Our week started on Monday 27th May with Captain Caveman suggesting a bit of a cycling mission. I (mistakenly) thought the weather was suitable to agree to take Bluey all the way over to Greenfield Ecostay to visit René and Ngan. Along the way we had to stop at Lotus restaurant for brunch where Captain Caveman surprised me with his meal choice. He ordered a jacket potato with cheese, bacon and fried egg while I had a huge portion of pancakes with mango and pineapple. The food was good and I had a pot of lotus tea to go with it, as well as some water. Here’s what our bill looked like, prices in Dong;
1 water 5,000 1 iced black coffee 25,000 1 pot lotus tea 30,000 1 coconut coffee 40,000 1 passion fruit soda 40,000 1 potato with bacon, cheese & egg 50,000 1 pancake with fruit 50,000 Total cost 240,000VND (£7.46)
It’s a great place, a little out of town but ideal for a stop along the way when out for a cycle and the prices are very reasonable.
Back on the road, I was so hot cycling to Greenfield that I had to drink a Revive when we got there. Captain Caveman was cheeky and asked for a swim, I was that sweaty that I would not have been able to change in to swimmers. We missed staying at Greenfield as it’s just so beautiful and it was very calm and quiet, until we turned up! On the way back from René’s, the sun was hot and we had to stop at Lotus again, this time we each had a cold beer but I couldn’t finish mine.
Captain Caveman was glad to be going on his next Son Doong tour with Tatas so off they went to Oxalis for the 6pm briefing. I spent 3 hours and 15 minutes at the Vegan where my Vietnamese certainly got tested that night as it was absolutely rammed full. The owner was away, Chung was at her busy homestay so I had to help Ha, the only waitress and drinks maker there. In the kitchen they were also short staffed (4 less people than usual) with only Hanh, the chef, and Yen the 16 year old helper. They managed to get through it but I was absolutely knackered by the time it reached 9pm so I can only imagine how the staff felt. I got to Tree House at 9.30pm where I had 2 slices of Captain Caveman’s Hawaiian pizza and a Strongbow, before going back home for a much needed shower.
We were up so early for breakfast on Saturday 25th May. Captain Caveman had decided on Tree House so I took my own Yorkshire tea bag and they gave me hot water and milk for free, which was kind. I went for a fruit salad which are always great at Tree House and Captain Caveman had a breakfast sandwich (which I don’t recall the contents of) with chips and a coffee. We paid a reasonable 225,000VND (£6.98) and then we cycled towards the Vegan.
Captain Caveman needed to pop in the office on his day off but he’d been invited to Phong Nha Vegan for lunch. He tried the Thai noodle soup and I had a Bun Tron, both of which were really tasty. Captain Caveman left me at the Vegan practicing my Vietnamese and English with the staff. The water delivery guy came and had a chat – surprisingly he spoke English perfectly well.
Captain Caveman had gone home to play Bridge and it was getting pretty hot by 1pm, as I lay in the hammock. I cycled back and called in to the pharmacy, who had a promotion day. I messaged Captain Caveman with the deals and to ask him if he needed anything but he never answered his phone. It was so hot that I didn’t bother waiting more than 5 minutes and cycled back to the homestay. Captain Caveman was so engrossed in his Bridge that he had stopped taking any notice of messages. I had a shower as I was a red hot sweaty mess and then a lay down. Captain Caveman had fallen asleep with his noise cancelling headphones on.
At 6pm we got to The Villas just in time as the rain had started. We were having dinner with Veronika and her friend, Deborah. Veronika had brought in a bottle of fizz for us all to share, which was really lovely and we had a fabulous meal at The Villas. I chose one of my favourites, the Duck Confit, Captain Caveman had a pizza. The rain poured down and it was pretty atmospheric. I really enjoyed the night out and Captain Caveman bought another bottle of wine for us to share. Veronika fancied a dessert so I also joined her with a really good sticky date pudding. Captain Caveman paid by bank transfer so I didn’t take note of the total bill but my duck dish was 250,000VND (£7.74) and a decent bottle of wine was 450,000VND (£13.94) so pretty reasonable for one of the nicest places in town.
Captain Caveman was due out of Son Doong on Friday 24th May and I had not done much while he’d been gone. Obviously, being ill had helped on the weight loss this week but it had certainly helped with the budget too. I totted up that in the last 4 days I’d only spent 300,000VND (£9.24) so far, which included drinking water too. I cycled to Phong Nha Vegan where little May, the dog, was waiting for me and seemed a bit fed up. Hoan made me a Banh Canh, a vegan noodle soup, which was so good. She was working on a new dish that she had seen online and was happily cooking away in the kitchen. Her new dish was to look a little like duck but was made from tofu and mushroom. I couldn’t wait to try it as it looked so tasty but, as is common in Vietnam, she doused it in chilli sauce so I couldn’t have it. As I watched everyone else enjoy it, I tucked in to boiled pumpkin leaves and steamed rice. Ha got me a fresh coconut to go with it which was lovely.
I left the Vegan at 1.30pm to go back for a shower, arranging to be back again at 6pm. When Captain Caveman got back we went to Tree House, where he was getting picked up for his Gala dinner. I decided to treat myself to the falafel and hummus dish which comes with greek salad and pitta bread. I was still not feeling well enough to eat meat or drink any alcohol and the thought of meat was making me queasy, which was odd. Captain Caveman ordered the smoked salmon and scrambled egg which came with chips and rye bread. He had an espresso martini and I had a passion fruit juice. Unfortunately, I thought my falafel tasted a bit odd and asked Captain Caveman if he wanted it. We deduced it was made from peas, not chickpeas, and I hate peas so he finished it off.
Captain Caveman went to Chay Lap at 5.30pm and I cycled back to the Vegan where it was incredibly hot. We met afterwards and called for a drink in The Villas. I went mad and ordered a ginger beer without checking the price, Captain Caveman had a normal beer. He also decided to wind the staff up by telling them that, due to the brightly coloured redecorating job that Ben had undertaken on the whole place, they were going to have to wear new uniforms to match the walls. We paid our bill of 145,000VND (£4.50), left at a reasonable 9.15pm and cycled back to Phong Nha Homestay to go to sleep. Tomorrow we had a busy day planned as Captain Caveman had a couple of days off.
Captain Caveman was of course on his phone playing Bridge before 6am on Monday 20th May and I was up and about at 6.30am. We decided to go back to Green Point restaurant for breakfast and I was excited to see croissants on the menu. I obviously broke the healthy eating regime and ordered one with an orange juice. Captain Caveman had some concoction of mashed avocado on bread with a poached egg on top. He said it was good and shovelled it in while I realised my croissant had a sweet custard-like substance inside it. I didn’t like that part of it and scooped it out but the croissant was very nice.
By 9am we had cycled to the Oxalis office so that Captain Caveman could do some work related tasks and I did some writing with a fan on me. It was very humid and I thought it felt like rain as we called at the shop for some peanut M&Ms. Back at Phong Nha Homestay, Captain Caveman played Bridge all morning and at 12.30pm I suggested we go out as the sky was looking quite moody.
Another first experience for me happened when I ordered a pizza with broccoli on it, as we had returned to Green Point, yet again. The pizzas were a bargain at 139,000VND (£4.31), I had the Sorrentina and Captain Caveman had the Diavola. Both were really good and the base was one of the best in town and, surprisingly, broccoli on a pizza was a winner! I even had a beer with Captain Caveman as he was off to his briefing tonight again. It rained in the afternoon which I was glad about, as it cooled down a bit.
Photo credit – some by Captain Caveman
Video from Green Point restaurant with some much needed rain
By 5.45pm Captain Caveman had gone to Oxalis and I was at Phong Nha Vegan where there were a lot of mosquitoes. Little May, the dog from down the road, came for belly rubs and after getting tired of doing it with my hands I resorted to tickling him with my barefoot. I decided I didn’t feel like eating dinner as I was too hot, by the time Captain Caveman came to meet me at 8.30pm, I felt a bit unwell. We started to cycle home but we had to stop at The Villa’s. I had a cup of jasmine tea, he had a beer and I needed to use the toilet. I also felt a bit queasy, like I might throw up or faint and I wondered if I had overdone it on the gluten today. By the time we got back to the room, I was in pain and it made me cry. I was also conscious that Captain Caveman needed sleep because he was on tour tomorrow.
After only a couple of hours sleep, I was awake before 6am on Sunday 19th May. Captain Caveman offered no apology for wearing his grumpy trousers last night, only the reason of being in pain with his shoulder which I made worse by touching him. I was not in the mood to continue arguing and left to get to Phong Nha Vegan. I’d been asked to help with the local charity event which Hoan, the owner, had organised with donations to the Love Foundation. They actually had asked me to get there earlier but I thought a 6.30am start was early enough for me. When I arrived, there were lots of helpers and I don’t think they really needed me, but perhaps having a white face there is lucky or something. Lots of mushroom congee, like a porridge, was dished out or sent by delivery to anyone in Phong Nha who wanted free soup for breakfast. This included me and Laos Quang who popped in to say hello to me. He ended up having a huge bowl of the steamy hot soup and they made him take 3 lots home. I loved it and could easily have had another bowl. A total of 200 bowls had been given out and there was still a little bit left.
The soup is transported from the kitchen
Preparing the soup bowls for delivery and take away
At 8.15am Captain Caveman arrived and took some photos for us while I decided I was going back to the homestay for a rest. He didn’t have soup as he can’t eat mushrooms. Captain Caveman had a day off today so it was unfortunate that I was busy all day, but at least it meant no time for falling out. He obviously went in to Oxalis and sorted out some stuff etc as a day off here is never a complete day off. I was back at the Vegan by 11.30am and Hoan was grateful for my help. She made me a Bun Tron for early lunch, which is one of my favourites, then we practiced some English and my Vietnamese with the staff. I was still quite tired and the heat was getting to me as Chung arrived with jack fruit. We shared it, drank tea and I noticed the man walking by. There’s a skinny Vietnamese man who looks homeless and unwashed, he walks past a few times a day and collects cans and plastic bottles. He’s clearly mentally challenged and doesn’t have a full set of teeth. I mentioned to Hoan that she should offer him some soup, even though we were finished with that charity activity. As he sat down and took his wellington boots off to reveal terrible socks with massive holes in, I went to get a photo of Hoan and the man. It then turned in to a bit of a farce as I became the person in the photos and he wanted to chat with me in Vietnamese. He was very grateful as he slurped it down super fast, he was clearly very needy. I left to wash my hands and when I returned he’d taken off with the bowl and the spoon! One of the girls ran after him and took it back, the poor man!
In the afternoon, Captain Caveman and I bumped in to Hawk, an English motorbiking tour guide from Hoi An. He was arranging dinner for his tour group tonight and asked us to join, so we agreed. Before dinner, we had time to call in to another new place in town, just to see what it was like for a drink. We met the owner, Tien, of Green Point restaurant who was super friendly and he wanted to invite us for dinner. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time that evening so we said we’d be back. We had a beer and a very refreshing watermelon juice, the food menu also looked good and reasonably priced so we wanted to try it out.
We met Hawk and his all-Australian male tour group at 6.30pm, we were early and had to wait for the upstairs table at Bamboo Chopsticks restaurant to be ready. I had a glass or 2 of the red wine which was decent, Captain Caveman had Huda beer. To make it easier we had agreed to go in on the group set meal which was 200,000VND each (£6.19). As I was the only girl with more than 10 hungry guys, I would say I didn’t quite get my money’s worth. I had mainly steamed rice and a tofu dish which was lovely. Captain Caveman and I shared a bottle of wine and when the bill came everyone paid and left to go to the rooftop bar. Captain Caveman, Hawk and I went downstairs to finish off our drinks and say farewell to a couple I’d met at the Vegan. Captain Caveman had accidentally miscalculated the bill so we got lumbered with paying an extra 90,000VND (£2.79) which was missing. Here’s our part of the bill and what we paid;
Bamboo Chopsticks 1 Beer 20,000 2 glasses of red wine 160,000 2 Set meals 400,000 1 bottle of red wine 450,000 Extra 90,000 Total spent 1,120,000VND (£34.79)
I enjoyed it but it was definitely expensive compared to other places. As we were leaving, I started to feel a bit unwell, even though I knew I’d not eaten any chillies. I was in bed by 9.30pm as Captain Caveman caught up on his daily dose of Bridge.
Of course I didn’t get the extra sleep I’d hoped for on Friday 17th May and at 7.30am I was in the Wide Awake Club. I took myself off to nearby Tree House for breakfast. I had a really good fruit salad with yoghurt, nuts and seeds and a pot of green tea, which was ultra strong. My breakfast cost 120,000VND (£3.66) and I really enjoyed it.
Back at the homestay I did a bit of writing and then decided I would try somewhere new for lunch. The Rice House is a fairly new place in Phong Nha, where Underground used to be. One of the owners, Hung, who also owns Karst Villas, was there and I decided to have a fresh coconut and a beef Luk Lak. Captain Caveman was due out of the cave today which meant he’d probably head to the The Villa’s for pizza and I wanted to try to avoid being tempted. Although my lunch came to a total of 180,000VND (£5.50) the quality of the meat was great and it melted in my mouth. I was about to leave when I got a message from Captain Caveman, he was on his way back to Phong Nha.
Captain Caveman had a couple of hours spare before he needed to go to the Gala dinner so we went to Tree House for a pizza, I had one slice to try it and it was good. When the pick up car came, we said farewell and I went to Phong Nha Vegan. It was mega busy with lots of tourists, quite a few of them English so I helped with any questions and recommendations. I accidentally ended up with a vegan curry for dinner, which I’d not tried before. A customer had been trying to order Korean Sushi rolls but had hesitated over the first couple of syllables a couple of times. They got Korean Sushi rolls and curry which I took to the table of the confused customers. As it had been too busy for me to get any dinner yet, I had the curry they didn’t think they had ordered. It was amazing and I’d definitely have it again. After around 3 hours, I went to meet Captain Caveman and his group who were drinking beer at Dangerous Corner. I didn’t have a beer but I did help one of his guests buy a fruit juice at the Thien Duong stall. He looked Vietnamese, the stall holder is Vietnamese but I was the one speaking Vietnamese between the 2, as the customer was American and didn’t speak the lingo. Hung, Chung’s brother-in-law was part of the porter team having a beer too and I got a selfie with him. Back at Phong Nha Homestay, we set the alarm for the morning as Captain Caveman was off to Dong Hoi on the first of his 2 days off, for a medical check.
Breakfast on Monday 13th May was quite a feast, Captain Caveman had his usual and I had Yorkshire tea, pineapple and honey pancake, a banana, dragon fruit and jack fruit. We made the most of our last full day at Greenfield Ecostay and I was sad to be leaving. We swam in the pool, watched a risky rice harvest and some cows settling a dispute.
Video of the motorbike being loaded
A push to get done before the rain started
The cows were a bit restless
Another attempt
Our last lunch, prepared by Ngan, was a squid fried rice for Captain Caveman and a prawn fried rice for me. There was more dragon fruit and jack fruit and then some stormy weather in the afternoon. Mina, the dog, was scared of the thunder and hid behind the bar. Instead of going to Phong Nha with Captain Caveman, I packed my bag for leaving tomorrow. He went to his Oxalis briefing as he would be going in to the cave tomorrow. I had a couple of white wines but no dinner, as we hadn’t ordered it for tonight as I’d planned to go to Phong Nha Vegan. Instead, I nibbled on the Banh Hoa which Chung had given us. Back in Dalyan, the pool was finally fixed but a little too late for our dissatisfied tenant who had flown back home to the UK, having not even been in the pool. They were returning to Dalyan soon and hoped it was sorted by then. I messaged our agent to check she had spoken to the tenant in person to straighten things out and give assurances. They had not met up at all but had corresponded via text. It was hard not having any control over what was going on there, but I would be going back to Turkey at the end of June for a quick visit. By the time Captain Caveman arrived back from his briefing, I was already in the room ready for bed. Captain Caveman had got the cash out to pay René tomorrow and I was very pleasantly surprised to hear that our total bill for 15 nights’ accommodation, food and drink came to a grand total of 15,000,000VND (£464). We could not fault the place and I was sad that I might not get to come again – it was one of my new favourite places!
We had a bit of a mini adventure on Sunday 12th May after we had our breakfast, of course. Captain Caveman had omelette with a coffee or 2 and I had Yorkshire tea with my mango and honey pancake. I’d asked a few friends to join us on our outing but most people were busy. Luckily for us, Veronika, Chung, Uy and the kids were free and would join us for lunch at the Pub with Cold Beer. Captain Caveman was toying with the idea of cycling but I reminded him how much he hates me moaning I’m too hot and it’s too far. He drove us there on Trigger and we decided to stop off at the Duck Stop. This is a brilliant tourist attraction where you get to feed ducks and get a natural massage from them. It’s really good and when a fellow caver came to visit she said it was one of the best days of her life (she’s only young)! We only stopped for a drink, not to see the ducks as we have been before and it was already getting busy with customers. We got to say hello to Quynh, the owner, and chill out a little before getting back on the motorbike to the Pub with Cold Beer.
There, Captain Caveman dropped me off so that I could order 2 chickens with rice, morning glory and peanut sauce before our guests arrived. He went to see Cuong at the Wild Boar farm just up the road. The pool at the Pub with Cold Beer was being cleaned and Quy told me it would be about 15 minutes until it was ready. Just 5 minutes later the French guests from Greenfield Ecostay arrived and I managed to tell them in French about the pool. It was ready in 10 minutes and everyone got in while I sat and chatted to Huong, their tour guide. Captain Caveman returned, Chung and family arrived closely followed by Veronika. We had a wonderful day, chatting with our friends, eating the delicious BBQ chicken and playing with the kids in the pool.
Back at Greenfield Ecostay we joined some German and Lithuanian guests who were very interesting and we had a really lovely dinner. Ngan had made cabbage rolls, pork, green beans, carrots and steamed rice and I washed it down with a glass of wine. Our Sunday had been great but tomorrow was our last night at Greenfield, Captain Caveman’s holiday was coming to an end.
Captain Caveman and I were still enjoying our amazing staycation at Greenfield Ecostay on Saturday 11th May. We were now on our 13th day of being there and we loved it. Of course, we’d got ourselves in to a bit of a routine as we had the same choices generally for breakfast. We lounged around the pool and today there was lots of activity in the fields as the rice harvest was coming to an end and rain was due. The locals were in a rush to get the harvest dry and stored, while the cows and buffalo were intent on eating in as many fields as they could access. At lunch time Captain Caveman had not requested for us to dine at Greenfield so we had some 5 Grains cracker biscuits with some of the remaining Red Leicester cheese – we were still saving the fruit cake for Veronika as I’d forgotten to take it to the Farmstay. By 2.30pm René had made sure we had a cold beverage as we admired the view across the pool. We could also see farmers burning sections of field where the rice had been harvested. They do this to prepare it for the next harvest and it’s often done before rain is due so that the fires don’t get out of hand. Captain Caveman had been playing Bridge since just after breakfast, with a couple of swim breaks. But at 3pm the rain started and it was time to move in to the bar area. By 6.30pm, because of the rain, the temperature was down to a chilly 28°C and it felt amazing! At 7pm we sat down for dinner with a glass or 2 of white wine and Ngan’s rather delicious home made spring rolls which came with salad and chips. It was such a lovely day and I was feeling very relaxed by the time we went to bed.
On Friday 10th May Captain Caveman decided he was going to take us out for a meal that evening. At breakfast we let René and Ngan know we were off out and proceeded with breakfast. I had the noodle soup with greens and took out the fried egg for Captain Caveman to have. He had an omelette and we shared some fruit too. All of the guests at Greenfield Ecostay had gone out for the day so we had the place to ourselves and spent the morning in the pool or on a sun lounger. There were plenty of cows in the fields, making use of the rice harvesting residue. Captain Caveman had said we weren’t having lunch again today and by 2pm René had brought him over a beer and me a glass of white wine as we chilled by the pool.
That evening Captain Caveman had decided on a meal at Phong Nha Farmstay so we cycled over for Happy Hour. We had a fair few 2 for 1 cocktails and ordered an olive and artichoke bread to share as a starter. Captain Caveman went for the Farmstay pizza, I had a traditional pork dish for our mains and the food was really tasty. Veronika joined us a bit later as she had been sat elsewhere with Deborah, hadn’t seen my message and didn’t end up having any food, when she joined our table. Deborah had the Nem Lui which is pork on lemongrass skewers made in to rice paper rolls with veggies and herbs. Here’s what we paid for our evening out, prices in Dong;
Phong Nha Farmstay 1 olive & artichoke bread 75,000 4 Gin & Tonics 100,000 4 Rum & Cokes 130,000 1 Pork clay pot 200,000 1 Farmstay 230,000 Total 735,000VND (£22.48) Service 36,750VND VAT 133,140VND Total spent 838,320VND (£25.64)
The prices aren’t bad for 2 people with alcohol but it’s certainly not the cheapest place in town. As we were about to cycle home we saw Bich looking after someone’s baby and cycling about with it in the basket of a bicycle she was riding. The cycle home was hard work as Captain Caveman obviously raced ahead, as he does. When we got back we went straight to bed as it was already almost 9pm.
We were awake before 6am on Thursday 9th May but we didn’t have breakfast until gone 9am. Ngan offered us some traditional Vietnamese food called Banh Tet which is made from pork and rice. Due to overindulgence once before, I can no longer stomach it but Captain Caveman had some with fried eggs and tomatoes while I stuck to my mango pancakes and Yorkshire tea. For afters we had some of the watermelon from yesterday and bananas.
Captain Caveman drove us both in to town and I met Hoan at Phong Nha Vegan around 10.30am. She was keen for me to borrow one of the conical hats to keep the sun off me, it was red hot so lots of locals were busy harvesting and drying rice. I was given some watermelon to keep me hydrated and it was so sweet and juicy. Hoan and I had a good chat and then she made me a delicious Bun Tron, the rice noodle vegan dish which is one of my favourites. I took some photos of the Sen flower, the petals of which are used to make tea and left about 1.30pm to cycle back to Greenfield.
The sun was intense and I’d overestimated that I’d be able to do it in one go. I had to stop at Lotus, a hot and drippy mess, for a passion fruit juice and a bottle of water. It was 2.45pm when I got back and I was a mess, hoping for a sleep in the AC. That was not to be as René gave me the heads up that Multi and his daughter, Ella, were at the pool with Captain Caveman. I did the decent thing and got changed in to my swimmers, had a cold shower by the pool and got in for a swim.
It was absolute bliss just to feel a bit cooler and then I messed about in the water with Ella, doing forward and backward rolls. When I got out, Captain Caveman, Multi and Ella did holding their breath competitions and Captain Caveman won every time but pretended Ella had won. It was just at this time that I got another update from Dalyan – the garden and complex was not looking good (again). I was beginning to wonder how hard it could be to just clean and tidy the complex. I messaged the agent and the pool and garden people who had already been paid to be doing this. It was very frustrating dealing with it from far away and with the time difference. René poured me a glass of wine, Captain Caveman got the fruitcake and cheese out and we shared it around. Ella was polite as she didn’t like the cake but Multi loved it, she loved the red Leicester cheese, though. We remembered to save some for Veronika as I’d promised her some. While the locals brought their rice in at the end of the day, we watched the sun set from the pool. After a shower and change it was time for dinner where Captain Caveman and I had a rather tasty spaghetti with meatballs and I polished off the rest of that bottle of wine.
Monday 6th May was a little unpredictable and we were awake at 6am. The weather forecast looked a bit iffy; high humidity but cooler temperatures. We were having an early breakfast, Captain Caveman had his usual omelette and I had one of my usuals of pineapple pancake. I still felt rubbish with the cold and an additional bad stomach so I had a lay down after breakfast in the AC. Just before lunch time, Captain Caveman and René were convinced it wasn’t going to rain so we decided to venture out. I’d already said to Hoan and Chung that I wasn’t feeling well enough to cycle to the Vegan today too and they said they might pop over to visit me tomorrow. Captain Caveman borrowed a bicycle and I took Bluey to Lotus restaurant. I had a lemon juice and Captain Caveman ordered a shandy. It started to look a bit black o’er Bill’s mother’s as we decided to order some lunch. Captain Caveman chose a pork and lemongrass dish and I went for a chicken Luk Lak, an old favourite. As we were eating, the rain started to come down with a vengeance and we had to declare ourselves stranded. We attempted to get the bill a few times when we thought the rain was easing off but alas we had to have a cocktail. The White Russians were very good and stronger than I’m used to so I got extra milk in mine. Because of the continued rain, we spent about 5 hours at Lotus restaurant, where the staff really looked after us. Here’s what our bill looked like after submitting to the cocktails;
1 7Up 15,000 1 Lemon juice 25,000 2 Huda beers 40,000 1 Pork Taste 80,000 1 Chicken Luk Lak 90,000 2 Cheesy garlic bread 100,000 12 White Russians 840,000 Fruit plate – free Total 1,190,000VND (£37)
Eventually, the rain eased and we cycled back but only just with enough time to shower and change before dinner. Ngan had prepared spring rolls with salad, steamed rice and pork for dinner and the plate was massive. Captain Caveman had to help me out as I couldn’t fit all mine in. By 10.30pm I was in bed already suffering with a hangover and disappointed that I was now on 275 syns for the week!
I decided to try something different for breakfast on Sunday 5th May but I regretted it, slightly. The pork and rice noodle soup came with a fried egg on top and I don’t like eggs. Captain Caveman scooped it on to his plate and ate it but then my breakfast was a bit too greasy for me. I washed it down with Yorkshire tea and orange juice and then caught up on some blogging in the shade. Captain Caveman was now spending hours each day, playing Bridge and wearing his noise cancelling headphones. We didn’t have lunch again so by the time it was getting to dinner time I was very hungry. After saying bye to the couple we had met from the UK, Captain Caveman, René and I cycled to the Phong Nha Farmstay to meet Veronika for happy hour and Sunday dinner. Mina, the dog, followed a long as far as Elements where 2 dogs came out on the attack and she retreated off home. When we got to Phong Nha Farmstay, Veronika and her friend joined us and some of us ordered the happy hour drinks. The Sunday dinner was nice and the pork was tasty however the Yorkshire puddings looked like someone had forgotten to keep the oven door shut. Veronika shared some of her celebratory red wine and I also managed 2 happy hour rum and cokes. For afters I went completely off my diet as the dessert is included in the price and I had the chocolate brownie with ice-cream. Captain Caveman paid so I didn’t see the total bill after the service charge and VAT was added, but as a guide the roast dinner is 300,000VND (£9.20) per person. It includes a drink but we forgot to order ours as we had the happy hour drinks, then the wine. It had made a nice change to go out, especially as I had never seen René anywhere else but at Greenfield Ecostay. We cycled back in the dark, I had brought my light which I was glad about. The small roads to Greenfield are a bit off the beaten path and my eyesight only works in daylight, unlike Captain Caveman’s. We had a last drink at the bar before going to bed, I was still coughing and full of sniffles.
It was Captain Caveman’s 6th day off on Saturday 4th May and he had another week off due to a schedule change. This was so fortuitous and great for Captain Caveman to relax, even if it did mean he was playing so much Bridge we hardly spoke to each other. It was also Tatas’ day off but she was sick so couldn’t come out to play, as we’d hoped. I had a full blown cold again which was probably as a result of getting caught in heavy rain 2 days ago. There was a storm in the early hours and morning which was quite bad and when we came downstairs, Veronika had already gone back to her duties at the Phong Nha Farmstay. For breakfast I had a pancake with mango and my Yorkshire tea. Captain Caveman had his usual and decided we were eating too much so let René know we didn’t want to eat lunch today. I wasn’t as keen on this plan as it meant I would go from 9.30am to 6.30pm without eating. I had a cold anyway so I took it easy and let the Vegan ladies know I wasn’t cycling in today. By lunchtime I had some hassle to deal with, regarding Captain Caveman’s pool situation in Dalyan. It transpired that something was broken and needed fixing so I got in touch with the Agent and Maintenance contacts to see if we could rectify the situation any quicker. I had a swim before sunset and got ready for dinner, still feeling a bit unwell. For dinner Ngan had prepared fried rice with squid for everyone else, but I’m allergic to it. I was served a lovely alternative of prawn and vegetable noodles in a generous portion which I really enjoyed. I also had some white wine and Captain Caveman had beers.
As it was the weekend and I’d only had 60 syns so far this week, I chose pineapple pancakes for breakfast on Friday 3rd May. Captain Caveman had already eaten earlier as I felt under the weather and had a little lay in. He was in the pool when I got down but he had a plan that he needed to go back to Phong Nha. I took that as a good opportunity to call in at Phong Nha Vegan so Captain Caveman said he’d give me a lift on the motorbike and off we went. Just before 11am, we had to stop at the pork shop and take shelter as a downpour came. It didn’t last long and I soon was at Phong Nha Vegan where I only stayed from 11.30am to 1pm. May, the dog from down the street, was there getting some attention from a customer as he loves some fuss. On our way back, we called at Lotus restaurant and met Multi who I shared Lotus tea with from a cute tea set and Captain Caveman had a shandy. Captain Caveman and I shared a beef Luk Lak which was very tasty for our lunch as I’d not eaten at the Vegan today. We couldn’t stay long as Veronika was on her way to Greenfield as she had some time off from teaching the grandchildren. It stopped raining long enough for us to get back and have a swim, Veronika arrived and the 3 of us had a beer. She decided to get a room and stay over when the weather looked a bit wet again and we opened a bottle of white wine. Ngan and the team had arranged an amazing dinner for tonight- a BBQ chicken with accompaniments; 2 different types of rice, pork, peanuts, chips, fresh spring rolls, green beans and salad. It was really good and one of the best BBQ chicken platters in town. We had a really lovely evening and a few frogs joined us to shelter from the rain. Guests from York and Peterborough had become our new friends and we enjoyed sharing some great laughs together before they had to move on to their next destination.
joloyolo 