We were all up very early on Tuesday 20th October, having not really slept much during the night. The sound of the heavy rain, even in a well-built villa like this, was disturbing enough but I can only imagine how worried the locals, with less robust properties, would have been. We also slept with the curtains open so that the bottoms of them didn’t get wet with the rain water coming under the slight gap in the bottom of the door! Captain Caveman was out on the balcony with a powerful head-torch at 5am and reported that the water in the garden had gone. I didn’t believe him as it had not stopped raining and there was at least half a metre worth right across the front of the properties. By 7am when I looked out in the daylight, he was right, it had completely gone and our ground floor flood water had also drained away. There was still no electricity and the generator wasn’t on yet so I had a couple of walnuts and some cheese with a slice of focaccia bread for breakfast, Captain Caveman had peanut butter and marmite on bread. Everyone was hungry but not enough to eat the boiled eggs and only 1 was consumed. The kids got bread with a choice of butter, peanut butter, marmite, cheese spread (or a combo of any of those) or dried noodles. When the generator started up I had the remains of my Phong Nha Underground oolong tea which I shared with Remy, Veronika and Melissa had green tea on the go and the kids got their 2 minute noodles. By this time Remy started packing up everything so that they could all go back home, since the water had gone, but not everyone in the family was as enthusiastic to leave. Aaliyah helped me make the popcorn, later joined by the 3 youngest boys who all wanted to have a go! Harry Potter 2 commenced, I had a hangover so it was good to just watch the film. Afterwards the neighbours went home but not before agreeing that they would come back to watch the rest of the Harry Potter movies each day. Ben and Bich came over later and had a shower at the house up the hill because our water was off, they were cold and had been sorting through the damage at the Farmstay and then going to The Villas to check out the result of the flood there. They, and their helpers, had a big job on their hands to get cleaned up again and it was hard to even imagine how much mud and damage there was.

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While Veronika had sausages for dinner with the kids I did us a fried rice with some of the leftover rice we had and we shared a bottle of red wine. Melissa and her family decided to order a takeaway from the Lake House who were lucky to be high up and open for business, so she asked us if any of us would like to order anything, including freshly baked bread. Veronika declined but Captain Caveman jumped straight in with an order for 2 loaves of their bread! When Melissa came round with the bread I sliced it up and offered some out. I saw on Facebook just how lucky and privileged we were to be in a safe and now mostly dry house – it really did make me feel extremely lucky to be here right now.

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I didn’t even leave the house, and had no plans to, until it was safe but in the meantime this was what Ben and the gang had been up to at the Farmstay and his new lakeside resort!

Check out the Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10159506892003115&id=552758114

Luckily our neighbours were able to use the L shaped sofa for two of them and the other three (including the adults) put up a makeshift bed with cushions on the mezzanine floor overlooking the lounge. While the ten of us didn’t get as much sleep as we might have wanted, or were used to, we were certainly a thousand times luckier than some of the locals in Phong Nha, Tan Hoa and nearby Le Thuy. A lot of Phong Nha residents, we would find out later, did not sleep all night but stayed awake trying to protect themselves, each other, their property, and their animals. The property we were staying in was on high ground with little likelihood of flooding, we even said on Sunday night that if we were flooded tomorrow then a lot of people would be in serious trouble!!!

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I woke to the sound of Captain Caveman’s snoring at 4am on Monday 19th October. I went to the bathroom using my emergency light but didn’t look out of the window so wasn’t sure how bad the weather was, only to know it was still raining and we had no electricity. The whole house was up and about before 7am and we were all shocked to see that the flood water was about a quarter of the way up the garden gate, water had come in to the kitchen downstairs and we had to make our first house rule. It was mainly for the safety of the younger children, the elderly and the disabled; permission from Veronika was required to go past the top step of the stairs to the kitchen. All pans, bowls and containers were assembled outside for collecting rain water and once we had the generator on we put a huge load of rice in the rice cooker. Veronika made 2 minute noodles for anyone that wanted them, mainly the kids, while Captain Caveman made me and him bacon on the hot plate – it was such a good job Co and Duyet had insisted on moving our kitchen appliances upstairs. I had my bacon with steamed rice and some focaccia bread – who cared about gluten now, I wasn’t going to go hungry! Veronika made tea for everyone and I had a cup of green then she decided to boil some eggs for if the power went off again. Melissa and Remy were easy going, luckily, so just went along with whatever was suggested food-wise. Amazingly Melissa had a hard drive with all of the Harry Potter films on so we decided to get all of us on the sofas and watch the first one. We were all so glad of the popcorn maker because, with help from Aaliyah, we made a big tub of popcorn for everyone to share. After the film Captain Caveman collected in the full rain water receptacles, this was my first taste of drinking rain water which Captain Caveman seemed surprised by. I’d already cracked open a bottle of red wine during the film and the rainwater did taste a bit chalky and slightly sweeter than filtered water. Later he and Remy braved a walk through the flood water to collect some fresh water so that we had enough to keep us going for how ever long the storm and floods would last. The running water hadn’t been on and so another rule was implemented to not flush for wees but to use rain water for poos. Thankful for modern flushing toilets and running water I looked outside and saw a boat approaching us, across the flooded paddy field and car park. As the boat got nearer it was clear it was Ben, Bich and Chien who had come from Phong Nha Farmstay with provisions, meant to be for their kids! It was good to see them but rather scary when they described how the water levels were at the Farmstay and The Villas. Duyet came out, stood up, on a home-made raft and using a big metal pole as his oar – it was amazing.
By the time dinner was being discussed the options were 2 minute noodles, boiled eggs, soup or rice. Most of the kids went for noodles, Veronika, Melissa and Remy had chicken soup and the rest of us had veggie fried rice which I made while tipsy and with an eleven year old sous chef doing all the chopping. I felt it was a bit like camping and we were all getting on fine, when Uno (the card game) was suggested I was excited to join in – I’d not played it since a holiday to the Maldives and Sri Lanka with friends. The electric went off and we finished the game by emergency lights which made it feel later than it was. It went on a bit but in the end I won because a 10 year old didn’t say Uno when he had one card left but apparently he thought he’d still won. We all went to bed early, outside it was still raining and I commented how lucky we were to Captain Caveman.

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If you have access to Facebook here’s a treat for you – while we were holed up in privileged conditions, check out Ben’s video of what was going on 2km away at Phong Nha Farmstay:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10159506875343115&id=552758114

On Saturday 17th October I still hadn’t heard back from Thuy and so didn’t go to physio. Instead I ate some of the veggie rice I had in the fridge but the asparagus had made it soggy and I had to throw the rest away. The rain and wind was pretty hard and it blew the outdoor balcony furniture in opposite directions. The temperature had dropped considerably, for the first time in ages I had to put another layer of clothing on. Elsewhere in Vietnam photos showed terrible flood scenes and some sad ones emerged of lots of livestock getting stuck in the mud. Captain Caveman decided to make a Spanish omelette which we would be able to eat if the power went off. We stayed in that evening and I cooked fried rice with veg and salami. We shared 2 bottles of fizz and mentally prepared ourselves for the 6 days of ‘bad’ rain that had been predicted – tomorrow was going to be a bit of a shock to me!

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When we got up on Sunday 18th October I realised that the flood situation in our wider area was going to get bad. We could see that it looked like it may even turn out to be worse than 2010. Where we were staying was amazing and we were certainly very lucky, maybe of the luckiest people in Phong Nha. The banana trees in the garden outside had seen some movement, some were blown over, a local man was moving his cow to higher land and the paddy field opposite was becoming a lake. People were posting more and more photos of their circumstances on Facebook – these were now becoming people we know and friends. Captain Caveman made me bacon and beans for breakfast and then I had some grapes because I was still hungry. The rain didn’t stop and there was talk of moving our kitchen stuff on the ground floor up to the first floor. The neighbours didn’t have a first floor and they were also worried in case they became flooded so we offered space at our’s if they needed it. We had a picnic lunch and had made short work of the Spanish omelette when the power went off. Luckily we have the use of a generator and so it wasn’t long before it was back on. The new lake opposite us now had ducks visiting and by 4.30pm the rain was getting heavier. Captain Caveman got the emergency lights at the ready, the fridge got moved higher and we even decided to move the wine and empty all the bottom kitchen cupboards, just in case. I had a snack of cashew nuts and we opened the red wine earlier than usual before I cooked us some egg fried rice with salami. On Facebook emergency phone numbers were posted for those in Phong Nha who needed evacuating and all residents were warned the flood was here and would continue for a couple of days at least. Cars and motorbikes were moved to higher ground and even animals were being moved indoors. We were in bed when I got a message at 10.15pm from our neighbour because they were being evacuated – we had left them the door open!

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Phuong picked me up at 7:30am on Friday 16th October and we headed to Dong Hoi airport to pick up Captain Caveman, I’d also requested a physio appointment from Thuy but had not yet heard back from her. When we arrived at the airport Captain Caveman was already waiting and got straight in to the vehicle, this time without the bicycle which would have to be posted back. We went straight to Tree Hugger for breakfast where I gulped down a Gastropulgite so that I could have the amazing cheese and ham toasties with my herbal tea. Captain Caveman had coffee and egg sandwiches which he absolutely loves. I’m not sure he was too pleased to see me as he happened to drop a book from the bookshelf on to my back, which hurt (it was the Lonely Planet guide to Southeast Asia)!

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Back home Captain Caveman had managed to cheer me up with lots of goodies from Hanoi, including a beautiful gift from Phil and Hoa in Sapa and some seamless knickers from Uniqlo. The rain was getting quite heavy and this would be what we now know to be the first day of the rains which would flood Phong Nha. Captain Caveman had some bad news that he had spent all his wages and we were now on a tight budget until payday so he wasn’t too happy that I had bought the new dress when I don’t go out much anyway. I had been pretty frugal this last week and only spent 2,455,000 vnd which is around £80 – I only went out once to eat and I didn’t pay for any alcohol all week! Captain Caveman reassured me that we would be ok we just needed to tighten our belts and maybe not spend almost £12 on grapes and walnuts (they were so nice though).

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By 4.30pm it was very wet out but word came from Ben that The Villas were going to have another ‘all you can eat’ pizza buffet tonight. Captain Caveman of course can’t turn down pizza and so off we went. When we arrived Momma D and the 3 cavers were already seated at a table for 4 and were munching away on pizza. I joked that Captain Caveman had come all the way back from Hanoi just for pizza night and then I went to sit at the big table. I chose a seat between a polite Polish lady and Veronika, Captain Caveman saw there was 20% off wine and got us a lovely bottle of red to share. We each got served a slice of whichever deliciously topped pizza came out and they just kept on coming for just over an hour. My medication worked and they were going down so well, even the ones I wouldn’t normally try were just so tasty. Ben and Bich were there to make sure everyone got well fed, the kids were all seated together and were mainly getting on and behaving. The food and service was outstanding and we were very pleased we had been able to eat so much pizza – the wine wasn’t bad either!

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Here’s an insight in to my simplistic life in September through the things I googled, listed alphabetically:

1. Alpha pristine
2. BBC news
3. Dragon fruit vitamin C
4. Drinkable
5. English to Turkish
6. English to Vietnamese
7. Elodie Alice
8. Frederich Engels
9. FTSE 100
10. Funniest UK stand up clips
11. Gerard Butler
12. James Caster
13. Katie Price ankles
14. Kevin Bridges – Bus Stop joke
15. Lentil recipes UK
16. Maoris in New Zealand
17. Marcus Rashford
18. Natalie Jenkins missing
19. Nasi Goreng
20. Oxalis Adventure
21. Prince Charles speaking Welsh
22. Postcode finder UK
23. Queen Accommodation Services Dalyan
24. Tran Manh Dan
25. Using herbs
26. World Life Expectancy
27. Weather

I really love this joke by Kevin Bridges, give it a go if you’ve not heard it: https://youtu.be/8W_k7ybGBDg

After 3 days off from physio and only 5.5 hours of therapy last week I had managed to get booked in for an 8.30am appointment on Monday 12th October. Phuong picked me up at 7.15am and I shared the car once again with Shannon, Stu and Jack who were off to the airport and flying to Saigon for a few days. The journey took a bit longer due to it being incredibly wet on the roads and when I got to physio it was ankle deep water that I had to walk in. That was the easy part because inside, on the lino floor, it was very slippery in bare feet and I was sliding a bit. Phuong helped me with the doors and told me to keep my shoes on but I managed ok. More flood photos were appearing on Facebook and there was news of hydropower plants facing landslides. Back at home I had a dragon fruit and an orange for lunch and shared a pot of green tea with Veronika. My visa still wasn’t ready but I was assured it would be in time for Captain Caveman to bring back at the end of the week, on his way back from Sapa. My good leg and the eczema was getting worse and I think it was infected so I was putting cream on but now the shower gel seemed to be irritating it and it was definitely infected. I had a zoom call with Ruth, a friend of Captain Caveman’s and a physiotherapist in the UK, she asked me to tell her what happened again and then she asked some questions, it was tricky without being able to fully translate word for word my MRI results in to English but we made do. I was keen to be able to supplement the physical massage therapy with some exercises and so she said she would send me some exercises to do in addition to my sessions in Dong Hoi. I felt a bit more confident having spoke to Ruth that I would be able to make more progress and hoped it would be beneficial to do some exercises which she would recommend.
That evening Veronika asked if I would like to share her wine gift, I agreed and I ate my falafel and veggies for tea. Veronika had soup and offered me some which I enjoyed, it was a veggie one with a good tasty flavour.  Back in the bedroom I put my returned laundry back and got ready for a good night’s sleep – I had planned a lay in!

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I woke up so early on Tuesday 13th October and didn’t get to sleep in at all because my good leg was in pain and my eczema looked quite infected. I decided to put apple cider vinegar on it and it did make it less puffy. I did my bad leg exercise plan from Ruth and most of it was very hard to do (She did advise it could be challenging)! For breakfast I had 2 apples and then did a bit of blogging before lunch. I had hummus, red cabbage, red pepper, carrot and olives for lunch. Captain Caveman had 3 lots of bread in the freezer so I took out the smallest box of sourdough and defrosted a couple of slices for me to have with lunch and free up a bit of space as the freezer was crammed full. I found a gluten free Facebook group which was based in Hanoi and sent Captain Caveman some requests for supplies.
For dinner I had a couple of slices of the sourdough and another apple then went to bed really early because I was still feeling rather tired!

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It was very blustery on Wednesday 14th October and Veronika, Bich and I were off to Dong Hoi. I’d experienced another small bit of progress and had got my shoes and socks on for the first time this year. I was wearing my black volleys which were a gift from our Aussie friends, Amanda & Greg, we should have all been in Dalyan together right now too!
Our first stop in Dong Hoi was the organic shop where we stocked up on vegetables and fruit, I also bought some cheap peanuts. Our second stop was at Bibi’s clothes shop where Bich was picking up Marmot raincoats which really looked the business, I was tempted to replace my (donated by Josh) Oxalis raincoat which isn’t waterproof. They were great value but cash was tight until payday and so I didn’t think it a good idea to waste money on something I would rarely use on account of me not going far. I saw some amazing dresses which were made from silk and had pockets but was sure they would be too expensive or too small. I tried a couple on and they both fit, actually one was too big, but the one I really liked was nice, slightly baggy and comfortable. I decided to splash out and spend the 500,000 vnd (about £16.50) and buy it, it would look great with black tights or leggings on a wintery night. I was ecstatic to buy a dress off the peg in a Vietnamese dress shop! Our next stop was at a newly opened supermarket called Tuan Viet Gourmet which was fantastic because it sold gluten free stuff as well as British stuff. I bought crisps, gluten and sugar free chocolate cookies, beetroot wafer crackers and baked beans. They sold McVittie’s chocolate digestives which Watto would be shoving in the trolley like a kid in a sweet shop if he was here. Our last stop was for brunch at Tree Hugger where I had herbal tea, a peach tea and veggie spring rolls. The weather was fine, in fact it was warmer than expected and we sat outside. Tree Hugger had been closed for a bit of renovation and it looked even more cosy than before. It was great to see Anna, the owner, who is so lovely and very welcoming. On our way back to Phong Nha we called at the chemist near the hospital and stocked up on a load of stuff, I got amoxicillin for my infected eczema and started taking it straight away. When I got home I did my exercises which were tricky as my good leg was now a bad leg too. I got confirmation my visa extension had been done and that my passport would be getting returned to Captain Caveman – a relief I was now able to remain in Vietnam until the 9th November. That night for dinner I was feeling too lethargic to cook and so I ate the rest of the sourdough with butter and took a cup of jasmine tea to bed.

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When I came down in to the kitchen on Thursday 15th October the cleaners were here and so I took my pot of jasmine tea outside and I got talking to Co and Duyet. They introduced me to ‘con cháu chấu’ which means grasshopper – they are pests to the beautiful orchids which are in the garden and Co picked it up and threw it away. Time was cracking on by the time I went back indoors and so I had gluten free cookies for breakfast and then added some grapes for lunch. While the weather wasn’t too bad, where we were, it had continued to be pretty awful in our neighbouring provinces and it looked like we were definitely in for a very wet weekend.
Veronika had made a bowl of tomato salsa which she was having on toast and I had some with rice crackers. I also made myself some veggie rice in the rice cooker and had that and shared Veronika’s left over wine.
Tomorrow Captain Caveman was due back so I had the alarm set for an early get-up.

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I woke up at 4.30am on Friday 9th October because of a storm, there was a little bit of water coming in from under the balcony doors as the wind blew the rain in that direction. The bathroom window was not watertight and so a puddle was forming as the rain pelted against the glass. I checked my messages from Captain Caveman to find he’d not got on the train to Hanoi until 1am! I wouldn’t have been too happy with that when the train was due to leave at 7.40pm but at least he could drink beers while he sat in the train station. I couldn’t go back to sleep so I got up and did some Vietnamese practice.  The cleaners came in early, mopping up, taking the wet towels away and generally making sure all was ok. I didn’t go to physio as it was a bit stormy still and I had an apple for breakfast. At lunch time I had grapes and peanut M&Ms and we popped another bottle of fizz in the fridge for later. That afternoon I saw various posts on Facebook showing that some people in Phong Nha had muddy flood water in their homes and some had no electricity. Further away some towns were having some really bad storms and it looked like the flood season had started. I watched Love on the Spectrum on Netflix which was brilliant.  I finally had a message from Captain Caveman that he had arrived in Hanoi, 10 hours later than planned. That evening I had falafel, yoghurt dip, red pepper and red cabbage for dinner – it went well with half a bottle of Lindeman’s each. The wind was really getting stronger and I wondered if I would be able to get to sleep, this would be my first experience of the wet season here in Vietnam.

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Saturday 10th October the world reached over 37 million reported cases of Corona virus and the rain here was heavy. Having not slept much I was up early and the cleaners were in again, mopping and ringing out towels. Veronika’s room was the worst and the shared sitting area between the bedrooms was a big puddle. Of course Veronika was able to slosh through all the water but I was hesitant due to my leg as I didn’t want to slip – the trusty shower shoes were a big help. Water had leaked on to the staircase too making it a bit slippy and tricky for me to get to and from the kitchen. When I got downstairs Hien had brought us treats from the bakery in Dong Hoi and they looked delicious. I had a chocolate and custard one for breakfast even though it probably had gluten in but I was fine after it!  She tried to warn us the weather was going to get bad and to stay indoors. Photos and videos were being posted on Facebook showing bad floods in Hue, Danang and Hoi An – a few hours south of us. For lunch I had some hummus and veggies and I did an interview for a Turkish Facebook page. For the evening there was a banquet dinner on at Phong Nha Farmstay which we decided to go to. We shared a bottle of our favourite fizz by the fire, the first open fire of the year, and it felt all cosy and festive. The buffet was fantastic and I really enjoyed it, by the time we had finished we were stuffed and needing our beds. 

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I was awake by 4.30am on Sunday 11th October and because it was still rainy out I stayed in again. By 10am I hade made popcorn, impressed myself by carrying  laundry down the stairs and treated myself to a red dragon fruit and an earl grey tea. Although it was still raining we were ok and photos from other provinces were gradually showing more flood situations. Phong Nha Farmstay decided to do a campfire stew instead of a Sunday lunch but I didn’t fancy going out in the rain so had a healthy dinner of hummus and veggies with a tortilla and a rice cracker. I wasn’t feeling too well and decided not to bother with any alcohol! The news in Vietnam now showed the number of dead and missing due to floods or landslides and it was many more than affected by the Corona virus in this country!

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Thursday 8th October would be our last day together before Captain Caveman went on holiday to the north for a week by himself. I would only be a burden as I can’t walk yet and he had planned to have some days in Hanoi, some days in Sapa visiting friends and doing some treks. I really wanted to see Sapa but the terrain there is too steep for someone who can’t yet manage much more than 5,000 steps on a good day. We got up for breakfast and noticed the rain outside was pretty heavy, the winds were very blustery, even the Vinpearl hotel had towels at windows catching the leaks and the dining room was virtually empty. The river was looking like it was about to overflow but Captain Caveman was already looking up the tide times and pointed out the tide was changing and it wouldn’t overflow. There was no buffet service so we were given a very extensive menu to pick anything we liked off – and we did! I had taken a Gastropulgite so that I could have croissants and cheese!!! I also had pho ga, bacon, sausages, and fruit so I was very full. Captain Caveman made me 2 cups of earl grey tea to wash it all down with and I messaged Thuy at physio to see if I could come for an earlier appointment.

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The Vinpearl hotel staff had very kindly given us a free late check out and so I went off for physio, managing to get down the steps and in to a taxi with Captain Caveman’s help. He went to run a few errands and nip to the ATM so that he could give me some money as my funds were now depleted due to all the physio and transport costs. My physio became a tag team of three therapists all giving me what for and it was difficult for me to tell which bit was the most painful, I think it was the foot on the bum which clinched it.

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I got back to the hotel and was so pleased with myself that I managed to get up the very wet marble steps in a blustery storm, Captain Caveman had come down to meet me but I was already at the lift when he got to me! We checked out but the weather was getting worse so we decided to have a hot beverage in the cafe area where the cute receptionist chatted on to us for a while, practicing her English on the few remaining guests. I contemplated booking an extra night at the Vinpearl hotel but we thought I might end up stuck there.

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When we realised the weather was not getting any better we decided to get a taxi to 7th Heaven for some food, leaving our bags at reception. We were the only ones there and both ordered a delicious steak, with a bottle of wine, as our last meal together for a while. All the time we were eating the rain was getting worse and the road outside looked like it might be flooding. Phuong was coming to pick me up to take me home and we drove to the Vinpearl hotel where Captain Caveman got soaked picking up the luggage, then we drove to drop him at the train station. By now the weather had got worse and we wondered if the train might be delayed but when we checked, it was still on time. Floods had started in Hoi An, Danang and Hue and it was on the news, saying it looked bad this year. We said our goodbyes and I was pleased Captain Caveman would be able to pick up my passport in Hanoi once my visa was renewed.

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Phuong drove me and another suprise passenger, who had jumped in at the train station for a free lift back to Phong Nha. I was getting dropped off first because my drop off was at Veronika’s where she already had the wine chilling. It was very wet and I was glad to be high up in case the rain got bad, I felt very lucky to have somewhere nice to stay and with good company while Captain Caveman was away. The storm I had just been out in was going to seem like a bit of a light shower to what was to come but at the time I could not even imagine it. Before bed I spoke to Captain Caveman who was still in the train station, his train delayed and he was several beers in! He was already delayed by 5 and a half hours by the time I fell asleep.

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As the world’s Corona reported figures hit 36 million cases, 27 million recoveries and 1 million deaths we were heading off to Dong Hoi for a couple of days and to attend our first ‘event’ since lockdown. We had already missed a couple of weddings either due to my injured leg or because of Corona restrictions so we were excited to be able to attend this one. As Wednesdays go, in my world, the 7th October was pretty exciting for us. I’d not slept much as there had been a storm during the night (it turns out that what I thought was a bad storm was actually not that bad compared to what would follow later in the month). Firstly, we were off on a shopping trip to Dong Hoi and our first stop was at the organic shop where I found quinoa and bought a small bag of it to try. The next stop was my first ever visit to the Co-op Mart (I usually wait outside this massive supermarket), I was up for trying it seeing as though it was quiet. Once I’d managed to walk around the aisles downstairs we went upstairs and found the bargain of the day – a massage chair which was only 10,000 vnd for 6 minutes (33p)! Next time I decided I would not put my bad leg in or the arm with my watch on – this machine was obviously made for small Vietnamese people!

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After shopping we went to Geminai for lunch where I had veggie fried rice, Captain Caveman had two cheese toasties, Veronika and Howie shared a chicken burger and chips with lots of ketchup.

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The rain was heavy now and there was talk of a storm coming so Bich dropped us at the Vinpearl hotel where Captain Caveman had booked us a room and they went back to Phong Nha. When we arrived at the hotel door the staff waved us to the side entrance through the doors and when we got out of the car it was so blustery it was like being at Brighton pier! I struggled with the steps but one of the staff came out to help while Captain Caveman carried our two bags and his bicycle, which he was taking to Hanoi the next day. The Vinpearl Hotel had locked their front doors and had put sandbags up as they were expecting the river opposite to flood. In the room I had a bath (I do love a bath) and then got ready for the wedding of Phuong and Dat. Because of the terrible weather we had been asked if we would like to attend early so we did and arrived at 4.30pm. I was happier about this as it meant I could see better for walking in the wet weather.

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The bride looked stunning and her husband was very handsome and such a nice guy – this was the first time we had met him and both of their families. The wedding party were so much more welcoming and friendly than any I’d experienced before and the ceremony and food went on to exceed expectations too. I did drink beer to do cheers with but kept it to a minimum and had taken the Gastropulgite before we got there. I had pork and chicken which were both delicious but the prawns were the best I’d had in a long time. Luckily we were sat next to a professional when it came to peeling them and I was lucky enough to get a spare one. The sticky rice was really good too but I had to draw the line at the last dish of turtle! We didn’t stay late as the rain was coming down hard, we thought it might get more difficult to get taxis and I certainly couldn’t walk anywhere. Back at the hotel we had a bottle of wine and I managed to wreck the place by having three knobs come off in my hand; first the bath one to put the plug up and down just fell off, then the one on the bedside drawer, followed by the one for the speed of the ceiling fan.

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Photo and video credit – Captain Caveman

After the excitement of the Phong Nha Farmstay Sunday dinner the night before, Monday 5th October seemed much more tame in my world. Captain Caveman went off to a nearby beach at 5am with Ben and a few others for surfing and coffee drinking and while he was gone it started to rain. Phuong picked me up at 7am and off we went to physio in Dong Hoi. Back home I had fried rice for my lunch while Captain Caveman did some work. My friend in Hanoi confirmed that my passport had been given to the visa extension agent, would take 5-7 days to complete and would cost just $85 for one month visa. It should have meant that we would be able to collect it when we went there later this week but I had decided not to go and that Captain Caveman would go on holiday by himself. For dinner Captain Caveman did us some bacon and avocado and we shared a bottle of fizz.

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It was quite stormy looking on Tuesday 6th October but Phuong was taking me, Tatas and Veronika to Dong Hoi. Captain Caveman was meant to be coming to Dong Hoi but decided not to as he had other things to do. He’d already cooked me a bacon, asparagus and parmesan breakfast before and I had arranged to meet him in Phong Nha later as we were off out out!!
Tatas was off to the dentist, Veronika the hairdresser’s and me the physio and I had said I would let them know if I would be finished early. Tatas ended up going back to Phong Nha before us and we got dropped off at The Villas because there was an all you can eat pizza buffet night. We made it in time for Happy Hour and a half where I joined Captain Caveman on the margaritas. I can’t drink as many as I used to and was a bit tipsy after 2. I had made sure I had the Gastropulgite stomach medication beforehand so I could eat the pizza. The food was great and we all got to try at least one slice of each pizza, they were so good that I overindulged and then ordered a third margarita, which was a mistake. I thoroughly enjoyed the all you can eat pizza night at The Villas which for 150,000 vnd, about £5 (including a beer or soft drink if you wanted one) was good value.  On the way home it started to rain and it looked like a storm was coming.

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Photo credit – Captain Caveman

On Friday 2nd October I had an early appointment at physio and so Phuong picked me up at 7am and my session went well in Dong Hoi. On my return I had fruit and yoghurt for breakfast and then made some popcorn for lunch as well as snacking on salami (as you do). Captain Caveman was already out and about in Phong Nha village and I’d had a message to say our wine delivery was ready. We had ordered 6 bottles  of the Lindeman’s sparkling and 6 of our favourite red! I was definitely making progress because now I could actually look up a bit when I walked rather than always looking at my feet. Captain Caveman went to the The Villas and then to an Oxalis colleague’s house warming party, I had a couple of White Russians, forgot to eat dinner then had cheese and rice crackers before bed!

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Saturday 3rd October wasn’t as smooth a day as planned really. Of course I know I’m not adventurous in the slightest but I had one of those days where I just imagined I could do everything I wanted to without any issues! Captain Caveman was in charge in the kitchen and cooked me a breakfast of bacon and mushrooms while he did himself a fuller more eggy affair. My car and physio were booked in a bit earlier so I could get to The Villas after physio and then still make it to a Farmstay birthday party. The first thing to change was that my physio appointment moved to 3pm, meaning I would not get to The Villas until 6pm giving me only 30 minutes before I had to get to the birthday party so I had to cancel going to The Villas. At the Farmstay the nibbles were great, I had wine and chatted to Andrew (ex member of the Triple Cripple Club) and his wife, Trang. We also met a very interesting fella who used to be a bodyguard for Margaret Thatcher and Princess Anne! The night was very nice and I decided to order more food, as I’d not had any lunch, while we drank and listened to the remarkable tales from Mr Jackson!

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Our Sundays were starting to become a little more British in that we had frequented Phong Nha Farmstay several times for a Sunday roast dinner and the 4th October was one of those occasions. Captain Caveman and I both had a day off with absolutely nothing planned so we decided to go to the Farmstay for breakfast. They’d had an order of ginger beer arrived recently and so I had a cold one with ice and a pho bo (beef noodle soup). It was very hot and humid so we had a massive fan on us as we chatted to Mr Jackson, the fascinating gentleman who had started on the cold beers after finishing his working day at 11am! Captain Caveman wasn’t long before he decided a cold Huda beer would be a good idea and I joined later with a red berries Strongbow. It would have been very easy to have an all day drinking sesh but I knew I had to be sensible and not just because of being an invalid! I had a dip in the pool and left Captain Caveman to it. When I got back Momma D and the cavers were already at a table of 4 and had ordered Sunday dinner. The birthday girl, Lesley, arrived and joined our table which consisted of Captain Caveman, Veronika, me and Mr Jackson. I didn’t have any Gastropulgite stomach medication so this time I didn’t eat any of the food with gluten in and was delighted to find out that Lesley hates the pork crackling and I could have her’s. I got a bottle of red wine, as well as the included glass with the roast dinner. There was cheesecake, chocolate cake or carrot cake for dessert and I had the cheesecake but didn’t eat the base – Lesley had that. I really enjoyed my dinner and we left fairly early because Captain Caveman needed to set the alarm for 4.30am the next day – he was off on an early morning adventure!

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If you want to see what the Farmstay Sunday Roast Dinner is like you can check out this video on Facebook which made by Ben:
https://www.facebook.com/148614098486550/posts/3868407316507191/?sfnsn=mo

Our trip to Cappadocia was absolutely fantastic and I look forward to being able to visit again one day. Here is my experience of the 3 days, which was a bit too short a trip and would go for longer next time:

https://joloyolo.com/2019/11/10/dalyan-to-capadoccia-day-1/

https://joloyolo.com/2019/11/12/cappadocia-day-2/

https://joloyolo.com/2019/11/14/cappadocia-day-3/

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On Thursday 1st October the weather was still nice but the forecast predicted rain, October and November are the wettest months in Phong Nha, Quang Binh, so we were about to be in for a treat this month. After a breakfast of a pear, peanuts and crisps I did a quick review of how my JOLOYOLO blog was doing. The posts relating to Dalyan, Turkey, were still the most popular posts by far, despite me not having been there for 9 months. The nationality of my blog readers showed that the UK was still in first place, followed by Vietnam, USA, Australia, Canada and then Turkey. I spotted that I even had someone from Nigeria and a newcomer from Lebanon reading. Captain Caveman had gone out and about early in the morning, I skipped lunch as I was off to my physio appointment and didn’t want to eat before the journey and session. Captain Caveman came with me, I picked him up from the Lake House on the way, and he went for coffee with Phuong while I was getting my pummelling for an hour and a half. At 4.30pm I was picked back up from physio by Phuong and Captain Caveman, we headed over to the Lake House for a romantic dinner. The views were nice and the staff were polite and attentive. We both had the Australian Beef steak and french fries for dinner with a nice bottle of red wine. The food was delicious, maybe even better than the last time and I love that they put a big roasted garlic on the side which goes well with the meat and pepper sauce. While we were there I saw a friend had posted on Facebook a quiz to check how much on the autism spectrum a person was and so Captain Caveman and I completed the test. Surprisingly I was more on the spectrum than Captain Caveman in some respects and he must have cheated, surely!?

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I’ve been in Vietnam for 9 months now and I wrote this blog post about my arrival at the time. I was only meant to be here for 3 months and had plans to be in Turkey by mid April. Could this be the year that I stay in Vietnam for a whole year for the first time?

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I landed in Hanoi at 9am on Wednesday 15th January and, because I had a seat near the back of the plane, it took quite a long time to disembark. Luckily I was in no rush and was quite happy to avoid the many Vietnamese passengers who were literally scrambling to get luggage out of the overhead bins the quickest (and failing). I got my Vietnam Visa on arrival within half an hour and went to collect my suitcase. By 11am it had not arrived and most people had collected their’s, as I decided to go to report it lost, a man shouted to say his had been sitting on a different carousel further down the hall. I went over and there it was – I was relieved because the case wasn’t mine although it had nothing valuable in it.
I decided to check out the sleep pods (which they have at both the international and domestic terminals) and considered maybe paying for a nap but at 190,575 dong per hour (£6 ish) I reckoned I’d be best off going for some food instead. I’d now been awake for 24 hours and had a bit of sea-sickness feeling so I went to the ATM, drew out 2 million dong, then got the shuttlebus over to the domestic terminal. I sat next to a young girl from Shanghai who worked in Saigon but was on holiday for the lunar new year (Tet) already, she was very chatty and friendly. At Hanoi domestic terminal there are a few restaurants accessible before passport control on the 2nd floor and I chose Hai Cang where I ordered pork and rice with a side of sweetcorn and green tea. It isn’t cheap but the food was actually very tasty and the service was attentive.
I used the self check-in machines for the next flight to Dong Hoi but the bag drop didn’t open until 2 hours before the flight so I sat and waited. Outside the airport it was really windy, cloudy but very warm for January. I found a cafe where I had a cold green tea drink and they were happy for me to sit and use their WiFi (I no longer had a working SIM card).
Finally at 3.30pm I was able to drop the suitcase off and then head through passport control in search of wine. I found an Australian Chardonnay which tasted so good despite it costing about £7.50 for a large glass (extortionate in Vietnam).

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The flight was on one of those small propeller planes and everyone had so much luggage that I couldn’t put my legs under my seat but it was a quick flight and I was waiting for my suitcase again at 7.15pm in Dong Hoi airport.
I took a taxi to the Vin Pearl hotel (for less than half the cost of the glass of wine) where Captain Caveman was already checked in to our room on the 19th floor. We’ve stayed here before a few times and it didn’t disappoint, the shower was great with lots of free products and I had the satsuma from the fruit plate before going to the restaurant for dinner. Captain Caveman ordered beef carpaccio to start while I went for fresh veggie spring rolls for my starter. They brought me the pork and prawn version instead but they were nice. My main meal was tamarind prawns which didn’t come with any rice so I was still a bit peckish and ate a mango from the fruit plate when I got back to the room. I unpacked my stuff and showed Captain Caveman my Christmas and birthday gifts while he showed me his cuts and bruises – he had just finished a caving expedition in Laos and I think the jungle had taken its toll on him.

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Phuong arrived promptly at 7am on Tuesday 29th September, both Captain Caveman and I went to Dong Hoi and he popped to get some shopping while I had my early physio session. When I got there I ended up having to wait until 8.30am as they were so busy and, as always, I was grateful that Thuy could fit around my busy schedule. Back home Captain Caveman had to go to work again and I made myself some brunch of falafel, rice cracker, plain yoghurt and a bit of cheese. Later when Captain Caveman had finished working he made us a two course dinner of homemade guacamole with rice crackers to start, followed by bacon, asparagus and cheese – his new signature dish! I had a a couple of glasses of red wine too while Captain Caveman decided to have White Russians which were a little on the strong side. Tomorrow I had a very busy day coming up and hoped I would be able to manage without Captain Caveman’s help.

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It was my first time doing the shopping without Captain Caveman on Wednesday 30th September and although I could walk without my helping sticks I still needed them a little, for going down the steps mostly – I was also still not confident on slippy tiles. I could have decided not to go because I do go to Dong Hoi most days for physio but I wanted to see how I did at going shopping without Captain Caveman’s help. Our first stop was the small organic shop which I managed to get a few things at without any problems, the produce is fresh and considerably cheaper than in the west – I spent less than a tenner on fruit and veg. The next stop was the Vincom centre where I was a bit apprehensive about the escalators but I managed them, the floor is slippy in the Vinmart and so I avoided the wet aisles so as not to fall. I decided not to bother with a basket either as I was carrying my crutch, surprisingly I wasn’t the last one to finish shopping – in fact I was the first because I was so conscious of taking too long. I managed to pick up a few essentials including salami, mushrooms and pringles for Captain Caveman all for around £6. It was very hot and sunny outside so I decided to do the steps instead of the extra long ramp and I managed that with one crutch for support while carrying my bag of shopping too. The trip was organised by Bich and Ben at Phong Nha Farmstay and I find it really useful that Bich knows which places to go to get specific things, including a shop not far from the train station with good quality bedding. After the Vinmart supermarket I walked across the road over to the sunshine bus to load my stuff in and then went in to QB Casa with Veronika’s youngest grandson. He had an ice-cream and I had a coconut, when Bich arrived she had a steak which looked great and I had pork fried rice which was rather good. Back home there was no rest as I logged on to an afternoon of language lessons. For dinner Captain Caveman tussled up a feast with gluten free sausages (from Momma D’s) and red wine. He also told me we would have a meal out somewhere nice tomorrow after I got back from physio.

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