get up too early the next morning!

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The alarm went off so much earlier than I would have liked, having been up almost all night with a gluten tummy and listening to Captain Caveman snoring. Tuesday 5th January was a bit of a mixed bag really; Captain Caveman was working and was off to a cave – he didn’t know which one, or who with, or what for, or how long it was for, until he got there and he was more fine with that than I was. I didn’t get back to sleep and instead got on with my list of jobs for the day. At lunch time I headed over to the rascal for a lift with Duyet to the Farmstay. When I got to the Farmstay it was nice and quiet with the fire on so I ordered a Bun Cha for lunch, as recommended by Sau. Bich had booked Sy from Magic Fingers to come over in the afternoon so I had booked in for a massage. I went in for a foot massage and also got an Indian head massage, although Sy had to be more careful with my bad leg, it felt absolutely amazing!!

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I came out just after 4pm and I ordered a hot lemon, ginger and honey tea and sat down to do some writing. I was also hoping Captain Caveman might get in touch to let me know if he was on his way home or if he was staying overnight in the cave but I heard nothing.
It was shepherd’s pie night at the Phong Nha Farmstay and I ate mine with Matty, it tasted good and was piping hot – Ben had to eat Captain Caveman’s pie! I was so full that I couldn’t manage a dessert and, feeling stuffed and a bit tired I went home for an early night.

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