Danang, Saigon & Bangkok (airports) – 25th June

On Tuesday 25th June Captain Caveman was heading back to Phong Nha as he had a briefing in the evening. I was saying bye and flying back to Dalaman via Saigon, Bangkok and Istanbul. We ate the rest of our Mangosteen from Hoan for our breakfast and Captain Caveman decided he would come to Danang airport to see me off. We got a Grab taxi and went to check-in but, unfortunately, the woman on the Vietnam Airlines desk was not my friend.
My allowance for all my flights was 25kg hold and at least 7kg for hand luggage. The domestic flight from Danang to Saigon didn’t specify that my 25kg had to be in 1 case but that rule was enforced as I tried to pass my 2 cases through. Captain Caveman came into his own when she refused them and instantly went in to ‘super-packer’ mode at top speed! I tried to hastily move my lacy red knickers and random dirty washing as he squeezed the contents of a case at 18kg and one at 7kg into the one case, with the laundry from my hand luggage. He triumphantly set it back on the scales and I thought he looked like he wanted a badge in recognition for it weighing 24.9kg. I managed to get an aisle seat so I was happy but I would struggle to carry that case at the other side. My international tickets both allowed me to take 25kg over 2 pieces so I could do a repack in Saigon.
We said our goodbyes and Captain Caveman went to get a taxi to the train station for the 10.22am train to Dong Hoi. I went through the passport control and stopped at a shop to get a snack. I bought a croissant for 35,000VND (£1.09) and a pack of pomelo for 70,000VND (£2.18).
The flight departed a little late and we landed in Saigon at gone 11am.
I retrieved my bags and then rationalised the space a bit better by splitting the 25kg case back in to 2. I was meant to be getting a taxi to Kim’s house to go to eat pho, made by her mother. Keith (from Grimsby) was on standby to meet for a farewell drink too. The left luggage queue was chaos and it took me a long time to get to the front of the queue. When I reached the front there was a sign, pricing left luggage per item and a few ‘at owners risk’ notices displayed – and now I had 4 bags, 3 of which I wanted to leave. The cost of leaving luggage at the airport plus 2 taxi fares, teamed with having to check-in for the international flight in less than 4.5 hours, made me reluctant to leave the airport. I didn’t have a great track record with Saigon taxi drivers so I messaged Keith (from Grimsby) to ask his opinion. He had flown from Saigon recently and advised not to do it, the queue to leave Saigon had been long previously and had took over 2 hours to get through. I wouldn’t risk it for a delicious bowl of pho and a cheeky beer so I also messaged Kim to cancel. In the end, I had done the right thing as it didn’t feel long in the airport at all.
I checked out the cost of a Burger King; a regular cheeseburger was 120,000VND (£3.74) so I didn’t bother. Instead, I spent 125,000VND (£3.90) on some cherry throat sweets and a pack of Mentos.
At 4pm, I was peckish so I treated myself to a pack of crisps and a vegan baguette for 105,000VND (£3.27) from Puro Gusto and thoroughly enjoyed it. Once through security, which did take quite a while as Keith had warned, I splashed out on some Clinique moisturiser for $32 (£25) which I had been waiting to buy in a Duty Free. My next extravagance was a glass of red wine in Saigon Cafe, an airport bar, which cost a whopping 315,000VND (£9.82) and was the cheapest wine on the menu. It was very nice and I savoured it as I waited for boarding time.
On the plane to Bangkok I had an aisle seat, the in-flight meal was a rather tasty chicken with veg and rice and a glass of red wine. I didn’t bother with any TV as the flight was ready to land as soon as we had eaten.
We landed in to Bangkok an hour later than scheduled, it was raining outside and it was cold as we disembarked on to the shuttle bus. I only had 1 hour to get on the next plane, bound for Istanbul, which was quite a rush. I had a bad stomach so I had to go to the loo while in Bangkok airport and I was lucky to arrive at the gate in time. On the 3rd plane, I had a middle seat and I coped for quite a bit of the flight until the chap next to me, wearing a sunhat and earplugs, became more difficult to get past for toilet visits, so I moved to an aisle seat at the back of the plane. We were due to land at 5.25am tomorrow, Turkish time, where I had several hours to kill in Istanbul airport.

Phong Nha & Dong Hoi – 20th June

I woke up to my alarm at 6.30am on Thursday 20th June and got on with my packing. I had already started it and had separate piles based on final destination of each item. This was confusing but I was on it and needed to be done by 8.30am as I was booked in to have my hair done. During the night, Hoan had taken a bus from Xa Lai to Phong Nha and had arrived early this morning. She was back for the Phong Nha Vegan buffet and to see me off. She had already asked Chung to delay me so that I could eat a last lunch at the Vegan before my taxi to Dong Hoi.
I had a lot to thank Chung, Hoan and the girls from the Vegan for, so I agreed. It was down to them that I was leaving Phong Nha only 1.3 kg (2.9lb) heavier than when I arrived in March and I was grateful for all the amazing food I’d eaten because of them. I was only 1cm over my hip and waist target measurements, which I was pleased with. I still wasn’t a vegan convert but I was definitely a strong advocate of vegan dishes and eating less meat. These girls had become such good friends, especially since I’d become the only female Western woman living in town.
Once I’d finished packing, I took photos of each bag and started to move them to the Glass House, ready for Captain Caveman to do his thing with them tomorrow. I took my motorbike helmet, 3 bags and a rather heavy suitcase (with a patched up wheel) the few hundred meters to the house. By 8am, I was walking back to Son River House Homestay and it was incredibly hot and sunny. It was not the best day to have a hair appointment and an all you can eat vegan buffet but, I soldiered on. Chung moved the taxi from 11am to 1pm and we called ‘Onion’ to check she was definitely there today. I wasn’t bothered if she cancelled now as it meant I could go back to bed but she was going to meet me there. I let Chung know I was all packed and brought my bags down to reception. As is usual in Vietnam, when a friend goes away, she saw my full bags and gave me 4 packets of Banh Ep, a fragile pork, shrimp and spring onion cracker type product, to take with me. She had even had her ex boyfriend put them on the bus from Hue for her as she knows how much I like them. How sweet!

Once at the hairdresser’s, she cut my dry hair first while I sat in front of a fan. I was not entirely optimistic it would turn out well but the heat meant I barely cared about anything else but staying alive. Just 1 hour 15 minutes later I had the hair dye on and was told to wait an unknown amount of time for it to take. Next I got a hair wash, conditioner, face, head and shoulder massage and the blow dry I’d said I didn’t need in this heat. Onion was having none of me walking out of her establishment with wet hair! By 10.30am I was finished and my hair looked good.
I headed back to check-out, where Chung had prepared our bill for the 9 day stay at Son River House Homestay. Captain Caveman was going to pay the 3,352,000VND (£101.79) by bank transfer when he returned from the cave. This included 400,000VND (£12.15) for the meal last night which was absolutely delicious. We did get a friend’s discount which was much appreciated and I would definitely stay there again.

Our next stop was the Phong Nha Vegan which was amazing for my last buffet and farewell to everyone. I sat with Kim and her daughter while trying to get a blast of the cooler which was set to 39°C. The food was so good and plentiful but it was so hot I could barely take the heat. Kim recommended I try different dishes which was really nice and we even arranged for me to visit her in Saigon in a few days time. Back at the homestay, I said my goodbyes and Hoan arrived to give me going away gifts of a knitted mobile phone case, some sweets and a big bag of mangosteen. In the end, Chung moved my taxi for Dong Hoi to pick me up at 1.45pm as we were running late, and she promised to take Bluey over to the Glass House tomorrow. It was a sad, sweaty goodbye as I got in to the car and drove through Phong Nha with tears in my eyes.

The drive from Phong Nha to Dong Hoi on that afternoon was comfortable and cool. It took about 45 minutes and cost me 500,000VND (£15.26). The Minh Quang Hotel had already been booked up but the owner had very kindly recommended the Dolphin hotel as a nearby and suitable alternative. It was only 280,000VND (£8.54) per night and located really close to Tree Hugger. The driver couldn’t find it at first but once I was checked in and was in the room, I realised why it was called the Dolphin Hotel. It was located bang opposite the Dolphin statue on the river front. The lady who checked me in was really lovely and the room had the best display of tourist information, I’ve seen in a while. Unfortunately, it was a little wasted on me as I was only there until very early in the morning. I had a shower and a little rest, plus a bit of a repack to get the gifts in, before going out for a stroll.

I called in at Tree Hugger where I had a mint and lime iced drink and some veggie spring rolls while admiring the view with a fan on. It was really lovely and cost just 90,000VND (£2.75) which was definitely good value.

In the evening, I met up with Jack, Stu’s youngest son, for a last leaving drink and meal at Oregano. We drank a Huda beer, ate potato wedges and a Bolognese pizza, which we shared. We had 2 video calls with Stu who was in Ha Tinh doing a summer teaching job and was disappointed he couldn’t join us. The food, as always, was excellent and I’d learned they had wedges on the menu. I couldn’t eat it all so I took a couple of slices of pizza with me and Jack dropped me off at Dolphin Hotel on his way home. The cost of dinner for both of us was a very reasonable 250,000VND (£7.64).
Back at Dolphin, I finished the half bottle of red wine I’d brought with me, from last night, and got ready for bed. My alarm was set for early tomorrow morning as I was getting the train to Danang.

Phong Nha – 18th June

We were awake early on Tuesday 18th June as Captain Caveman was off in to Son Doong and I said I would see him off before I started work. It was probably the last time I would see him this year in Phong Nha and I was feeling a bit sentimental about that. Captain Caveman doesn’t do emotional stuff so it was just another day to him but at least he posed for a photo while we waited for a coffee and a watermelon juice at Son River House Homestay. We agreed that I would travel by car to Dong Hoi on Thursday, he’d booked me a room at the Dolphin hotel for that night and a train for Friday morning to Danang. He would get the overnight train after his gala dinner on Friday night and see me in Danang on Saturday morning. We would have our final celebrations in Danang before I flew back to Turkey on Tuesday. We were all organised so that it would go smoothly. Captain Caveman took himself off for spicy fish noodle soup for his breakfast, probably to escape my emotional goodbyes and me still being upset about May, the dog. Chung could see I needed a bit of support and told me to come back to the homestay once I’d seen Captain Caveman off on tour from Ho Khanh’s.
I saw Mr Nghia who works on the porter team and is Ha’s (from Phong Nha Vegan) dad. He was holding Ai’s baby who is super cute and so I took photos. I also found a creepy crawly to match his Oxalis shirt which turned out to be poisonous and had a twin nearby! Luckily I moved one to the shrubbery but then it got moved again to further afield. We said bye and Captain Caveman got on the bus with the next tour group, who also didn’t get off for a photo.
Back at the homestay, I waited for Chung so that we could go to Phong Nha Vegan for brunch. I took photos of the Son River House Homestay menu which looked very comprehensive.

At Phong Nha Vegan, Chung had spicy noodle soup, I had Banh Canh and we shared some fresh spring rolls. Ha made me a mango and coconut smoothie which was so good. I would miss this a lot when I left. I decided to work in the AC of my room at the beautiful and peaceful Son River House Homestay for today.

That evening, after work, I cycled down to Phong Nha Vegan again. Tatas came to meet me and had to wait a while until I could leave to go out for dinner. We went to The Villas for our farewell drinks and meal. We had to make do with mojitos with it being a Tuesday as they were half price. We shared a veggie pizza with a bottle of red then took the wine back to mine so that we could finish off the night. Tatas paid the total bill as a farewell gift and we had a lovely night, it was a bit emotional as I had no idea when I would see her again, although we were hoping she could get a visa to come visit us in Turkey this winter. Tomorrow was weigh day and my last full day in Phong Nha, I’d had 303 syns this week so it wasn’t looking great and I had leaving drinks planned for tomorrow evening.

Dong Hoi & Phong Nha – 11th June

It was an early start on Tuesday 11th June as we joined Stu and Max for a final Mr Bull’s Bo Ne breakfast. It would probably be my last in Vietnam for this year and that was sad. I was going to miss Dong Hoi, our friends there and the cute dogs who were now our friends. Our lift to Phong Nha with Oxalis and Dung arrived 30 minutes early and we said goodbye in a bit of a hurry. Captain Caveman had booked me a train from Dong Hoi to Danang for in 10 days time so I hoped I’d get to spend one more night in Dong Hoi before I left Vietnam.
We picked up 4 customers from the airport, Captain Caveman had a coffee for 30,000VND (91p) and then we got back in the minibus for the drive back home. Less than an hour later, after dropping the guests at Son Doong Bungalow, we were dropped off at our new and final accommodation for my last Phong Nha stay. We had decided to try out Son River House Homestay, which is near to the Glass House and Ho Khanh’s, right on the river. It is being managed by one of my best friends, Chung, so I was also looking forward to spending time with her. Check-in wasn’t until 2pm so we had already agreed to have lunch at Phong Nha Vegan with Dung as I had really missed eating there. We dumped our bags at reception, Captain Caveman got the motorbike from the Glass House and we rode to the Vegan.

I was desperately craving a vegan pho so I ordered that along with fried spring rolls and mushroom La Lot skewers to share. Dung had fresh spring rolls and Captain Caveman had the curry with steamed rice. It was all lovely and I enjoyed my iced kumquat tea to wash it down with. It was good to see Ha, Cuu, Hanh and Yen again after being away for so long.
We checked in to our upstairs room at Son River House Homestay after lunch and unpacked our stuff.

After bringing more of my stuff over, we cycled to The Villas for Summer cocktails. Today was Long Island Iced Tea, one of Captain Caveman’s favourites and we had 2 each, paying a total of 360,000VND (£10.92) as they were 50% off.

For dinner we decided to cycle to Ganesh for Indian food. We had a bottle of red wine, lamb samosas, onion bhajis, chicken tikka starter, garlic naan, saffron rice, chicken tikka masala and a daal for 798,300VND (£24.22). The food was fantastic but we did get a message from Chung to check if we were ok. The owner of the homestay was worried it was after 10pm and we weren’t back yet. We cycled back and put leftover Indian food in the fridge along with fruit and a bottle of wine as we didn’t have a room with a fridge. Our room was clean, tidy and comfortable with lovely views and good AC.

Dong Hoi – 10th June

Captain Caveman had an appointment at the ultrasound clinic on Monday 10th June, first thing. I popped to the chemist to try to get contraceptive pills but none of the 3 pharmacies I tried, had them.
We went in to town afterwards and, while Captain Caveman went to the Gold shop, I went to another pharmacy. I had to settle for a different kind of pill, which I know gives me side effects but I had no choice. Here’s what I bought, prices in Dong;

Pharmacy
1 Diclofenac 27,000
1 Loperamide 27,500
5 Ibuprofen 194,000
6 Contraceptive pill 898,800
Total 1,147,300VND (£34.80)

At the WinMart Captain Caveman bought bread, crisps and 2 bottles of cheap Italian wine for when Stu and the boys arrived later. They were due back later than expected so we tried the Banh My place next to the gold shop, as recommended by Duc at Cang’s vintage clothing. It was cheap and tasty and didn’t have all the pâté in, that I don’t like. After the sandwich, we ventured in to the market just as it was starting to get quite sweaty. Captain Caveman wanted to get something specific for his cousin’s wedding which we were going to in July. Our next stop for a bit of light refreshment was our favourite coconut stall and coffee shop. The man there is super friendly and hard working so we have been going to that particular guy since we were recommended him by Thao a few years ago.

Back at the house, Captain Caveman was in charge of kitchen cleaning and feeding the dogs while I had the sweaty job of hoovering up. We cleaned the house as best we could before having our cheese sandwiches for lunch. I told each dog (separately) that their family was coming home and I think they understood. Over the 10 days we had been looking after them I’d gained their trust by telling them short stories about dogs who were scared of the people looking after them.
Stu and the boys were due in around 5.30pm but I couldn’t wait to open the wine and had started celebrating their return without them. Rodger had always listened to my stories but Terror was having none of them, until today when I told him a story about a dog who’s owner had returned from a holiday and was very excited to see his pets. Terror jumped on to the sofa and licked my face and he knew his family was coming back.
When Stu and Max returned (Jack had gone straight to meet someone at the airport), they took it in turns to greet the dogs. Rodger was first and was so excited he did a wee while Terror whined to be let out of Jack’s room. When Jack returned briefly they got excited again and were very pleased to have the boys back.
The boys drank beer, I had a bottle of red wine to myself and we ordered takeaway from Oregano, of pizza and potato gratin. It was a good welcome back, we decided to stay over one more night and Max gave us his room again. Tomorrow we would head back to Phong Nha where I had just 10 nights left before I started my journey back to Turkey.

Dong Hoi – 9th June

Sunday 9th June was one of my favourite days in Dong Hoi (possibly ever)! My plan to meet Thuy yesterday had been moved to today and I was very much looking forward to seeing my old physiotherapist from when I tore my ligaments. Our first mission was to have breakfast at the pho place. We had underestimated how busy Pho Ly Quoc Su would be on a Sunday and they had run out of 2 of the Pho Bo dishes that Captain Caveman had chosen. We managed, it was still delicious and didn’t take too long to come, despite the busy restaurant. Back home Terror had got a little braver, wanting some attention even, so I had a game of football with him before we had to leave. He only has a wooden block, no balls, but he was happy with it.

Captain Caveman and I took a Grab taxi to Thuy’s new premises in Dong Hoi just before lunch time. There were lots of plastic shower shoes on the steps to swap our shoes for, but Captain Caveman’s feet were too big for any of them to fit. We waited in reception and Thuy came to meet us to show us around her very impressive physio business. I saw the lady who worked at the old place who used to make the heated wraps and she had helped me get to the toilet a few times while I’d been having the numerous hours of physio. She was really pleased to see us as we walked round, Thuy proudly showing us all the amazing rooms and facilities. When we had completed the thorough tour of the building, we had a few photos outside then Thuy called her driver to take us to her home. Since I’d last seen her, Thuy and her family had also moved house, and it was really nice and fancy. We were given some water, fruit and yoghurt while the rest of the family got ready. I met the children, Tin and Su, who I used to spend time practicing English with, before Covid. Tin was super confident and fluent in English now and Su was doing very well as Tin chatted on. Thuy and her husband had invited Captain Caveman and I to join the 4 of them plus Thuy’s sister for lunch. This time we were not going to the bird restaurant, which I was pleased about.

Thuy’s husband drove Captain Caveman, me, Thuy, her 2 kids and sister to Geminai restaurant. Captain Caveman and I hadn’t been for about a year and it had definitely had some changes and improvements. Because I’m fussy with food, I ordered my own Prawn Pad Thai but the rest of the adults ordered dishes to share. There was one pork dish with a bone in which looked impressive as well as duck and seafood rice dishes. Captain Caveman and I had a beer and the kids were allowed a Coke, they were exceptionally well behaved. Thuy wanted Tin and Su to pose for photos with us and Su was nervous so I told her she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to. She was super cute and gave me a hug and a kiss, which considering she was only 2 years old when I last saw her, was trusting. The lunch was amazing and I really enjoyed my food, as well as watching Captain Caveman don the plastic gloves to sort the meat out for the table.

I was not expecting Thuy to pay the entire bill, which was so lovely of her, but she also wanted to treat us some more. We stopped by the market so that she could buy some fruit, including our favourite mangosteens. Our next stop was the Phuc Long coffee shop where we were treated to a coffee for Captain Caveman and a peach tea for me. Tin and Su were super comfortable around us by this time and were chatting really well to me. I’m not usually a child person but I loved these two and they were so cute as well as very clever. On the ride back to Stu’s house we joked about the stinky squid drying. When we stopped to get out they all smelled the stench and didn’t get out of the car so I did hugs from inside. It had been an amazing day and I felt very lucky.

Having had such a lovely day, we decided to finish off the evening with another meal out. We walked both dogs (separately) who were now very friendly and behaving nicely. Stu and the boys were due back tomorrow and were in Saigon tonight. Originally we had planned to leave on Monday morning, as Captain Caveman had his briefing that night. However, his tour had been swapped and he was no longer working tomorrow. We got a taxi to Khoi Bistro and had a really lovely meal with craft beer. Captain Caveman had a seafood omelette which, quite frankly, made my stomach turn but he enjoyed it and I had a pork dish as my initial choice of duck was sold out. It was busy with it being a weekend and there was a massive private party but the owner still found time to chat to us. Our bill came to 455,000VND (£13.80) which was very good value considering that included mussels and a 2 litre keg of beer. We really enjoyed it and to top off a fantastic day, when we got back home, Terror jumped up on to the sofa for strokes and kisses. Rodger took himself off to bed in our (Max’s) room and slept next to the fan at the bottom of our bed.

Dong Hoi – 8th June

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that I completely ruined all plans for Saturday 8th June by being unable to function properly. The hangover was bad, Captain Caveman had to see to Rodger and Terror while I had to rearrange an appointment with my old physio and her family. I didn’t manage any breakfast and could barely drink my litre of water.
At lunch time I was in no position to get on the back of a motorbike to go anywhere. Captain Caveman ordered a Tree Hugger delivery for lunch for us. I ordered the beef and vegetable rice plate, while Captain Caveman went for the burger. It cost 200,000VND (£6.13) for our meals and 2 drinks.
We ran out of water so Captain Caveman had to venture out to get one of the 19 litre refills, for 25,000VND (77p).
We made it out for walks twice in the evening, both Terror and Rodger were keen for a wander. Captain Caveman managed to buy a case of 24 beers for 270,000VND (£8.27) so he could fill up the fridge for Stu and the boys’ return on Monday. For dinner we went to Oregano where we had pasta and shared a Caesar salad before heading back home and going back to bed, me still feeling very rough!

Dong Hoi & Phong Nha – 7th June

At 7.30am on Friday 7th June there was an air of excitement as it looked like Rodger was ready to go at last. I’d gone downstairs to use the bathroom and then had to shout up to Captain Caveman to hurry along and bring me a bra. Rodger didn’t want to put the lead on, even though on the label it said he was a Police Dog, but we eventually got it on and then there was no stopping him. Captain Caveman had to take him as he was too strong for me and he pulled until he got to the first corner of grass. We were all so happy that Rodger had finally done his business at last. By 8am we were walking back to the house, me in my sleepwear, Rodger looking very proud of himself indeed.

For a late breakfast/very early lunch we went to Saigon Deli where we bought the dogs food and had our usual pork dishes. After feeding the dogs their lunch, Terror seemed to also be getting a bit more friendly. Before noon we had a video call with Stu so we could share the amazing news that Rodger had managed a walk and a poo after a whole week of not going!
At 12.15pm we were getting picked up as we were off on a bit of a jolly!

There was an Oxalis 13 year anniversary party which Captain Caveman and I had been invited to. He was going to be getting a certificate to commemorate 10 years with Oxalis (it was actually 11). The drive to Phong Nha involved picking up some flowers for the party and we waited in the minibus. We got dropped off at The Villas, as that’s where I’d left Bluey just over a week ago. I had a sensible cup of tea to start with but then we realised it was half price margaritas on Fridays and we just had to indulge. We were peckish by this time so we ordered lunch which was rather filling. I had the chicken and bacon sandwich (with chips) and Captain Caveman ordered the salmon.

During our visit, we bumped in to a Victory Road Villas guest, called Meyer, who also enjoys a drop of Tequila. We got chatting and he brought his very own bottle of Tequila out. We shared a shot or two with this rather interesting Australian fella and had a great time. After our margaritas and a couple of tequilas with Meyer it was almost time to go to the Oxalis party. We paid our bill which was a very reasonable 1,120,000VND (£34.10) for cocktails, tea and our lunch.

Of course, we should have got on our bikes and cycled to Oxalis for their 13th anniversary party, however, we were beckoned over by the disabled family across by the river, who own the small cafe. We were joined by shaky-hand girl, so called because she loves to shake hands with people for the longest time and is very friendly. Captain Caveman had a Vietnamese drip coffee and I had a fresh coconut and then we decided to visit Tuan on the floating boat restaurant and bar, as we were in the vicinity.

Nha Be Noi Song Son (the Vietnamese name) is so lovely, primarily known for its fresh seafood and catering to large groups, but is also great for a couple of pork spring rolls and a beer. The owner, Tuan, had been swimming in the river but came to join us, along with shaky-hand girl.

We cycled to Oxalis just in time to join the anniversary party where it was good to see staff being recognised and rewarded for their continued service. As Oxalis was very busy with tours there wasn’t everyone there but I saw a few familiar faces. Chau, the owner, was on a TV link up from Saigon, having left his brother in charge of the proceedings including the certificate and gift presentation.
Luckily, it wasn’t a late one and we got a lift back to Dong Hoi with some of Captain Caveman’s colleagues. At 10pm, after letting the dogs out (still separately of course) we were in bed. I fell asleep on the sofa and Terror made some progress as he started to give me licks. Rodger was my new best friend and he came to sleep in our room easily, he even let me give him a stroke.

Dong Hoi – 6th June

Captain Caveman and I were back to Mr Bull’s Bo Ne breakfast on Thursday 6th June, his with coffee and mine with lots of iced green tea. Back ‘home’ there was a little bit of progress with the dogs; Terror had stopped growling at us every time we went in to ‘his’ (Jack’s) room and I almost got a lead on Rodger who still had not had a poo.
For lunch we needed more food for the dogs so we went to Saigon Deli to eat where we had the same as we always do, pork, veg and rice. The dogs got their usual of pork, quails egg and rice and the total amount came to 266,000VND (£8.30). On the way back I wanted to call at An Nong which is an organic fruit and veg shop. As we approached I got a bit of a spasm in my stomach and needed the toilet, urgently. I waited outside, Captain Caveman took far too long, in my mind, to grab 800g of mangosteen for 95,000VND (£2.97), our favourite fruit.
We made it back in time and I spent rather too long in the downstairs bathroom before retiring to the AC of the bedroom to rest. When I was back to some semblance of normality, Captain Caveman and I unfortunately got involved in some Oxalis related issues. One was that I’d spotted one of the sales team had posted on Facebook to say there was a rare spare space on an upcoming Son Doong tour. Accidentally using the Google translated word ‘Dangerous’ to describe it. I told Captain Caveman so that he could let the girl know to change it but it seemed the original Vietnamese word was something like ‘rare’ or ‘scarce’ and the translation just didn’t match correctly.
I was about to go back upstairs to the AC and for a lay down when Captain Caveman got an email from work. His supervisors were in the UK but needed to know if he could cover a Son Doong trip starting tomorrow. They didn’t have anyone else to cover it due to an issue/delay with permission sign off for the safety specialist and they needed to know straight away. The briefing was in Phong Nha in an hour’s time so someone could do that for him as he wouldn’t make it in time (how thoughtful). I was absolutely fuming and did not want him to do it. He had agreed to look after Stu’s house and dogs for another 4 days so it meant I would have to continue alone and without transport or any help. Captain Caveman told me the money would come in handy and that he didn’t have any choice as there was no one else available so he was going to reply with agreement to do it. I stormed off upstairs to pack stuff so that he could take some of my stuff back with him in the morning. He wouldn’t return to Dong Hoi so I didn’t want to be carrying all my stuff back by myself, once Stu and the boys returned. I suggested we have a video call with Stu, once he had finished packing and going to buy stuff for the dogs and me for while he was gone. I also decided to point out that I thought it a bit rich that he had been told he was no longer needed after this year but yet the company still didn’t seem to be able to provide cover without asking him.

It took me a while to calm down and reflect on the situation. I’d felt annoyed with Captain Caveman for his seeming inability to say no to doing a last minute Son Doong tour. However, on reflection, I knew he was doing it to help out his co-workers. A lot of his colleagues would be relying on him and that was probably his motivation to agree to it. I went back downstairs to apologise for having a strop and we had a hug. Both of us were a bit sad about the situation but had accepted it and we had prepared for me to take over the house and dog sitting – I would be fine.
The phone rang, it was one of his supervisors to say they didn’t need him now!!!! I had to walk in to another room and bite my tongue!
We got ready, walked Terror, but not Rodger, and went out to Oregano again for dinner. We shared a gorgeous Caesar salad, Spag Bol and a salami pizza. It was so good that we ordered a second pizza to take home. We were both relieved that Captain Caveman didn’t have to work tomorrow and when we got back Rodger seemed to be a bit more friendly towards me – or was he just hoping for a piece of pizza!?

Dong Hoi – 5th June

We woke up on Wednesday 5th June to another hot and sticky day. I took my measurements to find I had put 1cm on my bust and hips but my waist had stayed the same. I had lost 0.85kg (1.9lb) which was a good result considering how many syns (251) I’d had. Captain Caveman had found a pho restaurant not too far away and we rode there for breakfast. I really enjoyed Pho Ly Quoc Su where we had 2 Pho Bo (beef noodle soups), dough sticks, a coffee and a peach tea for 170,000VND (£5.28).

We rode back home and chilled out, Captain Caveman played Bridge and we let each dog out separately.
In just 3 weeks I would be back in Dalyan and I kept reminding Captain Caveman this. There was also a heat wave happening there and I hoped my parents were coping.
For lunch we had bananas and cheese toasties so I used some syns there. Later in the afternoon, we had some progress with Rodger when he came in to Max’s bedroom with me. He only came for a look and then when back out but it showed he was trusting me more. He still wouldn’t go for a walk but Terror was really enjoying his evening walks now.

In the evening the diet went by the wayside yet again as we went by taxi to a new place for dinner. Here’s what we had with prices in Dong at a rather nice restaurant;

Khoi Bistro
Peanuts 10,000
1 Full Moon Beer 45,000
1 Hero Beer 50,000
2 Rosé Beer 58,000
2 litre Beer keg 120,000
Pork and veg with rice 180,000
Pork ribs with salad 250,000
Total spent 713,000VND (£22.13)

The food was really good and we particularly liked the beers. It turned out to be owned and run by a guy who used to live in Phong Nha so we got chatting with him. We also got some children from the next table come to say hello and they took a bit of a shine to Captain Caveman. I’d really enjoyed the meal and the beers and hoped we would visit Khoi Bistro again while we were in Dong Hoi.

Dong Hoi – 4th June

The heat wasn’t letting up any on Tuesday 4th June as the warnings at 6am were that it felt like 35°C and 76% humidity. By 9am we had ventured out on the motorbike to Mr Bull for another Bo Ne breakfast. At 1.30pm the humidity had dropped to 56% but with a feels like 44°C and it was quite unbearable. Today was the day I should have been moving in to Steve and Michelle’s house in Lardos, Rhodes, to look after their dog and several cats. I noticed on Facebook that Steve and Michelle had unfriended me and they were about to head off on their round the world trip of a lifetime. Obviously, it was a shame that it had come to that but given that I had let them down on the dog sit I knew their reasons. Unfortunately, without any income and all the uncertainty in my life right now, I couldn’t have done anything else and some things aren’t meant to work out. They now just came up as ‘People I may know’ on my Facebook.
It took me ages to prise Captain Caveman away from his Bridge but by 2.30pm I was rather hungry. We went to another one of my favourites, Tree Hugger, where I had a chicken salad and a peach tea. Captain Caveman had his usual egg sandwich and a smoothie, followed by a lime and mint slushy which he was meant to share but forgot.

Back outside Stu’s house, there was lots of drying squid which made me feel sick. There was also a lovely old building nearby which I liked the look of. Rodger still wouldn’t go for a walk but sat outside sunbathing once it got a little cooler. We walked Terror and then went to Oregano again for dinner.

I ordered a Spaghetti Bolognese, Captain Caveman ordered a Carbonara and a salami pizza, of which I had half. When we got back to the house we decided to open some wine we had brought but there was no corkscrew in the house. Captain Caveman went back out to buy one and we shared the wine while trying to encourage Terror to not chase bugs/mice in the under stairs cupboard.
This week I’d had 251 syns, 58 of which were alcohol, and tomorrow was weigh day – it wasn’t looking good!

Dong Hoi – 3rd June

Captain Caveman and I went to Mr Bull’s for breakfast on Monday 3rd June where we both had the Bo Ne (steak and eggs) for a total of 120,000VND (£3.73). I bought a bottle of water at the WinMart and we drove back to Stu’s. Captain Caveman was picked up at 9am to go back to Oxalis for the day, I was in charge of Rodger and Terror. Both of them were fine when allowed to roam around (separately of course) but they didn’t want any petting or any interaction. It was a shame as they are lovely dogs but it was obvious they didn’t trust us.
I had fruit for lunch as I was trying to get back to being healthy again, I was on 150 syns already for this week.
Captain Caveman arrived back in a good mood, as it cheers him up when he goes to work on a day off. He’d also managed to squeeze in a lunch with Ho Khanh and Nghia. After a walk with just Terror and several failed attempts with Rodger, who still hadn’t had a poo since Friday, we went out for dinner.
Oregano was open so we had a pizza, I chose the veggie one which was very nice. It’s a lovely place but they don’t sell wine, only beer which I was still trying not to have. We bumped in to an old Oxalis colleague of Captain Caveman’s who now owns a vintage clothes shop, Cang’s, which is opposite Oregano. Duc is good fun and I sat and chatted to Luke, another ex Oxalis member, on a video call while Duc and Captain Caveman drank beer.

Dong Hoi – 2nd June

Captain Caveman and I woke up on Sunday 2nd June to a severe heat weather warning. Even the weather updates were telling us to drink water. I decided I was not going anywhere I didn’t have to, but Captain Caveman, despite his day off, had to venture to the Gold shops to change the foreign currency from the tip money. He also decided to go to the shop as I was desperate for some fruit. He borrowed Stu’s motorbike and was gone a while, returning with the below;

Co-op Mart Supermarket
Bananas 13,450
Dragon fruit 19,391
Plums 20,152
Apples 31,283
5 Grains biscuits 51,500VND
Total spent 135,676VND (£4.21)

I’d not had any breakfast, and the dogs needed some lunch getting so Captain Caveman drove us to Saigon Deli. He and I had the pork with rice for lunch and ordered the dogs their usual pork, quails egg and rice for their’s. The food was very nice and cheap, my dish (without egg) cost 42,000VND (£1.31).
Back at our temporary home, I fed the dogs, Captain Caveman had put some washing on, including various items of the lads which he’d found around the house. I went to help him hang it up but he got snappy with me for doing it wrong! I left him to it and went back in to the Aircon bedroom and did some writing.
At 6.30pm I had to interrupt Captain Caveman’s afternoon of Bridge playing for us to attempt the dog walks. Rodger was having none of it and disappeared down the side of the house. We eventually got him back in and in to a spare bedroom, while we got Terror out. He was still a bit nervous around us but we got the lead on and off we went.
There was a drone event on in town which Captain Caveman was interested in going to, I wasn’t bothered. We took the motorbike to go for food at Oregano but it was closed. Instead we went to one of my favourite restaurants in Dong Hoi, 7th Heaven. Captain Caveman ordered a Caesar salad and a spicy dish. I ordered the not spicy chicken Luk Lak. Unfortunately, I couldn’t eat mine as it was so spicy and obviously had chillies in. I ordered some cheesy garlic bread and made do with that, we took the rest of my dish home and put it in the freezer. Of course, we then couldn’t go to see the drone show because I had a bad stomach, and Captain Caveman wasn’t too pleased. I went back to the AC of the bedroom when we got in while Captain Caveman resumed his Bridge. Tomorrow he had arranged to go in to work, on his day off, as he had the tips and some other stuff to sort out.

Dong Hoi – 1st June

Captain Caveman and I woke up, in Max’s bed, on Saturday 1st June feeling a bit woolly. I had just over 3 weeks left in Vietnam, until a brief visit to Turkey on my way to the UK to get a new passport and pick up some other documents from my home town. It was a bit too early to get up but we had to say bye to Stu, Max & Jack before they left for their trip to Australia. We also had to use the downstairs bathroom for the toilet. We went to Mr Bull’s for breakfast where we all had Bo Ne and I gave my egg to Captain Caveman.
After the guys had left we tried to be friendly with the dogs, each in turn. Rodger was so scared of us that he hid down the side of the house. Terror was not as scared but was intent on guarding Jack’s room by snarling at us if we went near.
Captain Caveman was sick with a cold, he was tired and grumpy and mainly played Bridge all day. Only he is able to ride a motorbike and we were quite a way from town so I would have to rely on him for the next 10 days to go anywhere. When it got to lunch time, Captain Caveman didn’t want to go anywhere as he was playing Bridge so I had some of the 5 Grains biscuits to put me on. I’d been looking forward to having a kitchen to cook in after 3 months without one. Unfortunately, it was too hot for me to bother with. I fed the dogs who had leftover pork, rice and quail eggs but they weren’t too pleased at me going in to their rooms to get the bowls. For dinner, I thought Captain Caveman would take us out somewhere in Dong Hoi but he was still feeling ill and playing Bridge.
Stu had left us some ham, cheese, bacon, lettuce and bread in the fridge so Captain Caveman made us a cheese and ham toastie. Since I’d been ill last month, I was still not great with ham and I wasn’t a fan of the sandwiches. It also meant that I was already on 131 syns for this week with 3 more days to go.
We tried to walk the dogs but neither of them were compliant, Rodger was absolutely having none of it. Terror wanted to but just didn’t trust us until eventually Captain Caveman got him on the lead. Once outside, he walked fine and we did a short walk together then came back. I didn’t take any photos of the dogs as they were not up for it, but I really they hoped they would get used to us.

Phong Nha – 17th May

Of course I didn’t get the extra sleep I’d hoped for on Friday 17th May and at 7.30am I was in the Wide Awake Club. I took myself off to nearby Tree House for breakfast. I had a really good fruit salad with yoghurt, nuts and seeds and a pot of green tea, which was ultra strong. My breakfast cost 120,000VND (£3.66) and I really enjoyed it.

Back at the homestay I did a bit of writing and then decided I would try somewhere new for lunch. The Rice House is a fairly new place in Phong Nha, where Underground used to be. One of the owners, Hung, who also owns Karst Villas, was there and I decided to have a fresh coconut and a beef Luk Lak. Captain Caveman was due out of the cave today which meant he’d probably head to the The Villa’s for pizza and I wanted to try to avoid being tempted. Although my lunch came to a total of 180,000VND (£5.50) the quality of the meat was great and it melted in my mouth. I was about to leave when I got a message from Captain Caveman, he was on his way back to Phong Nha.

Captain Caveman had a couple of hours spare before he needed to go to the Gala dinner so we went to Tree House for a pizza, I had one slice to try it and it was good. When the pick up car came, we said farewell and I went to Phong Nha Vegan. It was mega busy with lots of tourists, quite a few of them English so I helped with any questions and recommendations. I accidentally ended up with a vegan curry for dinner, which I’d not tried before. A customer had been trying to order Korean Sushi rolls but had hesitated over the first couple of syllables a couple of times. They got Korean Sushi rolls and curry which I took to the table of the confused customers. As it had been too busy for me to get any dinner yet, I had the curry they didn’t think they had ordered. It was amazing and I’d definitely have it again. After around 3 hours, I went to meet Captain Caveman and his group who were drinking beer at Dangerous Corner. I didn’t have a beer but I did help one of his guests buy a fruit juice at the Thien Duong stall. He looked Vietnamese, the stall holder is Vietnamese but I was the one speaking Vietnamese between the 2, as the customer was American and didn’t speak the lingo. Hung, Chung’s brother-in-law was part of the porter team having a beer too and I got a selfie with him. Back at Phong Nha Homestay, we set the alarm for the morning as Captain Caveman was off to Dong Hoi on the first of his 2 days off, for a medical check.