I think it’s fair to say that Wednesday 17th April could definitely have gone better! I was in a real tangle and could not function when Captain Caveman’s alarm went off at 6am. Our flight from Noi Ba airport in Hanoi left at 8.55am and Captain Caveman had to take one for the team and get me to the airport in my completely incapable state! He had left Lizzy’s key card at our reception when she had gone home without it and this caused some confusion with the receptionist. Captain Caveman had completely done the right thing getting to the airport earlier and by 7.30am I was checked in and lolling on a seat trying not to be sick or collapse. I don’t even remember leaving the hotel, the taxi ride to the airport or going through security. How Captain Caveman was functioning I do not know and, if it wasn’t for him, I would not have made it to the flight. Looking back I was still drunk as I’d had less than 4 hours of sleep and the most alcohol I’d drank since I missed my flight in Rhodes. I slept through the flight and was glad to get in to the Oxalis car at Dong Hoi airport. I was not so thrilled to be in the back of the pick up service for a customer who was quite sociable. Luckily, Captain Caveman was dealing with all the questions. We got to Phong Nha before midday and dropped me off at Phong Nha Homestay where we were staying for a few nights. I was so happy that the early check in was available and I got straight in to bed, only then realising I was still wearing last night’s clothes. Captain Caveman had his Oxalis briefing at 6pm and, quite frankly, I was so glad it wasn’t me who had to work tonight – I was broken. I’d eaten nothing all day so I managed a full fat coke and some crisps. It was weigh day, obviously I didn’t get weighed as I’d barely made it through the day before I knew what day it was. I took my measurements to find there was no change to my bust or hips and 1cm off my waist. I counted the syns for last week, including what I’d had last night (using photos) and Captain Caveman’s rather observant memory – it was the most I’d had in months at 323 syns. I went to sleep not even checking any of my messages or getting in touch with Amanda and Greg who had come to see us in Phong Nha for a week on their way back to Australia.
Captain Caveman and I were tucking in to Bo Ne at Mr Bull’s in Dong Hoi before 8am on Tuesday 9th April. Our flight from Dong Hoi to Hanoi was at 10.50am, meaning we would arrive in to the capital city just before midday. I was a bit cranky in Dong Hoi airport, as I had ordered what I thought was an oolong tea but it turned out to be a bottled sweet tea with tons of sugar. Captain Caveman often goes in to complete shutdown in an airport and doesn’t respond to being spoken to, he is so used to travelling alone that he spends the entire time on his phone and I find it rude. The flight was as expected and we arrived on time with plans to get the number 86 bus to Xuan Dieu to meet an old friend. Captain Caveman had arranged to meet Leonard, who used to live in Phong Nha, at a nice little Italian restaurant of Leonard’s choosing. We were meant to be meeting at Giovanni’s between 12.30 and 1pm but, unfortunately, there was a bit of a delay with our bus. There were quite a few pushy men at the bus station, asking where we were going and probably trying to get us to take an illegal taxi. Captain Caveman was having none of it and we both kept our wits about us as we saw what looked like a bit of scamming. We got on the bus and paid the 90,000VND (£2.84) for the pair of us to go to Xuan Dieu. We sat a while and then we were asked to get on another bus, which was further delayed and meant that Leonard was waiting a long time for us. We didn’t get going until 12.46pm and it meant we had about 15 minutes before the Giovanni’s kitchen closed at 2pm, once we arrived. We said hello to Leonard who was looking very well and was dining on a pesto pasta dish which Captain Caveman also ordered and I went for the tomato version. It was very tasty but I had started to feel a bit under the weather and had a bit of a cough. I put it down to the pollution as we walked Leonard back to his nearby apartment and said our goodbyes.
We walked, with our bags, to the Aisha Hotel where we were staying for 3 nights. It was very nice and it had a super comfy bed and no windows – ideal for getting to sleep in at last! There was no rest to be had though as we needed to get ready for the evening’s entertainment and, quite frankly, Captain Caveman had excelled himself with what he had up his sleeve!
Captain Caveman and I had been invited by his friends, Martin and Martina, to an evening event at the Czech Embassy in Hanoi. We arrived to a champagne reception and I was glad I had worn one of my new dresses, a black floor length number. There was a fundraiser for Blue Dragon where the founder, Do Duy Vi, was there to receive donations from an auction. The designer Mimi Lan Nguyen put on a fashion show which incorporated Vietnamese silk with Czech linen to raise money for the charity. Hynek Kmoníček, the Czech ambassador, was there to introduce it all and was quite an amusing speaker. Vi and Mimi were great and their stories were particularly moving, especially Vi who had grown up in poverty himself. There were stalls dotted around the outside of the building, my favourite being the Belgian chocolate one. We got to taste amazing chocolates by chocolatier Peter Rudolf Braun and it was so good. After the show there was a chance to mingle with the likes of the Finnish ambassador and his wife, both wearing big shiny rings. A buffet of fancy canapes was put on and I had 3 with a glass of red wine. Captain Caveman managed to snaffle down a considerable amount more than me but was still up for food and drink elsewhere later. I’d really enjoyed my evening of Vietnamese and Czech culture a lot more than I thought I would – definitely another first for me.
We left Martin and Martina to ‘finish their duties’ as they work at the embassy and we headed over to 7 Bridges where we arranged to meet back up with them. Here I drank cider as I was still trying to stay off the beer while Captain Caveman tried a couple of different IPAs. We also had some food, I had quesadillas and Captain Caveman had sausage. When Martin and Martina rejoined us we each had a slice of pizza too. It had been a great night, something a little different. Around 11pm we paid half each of our 1,580,000VND (£49.38) bill which consisted of 6 beers, 1 cider, 1 soft drink, 1 quesadilla, 1 sausage, and 4 slices of pizza. I was definitely glad of my bed that night and had a bit of a sore throat as I went to sleep.
On Monday 8th April at 7am the humidity was over 80% and my weather app said it would rain. Captain Caveman was convinced it wouldn’t and that it would be fine until we left for Dong Hoi at 4.15pm. At 8am Captain Caveman went to the Glass House and Oxalis to do work related stuff on his day off. At 10.30am I met Hoan and Chung at Phong Nha Vegan where I ordered the Vegan Pho for breakfast. What I didn’t realise is that I’d been invited to the communal lunch at 11am so I, obviously, didn’t join in on the food. I met the staff and established their ages so that I knew whether to call them em or chi. Yen, Thuong, Nhung, Ha, Thuong Hai and Phuong all introduced themselves. I didn’t meet Hanh, as she starts later in the day but I already knew her.
My next stop off was to The Villa’s to meet Captain Caveman, as we had 3 hours until our pick up car and Captain Caveman was peckish. He had lunch there and some drinks and, here’s what we had and the prices in Vietnamese Dong.
The Villa’s 2 cups of Jasmine tea 60,000 2 Huda beers 70,000 1 cheese & onion toastie 95,000 Total spent 225,000VND (£7.10)
Just as we were getting ready to leave to get back to Oxalis for the pick up car, it started to rain. I was wearing a low cut top so I got quite wet with no time to dry off as the driver was already early and waiting. I was cold in the car with the AC on and had to close the flaps for the 50 minute journey to the Minh Quang hotel in Dong Hoi. We got checked in to a nice room and were meant to be meeting Dung (aka Seven) and his family at Tree Hugger for dinner but he cancelled. I was looking forward to Tree Hugger so Captain Caveman and I went by ourselves. Unfortunately, Captain Caveman tried to order 2 meals which were both unavailable and he had to settle for fried spring rolls. I ordered the beef and vegetable stir fry with brown rice and we both had a white russian and then walked back to the hotel. Here’s the prices at Tree Hugger, they do a great White Russian;
Tree Hugger 1 Fried spring rolls 50,000 1 beef and veg rice plate 65,000 2 White Russian cocktails 120,000 Total paid 235,000VND (£7.42)
I had another live session booked in, about running my own business, so Captain Caveman went to meet Stu at the Korean BBQ place. My stomach wasn’t good so it was an early night as we were off to the airport in the morning.
Captain Caveman and I had plans for Friday 15th March which included our friend, Andrea. She was due to fly from Saigon on the same flight I’d taken 2 days ago, arriving in to Dong Hoi at 9am. We had arranged to meet her at the airport to pick her up and go to Phong Nha. But first, for breakfast we went to Mr Bull’s for Bo Ne again and, while we were there, Andrea messaged to say her flight was delayed. We thought it might be, as there was fog in Dong Hoi. At 10.15am we were sat in Dong Hoi airport waiting for the flight to come in. I noticed that the cafe sold pho for only 55,000VND (£1.73), which is reasonable. Once Andrea had arrived, we drove the 50km by private car, which Captain Caveman had booked through Oxalis, to Phong Nha. Captain Caveman had also booked 2 rooms at Lucky Homes for the weekend and we were able to check in before 12 noon, which was nice.
We were given a downstairs family room which was lovely with a massive bathroom. Andrea had an upstairs triple room and I gather we got the last 2 rooms of this perfectly located homestay. We have known Mr and Mrs Lucky Homes for 7 or 8 years, have eaten and drank at their riverside restaurant quite a lot but we’ve never stayed in their homestay. Captain Caveman already rents a room at the Glass House but it wasn’t in an ideal state for me to stay there at the moment so he preferred we stay in other places during my visit.
By 1.30pm Captain Caveman and Andrea were on the Huda beers at The Villas, which is a restaurant within Victory Road Villas hotel, owned by our friends Ben and Bich. I had a jasmine tea, determined not to have beer. The drinks were 30,000VND (95p) each which was still very reasonable given the location and quality of service.
Back at Lucky Homes we borrowed the free bicycles for guests and cycled to Tree House in town. We shared some wine; a bottle of the Francis Gillot red was 400,000VND (£12.79) and the Benjamin Mendy 450,000VND (£14.39) so quite reasonable. I preferred mine warm but Andrea and Captain Caveman popped ice in their red wine!
We cycled back to Lucky Homes to unpack and freshen up but then cycled back again to go out for dinner. Captain Caveman had chosen Ganesh, the only Indian restaurant in Phong Nha, and a massive favourite of ours. We had a feast to share between the three of us. These are the dishes and drinks with prices in Vietnamese Dong;
1 Huda beer 25,000 1 soda water 25,000 Saffron rice 49,000 Vegetable Samosas 60,000 Garlic Naan bread 60,000 Onion bhajis 85,000 Taka Dahl 98,000 Chicken 65 115,000 Chicken Tikka 120,000 1 bottle of red wine 270,000 Total spent 907,000VND (£29.00)
I’ve not had an Indian meal for a while so I wasn’t sure if that was good value but it seemed it to me and there was more than enough food for the 3 of us – we even took some back to the homestay. On our way back we had to have a couple of drinks at The Villas again for good measure. Andrea and I had margaritas which were still as good as I remembered them, 180,000VND (£5.78) each. Captain Caveman had gin and tonic. It’s worth noting that the bar closes at 10pm and we were certainly pushing that deadline a little as we paid up and went off to get some sleep. I didn’t know it at the time but Andrea and Captain Caveman had plans to wear me out tomorrow.
It was quite cold in Dong Hoi in comparison to Saigon so I wore my jeggings on Thursday 14th March. Obviously, Captain Caveman was up early but I managed to stay in bed until 7.30am. As I’d missed (Not So) Fat Club in Dalyan yesterday, I did my measurements to find that the results were terrible; Bust +1cm, Waist +3cm, Hips +2cm. I put it down to having had 298 syns in the week and water retention. Humidity was much higher here and I could feel my ankles swelling already and I was quite tired. By 8am I was on my way down in the lift to meet Captain Caveman at Mr Bull, as he’d gone on ahead. We only had one more day and night in Dong Hoi so we had a very full itinerary today. Mr Bull is one of our favourite places for breakfast in Dong Hoi as it has the best Bo Ne. The Vietnamese breakfast dish comes on a sizzling skillet and comprises, steak, sausage, pâté, onions, salad garnish, fried egg and a baguette. I obviously donated the ingredients I don’t like to Captain Caveman who ended up with a massive portion of it and I just had the steak, onion and bread.
Our next adventure was to go to the cinema as Captain Caveman wanted to watch Dune 2. I was reluctant as I don’t like that genre of film and haven’t seen Dune 1. But when I was told we were loading up on treats and it was 3 hours in a comfortable seat, I changed my mind. I wasn’t allowed Dairy Milk chocolate bars which were only 20,000VND (63p) but Peanut M&Ms and Korean crisps were in the basket. We paid 180,000VND (£5.71) for 2 cinema tickets and we needn’t have been tight by smuggling in our own snacks as the popcorn, drinks and hotdog combos were reasonably priced. As we took our allocated seats I knew I was going to have a bit of a nap as the massive seats were so good. Captain Caveman loved the film, I thought it was a bit boring and went on for far too long. I had a couple of naps and got confused that Josh Brolin’s character wasn’t the same person as Javier Bardem’s. After the film, we went to the Gold shop so that Captain Caveman could change some money. We walked through the market to the bag repair man so that I could get my bag stitched where it had torn. We left the bag there and said we would come back after lunch.
Ngon Saigon Deli is another one of our go to places for a cheap and tasty lunch. We both had pork, broken rice and veggies for 42,000VND (£1.33) and Captain Caveman had his with a fried egg for an extra 7,000VND (22p). He had a cold Huda beer at a bargain 15,000VND (48p) and I had a peach and lemongrass iced tea for 25,000VND (79p). A small vegetable soup each was served for free. We both really enjoyed our meal which was less than £5 for everything and I couldn’t even finish all of mine. Feeling full, we still had lots more errands to run so we got a taxi to the porter sandal shop where we both got a new pair for about 140,000VND (£4.44). We tried to call in to see Thuy, the physio, but the premises had moved. On the way back in to Dong Hoi, we called at the bike shop so that Captain Caveman could buy a new cycling helmet, the wine shop where we picked up 2 bottles of red, the pharmacy where Captain Caveman stocked up on essential medications and then the phone shop. I needed a Viettel SIM card and the staff member took my passport and my photo, more than a few times, but couldn’t get them to match up. We were in there about 40 minutes before she wrote in Google translate on her phone that they were sorry that at this time I could not get a SIM card as my face in real life and the one in my passport don’t match. My passport photo is 7 years old and I know I’ve lost weight but I had managed to get on 4 flights this month with it, fine. I wasn’t too happy but there was nothing I could do about not having a phone and we would try again in Phong Nha, this weekend. Before we went back to the hotel, we went to collect my bag which cost just 10,000VND (32p) to get fixed and then we walked round the corner to have a fresh coconut before getting a Grab back to the Minh Quang hotel.
We had arranged to meet Stu, Max, Jack and Aussie Pete at a fancy new bar in Dong Hoi in the evening. Captain Caveman had been to Regal Legend once before and it was like a very small version of a Marina Bay Sands style rooftop pool and bar. On walking up the stairs to the bar, we were met by 2 staff who presented us with a big board showing the drinks menu. Captain Caveman chose a Huda beer and I opted for a margarita. We sat at a nice table by the pool and I took a few photos of the lovely new place, while waiting for the drinks and our friends. We’d hoped for a sunset view but it was cloudy and Captain Caveman was left disappointed when the bar man explained that they didn’t have any Huda beer, only Tiger Crystal. He had that and I was totally taken off guard by my margarita, which seemed to be more like a vodka martini with Cointreau and lime juice in it. The alcohol content was high so I didn’t complain but I didn’t have another one. When Aussie Pete arrived he was also a bit perturbed that he couldn’t get a Huda beer and had to have the more expensive Tiger Crystal at 22,000VND (70p). I decided I wanted to have a glass of wine but they didn’t serve it by the glass, only the bottle, with the cheapest one being unavailable and the next cheapest red being 618,000VND (£19.52). Captain Caveman was up for treating me so I went over to the bar to look at the bottles where the 2 bottles I checked had been opened. I decided against the wine and chose a whiskey coke from the menu which started a chain of confusion. Neither of the staff were happy with my choice as they didn’t have any coke. I didn’t believe this and decided to nip to the toilet downstairs while the staff tried to find me my ‘cocktail’ ingredients. At the same time Aussie Pete and Captain Caveman ordered 2 more Tiger beers.
At the bottom of the stairs was a fridge, interestingly it’s contents were 2 shelves of Pepsi, one shelf of 7Up, one of water and the last of cold Huda beers. The bottom shelf of Huda beer had just 2 Tiger beers left, which the waitress was getting out. I went to the loo where staff were taking selfies and drinking coffees in there. I went back upstairs to reluctantly let the guys know there was Huda in the fridge. Jack had arrived and Stu was on his way but we all were laughing at the beer situation. I’d been given a large Jack Daniels and 3 staff were now arguing about not having a coke, with a Pepsi in their possession. I took the can, they looked confused and the guys all ordered Huda. When they said there was none, I produced a photo to show the fridge and they dutifully brought them. We weren’t allowed to knock up a tab and had to pay as we went but Huda beers were only 15,000VND (47p), which was ridiculously funny for Stu and Aussie Pete who didn’t have small notes. They forgot Aussie Pete’s change, overcharged Captain Caveman and didn’t think it was weird to charge Stu on a bank transfer for one beer at once. My Jack Daniels and Pepsi was 99,000VND (£3.28) on the menu but I’d definitely ended up with a larger serving than it should have been. We only went there because Stu’s mate worked there. We learned he’d quit when he didn’t get paid over the Tet holiday so we probably wouldn’t be going back in a hurry. They didn’t serve dinner (probably a good job they didn’t) so we left there and went back to Oregano for the second day running. Just Aussie Pete, Captain Caveman and I made it for food where Captain Caveman ordered a potato and bacon pizza. Aussie Pete and I both ordered the spaghetti carbonara which was really nice for 50,000VND (£1.58). Once again, it was an early night as we would be getting up early tomorrow to pick up our friend from the airport, then head to Phong Nha.
I checked out of the Common Inn at just before 5am on Wednesday 13th March. I’d really enjoyed my 4 night stay there and for a total of 3 million Vietnamese Dong (£95.11), it was definitely worth it. By 5.30am I was checked in at Tan Son Nhat airport for my flight to Dong Hoi. Vietnamese Airlines didn’t give a stuff how many cases I had and let me check 2 in. I didn’t board for over an hour so I had a walk around the airport and noted that the Burger King Cheese Burger and fries were 169,000VND (£5.36) but the Pho at Big Bowl was only 132,000VND (£4.18) for the ordinary beef. Vietnam airports in comparison to UK and Turkey seem not to be quite as much of a rip off, but are still far more expensive than in the towns. My flight was on time and we landed before 9am. Mr Minh Quang was there at Dong Hoi airport, with a sign and a smile, to meet me. He took my bags and spoke great English as we went over to the car. Once at the hotel, around 9.20am, I was able to check-in early and I went for a lay down. I fell asleep immediately and only woke up when Captain Caveman knocked on the door. We had a late brunch at Tree Hugger, walking distance from our hotel, which I’d missed a lot. We both had the refreshing frozen lime and mint drinks, Captain Caveman ordered his favourite egg salad sandwich and I tried the yellow smoothie bowl for the healthier choice. Our meals cost 50,000VND (£1.58) and 60,000VND (£1.90) which was reasonable and I noticed that the White Russians were still the same price as last year.
As we were in Dong Hoi we had arranged to meet Stu and the boys for dinner and, as a treat, Aussie Pete would join us too. Stu chose the Laotian BBQ place to meet but I had to insist that Captain Caveman and I would go for cocktails at Tree Hugger first. I knew the BBQ place, which I’d never been to before, would only have beer to drink and I wasn’t going to have any. We had 2 White Russians each at only 60,000VND (£1.90) each and they were so good. On arrival at the Laotian BBQ place I could already sense that it was very basic and I was concerned about hygiene. Captain Caveman, Stu and Aussie Pete were on the beers but I just ordered bottled water. Stu recommended the beef jerky and the sausage, of which Captain Caveman devoured. I couldn’t stomach trying it as it looked greasy so I just had sticky rice with peanut salt. We had some pork scratchings that come in a packet and were tasty. I needed the toilet and went in the back to find it. Unfortunately, I saw one of the staff/owners scraping animal parts (raw and cooked) in to a gutter which was congealed with fat and blood and I almost puked over the closest customer as I turned to leave. I would have had to step over the waste gunk to access the not so sparkling squat toilet and I just couldn’t face it. When Captain Caveman ordered and ate chicken feet, it was game over for me. I made the mistake of comparing it to the time we’d ate at the bird restaurant with Thuy, the physio, and I had to leave. I was dry wretching as I walked back to the hotel trying my best not to be sick. I got ready for bed, expecting Captain Caveman to make a night of it with Aussie Pete. By 8.30pm, Captain Caveman had returned to the hotel to get me and we were off to Oregano for pizza and beers for him, water for me. I still felt rather queasy but did manage to share some of the lovely Hawaiian and Vegetarian pizzas. Oregano was nice but it closed at 9pm and we were back at the hotel for an early night. In Dong Hoi and Phong Nha it’s common to be in bed by 10pm.
It was suddenly time to leave Phong Nha, on Saturday 24th June I’d woken up at the Glass House for the last time this year. Our flight from Dong Hoi to Saigon wasn’t until 5.40pm but I still needed to finish packing. Captain Caveman gave me a suitcase to use and I put as much stuff in as I could. We cycled to Oxalis as Captain Caveman needed to go to the office to do a couple of things and confirm our car to the airport which would come about 3.15pm. We both needed haircuts and had not had time to book them in, fortunately Captain Caveman had made appointments for both of us from 9.30am this morning. I went first, while Captain Caveman did work related things then he followed. I was the only customer as it was so early but it was going to be a hot day in Phong Nha. Nghien, our hairdresser, is affectionately called Onion by the foreigners in Phong Nha due to them not being able to say the Vietnamese pronunciation when they first got here. She’s a good hairdresser but speaks very little English so the men get a shave and short back and sides, while the women get the same haircut that Nghien herself has. I didn’t bother with a colour this time as we were in a rush but I did have a wash, head massage (which was amazing), cut and blow dry for just 100,000vnd (£3.30), a quarter of the price I pay in Dalyan and almost a tenth of the price in England. Captain Caveman went next and had the usual full works while I cycled home to finish packing.
I felt bad that there were still friends in Phong Nha who I’d not had chance to see but now there was no more time left, 30 day visas just weren’t enough. I’d been away for 6 weeks in total and it had gone so fast with still lots of things to do and see not having made it. By midday I was packed and we were having left over pizza for lunch. We still had not drunk the red wine or the champagne we bought in Thailand so Captain Caveman decided we would take the fizz with us. We were booked in at the Common Inn for 3 nights, a hotel we often stay at and really like the location of. It was too busy for us to stay any longer so Captain Caveman found us somewhere else to stay for the rest of the holiday. At 2pm we cycled to the nearest beer place, on the corner next to the Volley Ball court, on the way to the Jungle Boss homestay. We had farewell beers, at only 15,000vnd (50p) each, with Buu and Kat before I had to go back to get a shower before the car came.
Unfortunately, the car was late but finally, we were on our way to Dong Hoi airport, about 50km away from Phong Nha. Check-in was swift, we got seats sat together at the back of the plane and we could board at 5pm. Beers were an outrageous 40,000vnd (£1.32) at the airport so I didn’t bother, I’d taken some water. Captain Caveman had a couple of beers with 2 of his customers and I had some biscuits from the small shop. As I was paying the 65,000vnd (£2.15) for them, the cashier started hitting her colleague with them so I had to snatch them off her and tell her not to do that – broken biscuits anyone!? By 5.40pm we were on our way to Saigon, bye for now Phong Nha.
When we landed at Ho Chi Minh airport, Captain Caveman was reunited with 3 of his guests from the last Son Doong tour and I took a group photo while we waited for my luggage. The ‘no drama’ taxi to District 2 (Thao Dien) was 252,000vnd (£8.32) and, of course, we were both quite peckish by the time we arrived. ‘When in Rome’ we decided Baba’s Kitchen would be a great idea and got there before it closed to have an amazing Indian meal. They had Sapporo beer on draft so we both had a couple of pints of that, we shared poppadoms and samosas for starters but then Captain Caveman had Chicken 65 and and a Masala Dosa (both with lots of chillies in), I had a chicken tikka roll. The food was great and I really enjoyed our first meal in Saigon. Here’s what we paid for our delicious Indian meal; 2 plain poppadoms Free 2 spicy poppadoms 50,000 Chicken Samosa 85,000 Chicken 65 150,000 Masala Dosa 175,000 Chicken Tikka roll 135,000 4 Sapporo 240,000 Vat 83,500 Total spent 918,500vnd (£30.31)
It wasn’t the cheapest meal I’d had in Vietnam but it was certainly good value for money and we both love Baba’s Kitchen. We walked back to the hotel as it wasn’t far and we were both a bit tired from a full day. The place we had chosen to stay is an old favourite and at only 750,000vnd (£24.75) per night for a double room in Thao Dien it was perfect for us. Tomorrow we had an extremely busy day planned so it was good to get some rest at the Common Inn.
Bravely, I stepped on the hotel scales on the morning of Sunday 11th June in the Melia Vin Pearl hotel. I had put on 4.3kg since I was in Sapa 18 days ago – that’s almost 9.5lbs if the scales were accurate! My measurements weren’t too good either, with 1cm on my bust and hips and another 3cm increase on my waist. Captain Caveman and I, undeterred by my weight gain, still went to the all you can eat breakfast in the hotel and had lots of delicious food. Looking out of the hotel window, it looked cloudy outside but it was deceptively hot and sunny, very humid. Captain Caveman and I had a walk to the pharmacy and Winmart to pick up some essentials, I also wanted to buy contraceptive pills as they were increasing in price in Turkey and often unavailable. Unfortunately, the ones I wanted weren’t available at any of the pharmacies near the hotel. We bought Oresol from the Medicare shop for 17,300vnd (57p) but they don’t do medication, it’s more like a Superdrug type of place.
Here’s what we bought at the supermarket:
1.5l water 9,300 200g peanuts 22,600 100g dried mango 33,600 Pack of 12 toilet rolls 57,000 1 Tupperware tub 65,200 Total spent 187,700vnd (£6.19)
We checked out from a lovely stay at Melia Vin Pearl hotel at midday and asked to leave our bags. Although it was Captain Caveman’s second day of not working he was asked by Oxalis if he could pick up some guests from the train station later. He agreed and we planned to while away the afternoon hours in Dong Hoi. I was also fine with this as it meant we got to visit some new places and a couple of old favourites while there.
Captain Caveman had been recommended by our friend, Phuong (now in Canada), that The Ayatt Coffee cafe in Dong Hoi was a pretty relaxing place to pass a couple of hours. I ordered a pot of rose tea and Captain Caveman had a coffee and a smoothie. It wasn’t cheap but it was rather good and I’d definitely go again. When a coach party of Vietnamese families with loud kids came in, we left.
Here’s what we paid; 1 black coffee 35,000 1 passion fruit smoothie 40,000 1 pot of rose tea 120,000 Total spent 195,000vnd (£6.44)
I really liked this place, it was close to the physio I spent so many hours at in the past but, as it was a Sunday, Thuy wouldn’t be there to go and visit. It was also a walk, which felt longer in the sun and without a sun hat, to the hospital pharmacies. They did have an alternative contraceptive pill which was double my dose. The engineer in Captain Caveman came in to force when he suggested I buy double the amount but take one every 2 days to counteract the strength. I decided to buy it and they cost 492,000vnd (£16.24) for 6 packets of 21 tablets, which by Captain Caveman’s calculations would last 9 months. In Turkey this would have cost me over £50 but, granted, still cheaper than the cost of a baby at aged 50!
Next, we decided to get a taxi to 7th Heaven restaurant, the driver wasn’t a registered taxi and he looked either drugged or like he’d been crying (maybe both). We got there unscathed and Captain Caveman just gave him the usual amount when he tried to ask for more. We ordered beers and sweet potato fries to start us off. I love the sweet potatoes in Vietnam, they look like normal potatoes but taste amazing. For main, I thought I’d try to go a little healthier with a chicken breast salad, Captain Caveman had a steak baguette. When mine came it was covered in mayonnaise, I hate mayonnaise so couldn’t touch the salad at all but the Vietnamese love mayo, they even put it on pizzas with sweet chilli sauce! The chicken and roasted garlic was very nice but Captain Caveman enjoyed his lunch more than I did.
Our next stop was Tree Hugger for one of those iced mint and lime drinks which are definitely my new favourite. At 5.30pm we went back to the hotel to retrieve our bags and wait for the Oxalis pick up car. While we were there, the message came that the train was delayed by 1 hour. The train ended up being 2 and a half hours late so we had to wait at the train station for far too long. Luckily the temperature had dropped to below 30°C and there was a squat toilet to use. We met the guests who were the very last people off the train and drove to Phong Nha while Captain Caveman did his introductory chat. We dropped them off at Son Doong Bungalow where guests stay before their big cave trip and we got dropped at Oxalis. The car park where our bicycles were, was locked as it was gone 9.30pm so Captain Caveman had to get the security guard to unlock it for us. Bluey, wondering where we’d been, was rather whizzy on the way back to the Glass House. It had been an eventful weekend and I was ready for bed. I’d given up wishing for a lay in and looked forward to one of those back in Turkey next month!
Captain Caveman was not scheduled to work for the next 5 days so we had a busy day planned on Saturday 10th June. Of course, a day off would not be a day off without the need to go to Oxalis to sort some work stuff out! While sat by the river, I noticed that our neighbouring apartment in Dalyan was being advertised for renting out, using old photos. It looked like the Russians who’d been there for months were no longer there or were about to move out. It was likely I’d have new neighbours when I got back to Dalyan! By 9.40am I had ordered myself some breakfast at Oxalis Home and was tucking in to a Bo Ne without the eggs, forgetting I didn’t like the sweet baguettes.
It was Stu’s 50th birthday celebrations in Dong Hoi tonight so we had decided to make a trip of it and stay at the Vin Pearl hotel, another of my favourites. We got the Oxalis staff bus and were dropped off near the town centre where we then had to get a Grab taxi to the hotel. It had changed to now be a Melia hotel and they had made a few changes. As it was the weekend, the cost of the room including breakfast for the 2 of us was 1,650,646vnd (£54.47) but, given its 5 star like status, that was not a bad price. They let us check in early, we had a good welcome and a note from the manager, which I always find nice. We decided to go to get some lunch, given that we knew we would be getting on the booze later. Captain Caveman and I both chose the pork place but it turns out we had different places in our heads. We ended up at the one Captain Caveman and Stu recommended where we ordered 2 pork dishes a lemon juice and a beer for a total of 131,000vnd (£4.32). We also got a free winter melon soup included so that was a bargain but I wasn’t a fan of the soup. My pork, rice and salad was very good though and I’d eat there again if it wasn’t for the 4 staff all being on their phones on full volume, one playing games!
Back at the hotel, we decided to have a bubble bath, the robes that I used to love so much had changed! Gone were the brightly printed ones, that Josh had once attempted to go to breakfast in, and they were replaced by the white thick towelling ones – too hot to wear. There was a knock at the door and I had to leave Captain Caveman in the bath while I answered it, still covered in bubbles, to an embarrassed young staff member. She had brought us a welcome cake and delivered it in to the room while I shouted to Captain Caveman to lower the bathroom blind. I got dressed, even dried my hair and popped on Carol’s white dress with the marked pocket. We were about to go to an unconventional 50th birthday celebration!
Stu had told us to be at the Ra Khoi bar on the beach at 5.30pm. We arrived late on account of me eating cake in the hotel but we were the first to arrive. There were some shirtless locals in the bar but they were nothing to do with Stu. We got a beer each and sat overlooking the beach until Stu, Max and Jack arrived. When they did, I was clearly overdressed and, not long after, I found I was the only female attendee. It was going to be one of those parties, as the rest of the motley crew of guests arrived and headed on to the beach. Captain Caveman and I agreed a password for emergency evacuation, just in case. We decided the first 2 items on the shopping list, used in tandem, would be the signal for us to leave if it got too lively for us!
Dong Hoi airport is very close by
By the time I’d had 6 of the small Huda beers I was getting peckish so Captain Caveman and I decided to get a taxi back to town for dinner at Tree Hugger. We both had burgers, shared some fries and had a cheeky White Russian, again the diet was clearly on hold. The food was lovely and it wasn’t even 9pm so we took a taxi to rejoin Stu’s 50th birthday celebrations, which had now moved on to his own home. One of the cool dudes from the beach was DJing, it was very hot, I had 1 more beer and danced, mainly by myself. I noticed all the guys were disappearing upstairs but not many were coming back down – it was time to wang out the safe word to Captain Caveman. I’d forgotten the first 2 things on the shopping list but then managed to get ‘Broom Crackers’ out over the music. I was surprised we had lasted until midnight on just 7 beers and a White Russian. We’d had a great time but when the fan had to be used for the decks instead of the makeshift dancefloor I was just too hot to function – I was getting old!
I was woken up by Captain Caveman sneezing at 5.40am on Saturday 20th May. It was going to be another hot day and I didn’t get up until 6.45am. Even though Captain Caveman had a day off today, he still had to go to the Oxalis office to sort some work related things out. We cycled there for 8am and sat overlooking the river at Oxalis Home cafe. The views were beautiful and the river was busy with boats going to and from Phong Nha cave, as it often is on the weekend. We ordered Bo Ne for our breakfast which is new to the menu since my last visit. I don’t eat the eggs so I gave them to Captain Caveman and I had some of his sausage. I found it to be really tasty although I wasn’t so keen on the bread which has sugar in here. After breakfast, we went back home and made sure Bluey, my bicycle, was popped away safely as we were off on our holidays this afternoon. We got our bags (hand luggage only) and went on Trigger, the motorbike, back to Oxalis. Captain Caveman had booked us seats on the Oxalis bus to Dong Hoi, but we actually got to share a car with 2 of the staff. It was a pleasant 45 minute drive and we got dropped off at Tree Hugger, one of my favourite cafes.
They had some new iced drinks on the menu which were made of mint, lime and soda water slushy and I loved them. There’s plenty of fans at Tree Hugger, but no AC so the drinks were very much needed. We ordered some lunch and I was trying to be healthy so had the beef and vegetable stir fry with brown rice. It’s one of my favourite dishes, Captain Caveman had his favourite egg salad sandwich and we were given complimentary passion fruit and water melon. Next we decided that it wouldn’t be a Tree Hugger visit without a White Russian cocktail as the afternoon sun got very sweaty. Captain Caveman paid so I didn’t take a note of the bill but it’s very reasonably priced.
Our next jaunt was a short taxi ride over to see Stu and the boys at their new house. My ankles were swelling up from the heat so I drank water, while Captain Caveman cracked on with Stu, drinking beers. By 3pm I had my feet in the pond, letting the fish nibble my toes. At 4.30pm we got a taxi back in to Dong Hoi town to meet a friend and ex colleague of Captain Caveman’s, who’d had a baby since I last saw her.
We met Thao at a small cafe where I had a mango smoothie and we played with baby Anh. It was lovely to see them after all this time and the cafe near her house was good and cheap. By 5.30pm we were in a taxi, on the way to Dong Hoi airport where we were flying with Bamboo airways to Hanoi, I was hoping for a bit cooler weather.
We got good exit row seats on the plane and were in Hanoi by 8.30pm. Captain Caveman had booked us a room at Aquarius Grand Hotel near Hoan Kiem Lake for 2 nights. That evening he chose a nearby Indian restaurant for dinner. Aalishan was a small Indian restaurant with mainly all Indian customers so this was a good sign. We shared onion bhajis without incident but then my chicken tikka masala was so spicy I couldn’t eat it. I ate rice and nan bread, tried my chicken dish with loads of yoghurt in but my mouth was still on fire. Back at the hotel, I had a bad stomach because of the chillies but hoped the swelling would go down because we had planned to go clothes shopping tomorrow!
I was in the reception of the Common Inn hotel at 5.20am on Monday 15th May, wishing I’d had more sleep and looking like shit! I was bobbing about with sea sickness symptoms which must have been caused by jet lag. There was no time for breakfast, not that anywhere was open, and we were checked in and sat in a busy Saigon airport at 6.15am. By 7.20am we were sat next to each other on the plane to Dong Hoi, which isn’t a given with Captain Caveman. I’d already arranged to not do any work today due to travelling and spending time with Captain Caveman before he was in the cave for 4 days. On the same flight was Captain Caveman’s friend, Phuong, who was returning to Phong Nha to do another Oxalis cave tour.
We’d arranged to meet friends in Dong Hoi for a very early lunch so we got a taxi to Buffalo Home & Chill Bar. I was already hungry so we ordered some spring rolls and a drink to keep us going, as we were early. Captain Caveman was happy to be back in his province of Quang Binh, while I was already having issues with the extreme heat. Dong Hoi is by the sea so there is some breeze, allbeit a warm one, so Phong Nha was definitely going to be more of a challenge for me. Jack was the first to arrive, we said hellos and he and Captain Caveman grabbed a beer. It was still too early for me to have alcohol though. Stu and Max arrived shortly after and they both ordered beers and, as they were in their lunch hour, we ordered food. Captain Caveman and I shared the pork ribs while the lads had burgers or curry. I succumbed to a beer with my dinner as it only seemed right for our welcome back lunch. Trang arrived shortly after and just had a drink with us while she was back in town. It was good to see everyone and even Captain Caveman was happy I was finally here. The food was great and I was enjoying eating pork in Vietnam.
We had a car coming to pick us up at 12.30pm because Captain Caveman had to get back for his Son Doong briefing tonight. He needed to go to the Oxalis office so it was decided that I would be dropped off at Victory Road Villas (VRV). It’s one of the more up market places in town, owned by Ben and Bich, halfway between town and where Captain Caveman was living now. He was back staying at the Glass House, our original place, because he was mostly in the jungle so didn’t need to be paying for anywhere fancy with a pool. Captain Caveman took my suitcase home while I had a light refreshment then he came back to join me. We had some drinks and even had a dip in the pool before it was time for Captain Caveman to go to work. I spent the afternoon at VRV, drinking beer and having a loll about on a sun bed – I may have fell asleep on one of the very comfy loungers.
By 6.30pm I was hungry so decided to sample dinner at The Villa’s restaurant. The menu was very similar to the last time I’d been here, 9 months ago, with just a few changes. I had the vegetarian fresh spring rolls for a starter which are 80,000vnd (£2.64) and very healthy. I left the soy sauce dip as I find it a bit too strong. For main, I chose the chicken and bacon sandwich (no mayo) forgetting it came with chips. At 180,000vnd (£5.94) it’s good value and a generous portion. I was still eating it when Captain Caveman returned from his briefing so he had another beer. Beers for 330ml were 35,000vnd (£1.16) which are the most expensive in town but do come with an iced glass, ice and are cold. Back home, via a short motorbike ride on Trigger, I was shocked to see the Glass House was lacking a bit of TLC, somewhat. There was no internet and the bathroom tap had broken so Captain Caveman had tied it up with string to turn it off. I was going to be roughing it a bit these next few days but I didn’t mind too much, at least I could catch up on some much needed sleep while Captain Caveman was away.
I had a woolly head when the alarm went off at 7am on Sunday 7th August and I wasn’t fit for anything! Captain Caveman had to persuade me to get up and get ready as we were off to Dong Hoi on a shopping trip. We haven’t had the shopping trips with the Phong Nha Farmstay this year, which I used to like as they rarely left so early! The weekly trips had stopped running during the pandemic and never restarted, I guess because there were no other monthly renters so it didn’t warrant just taking us. While Captain Caveman had been working so much he didn’t need to go as often and I made do with whatever we had in the freezer. Captain Caveman had booked an Oxalis car and driver and he was here early. Rain had been forecast so we hoped to get some shopping done, meet a friend and get back before any predicted stormy weather. We got our usual driver, Dung, who’s always nice and friendly but professional. He also keeps the car clean and has the AC on, so we had a comfortable drive to Dong Hoi. By 9am our Bo Ne from Mr Bull’s was ordered and we were sipping the free tea, I was feeling somewhat delicate. I had my steak breakfast without eggs and it actually sorted me out a bit, until I started with a bad stomach.
We went to the Co-op Mart where we spent about 1.4 million vnd (£50) on groceries, including 4 bargain bottles of Merlot. Our next stop was the WinMart where we spent 666,000vnd (£24). For those wondering how we had managed to spend £74 on shopping (and we weren’t finished yet), here’s what we had bought in the supermarkets;
Co-op Mart 1 white carrot 7,134 1 lemon soda 8,500 Tissues 13,000 Hand sanitizer 14,900 3 carrots 15,667 Pasta 23,000 2 red peppers 26,733 Passion fruit 28,106 2 packets of crisps 36,000 3 mangos 64,326 Mushrooms 64,900 6 soda waters 105,000 3 cartons orange juice 132,900 4 bottles of red wine 612,000
Total spent 666,100vnd (£24). Butter seemed to be a similar price to the UK and Turkey and airfryers were now all the rage. There had not been any white wine in either of the supermarkets so I suggested we try the Wine Plaza, at the back of the Vincom centre.
Our next stop at the Wine Plaza was a bit unusual; we walked in to a birthday celebration of the owner. They had us join in the photos in front of the flowers and then gave us both a glass of red to join in. They were lovely people and we ended up in there for much more than the 5 minutes we told the driver. We left having bought 3 bottles of nice white wine, one of which was 900,000vnd (£32.40), the other 2 much cheaper. This was all before lunch time and we were meeting Thao at 11.30am for Banh khoai, crispy pancakes. Before that we went to QB Casa where Captain Caveman had a juice and I had a peach tea.
It was great to see Thao as we had not seen her for a while, we all ate the same thing and it was a little bit of a wait for the food because it’s so popular. After lunch we went around the corner for fresh coconut, sat opposite the market. Back home we watched a bit of tree moving from outside of Elements and chilled out by the pool. We finished off a lovely day with crisps, fresh sandwiches and white wine. I got a message from my mate who arrives in Dalaman airport 3 hours after I do to say we could meet up and we pencilled in Ölüdeniz or Fethiye for the 29th.
We were awake early, in Hue, on Thursday 28th July and still had a lot to pack in to our morning. The Purple Hue Homestay bed had been super comfy and it had been a nice 1 night stay for us. After packing our bags, ready for check out later, at noon, we went out for breakfast. It was unbearably hot in Hue and the sun and UV were so strong. Captain Caveman had decided on The Nook Eatery, where he’d been before, and it was lovely. The waitress was friendly and really sweet, with good English, she even gave us a card with some key Vietnamese phrases on and asked us to say them with her. Captain Caveman ordered a bacon, egg and tomato muffin and I went for a full fry up. I had a pot of earl grey tea and a juice, Captain Caveman had coffee and also juice. The food was very good and we enjoyed our breakfast. I gave Captain Caveman my sausage as I was full and didn’t want to be having a reaction on the long journey back.
Captain Caveman’s photos in Hue
Our next stop was to a coffee shop which Captain Caveman had been to before for salted caramel coffee, called Tan cafe. As soon as we walked in I had an overwhelming urge to get out; it was hot, smokey and stuffy and the smell of coffee was overpowering. I sat down, ordered a lemon juice and Captain Caveman ordered his salted caramel coffee. He messaged friends Vu and Ngoc to meet up and then we had to move tables as I was too hot. On the next table I started coughing, constantly and I felt like I needed to leave. Captain Caveman was disappointed and couldn’t understand what was wrong with me but he called me a taxi and off I went back to the homestay. As soon as I got outside I stopped coughing and felt so much better. I hate cigarette smoke anyway, but because I’m not used to it, I was coughing a lot. The taxi dropped me off somewhere near the homestay but it wasn’t obvious where, so Captain Caveman had to direct me to it over the phone. He had a great time and more salted caramel coffees with Vu, Ngoc and their daughter at Tan cafe and was back to check out, just before noon.
Captain Caveman had decided we would go to a cafe near to the train station where we could have another drink and wait until our train at 1.50pm. We got a taxi from Purple Hue Homestay to Mémoire Café, which was really lovely. It was open air so the heat was still an issue but there were lots of fans and we sat in the shaded area. The staff had been trained to be super polite and professional and kept themselves busy. On display was a violin and a cute canary, who was singing away. I ordered a drink which was one of the most unusual but refreshing cold drinks I’ve ever had and I couldn’t even tell you what was in it while Captain Caveman chose what he thought would be a simple orange juice but it came in a fancy bottle. We also got served and were topped up with complimentary water as we sat there for over an hour.
We walked to the train station which was just a few minutes away and were drenched in sweat by the time we got to the very full waiting room, where there were no seats left. There were 2 massage chairs available but if you sat on them the alarm went off so we stood and waited. The train got delayed but, by 2.30pm, we were on our way to Dong Hoi in our soft seats.
Aside from the guy across from us playing his phone loudly, which is now standard behaviour, the train journey was bearable. I messaged Maya at the Phong Nha Farmstay to let her know we were on our way back and I sent her a copy of my new visa stamp, for my last 30 days in Vietnam. When we arrived at Dong Hoi train station, it was the busiest I’d seen it for Western tourists, in a while. We even bumped in to Duyet who was herding tourists up the street and seemed very busy. Our Oxalis driver, Dung, was already waiting and I was glad it was him as I like his driving. When we got home, I unpacked my bag while Captain Caveman got on with making a Carbonara. We didn’t have much in stock but tomorrow Captain Caveman had to go to Dong Hoi for a medical and would call at the supermarket. It was just gone 9pm when we opened our last bottle of Primitivo red wine and ate our delicious dinner. The last 6 days, celebrating Captain Caveman’s birthday and me getting in and out of Vietnam, had been great fun but now it was time to have fun in Phong Nha for a bit.
Having been awake most of the night due to the storm, I woke up to nice weather on Wednesday 13th July. Our mate, Stu, had invited me over to his place for lunch with Tatas today and I was looking forward to that. Because their house is a bit far for me to walk, and is slightly too far to cycle in hot sun, Stu arranged for me to get picked up. Jack, Stu’s son, came to collect me on his motorbike and I was a bit apprehensive at first. He’s very experienced in riding motorbikes solo, despite only being 16, but I wasn’t sure if he’d taken a (heavy) passenger like me before. I have my own crash helmet so I was ok and he went fairly slowly through the countryside lanes. Tatas didn’t know the way so she followed from my place, which meant I could have had a lift with her if I’d known. Stu’s home is a fab 4 bedroom house with a large pool and open plan living/dining/kitchen area. It has plenty of space and great bathrooms – they even have sunken baths! It’s in the Cu Nam area which is higher up than where we are, in Khuong Ha, so is a safe place, even in flood season. Did I mention that it is currently up for sale and at a great price too? If anyone is in the market for a property near to Phong Nha and Dong Hoi they could get an amazing property at the Belafonte, as it’s nicknamed. It was the first time that Tatas had been for a visit as she had been busy with work so it was good to see her on her day off. We were given beers with ice as we sat down at the huge kitchen table to catch up on what the boys had been up to. We ordered East Hill chicken for lunch, which was fantastic, chatted a bit more and drank a few beers. Stu is not normally a drinker these days but he joined us for a couple of cold ones on this hot day. Tatas had forgotten her swimmers but that didn’t stop her jumping off of the plunge pool edge, in to the big swimming pool below, in denim shorts. I got in to the plunge pool to cool off as it was so hot and humid again. Tatas kindly took some photos of us in the pool as the clouds started to roll in a bit more. When she left, as she had a briefing that night, I had a lift back to mine with her. We had just got back in time when another storm came and we were fortunate to have left when we did. It had been a fun day out, with lots of laughs, and we hoped to meet up again when Captain Caveman and Tatas had days off at the same time. For dinner I had pasta with Stilton cheese, I watched the rain and had yet another early night.
It was a very long day on Monday 20th September, which started with my alarm going off at 5.30am. My driver, T, was due to pick me up at 6.15am but he arrived at 6am and I wasn’t ready. When I got to the car at 6.15am T had gone to help one of the staff move something heavy and then we had to go to Duyet’s house, around the corner, to collect a pig to take to Khanh’s in Dong Hoi. I watched as the butchered and bagged up pig was transported less than 20 metres by motorbike by Duyet’s dad, in to the back of our van. I knew we were going to be late for my important PCR test as we pulled in to the petrol station to fill up. We arrived at Medlatec in Dong Hoi 12 minutes late and I incorrectly went up the slippy wet steps to the main reception only to have to come back down them, turn left and in to the loading bay area where a PCR testing facility had been set up. There was just 1 other customer there and about 4 staff and I was given a form, this one was in English, to complete all my details. I decided to ask for a rapid test and the RT-PCR test so that if there was any errors with the RT-PCR certificate I would still be able to travel to Hanoi and get another RT-PCR test there. Although 1 nostril hurt more than the other, this time the pain wore off much easier than the previous couple of times I’d been sampled. I was moved to a waiting area and told to wait 20 minutes for the rapid test result. I checked the Corona numbers and the news as well as reading an email from Singapore Airlines, reminding me I could check in for my flight! I didn’t, as I still didn’t know if I would be actually getting on the flight. The news in Vietnam had an article of some crazy stuff going on now, check this out: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210919/vietnamese-teacher-purposely-receives-two-covid19-vaccine-shots-within-10-minutes/63171.html The technician came over to say there was a problem with my rapid test and I had to wait a little longer, this was the first hurdle of the day. She showed me that my result was negative on a plastic testing device but said she couldn’t get the computer to send the paper document with this on, someone was trying to fix it. This was worrying because my RT-PCR test result needed to be printed at 5pm today and I hoped it wouldn’t be an issue. Less than 10 minutes later it was fixed and I got my certificate in a nice envelope and was told I could collect the RT-PCR test certificate at 5pm. I introduced T and told them he would pick it up, I also advised that they needed to put my full birthdate, not just the year, on the print out, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to fly.
The next of the morning’s activities, having got my negative rapid test results from Medlatec, was supermarket shopping. T dropped me off at the Vincom centre which was still closed but the VinMart Supermarket was open. It was a strange feeling doing the ‘essential’ weekly shop not knowing if I would be in Vietnam or Turkey in the next few days but I hoped after all this hassle, that Captain Caveman would have all the provisions to himself.
For all of you who have missed a list of my shopping items, here’s what I bought;
1 baguette 9,500 Baby wipes 10,000 Green beans 15,057 Potatoes 20,417 Sandwich loaf 21,000 Ziplock bags 23,000 Carrots 23,616 Red cabbage 33,085 Mushrooms 33,900 Cherry tomatoes 35,108 Onions 36,476 1 tin of mints 46,100 Sunflower oil 57,000 Mouthwash 58,000 Spaghetti 61,000 1 jar of jam 138,000 1.5kg chicken 143,700 500g of butter 161,400
Total spent: 926,359vnd (£29.68)
I was looking forward to seeing how much a comparable shop would be in Dalyan, I suspected it would be more expensive.
As I was leaving at 8.40am the main escalators were still not on so I decided to take my shopping and trolley down in the lift, it was only 1 floor and I intended to leave from the side exit to go to the car. When the lift got down I found the door was locked and I tried to recall the lift but it would only open from the main shopping centre side. I was wondering how on earth I was going to get out when the security guard came to rescue me – if I couldn’t get out of a building without a hitch, things weren’t looking too promising for my attempt to leave the country!
I was on my way back from Dong Hoi on when I got a message from Danny, the driver, he had to get another PCR test, as his would run out at midnight tonight, and he was 150km away from where he needed to pick me up. He said he couldn’t get his results until 4pm and he would be arriving about 6.45-7pm, later than expected. That was fine by me as my results weren’t getting picked up until 5pm in Dong Hoi so it did mean I might have time to eat and say some goodbyes. When I got home Captain Caveman was once again in the kitchen making me a nice breakfast, this time with baked beans. Stu was on his way over to say bye and I had a shower and packed a few last minute things in to my hand luggage. I just happened to look outside and saw a policeman so I told Captain Caveman that maybe he should delay Stu until he’d gone, as we were still in Directive 15 and shouldn’t be having visitors. Before midday I got a call from Bich to tell us the reason for the police visit; apparently there had been some positive Corona cases 500m from our house and so he was letting us know, and telling everyone in the area, not to leave the house. Bich advised that I couldn’t go anywhere and I was gutted but Captain Caveman said we would still go ahead with the plan for me to leave and if I got stopped then so be it. We spoke to Stu to tell him not to come and that I still didn’t know if I was leaving or not, we decided against me inviting anyone else over or me going to say bye to friends. Regardless, I made packed lunches and packed frozen bottles of green tea in to a cooler bag, in readiness for a journey that might not happen. We decided to watch Sex Education on Netflix and have some red wine while leftover beef stew was on the cards for my last meal. Because of the cases Bich told us about we were probably going back in to Directive 16 tomorrow and so it was a bit concerning whether I should have permission to leave, if we asked it was likely the People’s Committee could say no, so we didn’t. By 4pm we were almost finishing the wine so we decided to have an early dinner, which we had with rice and it was delicious. Danny had his results and was on his way, the rain had started to become heavy and I was a bit anxious if T would manage to collect my PCR test result as requested – more importantly, would it be correct!?
The final part of the day was pretty stressful! We’d already been told by Bich that the police had informed everyone to stay where they are and that there were positive Corona cases very near to our place which meant we had no idea what would happen when Danny came to pick me up. Captain Caveman and I decided I should still try to leave because tomorrow we would be in no better position and we didn’t know for how long that could remain, plus the forecasted wet weather could also impede my attempts somewhat. There was also the fact that Danny, the driver, was on his way and he would charge another 7 million vnd (£250) regardless of whether I made it to Hanoi airport with him or not – I felt like it was now or never. The evening before, Ben and Bich had mentioned that Danny wanted to pick up 2 bicycles from previous customers that had been left at the Phong Nha Farmstay but I had decided to disregard the details of that, I just needed to get out and not worry about other people’s stuff, plus I’d had 1 too many glasses of fizz. At 4.30pm I got a couple of messages from T, who was already at Medlatec in Dong Hoi, followed by a phone call to tell me to look at the photo of my PCR test result certificate to check it is ok for him to bring back to me. It didn’t have my nationality on it, which I was concerned about, but it didn’t say I was Vietnamese either, Captain Caveman helped me check it and we thought it would be ok, my full date of birth and the dates all matched – T was on his way and I had sent a copy to Danny. This was it, I was going! Captain Caveman weighed my suitcase and it was 22kg. My hand luggage was about 8kg, bang on the allowance. When T arrived he had the PCR test paper in his hand, in the rain, no envelope or in a pocket, but at least it was here and I could use it to get on a plane tomorrow. At 7.15pm in the middle of a rain storm Danny messaged to say he was here, we looked outside and he wasn’t. Danny was at the triangle junction off the main road but near to the Phong Nha Farmstay – not walkable with my ankle, the suitcases and the rain. I called Bich, she explained that she didn’t know what was happening with the pick up location but earlier she had sent T back to deliver a bicycle to Elements (so the bike was at our place too), she asked me to put Duyet on the phone. Duyet would have to drive me, my luggage and 1 random bicycle, to where Danny was, which meant Captain Caveman couldn’t say a private goodbye to me at the car or help with my luggage. Duyet, Cuong and Captain Caveman were all struggling to get the bike in the van while I sat there trying not to cry. It was not quite the farewell I had in mind and I only got to quickly kiss Captain Caveman and have a very brief hug, despite not knowing when I would see him again. The bike had to go in with the wheels on as no one could remove them and when we got to the barrier we had to stop. I didn’t have any permission slip from the People’s Committee, neither did Duyet, and I have no idea what Duyet told the man but they let us through – I was so relieved and had tears running down my face as I waved bye to the man. A few minutes later we got to the next road where Danny was, there was no barrier so we quickly transferred my suitcases in to Danny’s car in the rain. Then Duyet and Danny faffed about for a while trying to get the bicycle apart and in to the car. They managed it eventually but it did mean I didn’t have the whole back seat to spread out on and was sat behind the driver’s seat in a car with mosquitos trying to avoid the rain. I tried not to dwell on the oil and cobwebs on my luggage and near my head as I got back out in the pouring rain to give Duyet a hug, this was not actually allowed but we didn’t care! I had finally left the village and we were on our way to our first checkpoint, 3 hours later we had successfully made it through the 1st checkpoint without me having to get out of the car and feeling happy I had my documents in a plastic wallet. By 11.10pm we had made it to the first empty services with a squat toilet which I managed fine but, as I was coming out I saw a big momma rat carrying it’s baby. We made each other jump on the wet tiles and she dropped her baby in front of me, it made me think of my mom and how much she would freak out. I kept calm, walked slowly and got back in the car, only 7 or more hours to go until I would get to the airport – it was going to be a long night!
joloyolo 