Sheffield – 25th to 27th May

On Sunday 25th May Captain Caveman and I decided on an outing in to Sheffield town centre. I needed a hairbrush and some clothes and Captain Caveman had said he would treat us to a trip to the Curzon cinema to see The Phoenician Scheme. As the cast of this Wes Anderson sounded good, I had agreed and was excited to finally be going to the cinema. The last film I’d seen had been a disappointing Barbie film in Fethiye. In the morning I did a bit of work as I had forgotten it was Bank Holiday Monday tomorrow so Captain Caveman was off for the day.
We got the supertram in to town from Gleadless Town End at £3.40 each. Once in Sheffield, our first stop off was at Superdrug, here’s what we bought with prices in pounds;

Superdrug
Ibuprofen 0.39
Sanex Stick deodorant 2.49
Sudocrem 2.99
Hair brush 4.50
Total spent £10.37

I went in to Primark, Captain Caveman isn’t a fan so he mooched about while I bought 5 pairs of socks for £3.50. I saw a large suitcase for only £38 and wanted to get it but we were going to the cinema. I wanted clothes but there was nothing to my liking so Captain Caveman suggested Blacks. Here’s what we bought, prices in pounds;

Blacks
4 tops (for me) £31.44
A coat (for him) £59.00
Total spent £90.44

While I looked and found nothing in New Look, Captain Caveman went back for the £38 suitcase from Primark. We shoved all our stuff in to the case and took it to the cinema, as you do.
The Curzon was very nice and Captain Caveman had a beer, I had a glass of wine but no popcorn! The film was a massive disappointment and I’ve never been in a cinema where most people around me were snoring at one point or another. Even I fell asleep!
We left in confusion and rain, wheeled our new suitcase to the bus station and got the bus to Mosborough, which cost £2.60 each. We called briefly to see my parents and pick up the van before going home for a nice meal at ‘home’ with Vanessa. She had been to her grandson’s birthday party where one of my other Sheffield friend’s son had gone. They got chatting and worked out they both knew me and that I had invited Vanessa to Caz’s birthday celebrations next Friday. It’s a small world.

Gratitude List
1. Captain Caveman taking me shopping
2. A new suitcase
3. Having a nap in the cinema.

As it was a Bank Holiday in England on Monday 26th May, we decided to have a day out in Sheffield. Check out the old stomping ground and see the sights. I’d been waiting to hear from my Mom who needed taking to an appointment but luckily my sister could take her so Captain Caveman’s offer of a lift wasn’t needed and we could go out.
We got the bus in and had a wander along a canal, down by the old Castle Market area and then along to our first pub stop, The Harlequin. A great bar where Captain Caveman had a proper beer and I had an Ascension cider.

Our next stop was Riverside where it had now started to rain so more drinks were had as we took shelter. By this time I was getting peckish and the menu looked good.

Captain Caveman had an alternative plan and took me for a mint tea and vegan sausage roll at Gaarde. I was dubious at first as to if the sausage roll was vegan as it was one of the best I’d had in ages.
We had a trip to the Wellington and had pork scratchings with our beers there, intending to get the tram. There were track repairs and a bus replacement that went past us. After that we had an uphill walk through Sheffield to the cathedral where we caught the tram back to Vanessa’s as there was a curry and rice waiting for us, made in the slow cooker. It was delicious and we watched Race Across the World on TV which Captain Caveman loves.

Gratitude List
1. An impromptu day off
2. Spending time in my home town with Captain Caveman
3. Great night in front of the TV with Vanessa.

Both Captain Caveman and I worked all day on Tuesday 27th May while Vanessa went out with a friend in the afternoon.
At lunchtime we drove to the nearest Asda to buy some more shopping, here’s what we bought with prices in pounds;

Asda Supermarket

Lasagne sheets 0.64*
2 garlic bread 0.70
Bananas 0.85
Orange juice 1.62
2 sausage casserole mix 1.90*
2 Thai curry paste 2.40*
Toilet roll 2.76
3 Fajita packet mixes 3.15*
Chicken 4.42
1 bottle of red wine 7.27
Total spent £25.71
The items with a * were for me to take back to Dalyan in my suitcase.

In the evening, Captain Caveman made a Spaghetti Bolognese for us all and we watched more Race Across the World on TV.

Gratitude List
1. Shopping at Asda
2. A lovely meal
3. Spending the evening with Captain Caveman and Vanessa, watching TV.

Dalyan – 20th May

I started my last day in Dalyan on Tuesday 20th May, with a bacon sandwich and a cup of Yorkshire tea. I had lots to do including packing, work related stuff and some project related social media posts. For the last 10 days I had been doing a free course with Strategist Lisa Johnson and had rather enjoyed it. I did some promoting of my favourite vegan restaurant in Vietnam, Phong Nha Vegan, and I chatted on messenger to the staff and owner there. I missed them and their delicious and healthy food.
By lunch time, I was using up ingredients in the fridge by making myself chicken, sweetcorn and egg fried rice which was so tasty. I cracked on with my busy to do list as I needed to be over at Vanessa’s at a decent hour and I was fast running out of time. I took a breather about 4pm to nip to the shops for some snacks, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Şok Supermarket
Crackers 11.50
Popcorn 16.75
Licorice 19.50
Plain crisps 31.00
Total spent 78.75 lira (£1.51)

Today the exchange rate had risen again to 52 lira to the pound and the temperature had reached 30°C. Meanwhile, I was making a mental note to get a big coat and socks added to my packing as it was going to be cold in Manchester compared to Dalyan. I realised I still needed more items for my journey back to the UK and went back out again.

Migros Supermarket
2 small waters 7.90
Mentos 20.95
Haribo jellies 22.45
Biscuits 31.95
Dubai chocolate Magnum 75.00
Total spent 158.25 lira (£3.04)

Parlak bakery
1 loaf 15 lira (29p)

I ate the Magnum on the way back home and really enjoyed it – it would be my last one for a while! I didn’t have time to make any dinner so I ate the last of the radishes and some olives. I packed, put any perishables and leftover veg in a bag for Matt and took leftover chicken, lettuce, bacon and cheese with the bread to make for Vanessa and my airport pack up. My bags were heavy so I was lucky to bump in to Murat and his dog, Latte, who gave me a lift on his mobility scooter.
Over at Vanessa’s, we had some cups of tea and chatted before getting ready for an early night and a very early get up. We were leaving at 5am so I set my alarm for 4am.

Gratitude List
1. Bacon
2. Fitting everything in my small case
3. Managing to finish in time to get to Vanessa’s.

Penrith to Kendal – 15th & 16th July

Monday 15th July was another great day aside from the fact that Captain Caveman had his breakfast without me and left me a toilet gift that kept on giving! After Captain Caveman made me beans on toast and a cup of Yorkshire tea for my breakfast, it was time to pack and check out of White Cottage. The Giffgaff SIM we both had didn’t work in Askham so we couldn’t phone a taxi. Captain Caveman attempted Uber, which is the UK’s equivalent of Grab, but there was no luck. We left White Cottage which had cost £520 for 3 nights (no wonder it had been nice!) having had a really nice stay in Askham. At the Askham Grocery shop, we called a taxi and got a hot beverage each while we waited for the car to come from nearby Penrith. There is a bus but it only goes once per week, not on Mondays.
The taxi was £20 so it didn’t break the bank and we got our train tickets at the station for £8.70 each. We were off to meet Watto and Chrissy for lunch in Oxenholme and they picked us up from Oxenholme train station. While we were waiting, we noticed the train station had a really good shop and cafe so we shared a sausage roll which was fantastic. It was great to see Watto and Chrissy, who we know from Phong Nha when Watto worked with Captain Caveman as an Oxalis cave expert and Chrissy was my fellow CWAG (Cavers Wives and Girlfriends). Phong Nha wasn’t the same without them making us laugh but it was good to see a retired Watto looking very well. They drove us to the Station Inn where we had decided to have lunch on a bit of a whim. We were the first in the pub and of course Chrissy and I didn’t need any persuading on having a bottle of white wine. We were so busy catching up that I didn’t take photos of the food but it was really good. I had the red pepper and tomato soup for starter and the scampi for main, both of which were really lovely and a good sized portion. We didn’t have room for a pudding but we did have a hot drink and the staff were really nice, friendly and accommodating. I remembered to get a group photo to commemorate the occasion but the lighting and angle weren’t the best.

Watto and Chrissy drove us to our next stop, which was to a house in Oxenholme. We were visiting another ex Oxalis cave expert as we were staying with Josh and Martha for a couple of nights. Martha opened the door and welcomed us but we had already decided we would drop our bags off and have a walk in to town. She works from home and would be busy and Josh was still at work so it gave us the time to have a wander.
We had a walk in to Kendal where Captain Caveman encouraged me to have 2 pints of Guinness and a bag of pork scratchings in the Clock Tower pub. It was a proper boozer and the drink prices were reasonable so we were quite happy there until Josh came to meet us after work. It was great to see Josh after 6 months, we last saw him and Martha in Turkey at Christmas. We had another pint, then we walked back to the house where Martha’s friend had popped over to lend us an inflatable bed, which was ace. Much hilarity ensued as we all got involved in pumping it up in the spare room. We were lucky to be in it as that room was earmarked for the cinema room as they were doing up their relatively new home. The house was so lovely and we definitely made ourselves at home. Josh cooked us a great vegan dinner of mushroom risotto, which we had with garlic bread. I had a glass of wine and we all chatted and took the micky out of Josh. It was really good to see Josh and Martha again and we could’ve stayed up all night but tomorrow Martha and I had work to do.

I had tea and a buttered crumpet for breakfast on Tuesday 16th July after a pretty good night’s sleep on an inflatable bed. Captain Caveman and Josh had the day free so they took themselves off for a walk and a visit to Kendal castle. Martha and I said we would meet them later as we both had work to do.
When I finished, I walked to meet the fellas who were in Cortillo restaurant having a beverage and waiting for us to join for lunch. I got a bit lost but turned out I was only about 50 metres away. My Giffgaff SIM still didn’t have any signal and was turning out to be a waste of money. I ordered a lemongrass and ginger tea and perused the rather extensive menu while we waited for Martha to finish a meeting. Josh, Captain Caveman and I all chose a version of a breakfast while Martha order 3 tapas of chicken wings, patatas bravas and garlic bread. The food was lovely, the decor quite unusual and we had a great lunch. Josh and Martha left us to find our own way home as Captain Caveman had decided he wanted to take me to Kendal castle where he had been this morning. I wasn’t too bothered, given that I was carrying my laptop in case I needed to reply to some emails and I’d just had a massive breakfast. I went to the toilet as I knew as soon as we set off walking, I would need to go. A mother and daughter were in a cubicle together, both using the toilet and I was shocked to see that when they came out, neither of them washed their hands – they just walked straight out!
Captain Caveman and I walked towards Kendal castle via the shops and I saw a Herdy shop. I love their stuff and I wanted to pop in and see if we could get a gift for Josh and Martha. While I was there, I saw a bag for myself and, as I had just been paid, I decided I wanted it. Captain Caveman said I didn’t need one but my existing bag had a tangled strap and wasn’t practical. We got talking to the shop assistant while we couldn’t agree what to buy but eventually I bought the Herdy bag for me and a set of Herdy coasters for Josh and Martha. I know Martha likes a brew so I thought it would be a nice reminder of us when she was enjoying a cuppa. We carried on walking towards the castle and it did look a bit overcast as we approached the bridge. By the time we were in the field and close to the Castle, I needed the loo as I had a bad stomach. I was really bad and could hardly move, I didn’t even look up at the castle as we hurried in search of a toilet. As my phone didn’t work I asked Captain Caveman to Google toilets closest to the castle and I was so desperate that I considered knocking on a door to see if I could use the loo of a local.
Captain Caveman didn’t look properly for a toilet and made me walk all the way back to Josh and Martha’s, almost bent double in pain. I ran in to the house and Martha could see on my face that I wasn’t well and put the radio on in her office, next to the bathroom. I can’t even whistle so I was grateful!

I worked until 4pm and then Captain Caveman, Josh and I decided to go to the local pub for a pint. When we got to the Factory Tap I realised it was within walking distance of the castle and a place we could have come to earlier when I was having a spasm, so I was a bit peeved with Captain Caveman. I managed a pint of Gluten free beer, crisps and pork scratchings as my belly was better. Martha joined us and I managed another Gluten Free beer and she had a gin and tonic. It was a really nice pub with a beer garden and the sun was out. Josh went back home a bit earlier than the rest of us, as he was doing us a veggie dinner at home and we finished our drinks. The veggie wraps and wedges were really tasty and I ate quite a bit, washed down with a glass of wine. We all got comfy in the living room and watched Below Deck, a first for Captain Caveman who really took to it. We’d had such a good time seeing Josh and Martha and were sad to be leaving tomorrow morning. Our next stop was my home town of Sheffield, Captain Caveman had just 2 days there before he had to go back to London, then Vietnam.

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

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

Phong Nha & Dong Hoi – 20th June

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phong Nha – 19th June

Wednesday 19th June was not only weigh day, but it was my last full day and night in Phong Nha. I had arrived in Vietnam 15 weeks ago and would be leaving after 4 months in the country, longer than I’d expected. I was up early so that I could be ready for an appointment before work and I did my measurements. My bust was the same as the previous week, I’d lost 1cm from my waist but had put 1cm on my hips. I made a note to get weighed later when I went to the vegan.
I cycled down to see ‘Onion’ the hairdresser as Captain Caveman had booked me in for a cut and dye at 8.30am. She is actually called Nghien but it’s kind of pronounced like onion and that’s what a couple of the older cavers had called her. When I arrived, it was already getting hot, there was no sign of her. I bumped in to a young girl who was wearing sunglasses, a mask and a hooded long sleeved coat. This ninja-looking female spoke a little English and told me her mom was in town having coffee with friends. I’d also messaged her to say I was there but the reply came to the daughter to return at midday. There was no way I could take the midday heat while being in the hairdresser’s building so I asked for the same time tomorrow. The daughter didn’t understand so I just left and said I would message. Tomorrow I was leaving to go to Dong Hoi before lunch so that might be a bit of a squeeze, anyway.
Disappointed, I cycled down towards The Villas and as I arrived Onion turned up saying I could cycle back to the hairdresser’s. By this time I’d already rescheduled my work and confirmed lunch with a friend. We agreed on tomorrow at 8.30am so I would just have to get up early.
I worked from The Villas for the rest of the morning and drank a lot of water as the AC wasn’t on yet. At lunch time I logged off as I had invited Khanh Linh to join me for a catch up. We shared a Momma D’s pizza and a garden salad which was very filling. A member of staff popped the AC on and looked confused as to why it wasn’t already on. I had to try the Pina Colada as it was 50% off those on Wednesdays. It was very nice and I had a lovely time with Khanh Linh, who bought me a gift of a pair of jelly shoes. When I tried them on I was surprised to find they fit very well, too. Khanh Linh, who works at Jungle Boss, had to get back to work and it was very hot and humid outside.
I also went back to work but finished before 5pm so that I could hurry back to Son River House Homestay for a shower. The plan was to be back at The Villas to meet anyone who was coming to help me celebrate my last night.

When I got back to the homestay, I decided to chance a full shower with a hair wash – this was a mistake. I was lathered up like a soapy meringue when the water went off! It took a while to get all the bubbles off me and, of course, Vietnamese hotel towels are rather small. I was 10 minutes late to my own leaving party and Chung, who was going to give me a lift, was busy so I cycled back down. René was already there and was a bit concerned he was going to miss me as he had guests back at Greenfield Ecostay who he had to get back to. Ngan, his wife, was in Hanoi and couldn’t join us. René had a drink with me and then left with arrangements to come back if work allowed. Maxime and his 2 daughters joined us, then Bich and Luc came for a drink and food and it was so lovely to catch up. I had also arranged to have a drink and some food at Son River House Homestay with Chung and Uy. It was also their 7 year anniversary. Manu from Victory Road Villas and the girls from Phong Nha Vegan were also meant to be coming to join the small party.
Manu saw René drive past on a motorbike so I cycled back after paying my 1,200,000VND (£36.45). This included breakfast, lunch for 2 of us, 2 smoothies, 4 cocktails and a bottle of red wine to take away.
Back at the homestay, I arrived to an empty seat where René must have been sat, a fresh beer with ice and a 100,000VND (£3) note under the glass as payment. He had obviously got tired of waiting for me and left – I was surprised not to have passed him as I cycled my little legs as fast as I could on Bluey. Manu didn’t arrive as he couldn’t find it, and the Vegan girls were too busy with customers to leave early. Chung was apologetic that the local chicken with sticky rice that I had ordered for us all to share, had been boiled instead of barbecued. I wasn’t, as it was so delicious – Ms My had done a lovely job and I opened the bottle of wine to share with Chung and Linh Giang. Once again, I was the only non-Vietnamese person at the table and we had so much fun. Eventually, Uy noted the date and redeemed himself of forgetting his anniversary with a romantic speech but I was more enthralled by Motthew IV. Chung had chopped up a couple of pineapples for us to share so a big, thirsty moth came to sample it. There was a cake, more cheers and drinks but I was in bed by 10.30pm. I still hadn’t packed for Danang, Dalyan or the UK. Tomorrow was going to be a bit disorganised and rushed.

Phong Nha – 18th June

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

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

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

Phong Nha – 16th & 17th June

On the morning of Sunday 16th June I packed a lot of my stuff. Captain Caveman was due back later and would only have a couple of hours today and some of tomorrow for us to get organised for my departure. As we still didn’t know when Captain Caveman and I would be back in Phong Nha after this season, or what job either of us would be doing next year, I decided to take almost everything. I would have one suitcase to take anything I had still in Vietnam so I decided to put all the things I could live without in to a bag to give to Chung and Hoan. They could keep anything which they could make use of and give the rest to charity. It felt a bit weird not really knowing what would happen next year but I felt confident things would find a way of working out.
I worked from The Villas again and had a treat of beans on toast with a pot of tea for breakfast. For my lunch I had fresh veggie spring rolls and I was still working when Captain Caveman arrived at The Villas. He’d had a good trip but it had been incredibly hot, meaning the group had been out a little later. I updated Captain Caveman on my new job, he was pleased but we didn’t have long to chat as he was off to Chay Lap for his gala dinner. After finishing work for the day, I treated myself to a bottle of wine and some peanuts while I waited for Captain Caveman to return. When he arrived he ordered a pizza as the food at Chay Lap is still below par and he never eats there. I decided to try the ‘new to the menu’ cheeseburger, even though I’m not a massive burger fan.
Captain Caveman devoured his dinner and half the bottle of red wine, he was very hungry after his tour. My burger tasted very good but it was a bit chewy with it being beef. I let the manager know and she did say the Victory Road burger was better as it’s mixed with pork so that might have suited me better. Our total bill came to 890,000VND (£27) which included carrot cake. The Villas had started doing fresh cakes again and it did not disappoint! Maxime and his family were back in town to renovate the Nguyen Shack and had waited to say hello to Captain Caveman. It was almost 10pm when we cycled home, Captain Caveman was very tired.

Captain Caveman had the day time off on Monday 17th June but he still had some work tasks to do, of course. We were awake by 6am but his alarm was set for 6.30am anyway. The weather forecast said it was only 28°C but 83% humidity so it definitely felt hot and muggy. It also said it was going to be cloudy all day but the clouds had definitely not got that memo and it was scorching!
By 8.30am we had cycled to The Villas for me to crack on with work and later have brunch. I had my usual Pho and a smoothie but Captain Caveman had his favourite Eggs Benedict washed down with a Bloody Mary (which are usually 50% off on Mondays). Our bill came to 372,000VND (£11.30) and I didn’t notice at the time that the Bloody Mary was charged at full price of 180,000VND (£5.46). I said goodbye to Ben, as he was off to Mongolia tonight and would be away until the 29th June, when I would already be in Turkey.
While Captain Caveman got prepared for his next tour and his briefing tonight, I was thankful for a rest in the AC back at Son River House Homestay. By 3pm the humidity levels had dropped considerably but it still felt unbearable outside.
After work, and while Captain Caveman was at the Oxalis briefing, I went to Phong Nha Vegan. I was chatting with Ha when something truly awful happened. We heard a commotion down the road, towards town and, when I looked, I saw a woman in the street, a motorbike, something white on the floor and a few people gathered around.
I knew it as soon as I saw the white, it was May, the dog. He had been hit by a motorbike and the owner was trying to save him, I called Ha and we ran down. What happened next was quite upsetting so I won’t go in to too much detail. I felt for a heartbeat and little May was still alive. I called Chung and asked her to call Bom’s dad who is a farm vet and tell him to come quickly. She did and he said he was coming. The owner picked up May and was very distressed about the whole situation so we took him inside the gate. We both kept stroking and talking to him and willing him to pull through. Other dogs in the area were coming to check on May and I nervously kept them at a safe distance. The vet was really taking his time and I called several times for Chung to chase him. Ha and the others left me with the dog’s owner, who spoke no English and then May could fight no more. It was terrible and it looked like he had some bleeding from inside. I consoled the woman and we used Google translate to talk to each other and later her daughter. We lay May in a quiet spot in the garden and waited for her relative to arrive. Eventually, I left and having been strong for the owner, I had a little cry. The Vegan girls wanted to feed me but there was no way I could eat and I was conscious that I’d been holding May. I had a good wash but didn’t want to touch any of the tables at the Vegan and decided to call it a night. Our friend Dung was there having dinner and I asked him to come back and help me talk to May’s owner, which he did. It turned out her husband was a vet and there had been nothing we could have done to save May but at least he knew we loved him. I cycled to The Villas to meet Captain Caveman, with a takeaway snack of vegetable tempura which Hanh had insisted on making me. Once I’d calmed down and was getting through the shock, I ordered a Spaghetti Bolognese and shared a bottle of red wine with Captain Caveman. We paid 472,000VND (£14.33) which I didn’t think was bad. Our last night in Phong Nha together wasn’t the celebration it could have been, though.
Back at the homestay, I got some news to cheer me up; my friend, Briony, was going to be in Sheffield when I was, and had booked her flight from America. I ate the veggie tempura and then went to bed, still sad about little May, the dog.

Phong Nha – 14th & 15th June

I woke up at 7am on Friday 14th June, having had a lovely sleep in the bed all to myself. I went to The Villas for 10am, where I had a pot of tea and paid just 40,000VND (£1.21) for a good brew. I then had to scurry off to the Vegan as I said I’d practice English with the staff. I had a Bun Tron (a vegan rice noodle dish) while I was there and Ha asked if she could nip home to see her Dad. I agreed to hold the fort for her while she rushed off, only for her to come back with some sweet treats for me and the other girls. She had obviously wanted to go to get them as a surprise and it was really kind of her. One was a mung bean paste sweet which was not dissimilar to eating a stock cube and I’m glad I didn’t shove it all in my mouth at once.
In the evening, I went back to Phong Nha Vegan where it was so hot that Ha, the waitress, went for a swim in the river. I had tempura Oyster mushrooms with crispy sweet potato fries. It was like a vegan fish and chips and so good! I also met a couple of Vloggers from America who were enjoying the food and were very nice people. After 3 hours at the Vegan, I cycled back to Son River House Homestay and had an early night.

Saturday 15th June was an exciting day as it was the first day of a new part time job. I was doing some sales and marketing work for a friend. I went to The Villas to have breakfast and work there for the day, I find it the best place to work due to the location and the AC. Captain Caveman was due out of the cave tomorrow and didn’t even know I’d got, or started, a new job. I had my usual Pho Ga, familiarised myself with some spreadsheets and started to look at some content. I had a new friend join me while I worked, it was a moth sat on the glass door who I affectionately named Motthew the third. For lunch I had a margarita pizza with extra mushroom and I saved some to take home.
My tab for breakfast, lunch and drinks was 556,000VND (£17) which was particularly good value and I always enjoy the pizzas there.

By 6pm I was at Phong Nha Vegan having a laugh with Ha. I was meant to be having a swim with her but I had no spare clothes and the staff were too busy with their customers. While everyone was having a bit of a rest near the cooler machine, I spotted the Banh Canh lady. She comes by on her motorbike shouting ‘Banh Canh’ and sells her wares of noodles, eggs and sometimes veggies. I shouted Hanh from the kitchen and Ha from the hammock to come to buy some things. There was quite a crowd and the lady did a roaring trade. Hanh just bought the Banh Canh noodles for 10,000VND (31p).

By 9pm I was back at the homestay where Chung and the owner, Linh Giang, were waiting for me to have a drink to celebrate my first day at work. We ate juicy fresh watermelon and drank chilled red wine. I was introduced to Kim and her daughter, who were staying at Son River House too and we all had a good night together.

Phong Nha – 13th June

Captain Caveman went to eat fish noodle soup at the cafe next door to Son River House Homestay on Thursday 13th June, before his next Son Doong trip. It’s far too spicy for me so I said I’d meet him at Ho Khanh’s, where his trip departs from, once they have collected the guests and team. When I got there I said hello to Nghia, Yen and Sexy Quang as well as some of the porters. One of the aunties was there looking after a young child and the guests turned up early. Usually they get off the bus to have photos taken with Ho Khanh, the man who found the cave initially, but today this didn’t happen and I was asked by the staff where Captain Caveman was. It is very unlike him to be late but he was cutting it fine. I called and messaged him but no answer and I wondered if he’d snuck off for a cheeky last game of Bridge. He turned up a couple of minutes later and was a bit peeved that I was chasing him. We said bye and I cycled down to The Villas for my breakfast.

There I had my usual favourite Pho Ga and I tried a peach tea which was new to the menu. It was very nice and I got some writing done before deciding that it would be nice to have lunch at The Villas too. I opted for a bacon roll on freshly baked bread but without the egg and a pot of tea. It was so good and I really enjoyed the food.
I was just about to leave as Ben, the owner, arrived and we had a bit of a chat. He was concerned about what would happen when Captain Caveman and I left Phong Nha and was very aware that it wasn’t too far off that time. I was still toying with the idea of setting up my own company, perhaps with a view to incorporating some sort of travel company with Captain Caveman in the future. I paid 200,000VND (£6.04) for my breakfast and lunch (including the tip) and left to go back to the homestay.

While I’d been gone, the staff had asked if they could take the extra bed from our room as they had a full homestay tonight. This was great news for Chung that they were so busy and so she’d arranged to change the room around and I actually preferred it. I spent the afternoon sorting through all of my belongings in to piles; leave in Phong Nha, take to Danang, take to Turkey, and for Captain Caveman to bring to England.
That evening I went to the Vegan and it was very hot and humid, with limited staff and lots of customers. Luckily, my Vietnamese was getting better and Ha’s confidence in English was improving too. When I finished helping with the table of 14 Vietnamese diners, I ate fake pork with steamed rice and veg which was becoming a firm favourite. I was so hot that I had a lovely kumquat iced tea and a full fat Coke to drink.
I was tired when I cycled back to the homestay but unfortunately the new guests were doing karaoke and then the staff were talking until about 11pm so I watched Netflix on my phone.

Phong Nha – 12th June

Wednesday 12th June was weigh day again and unfortunately I had consumed 353 syns this week, 160 of which had been on alcohol. We had ended up arguing last night as Captain Caveman always argues when we go for an Indian, this time it had been like Pagoda-gate but with words. I didn’t agree with anything he had said and had put it down to him being unhappy, stressed or both. Obviously me not having any paid work was probably not helping but being in 2 countries where I’m not allowed to legally work doesn’t help. There was no sorry at all this morning and we decided to eat breakfast at the homestay to see what it was like. Captain Caveman was due back in to the cave tomorrow and had his briefing tonight so I decided I would try to find some job opportunities while he was gone. He went down to the reception/cafe area to get a coffee while I finished getting ready and took my measurements. I was surprised to find that they weren’t too bad; my bust was the same, my waist had increased by 1cm and my hips had reduced by 1cm. Captain Caveman had egg and bread while I had beef noodle soup. It was quite nice but more like a bun than a pho and I had green tea with it.

Captain Caveman needed to go into Oxalis but I had decided to go to The Villas to do some blogging, I had a mango lassi, a pot of tea and some cute biscuits – not a great idea before getting weighed.
Captain Caveman joined me and we ordered lunch, he had the potato gratin with asparagus and I had the Australian meat pie with chips and gravy (an even worse idea before getting on the scales). We paid just 380,000VND (£11.47) for lunch and then headed to Oxalis on our way back to our homestay. While Captain Caveman sorted work related things out, I chilled out and watched the resident skink go about his business.

Captain Caveman went to his briefing for 6pm so I went to Phong Nha Vegan. Little May, the dog, was there with Lu from next door and came to greet me straight away. He wondered where I had been and brought me a dried leaf as a gift. I got on the scales to find I had put on 1kg while in Dong Hoi, which was less than I was expecting. For dinner I had fresh spring rolls and mushroom fried rice which was delicious. The Vegan girls ate Banh Trang Tron (which is not vegan) and it was quiet so I left about 8pm and went back to Son River House Homestay for wine with Chung and beers with Captain Caveman and Uy. We had some leftover Indian but no arguments. This was Captain Caveman’s last day off while I was here as he had 2 tours back to back and would be in the cave when I left Phong Nha.

Dong Hoi & Phong Nha – 11th June

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

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

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

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

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.