Our friends from Saigon were booked to leave Phong Nha on Saturday 8th May, Captain Caveman had already left for his next Son Doong tour and I was busy swimming in the pool before 9am. I’d had bread and butter and then bread and jam for breakfast (very continental) because it was too hot to make pancakes. In the news there was more information on how Vietnam’s 4th wave of corona had come about, which was interesting: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/the-gales-that-fuel-vietnam-s-new-coronavirus-storm-4274470.html Just before lunch Andrea cycled down to Elements and we sat by the pool and had a chat while she had a beer and me a cider. We decided to cycle to the Farmstay taking the longer route so that Andrea could see the rice paddies, the harvesting and take some photos, then we would get some lunch before it was time for her and Rob to go to the airport. When we arrived at the Phong Nha Farmstay we were rather hot and sweaty so decided to have a Jasmine IPA beer with ice and share some lunch. We ordered the fried spring rolls and chicken quesadillas, both excellent dishes, to share and had another jasmine IPA each, none of which had any affect my tum! Rob joined us and he decided to have a drink and a last minute veggie curry, which he had enjoyed at the Phong Nha Farmstay before. I was going to miss these guys and after I’d said my goodbyes I cycled home the short way in 9 minutes 58 seconds and then got in the pool as it was boiling, it was so hot that the pool water was like a warm bath. I always forget how hot the summers are, here in Phong Nha, and the forecast for the week looked hot, hot, hot. I had a shower and a rest, watched something on Netflix and made some popcorn. I was glad of an early night as I was going to be up very early tomorrow morning!
Captain Caveman went off early to Phong Nha on the morning of Friday 7th May having made arrangements to see me at East Hill at 11.30am and he had told Rob the plan too. I messaged Veronika, who had gone walking with Sue, to let them know we would be cycling from Elements Collection at 11am to go to East Hill for lunch, should they still want to come. I also messaged Andrea and she was up for cycling to our place first, with Rob and Anthony and then on to East Hill with us. It was even an added bonus that one of them would ride my bicycle, Bluey, who’d I’d left in the car park at the Farmstay, as Rob’s bike was already at our place. At 10.50am people were downstairs waiting for me to go to East Hill so I went downstairs, Rob had forgotten the key for his bike which was locked and had cycled back to get it, Sue and Andrea were ready to cycle and Veronika was deciding if she wanted to take her motorbike or cycle with us. We waited for Rob to return, luckily, because he had to borrow Bluey’s pump and then he said he knew the way and he would catch us up because he also needed a mask. By now it was 11.15am and so I lead the way, Veronika had decided to cycle with me, Andrea and Sue but Anthony was going to cycle with Rob. When we came to the turning off the main road there was no sign, which is normally there, so I cycled past and then realised, so we all had to turn round just as 2 lorries were going each way on the highway. The ladies made it, including the detour, in 5 minutes and 12 seconds where Captain Caveman was already waiting with a shandy. Everyone but me decided they also wanted a shandy but there was no beer, nor would the guy order any and so they shared a beer and two 7ups while I had a coke. We ordered 2 BBQ chicken and rice combos and waited for Rob and Anthony to arrive, which they didn’t. Captain Caveman messaged Rob but no response and Andrea had Anthony’s wallet and phone in her bag. When they eventually arrived they had been to the Pub with Cold Beer (which was closed) and completely misunderstood where we were going! When the chicken arrived Captain Caveman tucked in heartily, as usual, Anthony just had rice as he’s a vegetarian and Rob had a lay down and went to sleep. Andrea found the chicken was too chewy for her, Sue and Veronika didn’t eat much chicken, so it was mainly Captain Caveman and I eating. Rob eventually woke up when there was just a bit of chicken left and had a couple of pieces and the rest of the rice. For the way home Captain Caveman suggested a slightly longer scenic route which Veronika and Sue didn’t want to do and set off the way we came. I also didn’t want to chance Captain Caveman’s ‘better’ way so tried to catch Veronika and Sue up but they were too whizzy. It took me 8 minutes 41 seconds to cycle back in the now blistering heat and when I arrived back Captain Caveman, Andrea, Rob and Anthony were just a couple of minutes behind. All but Rob and Anthony got in our pool and they all had a drink to cool down before cycling back to the Farmstay.
Later that evening Captain Caveman had his briefing while Andrea, Rob and I joined Veronika and Ben for The Villas’ pizza night, which I’d not been to since the 26th March, 5 weeks ago! I managed 6 slices including a ham & mushroom, 2 showstoppers, 1 capture, 1 Momma D’s and 1 veggie – luckily Ben and Rob liked the smoked salmon ones. Andrea and I shared a bottle of red wine and then had an extra glass when Captain Caveman joined us for a drink at the end, once he’d finished work. We got the shuttle bus back with Ben while Captain Caveman cycled his bicycle home.
The loudspeaker was doing it’s thing at 5.09am on Thursday 6th May and so by 6.30am I was on my 2nd gluten-free pancake with banana and honey – it was far too early! It was rice harvesting season in Phong Nha and so when we cycled up to the Farmstay it took me 10 minutes 27 seconds because of having to go over the tarpaulins of drying rice in the road. Bruno had arranged to meet for an early lunch before heading off to the airport for his trip back to Saigon. I was really thirsty after cycling in the heat so I managed to polish off an orange juice and a ginger beer pretty quickly. For lunch I ordered some vegetarian fried spring rolls and a coconut as the group that had been on the Tu Lan 4 day tour spoke about how much they enjoyed it. Captain Caveman had an impressive looking burger for his lunch and there was a discussion about the forthcoming Saigon Children’s Charity cycling event that a few, including Captain Caveman, Andrea and Rob, were going to be doing to raise more money for the charity in July, ending on Captain Caveman’s birthday. After we said bye to Bruno, we cycled back home, it took me 10 minutes 5 seconds and it was so hot that I got a bit of sunburn, even though I had a high factor suncream on. Captain Caveman did his dutiful filming of me riding Bluey and I looked pretty much back to normal apart from still having my seat low so that if I had to stop I can put both feet on the floor. That evening Captain Caveman and I joined Rob, Andrea, Veronika and Sue (a returning guest from Hanoi) back up at the Farmstay after a 10 minute 28 second cycle, including getting off to walk across one patch of drying harvest. I decided to have mushroom soup for a starter and the duck à l’orange for my main course at dinner, plus a few (4!) glasses of red wine. There was talk at the dinner table of going somewhere nice for lunch tomorrow with our friends and Phong Nha Farmstay guests and I suggested we could maybe see if we could organise a trip to the Pub with Cold Beer, a trip I’ve been on many times. Everyone agreed and would like to go around 11.30am, after Veronika and Sue had completed their walk and the others had finished their morning’s work. It didn’t work out though, as only Sue and I would need transport as the others were happy to make their own way there by bicycle or motorbike. When I checked with Ben he had a trip he could organise which left at 9.30am and returned at the latest by 2pm, by jeep and included a rubber tapping and pig experience as well as lunch at the Pub with Cold Beer for 300,000vnd. Unfortunately the timings and activities didn’t suit our group of 7 on this occasion and we had to decline Ben’s proposal and think of a plan B. I messaged Duyet for a lift home, leaving Bluey in the car park over night, while Captain Caveman cycled back in the dark. When we got home both Captain Caveman and I decided we would go to East Hill for a BBQ chicken lunch tomorrow at 11.30am, as it was easier for me to get to, and invite people if they wanted to come – a much more simple plan.
Captain Caveman’s video of me cycling from Phong Nha Farmstay to Elements CollectionCaptain Caveman’s video of my cycling – my leg much strongerCaptain Caveman’s video of me and Bluey arriving home
Having had a lovely deep sleep, Captain Caveman was awake before 6am on Sunday 4th April. I was still incredibly tired, having had very little sleep and took a few minutes to understand when Captain Caveman said our flight was delayed. We were booked on the 12.20 from Saigon back to Dong Hoi which was now due to leave at 14.30, giving us an extra 2 hours. We’d already arranged to meet friends at Lubu for breakfast at 8.30am so we stuck with the original plan and it just meant we could take it more leisurely. A couple of friends had to cancel but still on the guest list were Keith from Grimsby (who got back from Phong Nha late last night) and Andrea, who also brought her friend, Anne. We had packed, checked out of the lovely Common Inn and got a Grab taxi to the restaurant, where it turned out we had been before for tapas a few years ago. The food was really great and I had the best pot of earl grey tea and a bacon sandwich I’d had in a long time. At Lubu there is a free Bloody Mary included in the breakfast which the others all had and Captain Caveman even had a second breakfast of a buttered crumpet and I tasted it, I loved it. I’d been eating gluten all weekend without any problem but for some reason both Captain Caveman and I had bad stomachs after breakfast and he had to pop to a chemist for imodium.
We said our goodbyes to everyone after a lovely breakfast and got our Grab taxi to the airport. Just as we were about to board the plane a massive downpour came, I heard it on the roof first but Captain Caveman reckoned it was the sound of the planes! Typically, I hadn’t brought a rain jacket so it was a good job there was a bus to the plane, there was a lot of pushing and shoving up the steps and I eventually got sat down on the back seat.
Captain Caveman’s video of the rain at Saigon airport
Our original flight from Saigon on Sunday 4th April should have been landing in Dong Hoi just before 2pm. I had arranged for Kimmie, my visa agent, to meet me as we landed and so had to reschedule her as well as Captain Caveman having to change our pick up car. Luckily our vehicle was picking up some Oxalis customers who were also on our flight and so we were able to get the same car (for free) and get Captain Caveman back in time for his Son Doong briefing at Oxalis Home. It did mean that I had to get dropped off along the way, instead of going home to shower or change and, as luck would have it, another night out was on the horizon. It was Hamish and Ania’s last night in Phong Nha, they had decided to leave earlier than intended so we had picked the ideal spot for a bit of a leaving do – at the Lake House. I had thought I’d be late but it turned out I was early and ordered some fried rice to line my stomach with before the shenanigans started. Tham and Tony, the Lake House owners, joined me for a chat and it was reassuring to hear that Captain Caveman and I may have been out of town but we were still being talked about! Tham insisted that we had moved in with Shannon, Stu and the kids and would not have it that we hadn’t – the guy who told her is apparently more reliable than one of the people involved. Tony and I found it funny and were still laughing as Hamish and Ania arrived. They had been on a lively one the previous night and were feeling a bit delicate so we all had to have a soft drink while we waited for Tatas to arrive. She arrived, wearing a really nice dress and ready to party – we were both going to miss Hamish and Ania! They were an entertaining couple that was for sure and we chatted about meeting up again in the not so distant future. Tatas and I got a bottle of the cheapest (but still very good) red wine, the others went for a nice bottle of white wine. Everyone but Tatas decided to have the Australian beef steak and, for 275,000vnd (£8.53), it is fantastic. Tequilas were requested and poor Tham brought 2 in martini glasses thinking that’s how much you get in a shot! In the end Tony took over and just brought the whole bottle out. It was a brilliant night and obviously got a bit messy. We had to wake the security guard up to sort out a taxi home and the waitress took Tatas home, we had had such a laugh and I had limited myself to the small shot glass for my Tequila, in case I’d had to walk home! When we came to pay Tony insisted he pay for the tequilas and would not let us leave until we finished the whole bottle, even though he had an interview tomorrow and his wife had long since gone to bed! Captain Caveman was pleased I was getting a taxi home as it meant he could go straight home after his briefing and have a relatively early night before his next trip to Son Doong tomorrow. Because he had cycled Bluey to the Glass House on the morning of the 1st April, she was still there and so he rode her home that night, thinking I would need her while he was gone for my exercise routine.
I had spent 590,000vnd (£18.30) yesterday I noted, when I got up on Tuesday 30th March and I was conscious that the spending was creeping up again. Wine is just so expensive here and I really didn’t want to have to drink beer or cider instead so maybe I would just need to limit myself a bit more. That was easier said than done as there was another girls night booked in for later. I put on lots of high factor suncream and packed a spare shirt and something to cover my head with, for the cycle to The Villas with Ania. She didn’t have a bicycle yet, or know the way to get to The Villas via our place, so I agreed to meet her for breakfast at the Farmstay so we could cycle together. Tatas had a day off and was keen to meet because she had a new bikini that she wanted to wear at the pool and get me to take photos of her for Instagram, as is the Vietnamese girl way. When I arrived at the Phong Nha Farmstay I was a hot, sweaty mess and I started to think we might be a bit stupid to cycle almost 20km in a day in this heat. My journey only took me 8 minutes and 3 seconds which I think was my fastest yet but that was because I was desperate for some shade. I had a pho bo for breakfast and lots of water but then had a bad stomach straight after, with pain, even though it contains nothing I’m allergic to. Annette and Veronika had taken motorbikes for a jaunt around the national park for the morning, I said we might meet them at The Villas, along with Tatas for lunch but the more we thought about it the more it seemed a daft idea so we stayed where we were. Sonya joined us and we sat by the pool drinking water and chatting until lunch time. For those who remember Keith, from Grimsby, he messaged to say he was back in Dong Hoi and would be coming to Phong Nha tomorrow. This settled the going to The Villas by bicycle conundrum as we could go tomorrow to meet Keith and so we had lunch at The Phong Nha Farmstay instead. Already having a dodgy stomach (for no particular reason) I chose a chicken salad without the cucumber which was really tasty but I was ill straight after and had to cycle home. It took me 9 minutes 40 seconds which was very slow but I felt quite unwell while riding Bluey back home. Veronika was already in the pool and after I felt a bit more stable I got my swimmers on and went to sit on the balcony. I noticed the pool had quite a lot of feathers and twigs in it from some sparrows who were building a nest in the eaves. While Veronika had to pop back up to the Farmstay for babysitting duties, I spent half an hour by the pool until it was time to get ready as Tatas was on her way over. She was going to stay at ours tonight and so had brought her overnight bag to drop off, then we got a lift with Duyet to the Farmstay.
Ania was still in an online meeting so we got a bottle of wine and started without her. When she arrived she brought yesterday’s spare wine and then Veronika came over to say she was already sat at a table in the dark with Annette and Sonya but they had already eaten. I decided to have duck a l’orange with rice and vegetables for my dinner, hoping my stomach could handle it and it was so good. Annette came to join us for a bit of wine and some girly chat before going to bed and we ended up drinking until gone 9.30pm again! It was a good night, less wine than usual and no shots this time so we would be ready for a full day tomorrow! My bill came to 610,000vnd (£19) as the duck dish is one of the pricier choices but I felt fine after eating it and I really enjoyed it. Back in England today was the day that more relaxing of the lockdown rules took place and people were allowed to have 6 people in a garden without masks – it made no sense to me, as I couldn’t understand the rationale or timing, but a lot of my friends back home were going to be taking advantage of this new freedom. I read that the beer gardens in England would be opening next month so that socialising could begin again.
Captain Caveman was up early and off to Phong Nha, by bicycle, on Saturday 27th March while I got busy doing stuff. We had a plan to meet up at the Lake House before 1pm as Captain Caveman had a friend arriving from Saigon, who was staying there. There was also a returning Farmstay customer and friend, Annette, arriving on the same flight for her third stay and we would be meeting her and her friend later. If I didn’t hear from Captain Caveman by noon my instructions were to set off cycling on Bluey, up the hill. I was almost ready to go when Captain Caveman arrived and decided to make himself a peanut butter sandwich before going for lunch. It took me a little over 9 mins to get there, which included about 2 minutes of walking when it got to the steep part and I had to get off and push Bluey. Captain Caveman tried to order a shandy but they had ran out of beer so he had 7up and I had soda water. We were getting hungry so ended up ordering lunch – a sweet and sour chicken for me and a steak sandwich for him. The food came, and was really tasty, Tony returned and joined us for a chat, then David and his family arrived. It was a nice afternoon until I had to cycle on to the Phong Nha Farmstay, I found it a bit hilly in parts and difficult to navigate the turn off of the main road. The whole journey was just over 18 minutes and I was pleased to have made it there in one piece, so I celebrated with a cider!
Annette and her friend, Sonya, were both happy to be away from work and the hectic pace of their life in Saigon. We sat at a table by the pool and rice paddies at the Farmstay and Veronika joined us briefly while still supervising the grandkids. Matty joined us while Captain Caveman was still there, followed by Hamish and Ania. I decided to leave my bicycle at the Farmstay and ended up drinking lots of white wine and some tequila shots while Captain Caveman was at his briefing. For dinner I ordered chicken with fried rice which was really good, Hamish ordered spring rolls but didn’t eat any of them as he was too busy with the wine. Ania ordered a veggie curry and helped Hamish out as she ate some of the spring rolls still in front of him. All seemed to be going well and everyone was having a good time as we kept on getting more white wine. Annette even got in the pool fully clothed – twice! Captain Caveman rejoined us, he had cycled back from Oxalis and was sober so had a shot and some white wine. The last thing I remember of the evening was me following Captain Caveman home in the rascal with Duyet, as he cycled back. I remembered to put my phone on the Do Not Disturb mode before going to sleep and the alarm was set for early the next morning.
Things got out of hand on Monday 15th March, and what should have been a boring Monday morning was quite stressful. Hamish was meant to have been going on an Oxalis tour but was taken to Dong Hoi hospital because of a serious asthma attack. I had a couple more issues to deal with which were an unnecessary waste of time, before I’d even had time to eat breakfast of toast, and it was a rather hot day that I was missing out on! I turned my phone off and decided to get the new bikini on and have a dip in the pool – the water was freezing! I had carrot cake for lunch, which made me have a bad stomach and then I just lay on the sunlounger while learning Vietnamese on Duolingo. Later that afternoon Hamish discharged himself and came back to The Farmstay, luckily looking like he would live! For dinner I just had hummus and rice crackers as my stomach was still iffy, so no more cake for me!
Tuesday 16th March started early again with the loudspeaker at 5.30am. In the news today there were reports of a possibility of allowing foreign tourists in to Vietnam in July but still nothing concrete to go on, read it here: https://vietnamnews.vn/economy/904845/viet-nam-needs-to-open-borders-for-tourism-recovery-experts.html I took Bluey, my bicycle, to the Farmstay via the French Road and it took me exactly 20 minutes. I sat by the pool where there was a good breeze and ordered pho bo, green tea and a soda water. The cycling was getting easier and I wasn’t as thirsty and out of breath when I arrived. Hamish came to join me, he still really didn’t look too well. Mik came over with Kendra and Bryan, two of their Danang friends, who had just arrived and were heading out on motorbikes for a look around Phong Nha. I liked them both straight away and I knew we would all get on well. Hamish added me to their Facebook chat group so that I could be included in any activities with them all, which was nice. When I got back home it had only taken me 18 minutes 38 seconds, Veronika and Howie had gone for lunch at The Villas and I had leftover Sunday dinner for my lunch. Later I made popcorn and ate 6 of the expensive dates that I still had. I put in my order for shepherd’s pie at the Farmstay that night and went up a bit earlier so that I could meet Kendra and Bryan properly. I was out of red wine at home so I bought a bottle and would take what I didn’t drink home, I had also taken tuppaware with me for leftovers but there were none. Hamish, Mik, Kendra and Bryan were booked in for a trip to the Bong Lai Valley the next day and invited me too. As I was leaving Ben said I should come on the trip tomorrow as we would be going to the Pub with Cold Beer for lunch and I do love it there!
After a busy start to the weekend I planned to have a relaxed and easy going Saturday on 13th March. I had buttered toast for breakfast and had suffered no ill effects of that, or the pizza from the night before. I decided to make pork and sweetcorn fried rice for lunch and made far too much so saved the rest for dinner. Captain Caveman and Quyen had returned to Phong Nha from their Hang Va cave trip but I didn’t meet either of them. Captain Caveman went to The Villas for food and then got on the bus to Hanoi at 7pm, he was off on an exploration holiday for a week with our Sapa friends, Phil and Hoa, in Tuyen Quang. Quyen had still to find herself somewhere to stay so went for Tropical Homestay. We arranged to meet the next day rather than for dinner because of either one of us having to cycle in the dark, which wasn’t a good idea.
Lunch and dinner
Gift from Quyen
Photo of Captain Caveman by Quyen
On Sunday 14th March it was Mother’s Day and so I tried to make sure I was busy enough to avoid worrying about my mom not being able to have a Mother’s Day celebration, back in Sheffield. My parents were still staying at home and now the celebrations were coming back around again – who would have thought a year later it would be like this! Captain Caveman had arrived in My Dinh (Hanoi) bus station around 5am and had 3 hours to wait for another bus to Tuyen Quang, while I didn’t wake up until 7am. Quyen and I had arranged for her to borrow a bicycle from Tropical Homestay and cycle to my place so that we could then ride the long way to the Farmstay for lunch. Quyen arrived, later than expected, after it took her almost an hour to get here and she got lost a bit. The ride to the Farmstay was really nice and we took it easy so that she could admire the country side and rice paddy views. My friend absolutely loved it and I was pleased because I was worried she would find the route too easy. We sat by the pool at the Farmstay and ordered some wine, where I introduced Quyen to Veronika, Bich, Matty & Hamish and their friend from Danang, Richard. Our food came and it was really good; Quyen had the seafood banh xeo, Matty chicken quesadillas with chilli jam, Hamish a chicken salad and I had nem lui. Both Richard and Quyen were going to Dong Hoi that afternoon so they arranged to share Quyen’s car which she had already booked and we got ready to leave so she could get back in time. I was going to pay but Quyen wouldn’t have any of it and paid for our wine and lunch which was really kind and unexpected. On the cycle back we took some photos, it was a lovely day and I even caught the sun, despite the factor 50 suncream. I decided I would go to the Farmstay to eat Sunday dinner with Matty, Hamish, Mik and new guest, John. John had already met Captain Caveman when he came to Phong Nha before and had been cycling with him so we chatted about that. I shared the bottle of white wine which Matty had bought while the others had beer or water. The Sunday roast was lovely, as usual, and I took some home with my carrot cake that I couldn’t manage. I stayed up late so that I could video call my mom and dad and we had a good chat, luckily they are keeping safe and staying at home but I was definitely missing seeing them a lot. By midnight I realised I might be a bit noisy so we finished the call and I went to sleep.
Being woken up by a massive cockerel crowing at 6am on Friday 12th March is not how I had envisaged my weekend starting. There were many reasons I didn’t really want to stay at the Glass House including; no longer being registered there for immigration purposes, not having my trusty shower shoes, still being unable to get down stairs easily and most importantly wondering how on earth I would get home once Captain Caveman went off on his trip to Hang Va. Captain Caveman gave me his keys so I could get out of the building and suggested I cycle on my old bicycle to The Villas and just stay there until pizza night, when I’d then get a lift home. I had an extra hour in bed after Captain Caveman left, with a rough plan for me to see him on the 20th March. I managed to find my rubber sandals which I used as shower shoes and I found a few items that I could take home with me, including contact lenses. I managed to get down the stairs of the Glass House with my rucksack fairly easily compared to how I used to so I was definitely improving. It was a bit tricky getting the old bicycle out of the door and then it started to rain a little. I didn’t like riding my old bicycle at all, the right pedal was sloping downwards and my bad foot kept slipping off. It took me 13 minutes to ride the 2km distance as I had to go so slowly. For breakfast I decided to treat myself seeing as I was at the nicest restaurant in town and I ordered 2 servings of bacon, hash browns and baked beans with a camomile tea. The bacon was great, crispy, the beans were hot but I wasn’t a fan of the new hash browns which were more like balls of mashed potato with a thin crust, like a potato croquette. I caught up on some blogging, using the spacious back room to work from and then when Tatas stopped by for coffee I (stupidly) decided to have a hot chocolate with cream. Since being able to tolerate eating gluten again I am really struggling with uncooked dairy and I think egg, although it’s still difficult to tell. I spent the next few hours in and out of the toilet and feeling rubbish. Momma D was back in Phong Nha after a couple of weeks away looking after her sick friend and was keen to meet up. We arranged 2.30pm so she could get to work at her rooftop bar later and she brought her cute dog, Kevin. Momma D was a bit disappointed when I told her I was only drinking water because of my stomach as she had hoped to share a bottle of wine, I told her to go ahead without me but instead she had a coffee.
Glass House
The Villas Restaurant
Feeling a bit weak and drained, I quite fancied just going home for a lay down but I couldn’t do that for the following reasons: Tatas was on her way back from caving, Mik was on his way back to Phong Nha, both of those plus Veronika, Hamish and Matty were on their way over to Pizza Night, and there was no way I was cycling my old bicycle any further so I had no transport. I bought a bottle of wine for me and Tatas to share (it was my turn) but didn’t start drinking it and we sat at the usual table inside. Mik arrived and they were all on G&Ts when Hamish decided Tequilas were in order. I explained I didn’t want to join in, I was struggling to even take a sip of wine until after a bit of pizza and I sat out on the shots. Veronika decided to sit outside with the other Farmstay guests and even Ben wondered why Hamish and I prefer indoor dining when it’s warm – the mozzies love to bite us too much. The pizzas were as good as usual, with my favourites being the Showstopper (blue cheese, proscuitto, fig jam and spring onion) and the Momma D (salami, mushroom, feta and olive) – yes Momma D has a pizza named after her! Hamish, Matty, Mik and Tatas were really getting down the tequilas and everyone was laughing, joking and in good spirits(!) Some of Tatas’ customers arrived, as expected, at The Villas so she went to eat with them and I insisted she take the rest of the wine with her. We decided to get the first pick up service back home and the blokes spoke of getting more drinks when they got back to the Farmstay. I needed my bed, it had been a long day!
Having had a restful day yesterday, it came as no surprise that Wednesday 10th March was likely to be a bit livelier! I woke up with the loudspeaker noise (again) at 5.30am and I was really hungry. I had toast and arranged with Bich to get a lift to The Villas to attempt to retrieve my bicycle, Bluey, who had been abandoned there since Margarita Monday. At The Villas I joined Veronika, Matty and Howie while Bich did work stuff. Howie and Matty ordered ice-cream, I ordered some lunch from the vegetarian menu, the potato, artichoke and edamame bean salad which was an old favourite of mine. Unfortunately there was a bit of a mix up when I ordered this dish from the vegetarian menu but the waitress knows I’m not a vegetarian because I eat meat, so I initially got the fish version, which I couldn’t eat. Veronika ended up eating it while I had a new one made and they all went back to the Farmstay by car, while I finished my delicious veggie food while contemplating the cycle back. I realised it was getting hotter and windier which would make my cycle home harder so I paid my 130,000vnd (£4) and set off. The cycle ride was hard work but I tried to focus on keeping my leg in line and applying equal pressure with each leg. As I wiped the sweat from my eyes and wished I’d brought my sunglasses I came to a bit of a hill and I was finding the pedalling very difficult when Jack rode past on his motorbike as I neared a cafe and saw Vinh who I used to work with a few years ago too and had to shout to both that I couldn’t stop, mainly because I wouldn’t get going again if I did. When I got back home it had taken me almost 41 minutes (4 minutes slower than on the way there for Margarita Monday) and I was so purple everyone at Elements looked worried. I went straight in the shower to cool down and found I was very hungry after my almost 9km bike ride against a head wind and in hot sun. I had bread and hummus as a snack, realising I still hadn’t eaten my left over dinner from Sunday. I decided to stay in that night as I was knackered and couldn’t sit very well. I had leftover Sunday dinner and an early night after a busy (for me) day. I was just pleased to have managed to cycle home without getting off the bicycle, abandoning Bluey or have to call someone for help!
Monday 8th March was rather exciting for me as I achieved a couple of my progress goals. First I had to contend with the loudspeaker noise and waking up soaked in sweat at 5.30am! Captain Caveman was off to Son Doong for 4 days and was up and out earlier than he needed to be. I couldn’t get back to sleep so I watched more Amazing Hotels, ate carrot cake for breakfast which I had a bad reaction to!
Matty was due back from Saigon, Hamish and Mik were due back from their Hang En trip and it was Margarita Monday so arrangements were made to meet at The Villas later. My dodgy stomach had gone by 1.30pm when Veronika and I bravely set off on our bicycles to cycle the 8.9km to The Villas. This was about to be the first attempt at cycling this distance all in one journey and it was quite a hot day for it. Matty had messaged to say he would get his taxi from the airport to drop him straight to The Villas. The news in Vietnam reported that discussions have started about international tourism and the potential reopening of the country, but it still seemed a while off: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/business/20210308/vietnam-eyes-stepwise-plan-to-reopen-to-foreign-tourists/59656.html Meanwhile back home today was the start of the new UK plan to come out of lockdown. Today, back in England, everyone is allowed to meet one other person in a park and I genuinely wondered how the logistics of that would work and wanted to ask everyone I knew in England who they chose and why – had the person you chose already chose someone else perhaps?
Veronika was faster than me on her bicycle and there were sections where she was way ahead as we cycled along the road passing what used to be The Bomb Crater Bar and Sy’s homestay. I saw a bright yellow and green snake as we neared the underpass not far from Magic Fingers massage place and homestay. My knee didn’t hurt but my bum certainly did by the time we arrived at our destination 37 minutes later with a bit of a sweat on! Bluey was parked up with the intention I would get a lift to come ride her back tomorrow but I seriously wondered if I would be able to even move tomorrow. We sat at a table by the river hoping for a peaceful rest and we ordered juices from a new waitress, Van, who I wished Happy Women’s Day in Vietnamese, while we waited for Matty. Veronika had already eaten lunch so she ordered a panacotta while I decided to try something I had never had before – a chicken, bacon, lettuce and gherkin sandwich with chips.
By the time Matty arrived the next door place to The Villas had the karaoke blasting out and so Veronika decided to cycle home while Matty and I moved to sit at the back of the The Villas, near the pool. We ordered margaritas and got free popcorn but Matty had to work at 6am the next day so didn’t want to drink too much. That went out of the window when we moved to another table, nearer the bar but still outside, and Hamish and Mik arrived. They were straight on the Gin and Tonics, we got another margarita and then the tequilas made an appearance. It sounded like they had an exciting Hang En trip and gave us an update of their 2 day adventure. Vu and little Ngoc, were also at The Villas and they insisted on buying me another margarita for Women’s Day and we decided to test out the dancefloor. I even had a dance with the security guard who is always really nice and helpful to me – my first dance as a duo in almost 11 months. Poor Manu, the manager, was a bit nervous I might fall and so was there looking out for me. I was quite safe though and I was so grateful to have cycled nearly 9km, including getting over a bridge, and was able to dance again – progress indeed. We had such a good time but we all forgot to order any dinner and I think the Margarita Mondays might be getting out of hand a bit!
Monday 1st March started off as quite an ordinary day for me, here in Phong Nha. I’d decided that March was going to be a good month to get a bit fitter and healthier but I still had carrot cake in the fridge from last night so I had buttered toast for breakfast with a pot of jasmine tea before eating the cake as my lunch! It was quite warm out and felt very muggy but I didn’t let it put me off going for a ride on Bluey. I cycled to the French Road and back, which took just 9 minutes 44 seconds and, when I got home, I made popcorn. Captain Caveman came back from Son Doong and was off to his usual gala dinner at Chay Lap at 5.30pm so he suggested I meet him at The Villas. It was Margarita Monday and I arrived first, Captain Caveman arrived shortly after me and we ordered a couple of margaritas. Matty arrived next and Captain Caveman had to leave before Tatas arrived, Matty and I had another margarita and a pizza each – he had a prosciutto and tomato one, I had salami, mushroom and pineapple. Captain Caveman sent me a few messages to say he was drinking rice wine with his customers, that he was on his way back to The Villas, that he was late, and that he was just setting off but never arrived so I took a lift back home with Matty and Bich. I didn’t know it at the time but we probably drove past Captain Caveman who was drinking with his colleagues at a cafe that used to be Yummy’s. For once I was the sensible one and didn’t have that many margaritas compared to last week.
Captain Caveman was extremely hungover on Tuesday 2nd March and didn’t remember much of the previous night. He had to sort himself out, though, as he had his next briefing tonight and was back in to Son Doong tomorrow. I made him cheese on toast, I had jam on toast and I ordered myself a shepherd’s pie for tonight. The weather wasn’t great either so I didn’t do any cycling. I booked a bus ticket for Captain Caveman to go to Hanoi in a couple of week’s time as he was off to see our friends, Phil and Hoa in the north for a week. In Saigon they ended lockdown restrictions and in Hanoi they reopened restaurants and bars. I got peckish in the afternoon as I’d had no lunch but didn’t want to spoil my shepherd’s pie eating abilities so I had a date, some walnuts and a rice cracker. Captain Caveman set off early to his briefing so that he could pick up his bus ticket, on the way back he picked up three loaves of bread from the Lake House and he got back in time to join us for shepherd’s pie, after all. Bich had also got Veronika and I two sourdough loaves of bread and so now, Captain Caveman was about to be away for most of the month and I had 5 loaves of bread. I restricted myself to just one glass of wine with my shepherd’s pie while dining with Captain Caveman, Veronika and Matty – I even took home some left over pie and veg to have tomorrow.
Captain Caveman went off to his next Son Doong tour on Wednesday 3rd March so we were both up early as I also had some work to do. As the ‘being frugal with the housekeeping’ mission seemed to be working well and Captain Caveman was impressed that I was trying to save money, I decided that each time he was in the cave I would do the challenge and see how I did, even though this time he left me 2 million Dong (£62)! The idea behind it being that we had more to spend on my monthly visa extensions, trips away and to keep living somewhere with a pool so that as it got warmer I could afford to replace my very old swimwear and get fitter by swimming. I was downstairs slicing bread, all 5 loaves, and boxing them up for the fridge or freezer when Veronika came downstairs, dressed for winter and a bit hurried. She had decided she was going to ride her motorbike to Dong Hoi with Ben and told me not to worry if she didn’t come home as she may stay over. I had a very quiet day working through my To Do list and managed to polish off most of the crusts from the bread, the leftover shepherd’s pie, 3 satsumas and a small chocolate bar (bought for us as a Tet gift from Ai, landlady of the Glass House). Instead of going out on Bluey in the rain I did my exercises and then started watching Amazing Hotels on Netflix. For dinner I had hummus and rice crackers and a couple of small glasses of wine while watching the TV
I woke up at 7am on Thursday 4th March, I had toast for breakfast and decided to take myself out for a ride on Bluey to incorporate lunch out at the Farmstay. I cycled the short way there in 9 minutes 43 seconds but it wasn’t a pleasant journey because there was quite a lot of mud on the road. I ordered a ginger beer and some fresh pork and prawn spring rolls for lunch and had a good chat and a laugh with Bich. I only spent 130,000vnd (about £4) and would be eating at home later. I chilled out a bit and contacted Mommy Shark in Hoi An to enquire about swimwear in western sizes as I was desperate for new swimmers. On the cycle back I decided to do the longer route, along the French Road, by the river and it took me 21 minutes and 37 seconds. I was knackered when I got in and had to have a little rest while watching more Amazing Hotels. That evening I had chicken in a tomato and olive sauce with green beans and steamed rice, washed down with a glass of wine. A friend who had also watched Amazing Hotels had commented how nice Brando’s in French Polynesia was – it reminded me of Le Domaine in Tam Hai during it’s early years, a lovely place. The housekeeping staff arrived to clean the balconies and windows and brought some lovely flowers and I had an early night – I even set my alarm to get up for cycling.
Captain Caveman was up at 5am on Thursday 25th February and off to the beach with Ben for some surfing. Surprisingly there was no loud announcement on the tannoy this morning! There was some great news in Vietnam as it was reported that there would be enough vaccines for the country in 2021!!! See link: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210225/vietnam-says-to-secure-90-million-covid19-vaccine-doses-this-year/59458.html Unfortunately there was another variant of the virus found in the dead Japanese man in Hanoi, see below: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210225/5th-coronavirus-variant-in-vietnam-found-in-japanese-who-died-in-hanoi/59464.html and some not so good news of a woman in Hanoi who had been released after 3 negative tests but then was positive again 4 days later, more info here: https://vietnaminsider.vn/hanoi-woman-tested-positive-again-for-covid-19-after-released-from-hospital/ I was meant to be meeting Captain Caveman for breakfast at the Farmstay so I cycled the long way round to get there, my confidence was getting stronger and I managed to overtake a man who was walking his cow. This time it took me 20 minutes and 31 seconds to do about 4.5km – a whole 2 minutes quicker (and it was hotter than the previous day). I ordered a soda water, an orange juice and pho bo for breakfast and there was no sign of Captain Caveman so I started without him. When he arrived he ordered a beer which I thought was a strange breakfast choice but it turned out he had already eaten smoked salmon and scrambled eggs at The Villas. After chatting to Bich and Howie for a bit I decided to set off because Captain Caveman was on his motorbike anyway and it was getting hot and sticky. I did the short route back and was 1 minute 21 seconds quicker. I had some rest on the sunlounger, we had chicken salad for lunch but in the afternoon I felt ill (a bad stomach and I felt really cold) so I had an afternoon nap. Around 4.30pm Captain Caveman woke me up to tell me he was off back to Phong Nha and I thought it was the next morning already. He was booked in for a shave at the hairdresser’s and then was off for his next Son Doong briefing at 6pm. In the evening I still didn’t feel too good and couldn’t eat any dinner so I had some popcorn and started watching Behind Her Eyes on Netflix. This week I was glad to have exercised more and consumed less, in fact this was the best week of the month!
There was only one person close to me on Tuesday 23rd February who was more annoyed with the loud tannoy from 5.30am, than me – a very hungover Captain Caveman! He got up and went to Phong Nha and I went back to sleep when the noise stopped! I woke up at 9am and caught up on some Duolingo and some writing. I’d not checked my emails for a while and, after hearing that the UK wouldn’t allow holidays until 17th May, I wondered if my April flight to Turkey would get cancelled. I had toast for breakfast and when Captain Caveman came back he had only been to The Villas for his breakfast! I managed another spot of cycling and this time I took 10 minutes but Captain Caveman did get a video of me. I just had walnuts and cashew nuts for lunch as Captain Caveman had plans for dinner – for the first time in a long time we were missing Shepherd’s pie night! I suggested that I might try a mini triathlon tomorrow and asked Captain Caveman if he’d like to join in as the weather was meant to be getting hot. He replied that he didn’t think eating breakfast, lunch and dinner counted as a triathlon! It wasn’t meant to be a joke, either! He made sausages with potatoes and veg for dinner and I had a small glass of red wine. It was a relaxing, easy going day which I was grateful for and there was some optimistic news reported during this day which felt somewhat hopeful for the future. In Vietnam the vaccination process looked good and was coming soon; https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210223/vietnams-health-ministry-lists-target-groups-for-upcoming-covid19-vaccination/59419.html The authorities were still dishing out penalties for not declaring whereabouts or giving misleading info on the forms: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210223/teacher-in-northern-vietnam-fined-for-false-health-declaration/59421.html And proof that in all countries there will still be people who go ahead and cause the spread instead of preventing Corona: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210223/vietnamese-official-requests-investigation-of-two-nurses-for-allegedly-causing-local-covid19-transmission/59429.html
The alarm went off at 5.30am on Thursday 18th February for Captain Caveman going to the beach with Ben and Matty for a spot of surfing. I did my blogging until 8am and then fell back to sleep, finding out it’s the quietest part of the day to grab another 2 hours. When Captain Caveman returned it was raining and he made us salami and asparagus for breakfast, mine with toast and his with egg. After breakfast I went to welcome Bluey, my bicycle, back in to my life and was pleased to see she already had a lovely parking spot in a sheltered area. I couldn’t go out on her in the rain so I tried a couple of metres under cover and I seemed ok. Her brakes still worked and she just need a little bit of air in her tyres so all was good and I looked forward to having a proper go on her the next dry day. I didn’t think I was hungry enough for lunch but then later needed a snack of bread and cashew nuts. Captain Caveman had another Tet party at Mr Sic’s, to attend in Phong Nha, on his way to deliver his Oxalis briefing for his first trip to Son Doong after the Tet holidays. For my dinner that night I had some chicken masaman curry and a Snickers for dessert. I had something to be really thankful for today too; my parents had their first dose of the Corona vaccine today. Their second dose was scheduled for May, so just short of 3 months later, meaning they should be as fully protected as possible by the end of May. This gave me hope that I might be able to see them this year so I went online to do the calculation of when I would be able to have the vaccine if I was in the UK. I wouldn’t be due until July for the first one, meaning October for the 2nd and able to go about my ‘normal’ activity by November. Hopefully I would be able to get it quicker in Vietnam so that I could get back sooner, but if not there was hope I could be with my family by Christmas, all being well. As I was getting ready for bed it dawned on me that maybe Captain Caveman had brought Bluey, the bike, back for a reason! I’d consumed a lot more than I should have lately and, if I was going to loose the last few kilogrammes in readiness for a summer body, I’d really better start trying a lot harder!
joloyolo 