Phong Nha – 10th & 11th July

On Saturday 10th July I had 2 gluten free, dairy free pancakes with banana and honey for breakfast and read the daily Corona stats. Unfortunately in Vietnam there had been 2 more deaths, one of them didn’t have long between diagnosis and dying, which was concerning. More info here:
https://vietnamnews.vn/society/989833/two-more-covid-related-deaths-reported-in-viet-nam.html
There was an updated list of categories for people receiving the vaccine in Vietnam and I would have been at the very bottom had it not been for Oxalis and Captain Caveman. Unfortunately the vaccine progress was still slow here and therefore cases were going to keep coming and deaths were inevitable, especially for those with underlying health issues already.
For lunch I had the left over buffet from last night’s party and in the afternoon I decided to tackle the rather expensive pomelo for a snack and realised it would last me for days. Around 5pm, I was swimming in the pool when Veronika asked if I’d like to share some wine with her, it was very hot weather again, after some storms in the night, so of course I agreed. She even got some crackers from Momma D’s out and an avocado for nibbles. Veronika kept topping up my glass and by the time it came for me to reheat my jackfruit seed curry for dinner I was rather merry. The curry with steamed rice was absolutely delicious and very filling but, as is usual with masaman curry, it made me ill as soon as I’d eaten it.

I started what was about to be a mammoth task on Sunday 11th July; transferring all my photos and videos from the laptop to one of the SD cards. I had a slice of buttered toast and a slice of toast with jam for breakfast (with no issues) and read the news. Because the number of daily cases was getting bigger each day they were proposing even tighter measures in Saigon, more info here:
https://vietnamnews.vn/society/989958/hcm-city-sets-up-mobile-teams-for-covid-19-testing-at-home-tightens-travel-from-nearby-provinces.html
Reports of bringing in a quick PCR tests at Hanoi airport meant this could be better for when I leave so I wouldn’t have to travel or wait long for my result to enable me to fly to Turkey, more here:
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210711/hanoi-airport-offers-covid19-testing-service-to-passengers/62001.html
For lunch I ate some pomelo and was expecting Tatas to come over for a swim in the afternoon. She arrived later than I expected which meant I had totally cleared everything of mine from the laptop and it was starting to function again, I could now view photos and videos, so started looking at old memory sticks. Tatas and I sat on the balcony with a cold beer but she hadn’t brought her swimmers. I had a bit of a swim and we arranged to go to the Happy Hour and Farmstay Sunday dinner with Veronika at 5.30pm ish. The Elements Collection staff brought us a plate each of warm jackfruit and peanut salt. I love it and was keen to tuck in to ours with another beer.

After pool time (for me) and showers for both of us all 3 of us got a lift with Duyet to the Phong Nha Farmstay. Tatas and Veronika were on the gin and tonics and I had rum and diet cokes (2 for 1 as we love a bargain) and we ordered our roast dinners. We met the first person I have ever met from Bhutan, a lovely customer from Tatas’ last Son Doong tour. Tatas had my pasta, I had her crackling, pumpkin and Yorkshire pudding and the food was excellent – I do enjoy a roast dinner almost as much as wine. Tatas decided to try a Pina Colada which she was now getting in to. She insisted on buying a bottle of red wine for us to share and we also got a glass of wine included and a carrot cake each – we took the carrot cake home as we were too full after such a substantial portion!

Phong Nha – 9th July

Craig Davis was having a leaving party on Friday 9th July at his home at Bolero homestay. Shannon and Mark had agreed to share a car which made it easier but Duyet wasn’t available, like last night, so we had to book a taxi at a higher cost of 200,000vnd each way. This is one of the reasons I very rarely go out in Phong Nha, unless it’s an organised trip with Phong Nha Farmstay to The Villas, because it’s just too expensive for a short journey here. Captain Caveman had made himself breakfast before going on his first Son Doong tour in a while, he gave me some money and told me to go to the party and not to worry about money so much, we would cope! I had toast for breakfast and caught up with the news in the UK and Vietnam.
There was good news for vaccinated people in the UK who wanted to leave and return, without having to do quarantine. It was not great news for people coming back from a country where they had got a vaccine which had not been given by the NHS. More here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57763173
This meant even though I might have had my vaccinations by the time I go to England, I would still have to quarantine because I’d have had them in Vietnam, or Turkey (or both).
In Vietnam there was more concern in Saigon for people trying to go anywhere as more rules and restrictions were put in place, more here:
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210709/coronavirusfree-requirement-restricts-interprovincial-travels-in-vietnam/61968.html
For lunch I had a Momma D’s sausage roll out of the freezer, which cooked lovely in Veronika’s oven then before I knew it, it was time for the party.
The driver picked Shannon up first, then me and then we picked up Mark. When we arrived at Craig Davis’s place two of the cavers were already there so we went to say hello. We had a tour of Mr Davis’s home which is really lovely and it’s very sad that he has to leave Vietnam. Momma D was managing the party event and the staff and her were there setting up the bar and getting the buffet ready. I had a can of Saigon beer and we chatted to Andrew and his family as he and his son got in the guitar shaped pool. The buffet was good and plentiful including some homemade chocolate brownies which were a massive hit and there were quite a few people turned up to the party which was great because Craig Davis is such a nice bloke. It was good to see old friends, Uy and Chung, for a while too. When we were leaving our host insisted we take a plateful of food home too and had really treated us all well – Phong Nha would miss him!

Phong Nha – 8th July

Our SD cards had finally arrived from Lazada and so on Thursday 8th July Captain Caveman cycled to Phong Nha to pick them up. I unpacked my suitcases hoping I wouldn’t have to repack them too soon but (just in case) I left all my winter stuff and the BBQ in the big one. I had 2 gluten free, almond milk pancakes with a banana and honey while reading the Vietnamese news. The Saigon lockdown had started with panic at the supermarkets, read more here:
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vietnams-biggest-city-sees-panic-buying-over-virus-lockdown-fears-2021-07-07/
I made jackfruit seed curry to pop in the freezer with all the stuff we had in the fridge and it was a joint effort on the lunch. We had chicken topped with pulled BBQ jackfruit, carrot, cabbage and gherkins on baguette and it was really good (much better with the chicken). I didn’t go in the pool today because, even though it was a warm day, my eczema was playing up and I didn’t want it to get worse, as it does from the swimming pool. I also needed to get ready for the second of our Phong Nha Ladies Nights which looked to be fun!

We had planned our second phong Nha Ladies Night at Momma D’s rooftop bar! There were about 16 people invited and we had done a vote which had confirmed the majority wanted it to be on a Thursday, most people wanted it to start earlier and they wanted it sooner than having to wait a whole month for the next one. Shannon had the whole day off so was happy to get there at 4pm and then we could have sunset drinks, others who were working wanted to go about 6 or 7pm so, as is usual, no-one could agree on the leaving time for our car. I decided Shannon, Captain Caveman and I would book Duyet to take us at 5pm and we would pay 300,000vnd (£9.30) for the return journey. This way we could go with Captain Caveman who had his Son Doong briefing at Oxalis and needed to be on time. Unfortunately that meant Captain Caveman and I were already spending 200,000vnd out of our budget before I had even eaten or drank, so I decided I would only have something cheap to drink and not go mad tonight. By the time we set off there were fewer than the 16 that had said they were coming and so numbers were already diminishing and Tatas, my usual drinking partner, was in Son Doong so couldn’t come. Shannon and I had felt quite tired and so she ordered a coffee and I just had a Huda beer because it meant I could have more drinks, the cheaper they were.
First to join us was Diem who was excited to be able to come out this time, then next to arrive was Tham, with a big smile on her face and she had brought duck for everyone to share. Next was Bich who started the party off with a Bloody Mary, Huyen arrived shortly after that, bringing a big bag of sim fruit for everyone to share. It was the first time of trying them for me but they taste a bit like blueberries wrapped in a then layer of carpet or fuzzy felt. I ordered roasted peanuts and tacos, some of the others ordered various things from the extensive menu including nachos and pies. Momma D gave us all free frozen Bellini shots and some extra peanuts to share. Unfortunately for various reasons we had 3 more ladies cancel after we had started the evening so only 7 out of the invited 16 were in attendance, including Momma D, but we were still up for a good time. The BBQ duck was a winner as everyone shared it, I didn’t have any but everyone said it was delicious.
After a couple of Huda beers I decided to try Momma D’s own draft lager which she had recommended and was very nice – not as gassy as the Huda. The 7 of us had a very civilised evening and by 8.30pm most of the Vietnamese ladies were ready to go. I had booked Duyet to take us back when Captain Caveman finished work and could join us so the westerners had another beverage and Captain Caveman had a quick Huda when he arrived. As we were leaving there was a bit of a storm brewing and some heavy rain came but luckily Captain Caveman was able to help me on the stairs and down the ramp to the pavement. I’d enjoyed my night out despite spending just over 500,000vnd (£16) on food, drink and transport meaning I’d need to be very frugal with the housekeeping over the next few weeks, as we had a few events coming up.

Phong Nha & Dong Hoi – 7th July

On Wednesday 7th July it was clear that the number of Corona cases in Saigon were not letting up and there were some issues in trying to keep it under control so an announcement was made that Ho Chi Minh City would go in to Directive 16 lockdown from midnight, more info here:
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/covid-19-sources-spread-all-over-hcmc-says-health-department-4305117.html
A lot of our friends in Saigon were feeling the stress of it a bit more now and some were F1 or F2 and having to isolate.
There was a morning shopping trip at 8.30am which both Captain Caveman and I decided to join Veronika and Stu on. Our first stop was the pharmacy where I bought cream for my eczema, paracetamol, contraceptive pills and some Decolgen for Captain Caveman. In all pharmacies now you have to give your name, address and phone number if you are buying any medication which could be for Corona so I had to do that and I didn’t have enough money as the face cream was so expensive that Captain Caveman had to come and bring me more cash in the now heavy rain.
We also shopped at the organic shop and the VinMart before going for a fancy lunch.

We got quite a few things but we’re still meant to be on a strict budget so we were trying to be as careful as possible. Captain Caveman had been paid but after all the outgoings there wasn’t much left. Here’s the shopping we bought, for all you list lovers, prices in Dong;

Pharmacy
Decolgen (16 tablets) 19,200
Panadol (24 tablets) 22,000
Marvelon (63 tablets) 195,000
Eucerin cream (1 tube) 434,700

Total spent 670,900 (£20.80)

Booze Shop
2 bottles of Bombay Sapphire gin 460,000

Total spent (£14.26)

Organic Shop
1 red cabbage 13,330
4 carrots 20,670
2 red peppers 47,530
1 pack of vegetable stock granules 75,000
4 potatoes 75,600
1 pomelo 157,500

Total spent 389,630 (£12.08)

VinMart Supermarket
Tissues 8,500
1 baguette 9,500
1 packet of Fox’s glacier mints 15,100
6 bananas 23,880
Mushrooms 35,500
1 bag of frozen sweetcorn 41,000
10 eggs 43,900
3 180ml cartons of almond milk 69,500
1kg of chicken 88,900
1 jar of jam 138,000

Total spent 473,780 (£14.69)

The bargain of the day was the gin being only £7 per bottle which Captain Caveman was thrilled with it being cheaper for 2 bottles than my small face cream. The items we probably could have left off the list was the pomelo (which was huge) and the jam, but we got a nice free tote bag with it this time and that would come in handy for me to use in Turkey.
We still didn’t buy any wine which is usually around 400,000vnd for 1 bottle and at least it was keeping me healthier! Once I got to Turkey I would drink a lot more wine as a cheap (but good) bottle there is about a third of the cost of that in Vietnam. The 2 items I would love to be able to buy are popcorn kernels and mince beef but nowhere has any in stock.

What would you have left out or added this week?

Bich had chosen the Vinpearl hotel for lunch, we were the only guests and the staff had to put the lights on as we sat at a huge table with a lazy susan! Captain Caveman and Stu ordered Caesar salads, Bich ordered prawns, Veronika chicken breast and I went completely off the diet and ordered the chicken burger (I’d taken stomach medicine in case of any issues). My food was absolutely fantastic, it came with French fries, cheese, bacon and gherkins and was only 180,000vnd (£5.58). Everyone else said their food was nice too and we had a good laugh before heading back to Phong Nha.

Captain Caveman and I had BBQ ‘pulled pork’ jackfruit on a baguette with shredded cabbage, carrot and gherkins for an early dinner. It was nice, if not a bit unusual, but it definitely wouldn’t fool a meat lover. I would have it again though, which was a good job as we now had BBQ jackfruit left, which we popped in the fridge for tomorrow’s lunch. I’d organised another Ladies Night for tomorrow but was having a few problems getting people to commit to whether they were coming or not.

Phong Nha – 6th July

Captain Caveman was out very early on Tuesday 6th July and back from Phong Nha by 10am. We were discussing what to have for breakfast when the housekeeping lady brought us a treat of something I have not tried before. She gave us a nicely presented plate of warm jack fruit with a peanut salt crush in the middle. The jackfruit was the unripened version which tastes less like fruit and more like a chestnut and is incredibly moreish, if you’ve not had it before (I’ve had it cooked in India but not raw) it’s worth a try. The flesh part can be used to make a vegan ‘pulled pork’ type of dish which we decided to do with the rest of it later and the stones, which look a bit like Brazil nuts can be boiled, peeled and put in to a veggie curry so we saved those too. We were very grateful to try the fresh jackfruit and it was very kind of the Elements Collection staff to give us a lovely treat.
There was some optimistic progress on my visa situation as Captain Caveman paid 1.8 million vnd (£55.80) and I arranged for my passport to be taken to Dong Hoi by car for another 600,000vnd (£19.20) because it was too hot to expect anyone to take it by motorbike and I wanted it to be submitted as soon as possible for another visa extension. Captain Caveman picked up some freshly made bread from the Lake House and got home just in time. It started to rain but we decided to still get in the pool and for the first time in months we actually felt cooler and it was so lovely. While Captain Caveman made us a chicken dinner I peeled the sharp shells off the boiled jackfruit seeds and then Captain Caveman helped me as they were a bit cumbersome and took a while until we mastered it. When they were done they went in to the freezer so that I could make a curry with them another time.

Phong Nha – 5th July

While Captain Caveman had a day working in Hang Va on Monday 5th July I was awake at stupid o’clock wondering if I would actually be booking that flight to Hanoi or unpacking my suitcase today. I didn’t bother with any breakfast because I had arranged for a group of us to go to my leaving lunch at East Hill at 11.30am. I didn’t get a message about my visa so I messaged Bich, to see if she could help find out what was happening, she replied to say that there had been no further update and so I was to go ahead and assume I had to leave. I was a bit shocked because I had hoped for a few more days at least but I started sorting through my toiletries and bits and bobs to add to my packed luggage. At 09.02am my phone rang and it was Bich, I’d answered it within 5 seconds and was listening carefully as she said that she had got a call back, but then went on with a little story about someone not having any signal and the WiFi being rubbish. Apparently somewhere in the conversation she said I could stay a bit longer and that I should send my passport off to request another visa extension. I went downstairs to make a cup of tea and Veronika came in, when she asked how it was going, and I told her, I think we were both a bit shocked, but pleased! After chatting for a bit I realised I’d probably better cancel the East Hill leaving party but it was already 10am and some people had arranged to come in their lunch break. I decided we should go ahead as planned but I updated the Facebook invite to a ‘staying’ do instead!

Captain Caveman’s photos of this gorgeous creature

I had rather foolishly chosen to cycle to East Hill for my ‘staying not leaving’ lunch and the heat was pretty relentless. I’d turned down lifts because I had planned on it being Bluey’s last trip out and I even chatted to her as I pumped up her tyres, reassuring her that she might be going on short rides for a bit longer, all being well. Astonishingly, I was almost the first to arrive despite Tatas saying her and the Funny Monkey’s mob were going there early for some photo taking. Phuong, Hong and his 2 little kids had all come on the one motorbike and were just getting off when I got there and I parked Bluey in the shade. We went up the steps and had a bit of trouble finding a big enough table with a fan, Tatas was there next closely followed by Duyet and the 3 ladies from Elements. I asked Tatas to let them know I was no longer leaving just yet and they were so happy it was heartwarming. Shannon arrived and we got seated at a big table and Tatas ordered 2 chicken combos to start us off. Momma D was the next to arrive with Kevin, the dog and we decided to order beers, I had a pepsi then Hien arrived. The next people to arrive were Ly Ly, Moon, Ngày and Leonard (who’d impressively managed the steps with a walking stick) from Funny Monkey’s, just in time for the chicken arriving and a second load of beers (cider for me). They presented me with a gift of gluten free cake which I didn’t look at the note until later but it was really sweet of them. We ordered 2 more chickens and I was worried the Elements team weren’t eating enough and went to sit at that end of the table to check they were getting stuck in. Moon even snitched and said our gardening lady was eating like a small bird and we said she should have more! Leonard, who’s 80 years old, was his usual amusing self and I was happy to learn that he had introduced Tatas and the Funny Monkeys mob to an impromptu Pina Colada night where everyone had got rather merry last night. We played a really funny game, brought by Funny Monkeys, which was hilarious to see some people’s reactions: does anyone remember this?
https://youtu.be/_zXckGh32q4
There were much cheers shouted and a few photos with a few drinks but I stuck to 2 ciders because I had to cycle back home. We had a really good time and I was so glad it wasn’t my leaving party because we all wanted to be able to do it again another time and for it to be a happy time, not a sad one. I had another leaving, now staying, party for other friends booked in for tonight at the Farmstay but first I cycled the 10 minutes back home in over 40°C sunshine. I was a hot sweaty mess when I got back to Elements and I went to sit with the staff to thank them for coming for BBQ chicken. After a cool shower I got in the pool and then chilled in the shade of the balcony.

Captain Caveman was back from his Hang Va day earlier than expected and we had a drink by the pool. That evening, mainly because Captain Caveman had been working I’d organised the 2nd of my leaving events. Duyet drove Captain Caveman and I to the Farmstay in the Ural and it was really good fun – my leg was so much better since I last got in and out of the sidecar too. Trang, Andrew and Chung Son were already in the pool and they said they would come over to join us in a bit so we sat at our nicely reserved table with Stu, Max and Jack. I gave my passport to the Phong Nha Farmstay receptionist so that it could be arranged to take it to immigration in Dong Hoi to hopefully get me my next visa stamp. The 2 Farmstay guests from last night had heard my good news and came over to congratulate me on not leaving Vietnam yet and they joined our party as we took advantage of the Happy Hour margaritas – the Farmstay had put them on 2 for 1 as a special for tonight from 5.30-7pm. Trang and the boys came over and ordered some food, Captain Caveman ordered a pizza as a starter and we had more drinks with Veronika, Bich and Momma D. For dinner I think Captain Caveman had something western (but I don’t remember what) and I had duck a l’orange which was beautiful. Having already had 3 margaritas I then had a glass of red wine and a whiskey. Shannon joined us later when she finished work and it was a nice civilised evening and a good excuse to have dinner at the Farmstay again. At the end of the night our guests from Hanoi had said if anything went wrong with my visa extension application while they were in Son Doong that I could have a lift with them up to Hanoi when they got out on the 10th so I could fly out if I needed to, which was very nice and we had hugs and kisses all round. Duyet picked us up in the big bus and I was pretty tired when I got to bed, it’s the most I’d been out in ages.

Photo credit – Captain Caveman, Hien, Moon.

Phong Nha – 3rd & 4th July

While Captain Caveman went to Phong Nha on Saturday 3rd July I packed my suitcases, one of which was a hand luggage case I’d borrowed from Vanessa in Dalyan, thinking I’d be giving it back 3 months later. I’d hoped for a message first thing about my visa extension decision but didn’t get one and so I had my usual pancake breakfast and read the news.
In Vietnam yesterday we had the biggest amount of cases in one day so far and this 4th wave was certainly continuing to be a worry:
https://vietnamnews.vn/society/985492/viet-nam-sees-record-high-daily-increase-of-covid-19-cases-on-saturday.html
At 11.48 a text confirmed there had been no response from immigration as promised so we could perhaps assume I was still leaving, although it would still be double checked on Monday when they were back at work. This would mean that option 1 of leaving on Tuesday was definitely cutting it fine so when Captain Caveman returned we decided to go with option 2 of me going to Hanoi next Friday, but we would book the flight on Monday, which was Captain Caveman’s payday. This would also give me time to still attend my own leaving celebrations on Monday too. I researched new phones and found the one I needed which I would also be better off getting in Hanoi because of availability. I got a message from Funny Monkey’s to say that a friend from Dong Hoi had sent Captain Caveman and I a gift, what a lovely surprise. That night Captain Caveman made a massive mushroom risotto and we didn’t argue, he was looking forward to getting back to work and had even managed to be working on Monday, meaning he couldn’t come to celebrate me leaving Phong Nha.

There was some excitement on Sunday 4th July when we used our new gifts. Mo, from Earth cafe in Dong Hoi, had sent us each a cup for our morning drinks and it was such a lovely thing to do. I had jasmine tea in mine, Captain Caveman had Vietnamese coffee and I made more pancake mixture for my breakfast. For some reason neither of us had any lunch but we decided after some time in the pool that we would go to the Farmstay for sunset drinks. It was happy hour so to keep it cheap we both just had 2 for 1 Huda beer, which I hadn’t drank in quite some time. We watched the buffalo get fed and washed in the fields, we chatted about expats getting kicked out of Vietnam and cycling in hot sun with 2 of the Phong Nha Farmstay guests. The two of them were going to Son Doong next week and they were really looking forward to it.
Back home, while Captain Caveman cooked our dinner, I checked with East Hill that they could accommodate us tomorrow at 11.30am for my leaving lunch and started to get a bit concerned about fitting everything in that I needed to do!

Video of a farmer feeding his buffalo

Photo credit – Captain Caveman

Phong Nha – 2nd July

One good thing to come out of the recent passport, visa, money, lack of tourism issues was that I hadn’t been drinking wine as much or eating as many treats. The last of my worries at the moment was whether I was thinner or fatter but none of my bras fit now and at least I would be able to get some new ones when I left. I didn’t have any breakfast as I started going through my clothes and working out what I was taking with me to Turkey and what I would leave here for if/when I could come back. Captain Caveman was in Phong Nha and had got the suitcases out at the Glass House so we could bring them over to pack when he could borrow a car. As is usual there is often an electrical item requiring transporting between countries and this time would be no different. I’d been away from Turkey for almost 18 months and from England for 3 years but I definitely needed to carry an electric BBQ hotplate back with me and, if I had time, I would buy a new phone and take a small rice cooker too.
I had 2 options for flights out of Vietnam that were the most suitable for me and I double checked all of the details, ready for Captain Caveman coming home so that we could book everything with his Vietnamese bank card.

These were my flight options:

Option 1 (the legal one)
•PCR test in Dong Hoi Tues 6/7 09:00
•Pick up PCR test result Wed 7/7 09:00
•Fly to Hanoi Wed 7/7 13:30
•Arrive in Hanoi 14:40
•Fly to Singapore 18:50
•Arrive in Singapore 23:25
•Fly to Istanbul 01:45 Thurs 8/7
•Arrive in Istanbul 07:45
•Fly to Dalaman 11:55
•Arrive in Dalaman 13:10
•Car to Dalyan to arrive at Fire Opal apartment by 14:00 on Thursday 8th July, the day before my visa expires!

Option 2 (the illegal overstay one)
•Fly to Hanoi Fri 9/7 13:30 or Sun 11/7 if that one cancels
•Arrive in Hanoi 14:40
•Stay in Hanoi for 4 days (or 2 days)
•PCR test in Hanoi Mon 11/7 09:00
•Pick up PCR test result Mon 11/7 17:00
•Fly to Singapore 12:35 Tues 12/7
•Arrive in Singapore 17:05
•Wait at airport for 8.5hrs
•Fly to Istanbul 01:45 Wed 14/7
•Arrive in Istanbul 07:45
•Fly to Dalaman 11:55
•Arrive in Dalaman 13:10
•Car to Dalyan to arrive at Fire Opal apartment by 14:00 on Wednesday 14th July, 5 days after my visa expires!

There were pros and cons of both options really but the main one being that if the flight from Dong Hoi to Hanoi cancelled on option 1 there was no wiggle room and I would miss my international flight. The downsides to option 2 was that I had to not catch Corona in Hanoi for 4 days and pay an unknown amount of overstay fine at the airport when I left.

Leaving Phong Nha sooner rather than later, seemed like a sensible approach at first so at 9.30am I was checking the logistics of the PCR test and researching the number of flights which didn’t get cancelled from Dong Hoi to Hanoi. If I did take Option 1, the legal one, there was a massive risk that the domestic flight would get cancelled and I wouldn’t have time to get to Hanoi by train for my international flight. Refunds were taking up to a month in some cases which then meant I would not have the money in the bank to book another flight and I would still be overstaying. I decided to go for option 2, to deliberately overstay and get my PCR test in Hanoi, which gave me much more time to get another flight or overnight train from Dong Hoi to Hanoi if needed. Everything was decided and Captain Caveman would be back from Phong Nha shortly so we could go ahead and book it.
At 10.22 I got a message to ask if I had booked my flights yet and when I said I hadn’t, I was told ‘do not book the ticket’! Immigration had agreed to take another look (maybe they had just got round to reading the memo) and would call back this afternoon. When Captain Caveman returned he was a bit surprised but we were both hopeful that it would be good news and I could stay a bit longer, at least until I could get my second jab and say goodbyes.
Captain Caveman made us bacon and asparagus for brunch, followed by mangosteen, as neither of us had eaten yet and we were going to treat ourselves to pizza night at The Villas tonight, taking my passport so that I could submit it if necessary. We saw that Eric the wasp had come for a visit but got himself in to difficulty trying to drink from the pool, Captain Caveman saved him and put him on the wall to recover.

By 6pm I had still not heard back about the visa situation which was disappointing because now the immigration office was closed until Monday morning and I still didn’t know what was going on. We were picked up by the Phong Nha Farmstay for pizza night and Captain Caveman had drawn out some extra money from his non-vietnamese account to tide us over a bit. When we got to The Villas, Captain Caveman asked if he could borrow the car to collect my suitcases so I could at least get packed. He knew I was stressed so he told me to order what I liked and off he went – I didn’t need telling twice and I ordered a glass of red wine. Tatas was already there so I sat opposite her at the end of the table, Veronika and the family sat at a different table as the long table outside didn’t have as many available seats tonight. Trang, Andrew and their son arrived and were getting their temperature checks as Momma D arrived with Kevin, the dog, then Hien and her daughter arrived shortly after. Even though we have not yet had any cases of Corona where we are it’s good to see that The Villas records all the temperature data of each customer, the tables are set according to the rules and it feels very safe. When Captain Caveman returned he ended up sitting at the other end of the table opposite Andrew and when the Funny Monkeys bunch arrived a bit later they sat on another table. At 7.40pm I was sent a message to say that our contact in immigration would be going in to the office tomorrow morning and a decision about whether I’m going or staying would be communicated to me before lunch. After all the toing and froing I was becoming indifferent about it but still sad that this could be my last all you can eat pizza night! I had 3 glasses of the quality red wine at The Villas and thoroughly enjoyed each one, the pizzas were as delicious as always. Back home we put the suitcases in the bedroom, wondering how soon I’d be checking them in!

Phong Nha – 1st July

My day on Thursday 1st July started with me asking if I should bring my passport over to Victory Road Villas tonight so that it could be submitted for another visa extension. There was lots of information on various Facebook groups retracting the information that said all tourist visa extensions had been stopped and that they were definitely being extended now, so I was pretty confident all would go ahead once the authorities in Dong Hoi ‘read their memos’. At 09:13 I got a reply to say we were still waiting for immigration to reply and we just had to wait. Having wasted too much time faffing about already this morning, I decided to make several pancakes at once and as they were turning out on the crispy side I popped a few in a tuppaware box for later – the walnut milk was not as good as the almond milk but it didn’t taste as sweet so it was a tough one which to use for the best results. When Captain Caveman returned he had picked up 2kg of mangosteen from Mina and we had a quick check on if we still had enough cash to go to Fish and Chips night at The Villas later. We had 832,000vnd (£25.80) left until pay day and the special tonight was 175,000vnd (£5.42) each and a glass of wine is 110,000vnd (£3.41) but we were going for it! For lunch we had Baba Ganoush on what I thought might still be crispy pancakes but they had gone to the consistency of proper pancakes again and were delicious. We shared some mangosteens and discussed our plans for the rest of the weekend, which kind of depended on me staying in Vietnam and me getting the answer we wanted from immigration. I would be sad to leave Phong Nha and Vietnam but of course I had already started to try to keep positive and remind myself of everything I could look forward to if I was to go back to Turkey next week.
We got picked up at 6pm and headed over to meet Tatas and Craig Davis with Veronika and the Farmstay guests. At 18.27, as we were at the dinner table, I got a message which said that immigration could not do an extension this month. It was suggested that I try asking elsewhere, maybe an agent in Hanoi or Hoi An. I asked about an overstay or exit visa but I was told that I must leave before the 9th July, they did not know how much overstay fees were – that was whatever the airport staff wanted to charge. I legally had only 8 days left in Vietnam and the airline which I preferred to use only had flights once per week. It didn’t seem real until, as we were leaving, one of the lovely Phong Nha Farmstay guests gave me a massive hug and wished me well for leaving Vietnam.

16 Things I Googled in June

With Captain Caveman at home a lot more in June I didn’t need Google as much, but I still managed a short list. Here is the 16 things I googled in June in alphabetical order:
• baolau.vn
• banana cake gluten free recipe
• Dong Hoi flight departures
• English to Vietnamese
• gluten free Yorkshire pudding recipe
• Home Hotel, Hanoi
• Imagine Dragons
• Israel Corona virus vaccine
• Orgran recipes
• Oppo phones
• renewing UK driving licence
• Uniqlo Vietnam
• UK Red list
• Vietnamese funerals
• weather
• worldlifeexpectancycoronavirus

Phong Nha – 30th June

By the time I woke up on Wednesday 30th June it looked like immigration had made a mistake and tourist visas could be extended in various cities in Vietnam now so I didn’t book the flights or book a PCR test or sort anything else out. I had my usual gluten free pancakes and an orange juice while Captain Caveman went on the shopping trip with Bich, her kids, and a couple of Phong Nha Farmstay customers.
In the news in Vietnam there was a supermarket employee with Corona in Saigon, more here:
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210630/contact-tracing-begins-as-employee-at-saigon-expats-favorite-supermarket-contracts-coronavirus/61798.html
A friend, who also had to leave at the end of July, had confirmed he was leaving on the 27th and his 2 options to go to were Turkey or Bali, Indonesia, but the news in Indonesia wasn’t looking too clever, more here:
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/lockdown-pressure-grows-for-indonesia-as-more-doctors-die-from-covid-19
Captain Caveman was back fairly early from Dong Hoi this week, having just picked up some essentials but couldn’t find anything to alleviate my phone and laptop situation.

In his shopping basket at the Co-op Mart were the following items (costs in vnd):
Onions 16,598
Bananas 16,900
Potatoes 20,956
Eggs 29,500
Mangosteens 43,089
Chicken breasts 135,000
There was still almost a week until pay day but Captain Caveman was frivolous and also went to the booze shop where he bought a bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin and a bottle of Vodka Smirnoff Red for a total of 510,000vnd.

I’d been busy at home making a masaman curry, some for later and some for the freezer.
For lunch we had Baba Ganoush with toast and in the afternoon we went in the pool with cocktails. I had a White Russian made with walnut milk which was a terrible idea so it followed with 2 vodka and diet cokes.
We heard nothing more about my visa situation and it looked like I was still leaving Vietnam. I made some chapatti type things to go with the masaman curry and we didn’t eat until 8pm because Captain Caveman wasn’t hungry. I was, I always am, but as soon as I had eaten it I was ill and I don’t know why but this is probably the third time I remember being ill with masaman curry. We went to sleep that night still not knowing if I was going to be in Phong Nha this time next week, or not.

Phong Nha – 29th June

Tuesday 29th June was going to turn out to be an extremely disappointing day! Firstly I checked the news while eating gluten free pancakes with the dodgy mixture that, because of the walnut milk, I couldn’t work out how to remedy it. There were 4 more Corona related deaths in Vietnam, all were old or had underlying illnesses, but it was still sad.
Captain Caveman had gone to Phong Nha and it was a warm day for my choice of activity that morning. I had the fan on (we don’t have AC in the kitchen) as I decided it would be a lovely day for making pumpkin and carrot soup. Once I’d combined all the ingredients it went in to the rice cooker and I looked at my phone. We had some bad news from immigration; I was not able to apply for another visa extension and I must leave Vietnam before the 9th July. It was a bit of a shock really because we thought there would at least be one more month or even an extra few days in which to leave, but no – my time in Vietnam was up! With less than 10 days left to leave I decided to make a list of all the things I needed to do, including the different train and flight combos and costs. When Captain Caveman returned he was a bit cheesed off because immigration had told other people who were not paying for visas that they could stay until the end of July, I didn’t even get the chance of a 2 week notice to exit. I found a flight which meant leaving Phong Nha on the morning of Tuesday 6th July. We made some plans including getting a PCR test, then realised we had no wiggle room if anything went wrong at all. I got a lot of messages from people who were trying to help but were telling me conflicting information about whether I could still get a visa elsewhere as the decision for agents working via Hanoi, Danang, Hoi An and Saigon had all reversed the decision and were now able to give 1 more month extensions, some with a proof of flight and some without. I didn’t have time for lunch so snacked on dragon fruit and cashew nuts. Before sunset I suggested we go for a walk round the block and even that didn’t go too well as my ankle started to hurt more than usual half way along. I complained about this to Captain Caveman who suggested we turn back but I wanted to carry on a bit further, we turned round and did a different route, which took longer and was on a small grassy path rather than the road we came on, so I ended up walking for longer anyway. I had my last remaining cider before dinner which was pumpkin soup with sourdough toast and it was bloody delicious. I sent a message to my mom to tell her I had to leave Vietnam within 10 days and had found a flight to Istanbul via Singapore – what a day!!!

Phong Nha – 28th June

On Monday 28th June I got up early, half expecting the housekeeping staff to want to clean but they were busy with the villa opposite, Captain Caveman was in Phong Nha. I made pancakes as usual and I ate my breakfast while catching up on the news – I was so sad to read about a Vietnamese woman who died 1 day after her Corona diagnosis, more here:
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210628/woman-dies-one-day-after-being-diagnosed-with-covid19-in-ho-chi-minh-city/61754.html
Ho Chi Minh City was still getting worse with cases and I was surprised to read some of the measures being implemented, it was like reading about the plague, which I guess it is, more here:
https://vietnamnews.vn/society/981983/close-covid-19-contacts-in-hcm-city-allowed-to-isolate-at-home.html
This story was a little more light-hearted and if it wasn’t so serious this would have been funny:
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210628/coronaviruspositive-woman-hides-in-sugarcane-field-to-evade-quarantine-treatment-in-vietnam/61758.html
I got messages from people who were all sharing information posted on Facebook by a visa agent stating that tourist visas were no longer going to be extended next month and that tourists should all book their flights home as soon as possible – we didn’t know if this was true or not.
By the time Captain Caveman returned from Phong Nha it was time for lunch so we just had Baba Ganoush – those aubergines had been a bargain buy! That evening The Villas had their curry night on but even though they were doing one of my favourites, butter chicken, we decided not to go because I’d been doing well to not eat any dairy, plus we were watching the pennies and would rather go to one of the other nights, instead. We decided Thursday’s fish and chip night would be a good one, then I could hand in my passport again for the next visa extension, if they were still doing them. For dinner Captain Caveman cooked us a pasta dish with bacon and I had a Strongbow cider to go with it and him a beer.
By the time we went to bed the visa extension debate was in full swing and other agents were saying that in order to extend in July you must have a flight out of Vietnam booked so that immigration can stamp up to your flight date and that it should be before the end of July. I decided to wait until tomorrow and see what the updates brought then, before rushing to book a flight out.

Phong Nha – the last weekend of June

Captain Caveman was off to do some Oxalis work at a resort called Blue Diamond on Friday 25th June, while I had a lay in! I’d been up at 3am with a bad stomach and so I felt terrible and was extra tired. When I woke up again I had a lazy morning at home, reading the news and watching Netflix. In the Vietnamese news there were 2 more deaths, people with diabetes seemed to be a common thing, info here:
https://vietnamnews.vn/society/980341/two-more-people-die-of-covid-related-complications.html
In Saigon the Corona situation was not getting any better and now health declarations were needed for more locations in the city, more here:
https://vietnamnews.vn/society/979868/hcm-city-makes-online-health-declaration-mandatory-at-public-sites.html
Meanwhile Turkey was looking good on their vaccine progress, info here:
https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/turkey-exceeds-30-million-in-first-doses-of-covid-19-jabs/news
I finished series 1 of Hinterland and started to watch Too Hot to Handle, Emily looked really familiar but I couldn’t work out why.
For brunch I had a ham salad baguette with pickled onions and gerkins, some cashew nuts from Funny Monkey’s and 3 mangosteen.
Captain Caveman and I had decided that I wouldn’t come to tonight’s pizza night at The Villas because I would find it too difficult to resist the pizza (I was still trying to not have any cheese) so I was going to get an East Hill delivery instead. Unfortunately Captain Caveman had forgotten to leave me any money so that plan was thwarted. While Captain Caveman went straight for the all you can eat pizza night I made prawns and steamed rice with a tomato based sauce. It was very nice and would have gone well with a glass of wine but we didn’t have any. I lucked out for dessert when I tried walnut milk rice pudding for the first time, only to find it tastes pretty terrible, even a spoonful of jam couldn’t save it!
Captain Caveman returned with a tummy full of delicious pizza and I was very envious as we discussed what we should do about a holiday, now that I had my passport back. We were both hoping for a visit to Le Domaine de Tam Hai, which we could now travel to, but when we looked at how much time we had until my next visa extension submission, our money situation and the increasing amounts of Corona in other areas of Vietnam, we had to make the painful decision not to go anywhere. This would probably have been our last holiday together while we are both in Vietnam, as once the tours to Son Doong start again, Captain Caveman would be very busy.

Captain Caveman was awake very early on Saturday 26th June with a bad stomach, which he rarely gets. He got a lift over to The Villas to retrieve his bicycle from last night and treated himself to smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for breakfast there. I do miss The Villas for breakfast and can’t even remember the last time I had some baked beans or a pho. I had a couple of gluten free pancakes, 2 bananas and some honey for my breakfast, which were very nice but I do miss being able to eat normal food.
While I ate, I read an interesting blog post from a westerner about Corona in Vietnam, check this out for a bit of perspective as to how it is in Vietnam:
https://vietnamweekly.substack.com/p/vietnams-outbreak-splits-in-two
When Captain Caveman returned he had 3 pieces of information to update me on;
1) Oxalis had received confirmation of the Son Doong tours from the 6th July and he would be very busy, hopefully for the rest of the season (July and August tour dates),
2) We only have 1.5 million vnd (£48) left to last us until pay day in 10 days time, and
3) Captain Caveman had brought me some crisps from The Villas, the Naturals ones, which I love. He had also tried to get me a memory stick or a SD card and couldn’t, so I was still struggling to get my phone to work properly and, with the money situation, Captain Caveman said he would rather spend the money on gin. I didn’t agree but, of course, it’s his money so I didn’t get to make the decision.
Captain Caveman had a crisp sandwich and beer for lunch I had crisps with a small piece of bread, no butter, and a Strongbow by the pool. I roasted 6 aubergines and what felt like hundreds of cloves of garlic until I was a hot, purple, sweaty mess, in the heat of the kitchen. Captain Caveman made Baba Ganoush with the cooked aubergines once I had shoved it all in a jar with the peeled garlic (I can see why people buy the Lazy Garlic jars)! He made a lovely dinner of chicken, potatoes, onions and peppers with BBQ sauce which (again) would have gone well with a nice glass of wine. Wine is expensive here so I was trying my best to go without but a life without cheese and wine is not a good one and I missed it, a lot!

On Sunday 27th June Captain Caveman didn’t go to Oxalis but he did get a message to confirm his next Son Doong tour would be on the 9th July, with the briefing on the 8th, so he was very happy about that. I completed a few blogs in bed but couldn’t post them because of the phone issues and so lined them up in drafts for when I can. I finally got up to make pancakes at 11.45am and when I started making the mixture Captain Caveman appeared and started making a cooked breakfast without any consultation. He made us both bacon, mushrooms, peppers, potatoes and onion (him with added egg) and so mine was ready while I was still stirring the pancake mix. I ended up making a mess of it because I couldn’t remember how much milk and water I had added and put it in a jar in the fridge. After breakfast I caught up with more writing and apart from a break for a Baba Ganoush lunch I kept myself busy. I finally got in the pool after 5pm, Captain Caveman was already in there and, while Veronika and Howie went up to Phong Nha Farmstay for Sunday Roast dinner, we had decided that spending 600,000vnd (£19.20) from our remaining funds was not a sensible action and we made a chicken dinner at home instead. I roasted a whole pumpkin, in batches, so that we could have some with dinner and the rest I could make a soup with tomorrow. I even attempted Yorkshire pudding with the batter mix from earlier but it was not very successful, I thought it was the almond milk that ruined it but Captain Caveman thought that 230°C wasn’t hot enough! Before bed I found an app to track everything I eat and drink as well as my reactions and any symptoms for allergies, I added a week’s worth of data and it told me dragon fruit is my allergy of the week so far! It obviously needs more information so I will continue for a month and see what it comes up with.

Phong Nha – 24th June

On Thursday 24th June Captain Caveman left early for Phong Nha and I made myself gluten free pancakes with banana and honey for breakfast. I washed them down with a pot of jasmine tea while watching more of Hinterland on Netflix, I was really enjoying it. As arranged Captain Caveman went to Victory Road Villas to pick up my passport but it wasn’t there. The passport had been forgotten about and the lady who had it was already in nearby Thanh Hoa so she couldn’t get it until later – it was becoming a bit of a joke now that we had reached 24 days of me not having my passport! Captain Caveman came home and we had Baba Ganoush on toast for lunch which was really tasty. That night we did something new, for a change, and I was so excited to be eating something I miss from back home.
We had decided to try the new fish and chips special at The Villas, also giving us another opportunity to perhaps retrieve my passport. Ben and Bich picked us up in the Phong Nha Farmstay minibus with their group of customers from Hanoi, it was great to have some tourists around again! We sat outside and I enquired about my passport with the manager, but it had not been left for me yet. There were quite a few out tonight, all the Oxalis cavers and Momma D had come to sample the fish and chips and were sat in the bar area with Shannon too. We shared an outside table with a lovely old chap called Leonard, who’s really funny. He and I had a white wine and Captain Caveman had a beer. Veronika finally sat down at our table, probably waiting to see if anyone would want to mover her out of her seat first.
I was quite prepared to have my fish and chips as it comes and take the batter off to eat just the fish but to my delight they make the batter with corn, rice and tapioca flours and soda water. Just as I was about to order a second glass of wine my passport arrived, finally!!! Obviously it was now too late to use it to go anywhere for a holiday as I had to give it back in 6 days but I was really pleased just to see it again.
I was so impressed with the meal as it even came with white vinegar (I’m not keen on the malt vinegar you can find in restaurants here sometimes) and the tartare sauce was spot on too. On the plate was 2 substantial pieces of crispy battered basa fish, 3 battered onion rings (which I gave to Captain Caveman), a portion of chips and a bowl of tartare sauce. One of the cavers mentioned it needed a cup of Yorkshire tea and a suggestion was made by Captain Caveman to add on mushy peas, which Veronika seconded, given she had just fish and salad for her meal but thought salad didn’t really go. We got a lift back home with Bich in the car while Ben waited for the other guests to take them back on the fun bus. All in all a successful evening and I’ll definitely look forward to eating the fish and chips again at The Villas.