Bangkok to Hanoi – 16th April

While the Aussies (Amanda and Greg) had arrived in Vietnam already, Captain Caveman and I were leaving Bangkok on Tuesday 16th April. It had certainly been a very moist weekend despite our efforts to not participate fully in the water festivals of Songkran, the Thai new year. Our belongings were packed in a plastic bag within our rucksacks and we were getting an early Grab to Suvarnabhumi airport. By 8.15am we were at the airport for a 11.55am flight with a Grab driver who had no change. Captain Caveman had to go in to the airport to faff about changing a note while I waited outside. There was a 7-Eleven shop in the airport so we got ourselves a couple of ham and cheese toasties and some peanuts, Captain Caveman had a coffee. They weren’t expensive (but I didn’t keep the receipt) and tasted really delicious. We only had hand luggage and were already checked in so we went through to the gate early, even before it opened. Captain Caveman treated himself to a can of Heineken beer for 199 baht (£4.30) – the most expensive beer of the trip.
At the gate we were held up because all non-residents to Vietnam, including me, had to have their visa checked. We boarded the plane just after 11am and Captain Caveman gave me his aisle seat while he took the middle one. We got a tasty meal of chicken noodles on the flight to Hanoi and when we landed we took the 86 bus for a total of 90,000VND (£2.77) for both of us.

From Hanoi airport to the train station the journey was just less than an hour and we were staying at a hotel within walking distance and very close to Puku.
Captain Caveman dropped me off there while he went to the bank/gold shop and I had a passion fruit and mint slushy drink, without sugar, for 85,000VND (£2.62). We love Puku and have been visiting for years, it’s open 24 hours a day, every day, and is in central Hanoi. It’s been ideal for when we have got off the overnight train early in the morning, the menu is vast too so there is always something suitable to eat and drink.
Our hotel was a small one above Fika Coffee shop, which we initially walked past. We checked in and dropped our bags off, Captain Caveman went straight back out to say hello to Lizzy, a friend of Josh’s and fellow caver, who was in Hanoi with her brother. I met Captain Caveman back at Puku and then we went over to meet Johan, we had planned for a civilised evening with nice food, as tomorrow we had an early flight.

Felix – Spanish fusion tapas was small and nicely decorated. The menu was pretty exciting and I know a meal with Johan is always going to be excellent as he has great taste in food, he particularly loves meat and cheese. We started with one bottle of Primitivo, an Italian red wine, between the 3 of us. The food was tapas style and Johan made some great recommendations. Here’s what we had with the prices in Vietnamese Dong;
3 crispy duck tacos 255,000
2 tuna carpaccio 315,000
1 smoked salmon 125,000
4.5 beef prata 428,000
1 brie with jam 189,000
1 grilled duck 199,000
1 pork banh mi 275,000
1 unagi with eggplant 125,000
400g suckling pig 415,000
2 bottles Primitivo wine 1,760,000
1 San Pellegrino water 90,000

Our total bill came to a whopping 4,772,544VND (£146.80) which included 8 – 10% Vat and a 5% obligatory service charge.
Johan and Captain Caveman had all the fish/seafood ones and I stuck to more of the meat tapas. Instead of a dessert, because none of us are sweet people, we finished with a tapas each of our favourites; I chose the beef prata which we asked for 3 individual bites rather than the 2 (so a one and a half portion), the boys chose crispy duck and a tuna carpaccio. The food was absolutely amazing and definitely the best food I’ve had in Vietnam so far. Having the second bottle of Primitivo was Johan’s idea, and I wasn’t sure it was a good one. At 8pm, we sensibly got the bill and shared the cost, at £50 a head we had enjoyed a fabulous feast and were very full.

To end the night we decided to join Johan in a cocktail at a bar that he knew, where we were just in time for the 2 for 1 happy hour cocktails. By 8.30pm we were doing cheers; Johan with a whiskey sour and us with a martini. As we had to leave about 6.30am tomorrow for the airport, it was obviously a mistake to have another round. Captain Caveman and I had sensibly chosen the same drink as each other so that we could just have the one, but that left Johan to drink a second whiskey sour alone. It was only 8.55pm and happy hour ended in 5 minutes so we ordered 2 more martinis, but Johan ordered another cocktail which looked like a pornstar martini. We met some fellow drinkers who had just missed the happy hour and we got chatting while finishing our final drink, as I was already feeling a little tiddly. Needless to say the night got quite out of hand as Captain Caveman and I had another 5 martinis! I remember walking Johan to his Grab taxi, as we were on a walking street, but then got temporarily lost on my way back. We met a nurse who was from America but turned out he had lived in Germany but was of Turkish parentage. I got excited thinking I could speak Turkish to him.
After Captain Caveman paid our bill, which I don’t remember the amount, we walked with our new nurse friend to Puku to meet up with Lizzy. I proceeded to order red wine and Lizzy had a bit of a to do with her brother who she had left in their hotel room but had brought the key card with her. We had a great time in a very full Puku where I finally made some Turkish speaking friends. They were cabin crew for Turkish airlines, and I was able to prattle on in their native language to my heart’s content. I ordered another red wine and it was gone 2am when we left Puku. Lizzy left her key card and I left my phone, Captain Caveman had to go back for both and luckily they were still there. As I got in bed fully clothed and absolutely hammered, I don’t remember falling asleep, packing or setting alarm for tomorrow’s morning flight to Dong Hoi.

Bangkok – 15th April

Monday 15th April was our last day in Bangkok and we had a very relaxing day, after the excitement of last night. We didn’t bother with any breakfast but we were going to one of our favourite Taiwanese restaurants for lunch. I’d already contacted our friend, Des, who we met in Phong Nha and is now living in Bangkok. We were trying to arrange to meet up with him and I knew he had today off. Captain Caveman had not seen Des for quite a while and it had been a couple of years since I saw him in Dalyan when he came to visit for a month. Captain Caveman told me to find out where he lived and we would go over there tonight.
Our first stop of the day was to the Central Embassy shopping mall for our lunch. On the way, we spotted the Foreign Exchange shop, which had obviously been closed when we were looking for it yesterday. This time, Captain Caveman got a rate of 36.20 compared to the 33.71 at the airport, and changed $100, getting 3,620 baht.
We walked to Din Tai Fung and at first didn’t find it but I was sure it was at the end, where a figure was outside. We went back and it was there and it was already busy, despite it being early. I had a pot of Jasmine oolong tea which cost 199 baht (£4.30), Captain Caveman had 2 normal sized Chang beers which were 149 baht (£3.22) each. We ate pork dumplings, shrimp dumplings and gyoza which were all amazing. I love Din Tai Fung and I felt it was worth splashing out the 1,698 baht (£37.10) for the 2 of us.
Our next stop was to Uniqlo where I needed another pair of knickers because all mine were in the wash. I bought a pair the same as I’d had before for 190 baht (£4.11), which were more expensive than the ones I had bought in Rico, Hanoi. The shop assistant clearly thought I’d had an accident because I was only buying one pair of undies and I’d declined the plastic bag.

***Photo credit – some by Captain Caveman***

View from Din Tai Fung, Central Embassy

Back at the Citi Resort apartment, we managed to get my new visa printed out, it took some doing as when I or Captain Caveman sent it by email, the receptionist couldn’t open the attachment. Eventually, I sent it on a personal message to her phone and she sent it to her work email. I still didn’t know if I needed the visa but it made sense to have it in case I didn’t go back to Turkey when I thought I would be. With Captain Caveman’s job coming to an end and me still not earning any money, we didn’t know if we could afford a flight back for me next month. The visa rules in Vietnam require that you be out of the country when you apply for a new one so this would be the only time I’d be able to get one. I was scheduled to house and pet sit in Rhodes for a month in June and the cheapest flights I could find were over £400 just from Saigon to Athens and with 2 stops, one in China.
We spent the afternoon at the pool where I did some blogging, Captain Caveman mainly played Bridge and only got in the pool once I’d got out.

That evening, we got dressed hoping that the water fights would have stopped by now, especially as I was on my last set of clothes. We took a Grab car to somewhere near to where Des lives in an effort to locate a bar or restaurant for him to meet us in. As it was still the New Year, quite a few people were still celebrating with the water and paste and we did not escape it. Luckily, we both had our phones in waterproof bags but we did need to find a 7-Eleven shop to buy a bottle of water (ironically) and some wet wipes to clean up. Captain Caveman’s face was covered in the paste and we were both soaking wet when we found a little cafe that was open.
Anis Bistro was right next to Des’s accommodation but he’d never been there. Most places were closed and this place closed at 9pm so we had to look sharp. We all ordered chicken dishes and shared garlic bread and rice. Only soft drinks, tea and coffee were available and Captain Caveman was going to get a beer from the shop but didn’t in the end. The food was really lovely and I don’t recall the total cost as I was too busy chatting. I do remember the garlic bread was 60 baht (£1.30) and the main dishes around 100 baht (£2.16) each so it was reasonable.
It was great to see Des who had been off the booze for almost a year now and was looking well. He walked us to the train and we said our goodbyes, he was off to the Philippines next so maybe we would meet there next time.
Our journey back to the apartment took ages on account of everyone who’d gone water fighting being on the trains. Queues were big and standing only on the way back. It was almost midnight when we got to bed and I hadn’t packed yet. Tomorrow we would be flying back to Hanoi for one night on our way back to Phong Nha.

Ayutthaya to Bangkok – 14th April

When we woke up on Sunday 14th April, it was hot and sunny so Captain Caveman thought it would be better to make an early start. We needed to be in Bangkok tonight to meet his friends for a special event we had been invited to. Captain Caveman paid our hotel bill and ordered a Grab car to Ayutthaya train station and we were outside the Nature Home waiting to leave before 9am. I was still full of cold but definitely improving as I had one last photo opportunity with the Sphynx cats from Earthling Craft Cafe and Bar.
When we got to the train station it was fairly busy considering it was new year and Captain Caveman bought our tickets. Unfortunately, the train we wanted was not until 10.30am so we had a while to wait. The train station cafe was closed so we walked to a 7-Eleven Supermarket where we paid 90 Baht (£1.95) for 1 coffee, 1 water, a croissant and a pain au chocolat. This time we got the hot train from Ayutthaya to Bang Sue Junction on the 10.27 train, in Class 3 seating with a fan for an 80 minute journey it was 14 baht each (30p). Then we changed on to a better train, more like a tube with Aircon which I was grateful for, as it neared midday and was very hot.
When we got off the train we walked to the boat stop where we were hoping to get to our next accommodation, just a few stops down the canal. After waiting 5 minutes, Captain Caveman decided we could walk along the canal to Citi Resort, Sukhumvit 39, easily. I was less optimistic as my bag was heavy and the midday sun was blazing hot. Obviously, I was too moany for Captain Caveman who went on ahead as I nearly puked at the stench of the canal near some sewage pipes. It was probably only a 20 to 30 minute walk but I did get a blister and drank all of the water that we had before reaching our apartment. We never did see a boat but we managed to miss all of the people out squirting water which was good.
When we arrived at Citi Resort, we were able to check in a little earlier which I was so glad about as I was a sweaty mess. Once inside our apartment, which I was very impressed with, we hung up our outfits for tonight to attempt to get the creases out.
At just after 2pm Captain Caveman went to the shop downstairs, Freshmart, and bought a loaf of bread, cheese slices, tomatoes, apples, crisps, tissues, throat sweets and water for 260 Baht (£5.63). It felt good to have an apartment with a kitchen and even better that Captain Caveman made me cheese and crisp sandwiches for my lunch. We weren’t sure what the arrangements were for dinner yet but Captain Caveman got a text from his friend to meet him at his hotel. Martin had asked us to meet him at the Park Hyatt hotel at 6pm and we were really looking forward to going with him to the SIAM Songkran music festival.

Captain Caveman wanted to walk from the Citi Resort to the Park Hyatt hotel to meet Martin at 6pm. I was not comfortable with walking through the streets of celebrating Thais wielding water filled weapons during the height of the Songkran weekend, in my nice frock. We got a Grab car and arrived at the Park Hyatt early and tried to find the currency exchange shop. The receptionist in the hotel told us it was on floor 2 of the mall but we couldn’t find it. We even looked on all the floors but would have to do without. Captain Caveman had some money and a Vietnamese bank card but we weren’t sure how much we might spend tonight, as it might get a bit lively. When we went to the reception to meet at 6pm as arranged, George and Paulina were there. They had come by motorbike and had got quite wet in the water fights on their way. Captain Caveman had already met George who was a film maker, he and his wife lived in Bangkok. We said our hellos and then went to find Martin and the others, including Dung (aka Seven from Phong Nha) and his wife, Huong. Martin texted George and Captain Caveman with his room number and told us to come up but the staff were not happy with that and asked us to wait until they had spoken with Martin to double check this permission. We waited a while and then we were escorted in to a lift with a member of staff wearing an earpiece. We were not taken to Martin’s room but shown in to a restaurant with a bar. The 4 of us sat down at a table for about 10 people with great views over the city. We were handed a menu and given sparkling water with ice and lemon which was frequently topped up. When I looked at the menu it was rather pricey and I wasn’t sure what to choose. Martin, Louis, Dung and Huong joined us and we all got introduced. It was the first time Martin and I had met and it was so nice that he said that he was happy to meet me and had heard about me from Captain Caveman. Dung was the only one of us prepared for the water festival and had his zipped up red waterproof jacket on – he had been through flood season in Phong Nha and was taking no chances during Songkran. After hugs all round, Martin said to order what we liked and that he was going to order some side dishes for the table along with his meal. There were 2 more seats and it appeared we were only waiting for one person, I think his name was Ed but I wasn’t certain. Captain Caveman and I ordered a glass of red wine each, Martin had a Moscow Mule and the rest tried the IPA beer. Captain Caveman and I ordered the cheapest steak on the menu at 1,950 Baht (£42.48) for 160g. The side dishes were around 320 Baht (£6.97) each and our glass of house wine was 560 Baht (£12.20) for a 175ml measure. A few of our fellow diners, including Martin, ordered the Penthouse Burger at 1,290 Baht (£28.10) and Martin also ordered a side of lobster, as you do.
We had a bit of a laugh while we were waiting for our food; Captain Caveman rudely took a group photo cutting Martin out of the picture and Dung asked if he could swap his cold bottle of IPA for a warm one. The staff were obviously used to dealing with the la-di-da types of clientele but this request really did set the cat amongst the pigeons, as the request was relayed back to a senior server. When the food came, I had high expectations – possibly too high. My steak, which I had chosen a red wine and thyme sauce to go with, was not the best I’ve ever had and wasn’t particularly hot. It was served alone with a roasted bulb of garlic and I had 1 roast potato, some asparagus, 2 carrots and a spoonful of mac n cheese from the shared sides. The sauce was tasty but slightly on the watery side, whereas Captain Caveman’s béarnaise sauce looked to have a much better consistency. I didn’t need to worry about going off the Slimming World plan too much either as the meal was not too naughty. I did think the prices were steep, even for a fancy pants place like the Park Hyatt hotel and those prices did not include the obligatory 10% service charge and the 7% tax. The wine was nice but I wasn’t cheeky enough to ask for a second one as this was all on Martin’s tab.
When we finished eating, Martin announced he would meet us all downstairs in 10 minutes where transport had been arranged to take us to the Siam Songkran Music Festival at the RCA Central Park in Bangkok.

We were escorted from the restaurant of the Park Hyatt Hotel to the lift on the evening of Sunday 14th April. Two men with badges asked if we were friends of Martin and introduced themselves. They said we were leaving in 15 minutes so to go to the hotel’s pick up and drop off area. Here, we got in to a limo with George and his wife, the others got into separate limos and there was a convoy, lead by the police and security to RCA Central Park, via the long way round. When we got to the venue we got explicit instructions that Martin would get out of his car first then we would all get out quickly and follow. We were taken to the back stage area and to some mobile cabins with a portaloo outside. Inside, there were lots of drinks and some snacks but I just had soda water, Captain Caveman had a beer. Martin tried to have a power nap and we got talking to his stage manager. It turned out he was from Sheffield so he and I had a bit of a trip down memory lane. Alec and I even had friends in common; Dean Cotton, who used to DJ at The Queen pub in Mosborough, Paul Deehan from The Office pub and now private chef, and Shaun Yard from Granville college. While we were rabbiting on, Martin tried to sleep but couldn’t, and then there was a light display using drones which was impressive. All of us had passes round our necks which we could use for anywhere once the show started but we had to be back on time for the ride back.
We were given the nod when it was time to go to the stage and we had to climb the scaffolding steps over the temporary bridge – we had to go fast. Once on stage, Martin and Alec sat on the floor behind the decks ready to start the set. The crowd went wild at the announcement of Martin Garrix as he started his show. Captain Caveman, me, Dung, Huong, George and Paulina were all stood on the stage behind Martin and it was amazing. The special effects of fire and water were sensational as we saw the crowd getting blasted with massive water jets. I was happy to remain on the dry stage and loved dancing to Martin’s performance. He was very good and the atmosphere was incredible. I really enjoyed dancing and knew quite a few of the numbers.
At the end of his set, Martin came off to shake hands with the next DJ, Julian Jordan, who had been stood next to us and was wearing sunglasses in the dark.
We had to scurry back over the makeshift bridge and down the steps to where the cars were waiting for us. The crowds of the audience were being held back as we quickly got in to the blacked-out vehicles in a different order to how we arrived. The drive back was shorter and once outside the Park Hyatt hotel, Martin invited us to the bar for a drink. I was the first of our group to give him a hug and congratulate him on such an amazing show. He was ultra sweaty and I joked I would never wash again now! We all got in the lift to go to the bar and Captain Caveman took a group photo. In the bar we ordered drinks and I was impressed that the waiting staff remembered that Dung preferred a warm beer and brought that out for him. Martin had a Moscow Mule, Captain Caveman and I stuck to beer and we all sat together. Martin looked tired, and I wasn’t surprised given the amount of dancing about he did in jeans and a black t-shirt in the heat. Martin sat between us and got out his laptop to show us a sample of a new song he was working on. He is such a nice, polite, friendly and down to earth guy. I could see his passion and dedication as he got excited about the guitar chords sample he had.
After only a short time, it was time for him to retire to his room. They had an early flight tomorrow as Martin was playing in Tokyo. We had a group photo and big hugs all round, tonight had easily been one of the most memorable I’d experienced and I wouldn’t forget it.
We got a Grab back to the hotel and Captain Caveman told me he had messaged my friend, Ingrid, who is a Martin Garrix fan, with a photo. My phone was in a waterproof bag in my handbag and I had not took it with me on to the stage. I thought that was nice of him and then I sent a message to her once I got in to the apartment. Tomorrow we had one more day in Bangkok and still had another friend to catch up with.

The event we were invited to by Martin Garrix

Drone show

Photo and video credit – Captain Caveman

The atmosphere was amazing

So much water going in to the crowd

Fire 🔥

Even the train

It was incredible

The audience were loving it

It was great being on the stage

All the lights on people’s phones

Such a memorable night

Sawadee Pee Mai, which means Happy New Year in Thai!

Ayutthaya – 13th April

Captain Caveman and I were up early on Saturday 13th April and it looked to be a hot and sunny day in Ayutthaya, Thailand. After some research, a plan had been made by Captain Caveman to visit Jaeb Tom Leud Moo, a local Thai breakfast restaurant. It was famous for its blood and entrails soup but (luckily) it was also good for dumplings. It was already busy when we arrived but we found one available table at the back. We ordered various pork, prawn (or both pork and prawn) dumplings with soy sauce, a big bottle of water, an iced coffee and a hot tea. The dumplings were only 25 baht (54p) for a dish of 2 or 3 so we ordered 3 lots initially. We loved them so ordered the same again. When the drinks came, they both had ice in and so much sugar I couldn’t tell which was tea or coffee. Captain Caveman drank both as the least offensive of the 2 drinks was full of condensed milk which I can’t stomach. We paid just over 200 baht (£4.33) for our feast and we were ready to explore the old temples of Ayutthaya.

We walked around and I tried my very best not to moan about how hot and sweaty I was but it was about 39°C by lunchtime. We’d walked round the old temple grounds, seen some elephants where people were riding them. I hate seeing tourists ride the elephants as it’s not good for them and they are probably not looked after very well. Previously, the thought of being sprayed with water in the street to celebrate the Thai new year had not been appealing to me, whereas now I could walk fully clothed in to a cold shower just to cool down.

As we approached a cafe there was a member of staff at Boran Cafe, dressed up and armed with a water gun. Captain Caveman went past without even a squirt but I lingered a bit and got my torso wet!
The cafe was very nice and was probably not the cheapest place in town but it was clean and had friendly staff. Here’s what we had for lunch with the prices in Baht;

Boran Cafe
1 soda water 25
1 steamed rice 25
1 duck curry 150
Prawn Pad Thai 190
Crispy Wontons 220
3 Leo beers 240
Total spent 850 Baht (£18.44)

The food was fantastic and made me feel better, as I continued with the cold and cough. I did have one of the Leo beers just to try it and at 80 Baht (£1.74) it was good but I didn’t finish it all. The staff asked if they could put a paste on our faces which is one of the oldest of the Songkran rituals. They mixed a white powder of limestone in to a pasty substance in a bowl and got us to shove our fingers in it then smear it on each others faces as a sign of protection to ward off evil. We looked very fetching as we made our way ‘home’ trying to avoid getting too wet.

Back at Nature Home hotel, Captain Caveman went to the room to play Bridge on his phone while I went to find the pool. There was a nice small, but deep enough, pool and I chatted to a Thai guest who was there and then the owner.
When Captain Caveman came down to the pool we decided to miss going to the 3.30pm water festival nearby. We bought a couple of large Chang beers for 90 Baht (£1.95) each and shared the first one while the owner stuck the second one in the freezer. It was a lovely hotel and I’d definitely stay there again if I went back to Ayutthaya.

That evening was the Thai new year’s eve and we had planned to go to the local night market which was famous for having lots of food stalls. While we were in the room getting our showers, an almighty storm started and we were going nowhere until it finished. When it did eventually stop we went out to find there were some casualties; a tree had been struck by lightening and had fallen across overhead cables on to the metal gate of a property. A group of people congregated outside and it looked like no-one was brave enough to touch anything for fear of electrocution. We found the night market but there were not many stalls that were functioning, much of it was in darkness and the vendors burned candle wax to give them some light. I decided I wouldn’t be eating from the stalls, my stomach can’t cope at the best of times, and I was concerned we couldn’t see if items were cooked or what they were. I encouraged Captain Caveman to try some food but he didn’t look keen either and we had a big day planned tomorrow. Instead, we walked the streets trying not to get soaked with water from all the Thais out on the street having water fights, or people with super-soakers and buckets in the back of pick up trucks. I was doing so well until we turned a corner and a guy with a small container threw it at me, it was quite nice in the heat. It wasn’t so nice when the next guy along tipped a bucketful on us both!
We walked, sopping wet, and a bit cheesed off that we wouldn’t get our clothes dry before travel tomorrow. At least we had both put our phones and stuff in my bag inside a plastic bag to protect them from getting soaked. I even had my tissues and Hall’s mentholyptus sweets in to a plastic bag too.
We had trouble finding somewhere open where we could get an evening meal and were about to give up and go back to the hotel when we came across a white building called Walk In Cafe and it also had a sign saying Grandma’s House. We walked in to the cafe which was freezing due to us being wet and the AC being on. I was starving and so we ordered some dishes to share and extra pork. I was tempted to order the cheese toast as the menu made it look amazing but the Thai dishes were better value and a bit more diet friendly. All our food was amazingly tasty and I really enjoyed it but I didn’t take any photos of it. Here’s what we had and the prices in Baht;

Walk In Cafe
1 soda water 15
1 Leo beer 90
Chicken Pad Thai 100
Chicken & Cashew nuts 100
2 crispy pork 300
Total spent 605 Baht (£13.13)

The place started to close just as we finished eating and we walked home. It was dark and we noticed the property with the fallen tree was still dealing with it. Back at the hotel, we hung our soggy clothes out to try to dry them as much as we could before we had to leave tomorrow. Captain Caveman was still in two minds whether to leave on the early train or check out at 12 and then get the train. We had plans to meet his friend for a bit of a special Thai New Year celebration.

Photo credit – some photos taken by Captain Caveman

Hanoi to Ayutthaya – 12th April

I’ve had some unusual Fridays in my life but Friday 12th April certainly fell in to that category. We got up and packed our bags ready for an exciting break to Thailand, I was feeling a bit better but still had a cold and a cough. We walked to Saint Honore bakery to get some breakfast to take to the airport. They were building outside so it wasn’t easy to get in and we ended up just getting a croissant. By 10.30am we had exited Vietnam at Hanoi airport so that I could send a photo of my passport stamp to Lynn Visa. She was going to apply for another visa for me while I was out of the country and, hopefully, send me the new one on Tuesday before our lunchtime flight back. Captain Caveman had organised a weekend in Bangkok for us and we were going to be meeting up with one of his Son Doong customers. Thailand was celebrating Songkran this weekend so there would be lots of water festivals everywhere. Our Vietnam Airlines flight from Hanoi to Bangkok left at 12.45pm and we got seats sat together, me in my preferred aisle seat. We boarded 30 minutes late but still departed on time. On the flight we got a really nice meal which included; a banana, a beef noodle dish and some bread – even the hot tea with milk wasn’t bad. On landing, Captain Caveman had to change $200 at a fairly low rate and got 6,742 Thai baht. Even though money was still a concern to me, Captain Caveman had put money aside for this holiday and said not to worry.
We were not staying in Bangkok for the next 2 nights, Captain Caveman had booked us in to a small hotel in Ayutthaya, the old capital. The journey there was not for the inexperienced traveller as we had to ask a member of staff at Bangkok airport train station how to get there. He told Captain Caveman it was off the edge of the map, but, luckily, he was well versed with the London Underground map and it wasn’t dissimilar. The train was a bit of an eye-opener and we only just made it on to it in time. Somehow we had managed to get from Bangkok airport to Bang Sue Junction, buy a 14 baht (30p) ticket each, for a 90 minute journey and grab a seat. The train was not unlike one I’d been on in India, it was insanely hot and fairly busy and I found it difficult to cope. I moved seats several times to try to get near a fan, while Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone for the duration of the ride. At 6.23pm I had never been so ready to alight the train, an absolutely dripping mess of sweat. The train station at Ayutthaya was nice and Captain Caveman managed to get a Grab taxi without any issue. When we arrived at Nature Home, our accommodation for the next 2 nights, the owner showed us to our room. He proceeded to educate Captain Caveman on how to work an Air Con remote, how to open and close windows and how it was very hot here for English people. That went down well and I could tell Captain Caveman had stopped listening.
At 6.55pm I unexpectedly received a message from Lynn Visa, who had already got my new Vietnamese visa for me. I checked it, it was correct, and thanked her for such a quick service – well worth the $80 (£64). This meant that I was permitted to stay in Vietnam for another 90 days should I need to.
That evening we needed to get some laundry so we spent our Friday night between Happy Mix Wash & Dry launderette and Earthling Craft Cafe & Bar. An usual day turned strange when I realised that the Earthling Craft Cafe & Bar had spiders, reptiles and sphynx cats. Luckily they also had good ales, a delightful cider and excellent food. Happy Mix was amazing and we managed to do a load of laundry for an acceptable 105 baht (£2.28) and this included tumble drying as well. Captain Caveman and I took it in turns to check on the cycles as it was just across the road and had free WiFi.
Our garlic bread and pizza at Earthling was very good and I don’t recall the prices as Captain Caveman paid but I know it was reasonable. Back at the Nature Home hotel, I didn’t take long to fall asleep which was good as we had a busy day tomorrow.

Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City – 9th March

I was served another inflight meal at 3.15am on Saturday 9th March. I almost declined it as they said it was omelette but it consisted of chicken sausage and garlic spinach with the omelette on the side so it was edible. At 5.30am (local time), I was off the plane and walking through Bangkok airport. My next flight was due to fly at 7.45am to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) so I didn’t have an awful lot of time for fannying about. We boarded my third plane at about 7am and, after taking off on time, I got given another nice Thai Airways meal; fruit salad, prawn spaghetti, a hot drink and a water. By 10am, Vietnamese time, I was in the very long immigration queue at Saigon airport. I met a nice couple in front of me in the queue who were in Vietnam for the first time and were on their honeymoon. They had the 45 day visa exemption which is available for UK passport holders. I had purchased a 90 day multiple entry visa online for $50 prior to coming to Vietnam and had it printed out ready. The man at immigration checked my 90 day visa and all was smooth with the stamp in to Vietnam, allowing me to remain in the country until the 5th June. Just 52 minutes later, I was outside in the humidity and hot sun.
I got a taxi from the domestic terminal of the airport, which should have cost less, to the Common Inn in Thao Dien (District 2). I ended up paying 350,000vnd (£11.25) but at least it wasn’t as bad as the last trip where they tried to con me out of 2,000,000VND and we had to report it.

The check-in time at the Common Inn was 2pm but I was allowed in before noon, glad of a shower and a lay down.
That evening, I met Andrea and some of her friends for margaritas and Mexican food at District Federal, in Thao Dien. The margaritas were great te food so tasty and we had a good laugh. It was a brilliant night, ending in watching a live band at Acoustic bar who finished the first half of their gig with an amazing rendition of Highway to Hell.

Highway to Hell at Acoustic bar

Chiang Mai – 29th May

Our last day in Chiang Mai fell on Monday 29th May and I had scheduled in to get some work done. This meant that I would still have plenty of play time at our next holiday destination this week. It had been a bit touch and go as to whether Captain Caveman would have to go back early to be the cave expert of an extra trip this coming week but so far, so good. We had another, and final, trip to SP Chicken for breakfast which we did not regret – it is definitely one of the best restaurants we’ve ever eaten at. I took a couple of temple photos just to show willing but it was too hot to be bothered to visit any. Captain Caveman and I had toyed with the idea of doing an Elephant Sanctuary visit while in Chiang Mai but I was dubious, especially after Covid, if they were really as legit and respectful to the animals as portrayed. Captain Caveman decided to take himself off to the barbers while I headed back to the hotel to start work. I’d not walked back to Deluxe Boutique Hotel alone before so I had directions from Captain Caveman and no working phone between us. Luckily, Spiderman and an inappropriately named hostel helped me remember the way back.
By the time I started work there was heavy rain so I ploughed through from 11.30am to 6pm without a break. When I finished work, Captain Caveman was back and it was his turn to decide a location for dinner. We had wine and pizzas at the By Hand Cafe – an Artisan Pizza Lounge. They were really good, the service was good and we both liked the place, so much so that we came back later after a couple of cheeky martinis at the House of Ginger. We probably shouldn’t have drank so much, given that we were due for checking in for our flight back to Vietnam at 6am tomorrow morning.

Chiang Mai – 28th May

On Sunday 28th May Captain Caveman asked me where I wanted to go for breakfast and I decided that the best thing I could go for would be SP Chicken. On the way, Captain Caveman wanted to stop off at a cafe, called Sun Ray, for a coffee. I ended up getting hangry and moany as they had an inefficient system for seating people and I hate pretentious coffee places.
This time at SP Chicken, we ordered the chicken (obviously), rice and 2 plates of veggies. I always give Captain Caveman the skin from the chicken and it’s been barbecued on a spit so is reasonably healthy. It was so delicious that I said I could eat it every day!
It was extremely hot, compared to what we had been used to in Sapa, so we headed back to the hotel. On the way there, Captain Caveman met an astronaut and I took his photo. At the hotel, I managed to book in at my favourite opticians back in Vietnam for Tuesday.

That evening, wearing one of my favourite dresses from a Dalyan friend, we went out to Why Ribs and Rumps. A place with a terrible name but excellent pork ribs, which we shared. I really liked it there and can’t recall the prices as Captain Caveman paid and I didn’t keep a receipt. For dessert we went to another old favourite, Cru, for wine and a cheeseboard. Aside from there being far too many tomatoes for my liking, we enjoyed it. We walked via a shop for beers and water which we had when we got back to the room, tomorrow would be our last night in Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai – 27th May

Much to Captain Caveman’s dismay, we didn’t get to a cafe for breakfast in Chiang Mai until 10am on Saturday 27th May. He ordered coffee and a şakşuka type of dish, I ordered snow pea tea (as you do) and a banana pancake. I wrongly thought it would be a healthier option as it came with fruit but it was massive. It also had on it one of the worst fruits in the world (in my opinion) – papaya. If you’ve not had it before, I think it tastes like the smell of baby sick/gone off milk.

Back at the hotel, we decided we would perhaps check out the rooftop pool and Captain Caveman sent me off to investigate the situation. It was so hot that I burned my feet on the flooring round the pool and had to come back, quick sharp. There was no shade up there whatsoever so we decided swimming was off the agenda.

For a late lunch we went to check out one of our absolute favourite restaurants, SP Chicken. It was open and not too busy so we grabbed a table and started to complete the tick-style menu. Obviously we had the chicken, which they are well known for, but we ordered veggies, pork and rice to go with it. I had a Chang beer while Captain Caveman prefers the Leo beer and had a bottle of that. The food was so good, as it always is, and when we came to leave there was a sign saying that they had run out of chicken so we were lucky.

That evening I popped on my new dress again and we were off to House by Ginger for fancy cocktails and good food. Captain Caveman had an Espresso Martini and I had a Passion fruit mojito. We shared the chef’s recommendation of the mixed Thai sharing platter which was really tasty. For main course Captain Caveman had pork and rice, I had a pork stew – both were so good and we would definitely return. Our meal with 4 drinks came to a total of 2,165,000vnd (£71.45) which included the 10% tip and was definitely good value for money.

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Sapa to Chiang Mai – 26th May

We were the first in to the dining room of the Silk Path Grand Resort and Spa Hotel at 6am on Friday 26th May. At breakfast we made up a sandwich to take with us for the long journey as we didn’t have long until our limousine bus was coming to pick us up. As I drank my cup of tea, I realised what was missing from our afternoon tea yesterday – the tea! I’d been looking forward to trying all the teas but had not noticed that they had never brought us any tea, nor even asked if we would like some. How odd, and even stranger that I’d not noticed! We’d already packed and checked out ready to make the journey to Hanoi airport which was just under 300km away. Unfortunately, the bus was over an hour late and we had to sit in the back seats which were more bumpy. At the service stop off along the way, we saw a cute dog with red dye on it and some very interesting ladies toilets.

We arrived on time for our flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand, checked in and got a beer which was $5.50. It was the busiest I’d seen Hanoi airport and we sat at a different gate to our one to eat our ham and cheese sandwiches.
We arrived in Chiang Mai, got a taxi to the Deluxe Boutique hotel and quickly checked in around 6pm. We took a Grab taxi to Gekko restaurant where we were meeting an old friend of Captain Caveman’s for dinner at 6.30pm. Sid Perou has been a caver and film/documentary maker as well as having written a book – a very interesting man. We got there as they were arriving and sat with Sid, his wife and grandson. We all had beers and I ordered Pad Thai, Captain Caveman had a masaman curry. Both meals were great and we had a good laugh chatting with our friends. It wasn’t a late one as Sid and his wife had to be up early tomorrow and it was already past their grandson’s bedtime.
We had a relatively early night for our first of three nights in Chiang Mai.