Danang, Lao Bao & Hue – 27th July

I wasn’t too impressed when my alarm went off at 5am on Wednesday 27th July. I got ready quickly and made sure I had everything I needed. I had given Captain Caveman some of my stuff to make my bag a bit lighter but I made sure I had snacks, spare clothes, a travel towel and pillow. I hoped I would get some more sleep during the journey and was pleased we had paid 1,000,000vnd (£35) for the sleeper bus, rather than the 850,000vnd for the mini-van. I arrived at the Lynn Visa office, the Danang pick up point, in plenty of time and saw people getting in the mini-van. No one checked who I was or spoke to me but, as Lynn herself got in the mini-van, she shouted to a group of us that her husband was on his way. Within a few minutes Lynn’s husband was there, as well as a bright yellow bus. I was the second person to get on and I chose the second seat, bottom deck, behind the driver, hoping to avoid sunlight on the way there. The bus wasn’t full but there were still plenty enough passengers and I wondered how quiet it would be. By 5.50am I was comfortably reclined in my seat and as ready as I would ever be for the journey. The bus itself was comfortable, it wasn’t the spangly new blue bus depicted on the Lynn Visa Facebook page but it was no worse than the usual sleeper buses around. It could have done with a bit of a clean in between trips as there were bits of food on my window ledge but there was a blanket provided for each passenger and the AC was wonderfully cool. We were due to set off at 6am and we did so exactly on time, Mr Lynn Visa had us all check that we had our passports and that our visas matched the details on the passports. He didn’t check any of our names or count us so I wondered if anyone may have missed the bus if they were late. I had a little nap and then woke up at 7.20am for the toilet stop and to see we were almost half way to Hue. I let Captain Caveman know my progress and went back to the bus, remembering to remove my shoes (it is expected to take your shoes off on sleeper buses) then more napping. We didn’t stop at Hue to pick anyone else up so I wondered if that may have been the (logistical) reason to charge Captain Caveman so much for a drop off there on our way. By 9.40am we had another toilet break at a nice service station then were passing through Dong Ha, making good progress to be at the Lao Bao border before lunch.

At 11.30am we were minutes away from the border crossing when Mr Lynn Visa announced that we would be stopping for our lunch break. Now, I know we are in Vietnam and it is customary for Vietnamese people to eat lunch early, but I wasn’t bothered about a stop for lunch. Everyone got in the queue and it looked like a meal of chicken, rice, veggies and tofu was on offer but I can’t comment on the price or taste of it as I had a banana which I brought with me. I took advantage of a toilet break, which weren’t bad at the restaurant and they had soap. I got back on the bus before the others to find one of the passengers was noisily eating crisps so I had a cracker and a GF chocolate cookie.
Once everyone was back on the bus, we drove 2 minutes and got off again. It was hot as we walked with our passports and visas to the immigration desks. I got chatting to a couple of passengers as we waited inside the main building, which was very hot. After about an hour, we were sent to exit Vietnam in small groups, once we had been stamped out of Vietnam and had our passports back. There was a bit of a wait and I was one of the last to do the walk in the hot sun to the Laos entry point. One of our group had bad legs and really struggled, plus the sun was relentless and no shade at all. The walk was only about 10 minutes but I wish I’d brought a hat and suncream as I felt my face burning.

As I walked in to the small immigration office on the Laos side, Lynn Visa was at the counter assisting people. We had to show our passport and give $45 in clean notes to the official. We also gave Lynn Visa 100,000vnd for the Vietnamese exit stamp. It was hot and there was a second fan which had the plug cut off. Everyone was extremely sweaty and there were not enough chairs for people to sit down while they waited. For those people who didn’t have their passport-sized photos, as requested by Lynn Visa, you could pay $5 to the immigration and they would take one for you. This would have probably been a cheaper option for me, given that I got a taxi to and from a photo shop to get mine, but sometimes it’s good to just be prepared and means we weren’t waiting as long. When I gave my dollars the $1 and $2 notes were not new, so they wouldn’t take them and I ended up giving a $50 note for my Laos visa. If you don’t have dollars or they aren’t in good enough condition, they will allow you to pay in Vietnamese Dong and Lynn Visa did inform me of this before the trip.
After waiting a while, we were again given passports back in various batches and were told we could take the walk back to the Vietnam immigration point. We were also told a few times not to put any money with our passports or visa and, if asked, not to give any money and to say we were with Lynn Visa for the visa run. Again, I was one of the last and I got chatting to a couple of the other passengers. We noticed a golf buggy vehicle outside and discovered for 10,000vnd (£0.35) we could get a ride between the immigration points. Well, I was pretty surprised that we weren’t told about this, considering Lynn Visa does this trip once or twice per week. When we asked Lynn Visa about it, she said she hadn’t recommended it because her preference is to walk. A few of us got on the golf buggy and went back, shocked that the lady with the bad leg had struggled when she could have had transport so cheaply. Once back at the Vietnamese entry/exit point we had another wait for our entry stamp, the one which was going to allow us to stay in Vietnam until 26th August.

By 2.50pm I was finally through immigration and back on Vietnamese soil for another 30 days. I checked my passport and visa stamp to ensure they were correct then walked to the bus. I decided to go look for a place to get a cold drink and a toilet break and found a lovely cafe hidden behind a big lorry. It was clean and only 15,000vnd (£0.53) for a cold green tea. While I was there I saw 2 English passengers from our bus who had not been able to complete their visa run so they were going to be trying again tomorrow. It was not long after 3pm when we were all back on the bus, except for those 2 passengers, and heading back. Everyone but me and 2 Irish girls were going back to Danang, I’d asked Mr Lynn Visa if he knew where in Hue we would get dropped off, so that I could ask Captain Caveman to arrange a taxi for me. He said he didn’t know so when Lynn Visa herself got on our bus, to travel back with us, I checked with her. She said they weren’t able to drop off in Hue city but it would be near by. I couldn’t get the exact location from her but I explained I didn’t have access to Grab and wanted to arrange for my other half to sort out my lift. At 4.50pm we were back at the nice services again and making good progress to be back in Hue before 7pm. I asked again about the location of the drop off but I still didn’t get to find out where it was, just reassurance from Lynn Visa it would be as near to Hue as possible and there would be taxis available from there. At 5.40pm I let Captain Caveman know I was 28km away from where he was and looked like I would get dropped off shortly.
Unfortunately, the bus suddenly stopped 22km away from Hue on the main road and dropped us off outside a phone shop at around 6pm. There was me and the 2 young Irish girls with all their luggage, I messaged Captain Caveman with our location and he would get us a taxi. There were 2 old guys on motorbikes telling us they could take us to Hue for 200,000vnd (£7) each and it would be about a 30 minute drive. They had no spare helmets and we had too much luggage between us so I politely said ‘no thank you’. Captain Caveman called me to say he was having trouble getting us a car and to go in to the shop to ask them to call a taxi, I could hardly hear what he was saying because of the noise of the busy road. None of us were too happy that we had been dropped off so far away, with no real plan of how to get to Hue but eventually Anna, one of the Irish girls, got us a Grab taxi and we went to their accomodation. It cost another 250,000vnd to get to the centre of Hue from where Lynn Visa chose to drop us off. None of us were expecting the extra expense but we were glad that there was 3 of us to share the cost. The motorbike drivers continued hassling us quite a bit and it was stressing me out.

Captain Caveman decided to get a taxi to come to meet me, and my new travel buddies, at Hue Backpackers. By 8pm we were in the bar having a (much needed) cold drink and laughing about the whole fiasco. I was definitely glad I had not been alone at the drop off point, somewhere not that near to Hue. We were also fortunate that it was still light and the weather was incredibly dry and hot.
Captain Caveman and I were meant to be going out for dinner but I no longer had time to go back to our homestay to change and had to do so in the toilet of the restaurant.
I was hot, sweaty, hungry and tired as we got to La Jardin de la Carambole and we finally got to eat (my first meal of the day) at 9pm. We both had the French onion soup to start and the duck for main and it was very enjoyable. We had a nice bottle of white wine and it was good to have done the visa run successfully, despite the 14 hours it took from start to finish.
After our meal, we got a taxi to our accommodation, The Purple Hue Homestay, where we had a ground floor room with a separate bathroom outside of the room and adjoining the communal kitchen. The place was nice but I hadn’t brought pyjamas and the bath towels were not big enough for Western women to cover everything up at once. The shower was very good, with toiletries provided and it felt good to finally be clean again.
The bed was comfy with great pillows and I was fast asleep in no time. Tomorrow we would go back to Phong Nha again, where we’d be until the end of August.

Danang – 26th July

We had planned that Tuesday 26th July should be a no drinking day on account of the early start tomorrow. That was fortuitous because I was extremely hung over and I didn’t want to get out of bed. However, I had to get up because we had to go get my visa photos done and Captain Caveman was hungry. We got a Grab taxi to The Hummus House, Captain Caveman had found this place on Google maps and it didn’t disappoint. The owner was friendly and the place was spotlessly clean so we were expecting good food. Captain Caveman ordered a hummus plate and I ordered a falafel plate, both of which were excellent. The fresh pitta bread was very moreish and I loved the drizzle of tahini sauce on my falafel. I would definitely visit this place again and would recommend it if you’re ever in Danang.

Next, Captain Caveman suggested we go to the coffee shop across the road so he could have a double espresso. I had a hot ginger tea before we went on our next mission.
We had been recommended (by Lynn Visa) a shop in Danang which charged 65,000vnd (£2.23) for 4 passport sized photos. Captain Caveman went off to find a pharmacy and a cash machine while I sorted my photos out. The lady even asked if I had something else to wear and the photographer messed with my hair. I looked like shit, they gave up on me after less than a minute and took the photos anyway. I was done in 5 minutes and we had to wait for a taxi to go back to the hotel.

Once back in the room, which we had turned in to a bit of a launderette, Captain Caveman got on with booking things for the next leg of our journey. He booked accommodation in Hue as well as a train for him to go from Danang to Hue tomorrow, after I had set off to Laos. Previously, I had asked Lynn Visa if Captain Caveman could get a lift on the same bus as me from Danang to drop him off at Hue. We were willing to pay but hadn’t agreed a fee so when she wanted 500,000vnd (£17.50), but it was only twice that to go all the way to Lao Bao border and back, we declined her kind offer.
While all this was going on, I was getting constant messages on Instagram from a friend, Karen, who was on holiday in America so I thought it was odd. It turned out she had been hacked but the hacker was getting very annoying and I had to report and block them, plus get in touch with Karen. I popped to the shops to get some snacks for my trip tomorrow and saw a lovely shop, No Waste To Go, which promotes recycling and zero waste. I bought some gluten free chocolate cookies and some seed filled crackers, both of which were so tasty and fresh. The guy working there was lovely and really helpful and I wished we were in Danang longer to visit more.

My hangover had just about gone when it was time to have our last evening out in Danang with friends. We’d arranged to meet June and Steve, who live in Hoi An, at 7 Bridges Danang for drinks and food. As luck would have it Mik was riding his motorbike back to Danang and should arrive in time to join us too. When we arrived, Seamouse, our old Phong Nha housemate, was there as he’s the manager and he was having a meeting. It was lovely to meet up again with everyone and we had a few beers because they have a Tuesday offer on. We ordered food; I had a belly pork and pineapple pizza (don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it) and the rest had mackerel. I went on to wine but they had run out of red so had rosé (I shouldn’t have). Lynn Visa was messaging me during dinner to tell me to email her my current and new visas so she could print spare copies for tomorrow. I already had spares and was a bit concerned she was asking for them so late. I hoped I wouldn’t regret doing the visa run tomorrow.
In true fashion before a long journey, I ate a whole pizza, drank 4 beers and a couple of wines. It was gone 10.30pm when we said our goodbyes and got a taxi back to the hotel. The alarms were set for 5am tomorrow because I was off on a bus to Laos and back – I was dreading it!

Photo credit – 7 Bridges Danang Facebook page for some photos

Hoi An & Danang – 25th July

On Monday 25th July we were up early and ready for adventure! Instead, we were about to embark on a bit of a mental Monday!
I’d arranged for us to meet Caroline (who used to live in Phong Nha) at 9 Grains Bakery & Cafe in Hoi An, at 9.30am. She is now one of the 2 owners of it and they do great croissants so we decided we would meet her there for a civilised catch up. With our croissants I had a lovely pot of earl grey tea and Captain Caveman had a couple of espressos made with the freshly delivered Faifo Roastery coffee. The cafe soon filled up with expat families and Vietnamese groups and the AC was nice and cool. By about 11am Caroline had suggested we go to the beach but she needed to change, so we would go to her place, just around the corner. As we left, she gave me a bar of handmade coconut soap, which they make and sell in the cafe. My eczema had been playing up on my neck again so this would be good to use. Captain Caveman walked it, while I had a lift on Caroline’s Royal Enfield Himalayan motorbike.

When we arrived Vee, the dog, was barking and had a new friend, Bindi. The new friend was blind and was just here until she could go to her new home. Caroline’s new apartment was lovely and, once we had been given the tour round and got acquainted with the dogs, wine was ordered. We chatted loads and we took the piss out of each other, especially when we learned that Caroline had been the subject of a funny rumour. People had said that when she worked in the Australian Navy she had been a pastry chef, hence her now running a bakery – she wasn’t! Caroline made popcorn, well she is a chef, and we got through 2 bottles of wine with ice and soda before ordering more from the shop. Captain Caveman had arranged to meet up with some friends later but I was concerned we were getting a bit too merry to do that.

By 6pm Caroline had friends, Jake and Hawk, turn up and was almost setting fire to her own tea towel, while making more popcorn. I thought I’d met Jake before, he seemed familiar, but he said not. He then had to leave because he’d lost his wallet and his phone. Hawk, who we knew already, is a fitness instructor so didn’t have an alcoholic drink. Caroline can be a bit of a booze bully, a quality I like in a mate, so I continued on the white wine while her and Captain Caveman went on to beers. I took over making popcorn and I definitely shouldn’t have because Caroline had burned the pan already on the last lot and I almost set the towel on fire again. We were meant to be elsewhere at 5pm but at 6pm I was taking photos, still at Caroline’s place. I thought we left earlier but my camera said we were still there at 7.15pm so I think we may have upset Captain Caveman’s friends. We got a taxi and things were a bit hazy as to what happened for the next hour. I had wrongly assumed we had been back to the hotel to change to go out, but we didn’t.

By 8.45pm we were tucking in to starters of chicken livers wrapped in bacon and halloumi cheese, drinking a rather nice bottle of red wine and chatting to the restaurant owner. We were at Olivia’s Steak House in Danang, where Scott is the friendly owner of this place, as well as Dirty Fingers. For mains Captain Caveman and I both ordered an Australian steak which we had with macaroni cheese, asparagus, onions, cheesy jacket potato and pepper sauce. It was delicious and we both really enjoyed the food. The waitress was new and really lovely, she dealt with Captain Caveman well when he complained he didn’t get the drinking water quickly enough.
After dinner it is customary at Olivia’s to be given a shot of ice cold chocolate vodka and this time was no different. We had to do it in 2 goes because we were already too drunk and I was trying to get a video of us doing the shots.
When we called the Grab taxi and went out to get it, the car cancelled and was nowhere to be seen so Captain Caveman was cheesed off. In the end we paid 200,000vnd (£7) to go back to the hotel in one of those golf buggy type things. I was chuffed as I think they are cool and it stopped either of us risking being sick in a taxi.
The whole of our Monday had been a tad mental, by the time I got in to bed I already knew tomorrow would hurt!

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Danang – 24th July

Sunday 24th July was the day that Captain Caveman and I had chosen to celebrate his 50th birthday, in style!
We were booked in for the Sunday Champagne Brunch at Citron restaurant, part of the Intercontinental hotel in Danang. For those of you who have not experienced it, or heard about it before, the place is gorgeous and the food exquisite – we love it. For 3 hours it is an all you can eat buffet with free flow champagne, beer, wine, cocktails, water and soft drinks. The package we go for is 2,999,000vnd (£105) each but is totally worth it if you go hungry and don’t waste time talking to each other (you can see why Captain Caveman loves it)! The last time we went, was the day before it was closed down due to a guest at the hotel testing positive for the Corona virus, just as the lockdowns were happening everywhere.
I took a risk and wore one of those baggy outfits which looks like a dress but it’s a trouser suit thing. I accessorised with my blue Hermes purse and red, handmade in Dalyan, sandals and I even had my hair down. I looked tired so I put my lovely Clinique eye cream on which Linda had bought me. Captain Caveman had brought a nice shirt to wear and a pair of trousers (he still had trainers on though). Captain Caveman also discovered that he had not packed enough trousers or shorts for our trip, but there was a washing machine in our kitchen at Camellia Hotel.
We took a Grab taxi across Danang to the venue but we arrived too early. There were some building works so the lift to the beach wasn’t working, we took a 5 minute walk through the grounds and went to sit in the Citron outdoor entrance area. Unfortunately, there was a Vietnamese family who were scared of us foreigners so they put their masks on straight away and moved to all sit together. The mother of the family had the volume of her phone on very loud and proceeded to play a game or watch a repetitive sounding cartoon. This was very annoying and we tried to ask her to turn it down but she ignored us. I couldn’t take it any more and we went to sit in the foyer of the restaurant. It was only 12.15 (the Sunday brunch starts at 12.30) but the staff showed us to our table straight away. We never book one of the fancier outside tables, which are just too far from the buffet. We were pleased to get a good indoor table between the buffet and the band. By 12.20 our waiter was pouring us our Billecart Salmon Brut Champagne and making polite, welcoming chit chat. I instantly warmed to the guy and asked if I could take a photo and a video of him with the champagne.

By 12.30pm, Captain Caveman and I were selecting food from the antipasti and salad section of the buffet. The choice was massive and I wish I had taken more photos but I didn’t want to waste precious time. I also knew I could use ones from the past visits or the Facebook page as the Sunday Champagne Brunch at Citron is reliably consistent.
The prawns were fantastic and the waiter was finding topping up our champagne glasses a full time job. He delegated our topping up to another waiter and we never had to wait for champagne, wine or water again. The meat station was great, I loved the pork, the duck too and we had a lot of steak. Captain Caveman had lots of oysters and some sashimi which he loved. I think we had about 3 servings of the beef fillet, which Captain Caveman had with fois gras and the chef put a face on it.

When we still had over an hour left to go, Captain Caveman went off piste and said yes to a flambéed crêpe. I thought I’d have the charcuterie and cheeses first, with red wine but then I had no room for crêpes. We left it a bit late for desserts but Captain Caveman managed to squeeze in a lemon meringue pie which he forgot to save me a bite of. I loved the macaroons but couldn’t finish the sweet stuff. At 3.25pm we were absolutely stuffed and quite tiddly. I noticed the band had just finished a rocked up version of Leona Lewis’s ‘Keep Bleeding Love’ which was very good. As the band played more tranquil songs we finished the last of our red wine and champagne before it was time to leave.

We got the shuttle to the main reception and then ordered a taxi to go back to the hotel. We always think we will be able to manage to go out on the evening after the Sunday brunch but, of course, we were fit for nothing and had an early night.

Photo credit – some by Captain Caveman, some from Intercontinental and Citron’s Facebook page.

Phong Nha to Danang – 23rd July

We were in the car at 9am on Saturday 23rd July ready for our 6 hours (ish) drive to Danang. Captain Caveman did not have to be back at work until 6pm on the 30th July and he was super excited to be off (you can tell by the photos)! I had a very bad stomach and had to dose up on Imodium before I could leave the house, while Captain Caveman had made himself a hearty breakfast to keep him going until lunch. I took my travel pillow from Chung and Uy, I rarely travel without it now.
Our driver was Dung, who I really like as he is careful and keeps the car at a good temperature. The journey, as far as Hue, was pretty uneventful and after 3.5 hours driving we were stopping for lunch at a cafe. Hue was super hot, no breeze at all and I didn’t want to eat too much because of my stomach. We had chicken and rice with cabbage, I think Dung had pork. It was very nice and the place was clean and hygienic.

Our next part of the journey was exciting for Captain Caveman because we went on part of a new road. So new, in fact, that it wasn’t actually officially opened and Captain Caveman, the engineer, got a bit giddy. The La Son – Tuy Loan road even had some squeaky clean tunnels on it which we went in and I joined in taking the photos. After we had finished with that road and got closer to Danang, Captain Caveman fell asleep and was snoring loudly. He was knackered from working so much recently so I didn’t wake him up.

We arrived about 3.30pm and checked in to the Camellia Hotel in Danang. Originally our idea had been to go to one of our favourite places in Tam Ky but the pricing didn’t work out in our favour and I had a trip to Laos to do. Instead we got an apartment in a nice area for 4 nights at a cost of 1,400,000vnd (£49). It was near a WinMart so we bought water and beers (which we drank) and then had a walk to a pub.

Dirty Fingers is a place we really like in Danang, I call it Sticky Fingers. It’s a sports bar with cold drinks and good food. We had quite a few beers and then ordered some food to share. I didn’t realise but they are a fan of sprinkling (unnecessary in my opinion) spicy powder on the food so I had trouble eating some of mine and gave it to Captain Caveman. I ordered more brisket which was amazingly delicious. It was so good that I forgot to take photos of the food on account of me being hungry and having sticky fingers from my pork ribs. We had another beer each then walked back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. On the way we passed a dried squid establishment, The Muc Shop, which had sold out of their product a while ago.

Photo credit – some of these photos were taken by Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 25th & 26th April

I had a croissant for breakfast on Monday 25th April and was extra tired from not getting much sleep. I’d still got the winter quilt on so it was a tad warm and I’d slept in the spare room because of the handle coming off the ensuite bathroom in the main bedroom. I was meant to go over to collect my stuff from Mark and Kate’s house today but I couldn’t be bothered, instead I went to get some essentials from the supermarket. I had a simit and cheese spread for lunch and didn’t do much else really. I booked in for Pilates tomorrow and I got news that a friend was arriving in Dalyan on Thursday so I needed a couple of days off, in readiness for more shenanigans which I imagined could get messy. For dinner I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and some pasta with Turkish sausage and pesto sauce, then for afters a Bounty chocolate bar. It was nice to be home where I could relax completely for a couple of days.

It was another easy day on Tuesday 26th April, there was meant to be a power outage in the afternoon but it never happened. My parents were staying in with a slow cooker meal that night too and it was my first time at a new Pilates class. I had Christmas cake with cheese on for breakfast and loved it. In the afternoon I walked over to Mark and Kate’s to collect the rest of my stuff and Bluey2. When I arrived they were eating the leftover Chinese meal which was quite a few days old and asked if I wanted to share it. I declined as I could see it wouldn’t sit well with my stomach and I chatted with them while Kate instructed Mark on how to warm up food in an oven, the correct way! News came that masks for the under 65s in shops and public buildings were no longer compulsory in Turkey so I was slightly concerned that there could be an increased risk of catching the virus.
Before I cycled Bluey2 back home, Mark and I arranged to meet at Okyanus for a beer in the sun before the pilates class at The Room Dalyan. Our friend met us at the class and it was definitely more difficult than I anticipated. My bad leg still wouldn’t allow for certain positions but the sciatic nerve pain I’d had seemed to benefit from the stretches. I was surprised to see how good at pilates Mark was, he was pretty flexible (for a Tuesday)! After the class, Mark went home with indigestion and I met up with Drew, Ann, Sarah, her friend and Katrina at Lukka bar to say bye to Drew. He was off back to the UK and so I had a glass of wine to see him and Sarah’s mate off. After hugging and kissing Drew goodbye I went home to have a mystery meal I’d got out of the freezer earlier, it turned out to be teryaki chicken so I was lucky to have cooked rice with it. Tomorrow’s plan was to attend a big celebration for Dutch King’s Day at Waterfall bar which I’d been invited to by a couple of Dutch friends.

Danang – 25th April

We decided to take Captain Caveman for a breakfast at Pho Thin on Sunday 25th April, even though he rarely eats pho. It was my 3rd time and his first but we all enjoyed our pho bo very much. Captain Caveman was very impressed with the hotel too and loved the industrial feel and bridge artwork at Bridges Danang Boutique Hotel.
In the Vietnamese news there were reports of increased risk of Corona outbreaks coming into Vietnam illegally and it was becoming a bit more concerning. Here’s the info:
https://vietnamnews.vn/society/933140/health-minister-urges-localities-to-be-vigilant-for-covid-19-amid-regional-outbreaks.html

After a bit of a rest our next stop was to meet Des at Roadhouse for a cheap beer because he felt bad about last night. Roadhouse was a small place and we got there just as the friendly owner was opening up for the day. Captain Caveman had a draft pint of Huda, Des stuck with a bottle of Huda and I had a soft drink, until the next round when I went on to the red wine. We decided to order burgers and Captain Caveman hilariously actually ordered by saying he would have a ‘big black cock’ because he thought that’s what BBC stood for (it was Beef, Bacon, Cheese – OMG)! I ordered a single dad naked which was without the bread and some chips and cheese. All the food was tasty and really good value so it was a great recommendation from Des.

Next we went to meet Steve and June at Dirty Fingers and bumped in to some of the others who were already enjoying a drink. There was a BBQ on and a promise of a live band later but we already had plans for a Sunday dinner. June and I sat chatting while the boys talked about sports and we had some very nice wine before Captain Caveman and I had to go back to the hotel to pack and check out.

I’d arranged for us to have a late check out from Bridges Danang Boutique Hotel on Sunday 25th April but leave our bags in reception from 6pm, we planned to get the 00.35 train to Dong Hoi and so would be back before midnight to collect them. Hamish had arranged a table at The Nomad Kitchen for 14 of us for Sunday dinner and a rather merry Des had decided to join too – he was having a second go at his birthday celebration! Captain Caveman and I were the first to arrive and we took some photos of me outside with the angel wings and all the motorbikes in front of the painting. We ordered the carafes of wine, which were great value, for me, June and Captain Caveman. Steve and Des had beer, Hamish and Ania were next to arrive with wine and join the table. They usually come with their mates on a Sunday for the roast dinner and so they had asked Captain Caveman and I to join them to put it to the test. Unfortunately there was some short staffing issues that night but we didn’t particularly notice it as we put our order in first, most of us going for buffalo meat, June had chicken. The meat was gorgeous, so tender and the veg cooked well except for a couple of us having undercooked potatoes. This was sorted out though and we were given a couple more nicely cooked ones. The Yorkshire puddings were marvellous and I didn’t get a gluten reaction from them which was great. The portion sizes aren’t big but for 130,000vnd (£4) it’s not to be sniffed at. Captain Caveman even ordered a dessert of apple pie with cream which went down a treat! Because we were getting the train just after midnight we also decided to order a takeaway; Captain Caveman enjoyed the buffalo meat so much that he chose to have that in a sandwich, I ordered a falafel salad. The Nomad Kitchen closes at 10.30pm so we ordered the food for then but, unfortunately, Captain Caveman was told too late that there was no buffalo left and so he didn’t get a takeaway. Because he was drunk he wasn’t best pleased that he had not been told earlier and had a bit of a strop, shouting at Daniel the chef – which was a bit embarrassing! We said our goodbyes to June and Steve then left to join Hamish, Ania and Mik, at Oi Bar for one last ‘end of holiday’ drink. I had a vodka and coke to try to keep me awake and then it was time to go get our bags and head off to the station. We said our goodbyes to Hamish, Mik and Des before getting a Grab taxi with Ania back to Bridges for our bags. It had been a fantastic week and I was grateful for all our friends’ hospitality and welcome, as well as very sad to be leaving. What a week, I think I was going to need a few days off to recover!

Danang – 24th April

Captain Caveman arrived at Bridges Danang Boutique Hotel at 5.30am on Saturday 24th April after a long bus ride which he did manage to get some sleep on. We met Hamish and Ania and went for breakfast at a place called Cohibar. I had bacon, beans and potatoes, Captain Caveman had a croque madame, Ania a chicken salad and Hamish chicken nuggets. The breakfast was ok, service a little slow but it was nice enough and we got caught up on the plans for the rest of the weekend. We were meant to be getting the bus back on Monday but we decided to change our plans to leave Sunday night, by train instead. Captain Caveman was concerned the bus might not get him back in time for work if it happened to be late and I was glad to not be taking a bus as I really don’t like them and prefer the train.

Our next stop was a quick drink (or two) in Vertigo Bar where Mik joined us, Hamish had to go to do something, and then on to Taco Ngon, a place that had been on our list to visit for a while. I had 3 tacos, Ania and Captain Caveman just had 2 and they were really good, especially washed down with a very well made Margarita.

It was Des’s birthday today so I had organised a get together that night at 7 Bridges Taproom where I’d booked a table on the roof. When we arrived the table hadn’t been reserved at all, despite me booking with the manager and Steve double checking, so they dragged some tables together and we made the most of the seating situation under the turbo fans which messed up everyone’s hair. A few of us had been before so knew the type of place it was but I think some of the party, who’d not been before, were disappointed there wasn’t any cheaper drinks or offers on, there was even a sign saying they no longer do any drinks offers. I’d not even thought of this because I don’t usually drink beer and am used to paying a premium for wine instead. It was a big mix of people who we knew from Phong Nha who all were currently staying in Danang and we had a good laugh. Most of the crowd had left to go to eat before the birthday boy had arrived, as he was working until 9pm. The rest of us watched the dragon bridge breathe fire and there was a parade on the streets below which made it tricky for Diana to get here and even harder for Des who finally arrived all stressed and in a bad mood. June, Steve, Captain Caveman and I ordered one of the gigantic pizzas, which were very impressive but I just had 1 slice then spent the rest of the night going to the toilet. I only chose the venue because I thought it would suit everyone else (beer and pizza) but it didn’t and was a bit of a none-party in the end, especially as my intolerance to gluten seemed to definitely be back) still it was good to meet up with friends I’d met in Phong Nha in Danang and I know Captain Caveman, June and Steve are big fans of the 7 Bridges Taproom. The most memorable thing about the night for me was the scary man, or the pigs, in the toilets and the 3 red wines I had! Going down the stairs from the 4th floor to ground level was not as difficult as it had been in recent months and I was getting a bit quicker. We toyed with the idea of going somewhere else to celebrate Des’s birthday but decided to call it a night around 11.30pm – not bad for a weekend night in Danang.

Video of the dragon breathing fire

Photo and video credit – Karl & Captain Caveman

Danang & Hoi An – 20th April

As Tatas was only here for a short time, we decided we should make the most of it on Tuesday 20th April and our friends had great recommendations for us. Captain Caveman had returned from Son Doong yesterday but gone back in today and I’d not had chance to speak to him before his next tour. Today the plan was to have a relaxing day at Hoi An Silk Beach Club with Tatas, who was also working while next to the pool. Transport is so much cheaper in Danang than in Phong Nha and was only 200,000vnd (£6.20) from Danang to Hoi An, about 45 minutes away. When we arrived we were the only people there and so we had the pool to ourselves. I was so hungover that I ordered a can of Fanta and some french fries for brunch and I’d forgotten my swimmers. As there was no one around I went swimming in my undies and was able to hoist myself out of the pool relatively ok, but not gracefully.

Once back at Bridges Danang Boutique Hotel we had a shower and change before we went off for a full body massage at Herbal Spa which Kendra had also recommended. The 90 minute aromatherapy full body massage was looking like the best deal for what I wanted and I asked them to concentrate more on my shoulders and feet and they also asked about injuries and pressure which was great as usually massages in Vietnam are brutally strong. There was a special offer on of 150,000vnd (£4.65) for 60 minutes or 240,000vnd (£7.44) for 90 minutes including hot stones if you wanted them (I opted for it without). It was very relaxing and so professional, one of the best massages I’ve ever had and we even got a cute outfit to wear to protect modesty – what a lovely treat!
After the massage we were given free soup, herbal tea and coconut crackers, which you could also buy and were gluten free. I was so relaxed that I felt like going back to the hotel to go to bed but we had plans for Tatas’ last night of her mini-break. I made a note to self that I definitely would be staying off the alcohol tonight though!

After the 3rd shower of the day at the hotel, we were off out for dinner. It was Tatas’ last night so she got to choose where she would like to eat. We arrived at The Nomad Kitchen in An Thuong and ordered some drinks while looking at the menu. It was a shame that I’d decided not to drink as they had some decent wine for a good price.
For my dinner I had the fish and chips with homemade tartare sauce for 110,000vnd (£3.40) and it was absolutely amazing. Tatas had a buffalo dinner, while the rest of the table had dishes which included a side order of buffalo, bacon croquettes, and falafel salad. The food was really good and Daniel, the chef, is incredibly skilled. When a couple of us ordered the white chocolate tart for dessert I asked if I could have an extra price of fish for my pudding instead, it was that good and even came with extra vinegar. I could only drink sparkling water as I was honestly begging for mercy, I needed to remember I am much older than all of these party animals! Tonight I remembered that the AC needs to be turned on again after taking out the key card and I settled down for a relatively early night about 11.30pm, while Tatas carried on her night at Oi bar, Emma’s and Shamerock. Tomorrow Tatas and I would be checking out of this lovely hotel but only she was off back to Phong Nha – I had more adventures planned!

Phong Nha to Danang – 19th April

My alarm went off at 4am on Monday 19th April as I was off on a holiday within a holiday. Tatas was already on the bus, which was delayed a bit and would drop her in Danang at 5.30am but I find bus travel uncomfortable and dangerous so I had opted to get the train. Phuong picked me up at 4.30am and we drove to Dong Hoi train station. We were early for my 5.42am train and as we all waited in the station, masked up, it became delayed by 30 minutes. I was booked in to Coach 2 on a soft seat which was half the price of a bed and surprisingly comfy. I had 2 seats to myself until we got to Hue and managed to nod off to sleep a little bit.

I finally arrived an hour late in to Danang at 12.30 and my driver was waiting for me, carrying a board with my name on. On arrival at Bridges Danang Boutique Hotel, in the Son Tra area of Danang, I was very pleasantly surprised. Even though I had booked a cosy double, it was still really good and not as small as I expected. The room had an industrial look with a picture of a bridge – Captain Caveman would love it.

I’d not eaten anything at all yet so I was starving and luckily Hamish and Ania were ready to take Tatas and I to a really good pho restaurant, a short Grab ride away. Pho Thin has great pho bo and was so tasty and filling, it’s a well known eatery here in Danang and also there is one in Hanoi.
After breakfast/lunch the 4 of us went to a bar called Section 30 in the An Thuong area of Danang to meet Kendra and a few of her friends who were all using the co-working space upstairs. We tried the cherry beer which was a bit too nice but I didn’t want to drink too much of it before my rather important appointment at 3.30pm.

It had been 1 year, 3 months, 1 week and 1 day since my last hairdresser’s visit so I was off to Ly’s Salon for a 3.30pm hair appointment – I was so excited! Kendra had recommended this place and so I had booked for the full cut, colour, head massage and styling. Ania and Kendra were coming at 5pm and Tatas decided to come with me for a bit of pampering. We walked it using Google maps, which neither of us are good with, and ended up having to walk across a building site and then still got the wrong place as they had moved. The place was small but professional looking and they had lots of activity. It felt so good to be finally getting a hair colour and then a good cut, but still keeping it long. The head massage was done in a separate room in the dark and it was absolutely amazing. Kendra and Ania came after work, Kendra treated us to a bottle of bubbles to drink while we were getting our new hairdos and it felt like being in a salon back in the western world, it was that good.

Once we’d finished it was time to go for a cheeky drink with the lads and Hamish had promised Tatas and I that he would take us to one of his favourite spots for a good value steak dinner. There was a group of us for dinner at Vertigo in An Thuong, Danang and, of course, it involved lots of wine, Hamish even got everyone a Jaeger shot before the food! Most of us ordered the steak because Hamish had recommended it and had suggested it could be the best in town so we were very much looking forward to it. A random stranger arrived and apologised for being late as he thought he was going to be joining us but it turned out he was meeting the bloke behind us but we all had a good laugh at that. My steak was perfectly cooked, very tasty and did not disappoint – I was impressed because the bar we were eating was nothing fancy.

After too much red wine we paid up and decided to head to Oi bar where we sat outside and had more drinks and the Tequila shots were on the go! They ran out of salt and lime at one stage and we had to improvise before apparently going to a bar called Emma’s, for some reason I don’t remember being at the bar although I do recall buying some pork and mushroom steamed buns and eating those, plus insisting every one try them. My stomach was fine and I even managed a drunken visit to ‘Shamerock’ where we got to dance the night away to some cool tunes, as Des became the DJ. I even met the owners and tried to get a few of the regulars to have a dance with us. It was such a great night and when we eventually got back to the hotel we had to ring the door bell to be let in – I was so chuffed with this! I wasn’t so pleased when I woke up, fully clothed at 4am, lights on and no Aircon feeling ever so parched! I can definitely say the first day of my holiday within a holiday was a huge success and Tatas had really enjoyed herself too. Hamish and Ania were the perfect hosts and their friends were welcoming and good fun.