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 & 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.

Phong Nha & Dong Hoi – 31st May

The last day of the month, Friday 31st May, was a busy one. Captain Caveman was due back from the cave in the afternoon and we had plans for me to join him at Chay Lap that night. We had agreed to house and dogsit for our friends, Stu, Max & Jack, in Dong Hoi until the 10th of next month. They were off to Australia tomorrow morning and couldn’t leave the dogs with just anyone or put them in kennels. I packed my bag in the morning as I needed to check out and I paid the bill for Phong Nha Homestay, which was a bargain at 3,744,000VND (£115), including quite a bit of laundry, for a total of 17 nights. It was still one of my favourite places to stay in Phong Nha centre due to it being so clean, cheap and safe. Plus the family who own it are no-nonsense honest people. I left my bag for us to pick up later and I was heading to Phong Nha Vegan when I noticed it was about to rain. I had just stepped in to The Villas and shouted to the staff to let them know it had started to rain as they had the roof canopy open. While they rushed in to action to move stuff that was going to get wet, I got comfy and perused the rather hefty breakfast menu over a nice pot of tea and some homemade biscuits. I decided I was going to have the bacon and egg roll, but without the egg. It was really good and the bread was fresh and soft.
I spent the morning there as the rain poured down then I ordered the salami and prawn spaghetti with parmesan for lunch. It was delicious, although rather more generous with the salami than the prawns, so not great for that diet I was supposed to be on.
Captain Caveman arrived and had a pizza, as is his usual, and I didn’t share any. By 2pm we were taking full advantage of the summer cocktail offers and today, as it was Friday, there was 50% off margaritas! After a couple of drinks I got peckish again and ordered a Margherita pizza with more Margarita cocktails (this could get confusing). Our total bill with the summer offers came to just 917,000VND (£28.40) – great value and I was rather merry!
While Captain Caveman did the gala dinner with his tour group at Chay Lap, I played pool with the taxi driver. He thrashed me as he plays rules where you can hit any ball on any go – it made it quicker and certainly interesting. He offered to share his portion of french fries, which I politely declined, and we talked about his wife and family which was very nice.
We obviously arrived at Stu’s place quite late, and tiddly. Captain Caveman had shouted at me for not knowing the way when it turned out I did. I stormed off inside, leaving him to get all the bags, and we had a beer with Stu and met the dogs. They were Vietnamese dogs, and weren’t particularly friendly towards us. Rodger had a blood parasite and had recently had one eye removed so looked like a pirate and Terror was the son of Rodger, who hated his head being touched. The next week or so was certainly going to keep us on our toes, especially as the 2 dogs could not be in the same room at any time. Max, the eldest son, gave up his bedroom for Captain Caveman and I to sleep in and it had a decent AC unit which was very good of him.

Phong Nha – 29th & 30th May

Wednesday 29th May was a long day for me. I woke up having been bitten even more and my elbow was swollen, there was a dead cockroach on the floor next to the bed so I was convinced, that was what had bitten me. I took my measurements as it was weigh day again and I found that my bust was the same, I’d put 1cm on my waist and lost 1cm off my hips. On the way to Phong Nha Vegan, I called at the pharmacy and she recommended Remos gel 51,000VND (£1.59) for my bites. I was early and knew the vegan wouldn’t be open yet so I called in at The Villas for a fruit salad with yoghurt and muesli and a pot of tea. When I got weighed at Phong Nha Vegan I was disappointed to find I had put on 0.85Kg (1.9lb).
For lunch I had Com Suon, a fake pork dish with steamed rice and veggies, and the place was still a bit understaffed. I had hoped a friend would be able to come join me for lunch but I didn’t see her.
After about 2.5 hours at the Vegan in the heat I cycled back to the homestay, for my postponed video call with Vanessa.
Unfortunately, there were more complaints from Dalyan because the neighbours had random dogs and cats in the stairwell and the tenants said to Jamie that the next door neighbours had also complained. I had to leave it with the agent and go back to the Vegan as my friend was waiting for me there. She had a papaya salad and watched me run about trying to help out as there were no staff again, I managed to squeeze in some mushroom skewers before cycling home to deal with Captain Caveman’s apartment complaints. On the way back, I stopped at the fruit lady and bought 100,000VND (£3.10) worth of mangosteen. The tenants staying in Captain Caveman’s apartment had decided to have a pool day but when they went down, the pool was being filled with chemicals and they couldn’t use it. This was the 2nd time the pool had been unavailable so they weren’t happy and had had to go to a nearby hotel to use their pool. As they were paying £400 per month to have a 2 bedroomed apartment with a shared pool, they were frustrated at not getting what they had paid for. I sent a message to the pool and garden guy to complain that he could have told us in advance, but he said didn’t know about it as his workers had done it. By the time he sent me an update, the pool looked good to me but it was already 4pm there. I was beginning to wish we’d never agreed to rent the place out. I was awake until 2am but then I had to turn my phone off. It was still 32°C in Phong Nha and I had to be up early tomorrow morning.

I had another busy day on Thursday 30th May, an early start for breakfast at The Villas. I had my favourite breakfast of pho ga (chicken noodle soup) with a passion fruit juice. I paid 100,000VND (£3.10) and really enjoyed my meal before heading off to Phong Nha Vegan. They had received some good Google reviews which was nice. For lunch I had arranged to meet Veronika for a farewell meal so I didn’t need to eat at the vegan. Nevertheless, Hanh cooked me some sweet potato fries with salt and pepper.
I arrived a little late to The Villas, where Veronika and Deborah were waiting for me. They both ordered salmon for lunch but I was craving some dairy so I chose a ham and cheese toasty with a vanilla milkshake. As Veronika and Deborah were off to Australia next week, it was our farewell lunch and it felt weird not knowing when we would see each other again. After our meal, Ben was waiting to give Veronika and Deborah a lift back the Phong Nha Farmstay so we said our goodbyes and I cycled back to the homestay for a shower and a rest. I was back at the Phong Nha Vegan that evening, where it was another busy one and I met some lovely tourists. Many kept returning as the food was so good. I ate a crispy vegetable ramen dish which was so tasty. The weather forecast kept saying rain and clouds but it was very hot and hadn’t been cloudy at all. Back at the homestay, I got in bed and waited for news from Ma & Pa that they had landed in Turkey, they were heading back to Dalyan tonight and would be there when I arrived.

Phong Nha – 28th May

Captain Caveman’s alarm went off at 6.30am on Tuesday 28th May and he got ready to leave for his next 4 day cave trip. He gave me 5,000,000VND (£156) for spends with instructions not to spend it all. I went back to sleep after saying bye and when I woke up again, I had a bite on my right arm which hurt. I took 2 antihistamines but they didn’t stop the swelling and itching.

I went to Phong Nha Vegan but was late to arrive on account of a small incident with a snake. On the road outside the Thao Nguyen homestay there was a black snake. It looked like a young cobra so I got off my bicycle to take a photo. It was alive and struggling to cross the road so I stopped the traffic, as best as I could, to let it pass. I managed to get a video to ask a Snake group, I’m a member of on Facebook, what it was. I then let it move on, in to some shrubbery, before getting back on my bicycle to carry on. Some of the Vietnamese mothers, who were watching me, looked worried and it did turn out to be a cobra which is venomous.

I arrived at the Vegan just after 11am, where I got bit again, this time by ants. I ate fresh spring rolls at the Vegan and only stayed for 2 hours as it was just too hot to cope. On the way home I called in to the shop and bought the following, prices in Dong;

WinMart Supermarket
1 Twister drink 11,000
1 pack toothpicks 25,000
1 X 3 pack Ferrero Rocher 39,000
Total spent 75,000VND (£2.33)

Unfortunately, in the afternoon I had to deal with complaints from Dalyan about Captain Caveman’s apartment, again. The gardens and pool area were a disgrace (again) and now there was a yapping dog on the balcony of the apartment opposite. Animals are not allowed on our complex so I was frustrated to find out that the people staying in that apartment were also feeding stray cats outside ours and the neighbours doors. I love animals but it’s not on to be feeding them at the top of some stairs where there is no room. Our neighbour could trip over the bowls or cats and fall. Just what we needed – what is wrong with people!? I complained to our pool company again via messenger but he didn’t reply so I let the agent know we had problems again.
I had a video call with Vanessa planned while she was back in the UK but had to move it to tomorrow as I was in a rush to get back to the Vegan for 6pm. To calm me down I had a Banh Canh (vegan soup) for dinner and a kumquat tea. The vegan was not overly busy but with less staff again, the staff worked harder and I didn’t get to leave until 9.30pm. My weekly syns came to only 206 so I was hoping for a good result for weigh day tomorrow.

Phong Nha – 27th May

Our week started on Monday 27th May with Captain Caveman suggesting a bit of a cycling mission. I (mistakenly) thought the weather was suitable to agree to take Bluey all the way over to Greenfield Ecostay to visit René and Ngan. Along the way we had to stop at Lotus restaurant for brunch where Captain Caveman surprised me with his meal choice. He ordered a jacket potato with cheese, bacon and fried egg while I had a huge portion of pancakes with mango and pineapple. The food was good and I had a pot of lotus tea to go with it, as well as some water. Here’s what our bill looked like, prices in Dong;

1 water 5,000
1 iced black coffee 25,000
1 pot lotus tea 30,000
1 coconut coffee 40,000
1 passion fruit soda 40,000
1 potato with bacon, cheese & egg 50,000
1 pancake with fruit 50,000
Total cost 240,000VND (£7.46)

It’s a great place, a little out of town but ideal for a stop along the way when out for a cycle and the prices are very reasonable.

Back on the road, I was so hot cycling to Greenfield that I had to drink a Revive when we got there. Captain Caveman was cheeky and asked for a swim, I was that sweaty that I would not have been able to change in to swimmers. We missed staying at Greenfield as it’s just so beautiful and it was very calm and quiet, until we turned up! On the way back from René’s, the sun was hot and we had to stop at Lotus again, this time we each had a cold beer but I couldn’t finish mine.

Captain Caveman was glad to be going on his next Son Doong tour with Tatas so off they went to Oxalis for the 6pm briefing. I spent 3 hours and 15 minutes at the Vegan where my Vietnamese certainly got tested that night as it was absolutely rammed full. The owner was away, Chung was at her busy homestay so I had to help Ha, the only waitress and drinks maker there. In the kitchen they were also short staffed (4 less people than usual) with only Hanh, the chef, and Yen the 16 year old helper. They managed to get through it but I was absolutely knackered by the time it reached 9pm so I can only imagine how the staff felt. I got to Tree House at 9.30pm where I had 2 slices of Captain Caveman’s Hawaiian pizza and a Strongbow, before going back home for a much needed shower.

Phong Nha – 25th May

We were up so early for breakfast on Saturday 25th May. Captain Caveman had decided on Tree House so I took my own Yorkshire tea bag and they gave me hot water and milk for free, which was kind. I went for a fruit salad which are always great at Tree House and Captain Caveman had a breakfast sandwich (which I don’t recall the contents of) with chips and a coffee. We paid a reasonable 225,000VND (£6.98) and then we cycled towards the Vegan.

Captain Caveman needed to pop in the office on his day off but he’d been invited to Phong Nha Vegan for lunch. He tried the Thai noodle soup and I had a Bun Tron, both of which were really tasty. Captain Caveman left me at the Vegan practicing my Vietnamese and English with the staff. The water delivery guy came and had a chat – surprisingly he spoke English perfectly well.

Captain Caveman had gone home to play Bridge and it was getting pretty hot by 1pm, as I lay in the hammock. I cycled back and called in to the pharmacy, who had a promotion day. I messaged Captain Caveman with the deals and to ask him if he needed anything but he never answered his phone. It was so hot that I didn’t bother waiting more than 5 minutes and cycled back to the homestay. Captain Caveman was so engrossed in his Bridge that he had stopped taking any notice of messages. I had a shower as I was a red hot sweaty mess and then a lay down. Captain Caveman had fallen asleep with his noise cancelling headphones on.

At 6pm we got to The Villas just in time as the rain had started. We were having dinner with Veronika and her friend, Deborah. Veronika had brought in a bottle of fizz for us all to share, which was really lovely and we had a fabulous meal at The Villas. I chose one of my favourites, the Duck Confit, Captain Caveman had a pizza. The rain poured down and it was pretty atmospheric. I really enjoyed the night out and Captain Caveman bought another bottle of wine for us to share. Veronika fancied a dessert so I also joined her with a really good sticky date pudding. Captain Caveman paid by bank transfer so I didn’t take note of the total bill but my duck dish was 250,000VND (£7.74) and a decent bottle of wine was 450,000VND (£13.94) so pretty reasonable for one of the nicest places in town.

Phong Nha – 24th May

Captain Caveman was due out of Son Doong on Friday 24th May and I had not done much while he’d been gone. Obviously, being ill had helped on the weight loss this week but it had certainly helped with the budget too. I totted up that in the last 4 days I’d only spent 300,000VND (£9.24) so far, which included drinking water too.
I cycled to Phong Nha Vegan where little May, the dog, was waiting for me and seemed a bit fed up. Hoan made me a Banh Canh, a vegan noodle soup, which was so good. She was working on a new dish that she had seen online and was happily cooking away in the kitchen. Her new dish was to look a little like duck but was made from tofu and mushroom. I couldn’t wait to try it as it looked so tasty but, as is common in Vietnam, she doused it in chilli sauce so I couldn’t have it. As I watched everyone else enjoy it, I tucked in to boiled pumpkin leaves and steamed rice. Ha got me a fresh coconut to go with it which was lovely.

I left the Vegan at 1.30pm to go back for a shower, arranging to be back again at 6pm. When Captain Caveman got back we went to Tree House, where he was getting picked up for his Gala dinner. I decided to treat myself to the falafel and hummus dish which comes with greek salad and pitta bread. I was still not feeling well enough to eat meat or drink any alcohol and the thought of meat was making me queasy, which was odd. Captain Caveman ordered the smoked salmon and scrambled egg which came with chips and rye bread. He had an espresso martini and I had a passion fruit juice. Unfortunately, I thought my falafel tasted a bit odd and asked Captain Caveman if he wanted it. We deduced it was made from peas, not chickpeas, and I hate peas so he finished it off.

Captain Caveman went to Chay Lap at 5.30pm and I cycled back to the Vegan where it was incredibly hot. We met afterwards and called for a drink in The Villas. I went mad and ordered a ginger beer without checking the price, Captain Caveman had a normal beer. He also decided to wind the staff up by telling them that, due to the brightly coloured redecorating job that Ben had undertaken on the whole place, they were going to have to wear new uniforms to match the walls. We paid our bill of 145,000VND (£4.50), left at a reasonable 9.15pm and cycled back to Phong Nha Homestay to go to sleep. Tomorrow we had a busy day planned as Captain Caveman had a couple of days off.

Phong Nha – 23rd May

I woke up after 8am on Thursday 23rd May and had messages from Chung and Hoan asking how I was. I felt loads better and actually felt hungry, which was a good sign that I was getting over the sickness. I got to the Phong Nha Vegan at 11am, said hello to May, the dog, and got on the scales. I’d lost a whopping 3kg (6.6lb) since last week and I could tell. I was also surprised to find that the entire kitchen had gone through a total deep clean. Chung, once she had heard I may have food poisoning, had got everyone scrubbing the place down. I was sure it was nothing I’d had at the Vegan but it can’t hurt to give them an excuse to exercise a bit of hygiene awareness.
Hoan made me a vegan pho which felt like the best meal I’d ever had. I also shared a pot of licorice and ginger tea with Chung and Hoan. I wasn’t going to stay long but it started to rain and I got talking to a couple of English holiday makers. As we sheltered, Hoan cooked up some jack fruit seeds which I absolutely love. They taste like chestnuts and are also great in a vegan curry so we looked at some recipes. Chung worked on her laptop at the Vegan as it lashed it down around the edges of the open building. There was Vegan condensed milk at the Vegan which costs 100,000VND (£3.10) per tin – very expensive, I thought. I didn’t leave until the rain eased at 3.30pm and then called at the shop, where I bought the following;

WinMart Supermarket
1 Chunky KitKat 17,700
1 flannel 24,400
1 box 5 Grains biscuits 30,500
Total spent 72,600VND (£2.25)

The amazing view from Phong Nha Vegan

I was so glad of the rain to cool it down

I got in the room to find it had been cleaned and the rest of my fruit cake and cheese had been thrown away, my tupperware had been washed out and was drying on the table. I ate the KitKat and felt ok, then had a shower before getting ready to go back to the Vegan at 6pm. May, the dog, was gadding about with the dog from next door and he came to say hello. Ha made me an iced kumquat tea and Hanh made me a tofu and tomato noodle soup which was extremely good, she even gave me steamed rice to go with it to keep my strength up. I was very grateful of the vegan restaurant right now as they fed me very well. I didn’t stay long as I didn’t want to overdo it and I had a video call booked in with my parents.
Ma & Pa were in good spirits as Dad had been checked out following a poorly ear and all was good. They had decided to fly back from Turkey especially for the appointment so, although it turned out to be nothing to worry about, for the price of the flights it was worth doing. It did mean they could now go back to Turkey again when they wanted and hopefully would be there when I got there. I only had 28 days left in Phong Nha and would be in Dalyan in less than 5 weeks time. I went to bed late and hoped I’d not kept the people in the next room awake with our call. Tomorrow, Captain Caveman was due back from the cave and I was probably going to be practicing my Vietnamese at the Vegan at both lunch and dinner times.

Phong Nha – 21st & 22nd May

While Captain Caveman went in to Son Doong on Tuesday 21st May, I spent most of my day in the bathroom being quite ill. I’d been up most of the night and I felt like death. Before he left, Captain Caveman had told me what medication to get if it turned out to be gastroenteritis. I really didn’t know what had caused it but I was also vomiting which was so unlike me – I’m always the other end!!
I tried to sleep but I couldn’t work out whether I was hot or cold and my temperature was pretty high. I didn’t eat anything all day and could only sip water with Oresol in.
By 4.30pm I forced myself to walk to the shop but every bone in my body ached. I grabbed some snacks from the nearby T Mart, spending 120,000VND (£3.72) and then struggled to get back up the stairs to my room. I ate bananas, biscuits and crisps (not all at once) but none of them stayed in. By 9.20pm I had to wear a pair of Captain Caveman’s thick socks and a long sleeved shirt to bed, as I was freezing cold and shivering.

I was still in a sickly tangle on Wednesday 22nd May but I only puked when I ate anything, so I refrained.
In the late afternoon I was marginally better and managed to get almost a litre of water down me. I rested a lot, watched the rain and didn’t really do much until 6.30pm.
I decided I would go out to get some proper food rather than the biscuits and bananas I’d tried and didn’t really enjoy.
It was weigh day and I only wished I had some scales as I was sure I’d easily lost a couple of pounds (1kg). It was raining heavily as I got outside so I went to the nearest place, Bamboo Cafe, and ordered a tofu and rice dish for 70,000VND (£2.17). Back in the room, I decided to do my measurements and found I’d lost 1cm off my bust, 3cm off my waist and my hips remained the same – there’s nothing like a stomach bug to shift a few centimetres!
After eating my dinner, I tried not to fall asleep as I was waiting to get a video call in with my parents but it was way past my bedtime but the time they got home.

Raining and view from the homestay balcony

Phong Nha – 20th May

Captain Caveman was of course on his phone playing Bridge before 6am on Monday 20th May and I was up and about at 6.30am. We decided to go back to Green Point restaurant for breakfast and I was excited to see croissants on the menu. I obviously broke the healthy eating regime and ordered one with an orange juice. Captain Caveman had some concoction of mashed avocado on bread with a poached egg on top. He said it was good and shovelled it in while I realised my croissant had a sweet custard-like substance inside it. I didn’t like that part of it and scooped it out but the croissant was very nice.

By 9am we had cycled to the Oxalis office so that Captain Caveman could do some work related tasks and I did some writing with a fan on me. It was very humid and I thought it felt like rain as we called at the shop for some peanut M&Ms.
Back at Phong Nha Homestay, Captain Caveman played Bridge all morning and at 12.30pm I suggested we go out as the sky was looking quite moody.

Another first experience for me happened when I ordered a pizza with broccoli on it, as we had returned to Green Point, yet again. The pizzas were a bargain at 139,000VND (£4.31), I had the Sorrentina and Captain Caveman had the Diavola. Both were really good and the base was one of the best in town and, surprisingly, broccoli on a pizza was a winner! I even had a beer with Captain Caveman as he was off to his briefing tonight again. It rained in the afternoon which I was glad about, as it cooled down a bit.

Photo credit – some by Captain Caveman

Video from Green Point restaurant with some much needed rain

By 5.45pm Captain Caveman had gone to Oxalis and I was at Phong Nha Vegan where there were a lot of mosquitoes. Little May, the dog from down the road, came for belly rubs and after getting tired of doing it with my hands I resorted to tickling him with my barefoot. I decided I didn’t feel like eating dinner as I was too hot, by the time Captain Caveman came to meet me at 8.30pm, I felt a bit unwell. We started to cycle home but we had to stop at The Villa’s. I had a cup of jasmine tea, he had a beer and I needed to use the toilet. I also felt a bit queasy, like I might throw up or faint and I wondered if I had overdone it on the gluten today. By the time we got back to the room, I was in pain and it made me cry. I was also conscious that Captain Caveman needed sleep because he was on tour tomorrow.

Phong Nha – 19th May

After only a couple of hours sleep, I was awake before 6am on Sunday 19th May. Captain Caveman offered no apology for wearing his grumpy trousers last night, only the reason of being in pain with his shoulder which I made worse by touching him. I was not in the mood to continue arguing and left to get to Phong Nha Vegan. I’d been asked to help with the local charity event which Hoan, the owner, had organised with donations to the Love Foundation. They actually had asked me to get there earlier but I thought a 6.30am start was early enough for me. When I arrived, there were lots of helpers and I don’t think they really needed me, but perhaps having a white face there is lucky or something. Lots of mushroom congee, like a porridge, was dished out or sent by delivery to anyone in Phong Nha who wanted free soup for breakfast. This included me and Laos Quang who popped in to say hello to me. He ended up having a huge bowl of the steamy hot soup and they made him take 3 lots home. I loved it and could easily have had another bowl. A total of 200 bowls had been given out and there was still a little bit left.

The soup is transported from the kitchen

Preparing the soup bowls for delivery and take away

At 8.15am Captain Caveman arrived and took some photos for us while I decided I was going back to the homestay for a rest. He didn’t have soup as he can’t eat mushrooms. Captain Caveman had a day off today so it was unfortunate that I was busy all day, but at least it meant no time for falling out. He obviously went in to Oxalis and sorted out some stuff etc as a day off here is never a complete day off.
I was back at the Vegan by 11.30am and Hoan was grateful for my help. She made me a Bun Tron for early lunch, which is one of my favourites, then we practiced some English and my Vietnamese with the staff. I was still quite tired and the heat was getting to me as Chung arrived with jack fruit. We shared it, drank tea and I noticed the man walking by. There’s a skinny Vietnamese man who looks homeless and unwashed, he walks past a few times a day and collects cans and plastic bottles. He’s clearly mentally challenged and doesn’t have a full set of teeth. I mentioned to Hoan that she should offer him some soup, even though we were finished with that charity activity. As he sat down and took his wellington boots off to reveal terrible socks with massive holes in, I went to get a photo of Hoan and the man. It then turned in to a bit of a farce as I became the person in the photos and he wanted to chat with me in Vietnamese. He was very grateful as he slurped it down super fast, he was clearly very needy. I left to wash my hands and when I returned he’d taken off with the bowl and the spoon! One of the girls ran after him and took it back, the poor man!

In the afternoon, Captain Caveman and I bumped in to Hawk, an English motorbiking tour guide from Hoi An. He was arranging dinner for his tour group tonight and asked us to join, so we agreed. Before dinner, we had time to call in to another new place in town, just to see what it was like for a drink. We met the owner, Tien, of Green Point restaurant who was super friendly and he wanted to invite us for dinner. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time that evening so we said we’d be back. We had a beer and a very refreshing watermelon juice, the food menu also looked good and reasonably priced so we wanted to try it out.

We met Hawk and his all-Australian male tour group at 6.30pm, we were early and had to wait for the upstairs table at Bamboo Chopsticks restaurant to be ready. I had a glass or 2 of the red wine which was decent, Captain Caveman had Huda beer. To make it easier we had agreed to go in on the group set meal which was 200,000VND each (£6.19). As I was the only girl with more than 10 hungry guys, I would say I didn’t quite get my money’s worth. I had mainly steamed rice and a tofu dish which was lovely. Captain Caveman and I shared a bottle of wine and when the bill came everyone paid and left to go to the rooftop bar. Captain Caveman, Hawk and I went downstairs to finish off our drinks and say farewell to a couple I’d met at the Vegan.
Captain Caveman had accidentally miscalculated the bill so we got lumbered with paying an extra 90,000VND (£2.79) which was missing. Here’s our part of the bill and what we paid;

Bamboo Chopsticks
1 Beer 20,000
2 glasses of red wine 160,000
2 Set meals 400,000
1 bottle of red wine 450,000
Extra 90,000
Total spent 1,120,000VND (£34.79)

I enjoyed it but it was definitely expensive compared to other places. As we were leaving, I started to feel a bit unwell, even though I knew I’d not eaten any chillies. I was in bed by 9.30pm as Captain Caveman caught up on his daily dose of Bridge.

Phong Nha – 18th May

While Captain Caveman toddled off to Dong Hoi at 8am on Saturday 18th May, I’d agreed to meet up with Hoan and Chung. I arrived at Phong Nha Vegan just after 8.30am, there was no electricity and we were told it would be back on by 1pm. Hoan made me a passion fruit juice with soda water. Chung didn’t arrive and later said she wasn’t coming if there was no electricity as her homestay had it. The electric poles were being replaced in sections so not everywhere was out at once. I had one of my favourite dishes, the Bun Tron and lots of water in the 5 hour 15 minutes I managed to endure the heat for there. I agreed to join in on a charity mission tomorrow which involved a sort of vegan soup kitchen.
I also had a bit of a to-do with the pool and garden guy back in Dalyan. My parents had been to check on the state of the complex and found it to be a disgrace so I’d asked him to clean the sunbeds. His response was that he wanted to charge me £80 to use a steam cleaner. I decided I’d get a woman in to clean them, then booked our usual cleaner through the agent – she would give it a good scrub.

Captain Caveman returned from Dong Hoi and I met him at Tree House for lunch. We shared some french fries with salt on as I was definitely dehydrated and I drank lots of water, Captain Caveman had a beer or two. That evening, I was off out with Captain Caveman and we decided to eat at Ganesh, the Indian restaurant, which we both love. Captain Caveman had a chicken madras, I had a chicken tikka masala, we shared saffron rice and a garlic naan bread. We also took full advantage of their wine and here’s what we paid in Dong;

Ganesh
1 saffron rice 49,000
1 Garlic Naan 60,000
1 Chicken Tikka Masal 115,000
1 Chicken Madras 120,000
1 bottle of red wine 270,000
Total paid 614,000VND (£19.03)

The food is really good there, at a reasonable price, and we both enjoyed it. Once back at the Homestay, though, Captain Caveman had a bit of shout at me when I said I’d massage his sore shoulder. By the time I’d cleaned my teeth he was snoring away, fully clothed, on the spare bed, leaving me unable to get to sleep. This was a pain as I’d agreed to help out with the soup kitchen that Phong Nha Vegan was doing tomorrow from 6.30am.

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.

Phong Nha – 16th May

I found Thursday 16th May to have more disappointment in it than I would have liked. I got up early and cycled to Oxalis to pick up the laundry. The 4kg bag cost 120,000VND (£3.71), I noticed it was badly folded and pretty creased. I cycled back to The Villa’s to get some breakfast and I was hoping for a relaxing day. Unfortunately, I was met by a disgruntled Manu who told me there was no food available today. All of the female staff, which includes the chef had gone off for a spa day in Dong Hoi. Manu told me he had been hoping for an easy day, as I drank a soda water and contemplated where I might get breakfast. Ben, the owner, arrived with a young apprentice and started eyeing up walls. He looked like he had big plans as he mentioned moving some furniture. As I decided I would cycle back ‘home’ with the laundry and go to Tree House for a fruit salad, Chung messaged Hoan and I to say she couldn’t go to the Vegan, as planned, because she had to deal with customers at work. She asked if I could be there to help the staff with English speaking customer queries so I had to take the laundry back in the direction I had already come. When I got there I ordered and scoffed the delicious vegan pho down, made by the owner. It was lovely and I started to feel a bit better for eating, especially as it was already late and very hot & humid. Hoan treated us all to a mixed fruit juice from her friend’s stall near the market and it was very refreshing. May, the dog from down the road, came to take shelter from the sun and insisted on some water and belly rubs.
I cycled ‘home’ in heat and managed to squeeze in a call with Ma & Pa who were now in Dalyan. As the time difference was only 4 hours it was easier for them to accommodate and they told me about their recent trip to Istanbul. It sounded like they had an amazing time with my sister and her husband on a tour with our Dalyan friend, Murat.
I rode Bluey back to Phong Nha Vegan at 6pm. It was very busy, so many customers with lots of questions and requirements, which I helped with. I also managed to wolf down a very tasty and hearty Banh Canh, which is a veggie noodle soup.
After a change in the weather, I hurried back to the homestay for another video call, this time with Adele. We were on the phone for well over an hour and we even spoke of a celebration ladies only boat trip for when I was back in Dalyan. I finally got to bed at about midnight and I decided not to set an alarm for tomorrow.