I was awake early on Monday 10th July and I was excited to be spending my first day back in Dalyan on a boat trip with my family. Ma, Pa, Gayle (sister), Neil (brother-in-law), Morgan (eldest niece) and April (youngest niece) and I had booked to join the Duran Duran boat trip to Köyceğiz market from 10am this morning. I’d already been to the bank then to get phone credit and had packed my swimmers, factor 50 and travel towel ready to take advantage of the sunny day. The weather forecast said 36°C for this afternoon and I wasn’t working today. Ma and Pa called on for me while Neil went to find a sun hat and I faffed about putting money for the market separate to my money for the boat trip.
We joined a group trip, but a private trip, and were sat having a hot beverage and a biscuit before 10am ready for our day out. The leisurely sail towards Köyceğiz and through the lake was lovely and calm, but we were all too busy talking and laughing to really enjoy the scenery. Once at Köyceğiz, the ladies headed for the market while Dad and Neil popped along to a lakeside cafe for a light beverage and to wait for us. I’d took my rucksack to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables but when I went to get my money out, it wasn’t there. Neither was my boat trip money so I assumed I’d left it at home and had to borrow 300 lira from mom. I didn’t buy an awful lot but I did get 2 blocks of cheese, cherries and strawberries to keep me going. We rejoined the men and had a cold beverage with them, the beers were a reasonable 85 lira (£2.58) and soft drinks were 35 lira (£1.06). We were back on the boat for 1pm so that Captain Unal could take us for a swim stop, then get ready for our BBQ lunch.
The food was delicious and catered for all of our fussy and Coeliac requirements without any bother at all. Gayle and Mom had fish and Halloumi, I had chicken and halloumi and others had chicken and meatballs. There was lots of mezes and pasta for us all to have a big portion. It was so good that I didn’t even take any photos of the food as I was too busy eating it. Around 4pm we headed to the mud baths where everyone on the boat except for April and I went in. It’s optional and we were happy to admire the view and look at some goats instead. I may have had a cheeky wine while we chatted. Once everyone was back on board, Unal served fruit and cake, Sioned (Unal’s wife) had made Gayle 2 gluten free desserts which were really good. We were back to Dalyan just before 6pm and we settled up our bills. I had to pay by bank transfer on account of ‘losing/forgetting’ my cash. My boat trip plus my drinks came to 1,075 lira (£32 approx) which was a bargain for such a lovely day out.
We stopped off at Tapa, formerly River Terrace, for a drink and got chatting to the staff there. I popped home to check I had left my money there and it was on the table, which was a relief. After a couple of drinks at Tapa, we decided to chance a table for the 7 of us at My Arancia restaurant, part of the Doğa hotel. The owner rearranged the tables and chairs to get us in at a nice table by the pool and we ordered food. We all shared a mixed meze plate for starter which was very good. April and I both had chicken shish for main, which was nice but a lot more oil than I’m used to. It cost about 300 lira (£9) for the shish and came with chips, rice and salad. Gayle had a mixed grill without the rice which is naturally gluten free. I couldn’t manage all my dinner so I took some leftovers home for another day. Our first family day had gone very well and we were looking forward to more Dalyan excitement tomorrow and for the rest of the week.
The first thing I noticed when I woke up at 6am on Friday 7th July, was that there was no internet. I didn’t particularly need it as I wasn’t scheduled to work today but it was unusual, given that Steve and Michelle work from home. On entering the living room area I saw the problem, there had been an incident involving cats, a basket from the shelf and the router getting knocked off. None of the cats were forthcoming but Trixie looked like she knew what happend and was keeping quiet. Lulu and Bella were particularly hungry today and were quite impatient for their biscuits this morning. Steve and Michelle messaged to say they were on their way so I stripped the bed and had a general tidy round. I was just getting the hoover out when they arrived back from a lovely jaunt over to Crete. Xena was beside herself with excitement that mom and dad were back, Trixie was also very happy but tried to play it cool by napping on Steve’s bag and pillow. I had a chocolatey croissant-like pastry for breakfast then it was all systems go.
Life is always more lively with Steve and Michelle around so we went out for a lovely lunch at Alabama bar. Steve and Michelle took the healthy options and had wraps which looked great, I had a very good chicken burger with chips. We all had a cheeky beer and I gave people a headache by chatting on too much, not realising we were in a rush to get back. That night was the Greek night in Lardos and I was looking forward to my first one, having not drank much alcohol this week, I was about to make up for it!
We started the night in Cuckoo’s Nest cocktail bar, my drink of choice was red wine. The measures were large and I seemed to get quite plastered as more of Steve and Michelle’s friends joined us. By 11.30pm the Tequilas were out and we were on that slippery slope to extreme drunkenness. I was tired and tried to have a little nap in Cuckoo’s Nest but Steve and Michelle’s friends were having none of it and proceeded to encourage more drunken antics over at Memories bar.
By 2.30am I had made some new friends, including a cute little dog. Michelle and I got in at 3.45am to a passed out half naked (thankfully the top half) Steve on the lounge sofa bed. It was good to have them back in Lardos and, as far as I can remember, we’d all had a fantastic night.
On Thursday 6th July I was up early, busy with plant watering and animal duties then I worked 9am to 4.30pm. After feeding the cats, getting the hang of who’s indoor and outdoor, I decided a quick trip to the shop was a good idea. I spent €13.30 (£11.41) on Prosecco, crisps and chocolate at Big Family supermarket then decided to stop at a bar. I ordered a cheeky Milokleftis cider with ice at Yamas bar and sent a message to Louise to see if she had finished work. Shortly after, she arrived and ordered a coffee but another Milokleftis and a cocktail arrived. What was a quick drink after work with a new friend, turned in to quite an impromptu evening. After a few ciders I decided I couldn’t be bothered to go home to cook so suggested we eat out.
Louise and I both love Valentina’s restaurant in Lardos and it was very close by. We opted for a white wine each then I had a carafe of red wine while Louise ordered a lemonade then a passion fruit cocktail. There was a complimentary pumpkin soup which was very tasty. We had the amazing cheese balls and some garlic bread to share for starters and we both ordered steaks with mushrooms and onions for mains. Once again we got complimentary dessert of baklava with ice-cream and watermelon ouzo shots to round off the meal. It was amazing and I was impressed with the food, yet again – I’ve never had a bad meal there. The total bill came to €79 (£67.79) which was reasonable for what we had and I went home with a doggy bag! I think Xena disapproved of me coming back drunk without her parents, but they were due back tomorrow.
Steve and Michelle had invited me to join them on a friend’s day trip on Sunday 2nd July. We were about to cruise the open sea on a private yacht with Lindos Daily Cruises and what a delight it would turn out to be. We had to be at the boat to meet everyone at 9.30am and at 9am all 3 of us were still flapping about shoving last minute swimmers and sunglasses in to our beach bags and getting in to the car. We parked up at the top of the hill, overlooking the sea at Lindos then walked down the hill. I was glad to have my porter sandals on as we hurried down the steep streets. At the bottom, we met Louise and waited for the others to turn up. The lady who had booked the boat, Tracie, was India’s mom and they had 3 friends (Jen, Ines and Izzy). Steve was the only male and instantly became our cabana boy. We had a crew of 2 fellas who were very nice and we were reminded that the yacht trip was until 3.30pm, included free drinks, lots of swim stops, snorkelling equipment, an underwater camera, lunch and fresh fruit. I felt very lucky to be invited and knew it was going to be an awesome day as Steve passed round the bubbly, white wine and got himself a cold beer. Our host, Tracie, was lovely and I liked her straight away. She told us of an adventure with some goats on a beach a few days ago and we had a good old laugh. On one of the swim spots, Tracie, Ines and I decided to swim to the beach, I think it was called Red Sand beach, for obvious reasons. Tracie and Ines raced ashore while I took my time, thinking it might be further than it first looked. When I approached the shore, there were goats and the sunbathers were feeding them fruit and sandwiches. It was so sweet and Tracie thought they might be the same goats. We decided to swim back, Ines was like an athlete but Tracie and I found it a bit harder against the current. At one point she swallowed a wave and started to cough, I thought the yacht was getting further away. We were knackered when we finally climbed back onboard and we were both desperate for water. It’s probably worth mentioning that I’d neglected to reapply my factor 50 suncream after getting out of the sea! Lunch was served and Tracie had put in a special request for traditional moussaka with salad. The food was so tasty, the portion size was absolutely huge and they were not shy with the all inclusive drinks. It was a wonderful boat trip with such lovely company and the free flow fizz meant I didn’t notice how much sun I was catching.
At 3.45pm we were having a drink at the Lindos Yacht Club all giddy from our amazing day out. That’s when I noticed I was sunburnt! The walk back to car was easier but quite hot and the car was like a sauna as we blew off the salt and sweat on the journey back to Lardos. Steve continued to be super helpful, even though his cabana boy duties were redundant, and sprayed my face with Aftersun. This was looking good for tonight’s plans that my boss had given me pink eye! Steve and the photographer had an evening meeting with a client, while I was to accompany Michelle, back in Lindos.
We arrived at Lindian House bar and restaurant which is absolutely gorgeous, in an old building with a courtyard for cocktails and a veranda with Acropolis views. They had a great cocktail and drinks menu so we both ordered a drink and sat in a comfy chair admiring the place. We spoke to one of the owners and our waitress encouraged me to take a look at the view point in the moonlight. I could have stayed all night but we had more business to take care of and to get back to pick up Steve. We decided to pop in to 404 Bar to see Louise, she was also sunburnt like me and we did look a pair! Rob played some real blast from the past tunes, which Michelle and I loved, but we couldn’t stay long. Next, we drove to Dapapa Lounge to pick up Steve and were offered shots of over proof alcohol with the photographer. I had to decline, my sunburn and heatstroke had taken their toll and I could hardly get up or down the spiral stairs to the toilet. We got home and after another dousing in Aftersun and a naked blast in front of the fan, I was good for nothing but sleeping.
Photo credit – various photos used which were taken by guests/crew onboard
My 30 day Vietnamese visa expired on Thursday 29th June so I was leaving and going back to Turkey via Rhodes. By 6am I was in the car to Saigon airport, which Captain Caveman had paid 400,000vnd (£13.20) for. By 6.24am I was in the check-in queue for my first flight, to Doha, Qatar. I’d previously had a bad experience at Doha airport and had not been since but now the price of the ticket had swung it. Qatar Airways is one of the best airlines to fly with too so it was time to try Doha again. I hoped it would be ok as I had a 12 hour 20 minute lay over there, which was going to hurt! Saigon airport was easy but pricey as I paid 178,000vnd (£5.87) for a very nice ham and cheese baguette and by 9.10am I was sat in my pre-booked seat, of 34C, ready for take off. I’d been given the opportunity to upgrade to business class for about $1,000 but I didn’t take it. I actually found the economy seats on Qatar Airlines so much comfier than on the Scoot Airlines flight I had taken out here. I’d definitely done the right thing selecting a Gluten Free meal as it was pretty bland but suited me well; prawn salad to start, a chicken stew with veg, two lots of corn bread and jelly with fruit for afters. Free drinks were a godsend too as it meant I didn’t have to worry about getting enough water, which was lovely. When I landed, I knew I had to occupy myself in Doha airport until I could board my next flight at just after midnight. I have a lounge pass but was determined to not use it straight away, so I waited until I’d been there a couple of hours. I did everything leisurely and walked for miles checking out the airport – there were a lot of expensive designer shops. Doha airport has definitely cleaned itself up since I was last there and I was impressed with the garden area and the fact that you can get drinking water very easily for free. At 3.15pm I was in the lounge and had some nice food and quite a lot of wine for the next 4 hours. It was big, but busy, and had a few too many naughty children in it to feel relaxed, despite one of the manager’s attempts to control their behaviour. I spent the last 3 hours of the day just wandering about the very empty and quite chilly airport, willing the time on for me to get on my second flight, to Frankfurt in Germany.
My week started on Monday 26th June with a little bit of a lay in, I wasn’t missing the Casio watch alarm. I didn’t have to work, Captain Caveman had arranged another fun filled day for us, as you’d expect, but today we actually had the day to ourselves. Usually when we are in Saigon we meet up with all our friends but this time, because we were going to be apart for awhile, it was nice to just be on our own. Our first trip of the day was a short Grab ride to another one of our favourite eateries, Lubu. We ordered a lovely breakfast each and I had a pot of earl grey tea to go with mine. The food was quite fancy although I’ve never been a fan of chefs who try to jazz up baked beans by adding chopped green stuff in to them. Our bill came to 452,000vnd (£14.92) including the service charge which was a really good deal for what we had.
After Lubu, we had an appointment with the owner of Masto Designs. Captain Caveman was after a couple of shirts so we went over to his house and workshop to try and select some. It was clear that Captain Caveman and I had very different tastes in men’s shirt patterns so I had to leave him to it while I looked through a bag of reversible sun hats. We had a great time and Captain Caveman chose 3 shirts and we both got sunhats.
After dropping off bags back at the Common Inn, our next stop was for lunch at El Camino’s on Xuan Thuy. Captain Caveman loves a Mexican and so do I if I ever get any of it without chillies. We had a couple of tacos each; me a fish and a pork, Captain Caveman a beef and a pork. They were delicious and I could’ve eaten more but we would be eating out again later. Our lunch bill came to 300,300vnd (£9.91) for 4 tacos and 2 soft drinks. We went back to the hotel room and had Buck’s Fizz using glasses from the communal rooftop kitchen, which was handy.
For dinner Captain Caveman had chosen the amusingly named french restaurant, Chtite Cuisine and off we went in a Grab taxi there. Of course, we ordered a carafe of red wine to get us started. He ordered some kind of cassoulet when it was a pretty warm night, I went for steak which I ordered medium but came still mooing and I had to send it back. The potatoes were covered in dried herbs which were a little off-putting so it wasn’t the best meal I’ve ever had. I decided to go for a pudding though, Captain Caveman had pistachio ice-cream and I had apple pie with salted caramel and vanilla ice-cream, the most calories in one meal that I’d had all year! I was ready for bursting after eating all that and needed a lay down. Unfortunately, Captain Caveman had not told me that we were now meeting a friend for beers at Pasteur Street on our way home – if I’d known this I would not have eaten the dessert! We got there and I clearly had a face on and was not able to stomach drinking a beer. Captain Caveman ordered a pint of IPA, I ordered wine, which is not a good idea in a brewery really, and it was a large one. I’d just started to sip it, begrudgingly, when he said our friend had replied to say she was no longer coming – I was not happy! We were back in the hotel before 9pm, me with a terrible stomach ache, wishing I’d not eaten an apple pie and ice-cream.
Saigon was a bit cooler than Phong Nha on Sunday 25th June and the forecast looked like thunderstorms, usually in the afternoons at this time of year. We had breakfast from one of my favourite bakeries, Micro Boulangerie, very close to the Common Inn. Captain Caveman had picked up a cream cheese and cranberry baguette and a caprese sandwich. We had half each of both and they were delicious, not cheap at 280,000vnd (£9.24) but so fresh. By 9.30am we were getting out of a Grab taxi and walking round Decathlon looking for trainers for Captain Caveman. Within less than 12 minutes he’d bought some and we were on to the next shop of our extravaganza. I had a knee support on because I was having a few twinges and wasn’t really sure why. I was surprised to see that Body Shop sold something I’d been trying to find for years, Elderflower eye gel, so we got that and some moisturiser before moving on to stock up in the pharmacy. Here’s what we bought and the costs in Dong;
The Body Shop 1 Elderflower eye gel 229,000 1 face moisturiser 599,000 Total spent 828,000vnd (£27.32)
We decided we needed orange juice so that we could have Buck’s Fizz tomorrow but it was harder than you’d expect to find orange juice in Saigon. We tried a couple of shops before eventually getting some at Tops supermarket for a fairly steep 59,000vnd (£1.95).
We had to hurry along because we had an appointment to meet up with Phuong and her family at The Jetty for lunch. When we arrived, it looked like rain so I suggested we sit at a table undercover and we ordered some sparkling water. Phuong, her husband (Jonah) and their 3 extremely well behaved kids arrived and we ordered lunch. I decided a salad might be a good idea, given that I’d not been sticking to the diet and I ordered the Halloumi and asparagus salad. We were too busy chatting so I didn’t take many photos but I got a video when the rain came. After lunch, it had stopped raining, and I played fetch with a random chocolate Labrador while we waited for our Grab taxi. By 2pm we were back at the Common Inn to have a little break before our next lot of shenanigans.
Video of the rain at The Jetty
Captain Caveman and I arranged to meet our friend, Andrea, and her friend at 6pm, for wine and dinner. Captain Caveman and I met them at Soho wine bar, another one of our favourites, in Thao Dien. The red wine was an absolute treat and we had several before we had to leave to go for dinner at a swish little place called Okra, recommended earlier by Jonah.
The restaurant was a real hit and we tried lots of different tapas style dishes, drank Primitivo red wine and got free tequila shots just for knowing Phuong and Jonah! By 8pm we were hammered and I was asking the chef how he made the charred red cabbage which was my favourite dish of the night. On our way home we popped in to the pharmacy and bought the following; 1 bag 3,000 2 pack Loperamide 4,300 1 pack wet wipes 13,000 7 packs of salted lemon sweets 52,500 2 boxes Fexofenadine 260,000 Total spent 332,800vnd (£10.98)
Video of me, Captain Caveman and Andrea having our Tequila shots Captain Caveman’s video of me doing another shot of Tequila
After saying bye to Andrea and her friend, the two of us went to a bar Captain Caveman had been meaning to try which did unusual cocktails. 86 Proof might have been where we had one too many and we were heading home when we accidentally had a night cap at Mad Wine Bar, where 2 big glasses of Malbec was 270,000vnd (£8.91). I was definitely drunk as I had made Captain Caveman pose outside a well-known coffee shop with a funny Vietnamese name, so that I could get a photo. It had been a long day as we didn’t get back to the hotel until gone 11pm.
I’d finished my working hours for the week on Friday 23rd June and Captain Caveman was due back later today. I had Camembert and peanuts for breakfast (healthy A & B on Slimming World) and had a bit of a tidy up for when Captain Caveman returned. I also had started to pack for my departure back to Europe but I was going to need a suitcase. As I didn’t know when I would be back, or if I’d even get to stay for more than 30 days at a time, I decided I would take as much back to Turkey as I could. It was also at the back of my mind that it made sense not to leave things I would want, back in a country I was hardly in, should there be any reason I couldn’t fly back. I threw out a lot of clothes too, realising that I really didn’t have that many nice things that fit me any more. Before Captain Caveman had left for Son Doong we had loosely planned that it would be a good idea to have a few days in Saigon before my flight on Thursday. Captain Caveman came home and had a couple of hours before he was off to the gala dinner, he also needed to go to the cash machine in town as I had no money left whatsoever. We went to The Villa’s so that we could have a (very) late lunch and Captain Caveman had to call at Oxalis for some work related business, which meant he didn’t have time to go to the ATM but could pay by bank transfer. We both ordered pizza and I ate just 4 slices and boxed the rest up for tomorrow. I was meant to be meeting the Wiringi’s, Andrew, Kat, Chung and Tatas to go for food and drink in town somewhere this evening, but as the afternoon went on it was apparent that a lot of them were busy. Captain Caveman had booked flights to Saigon for tomorrow night and so this was my last night in Phong Nha, even though I wasn’t leaving Vietnam for another 6 days. He had time off so it would be good to get away from the heat for a bit by heading south! Internal flights are quick and cheap and the cost was definitely less than £50 including my luggage! Captain Caveman got picked up for his gala dinner and Kat joined me at The Villa’s for dinner. I managed to polish off 4 glasses of white wine and a spaghetti bolognese before Captain Caveman got back. Kat had a Caeser salad and a hot chocolate. When Captain Caveman returned, we shared a bottle of red wine and tried to suss out what time tomorrow I needed to have packed by! The bottle of wine and my spaghetti bolognese came to 590,000vnd (£19.47) as decent wine isn’t cheap in Vietnam. After saying bye to Kat, with big hugs and hoping to be able to see her and Buu tomorrow before I left for Saigon, we cycled home in the dark for the last time. I went to sleep that night for the last time at the Glass House in Phong Nha.
I was back at Victory Road Villas again on Thursday 22nd June having the same as yesterday for breakfast; pho ga, fresh coconut and jasmine tea. It was delicious and easily my favourite breakfast – I would miss it when I left Vietnam. I had just 1 week left until my visa expired and I would be flying out of Saigon airport, heading for Rhodes! At 6am it was less than 30°C, by 8.30am it was hotting up but I really seemed to be finally getting a little more accustomed to it. I had a fruit salad with muesli and sugar free yoghurt before cycling home in 37°C, almost unfazed!
Here’s my bill from The Villa’s for my breakfast and lunch;
Jasmine tea 30,000 Fresh coconut 50,000 Pho Ga 75,000 Fruit, muesli, yoghurt 95,000 Total cost 250,000vnd (£8.25)
I worked from home in the afternoon but then got ready for my night out with several friends. I decided to wear Carol’s white dress again (no one noticed the pocket last time) and I popped Steve’s sunglasses in to my bag as I was off for sunset at the Phong Nha Farmstay. Bich, the owner, had booked me a taxi, for 200,000vnd (£6.60) each way, to pick me up at 5pm from the Glass House, I then picked up Kat from her house and Tatas from her’s. We’d all wore dresses so we looked nice and we were excited for sundowner cocktails at the Farmstay. This was my first visit this year so it was nice to be back and see everyone, including the lovely staff. Melissa and her family were there and it was great to see them again, the last time had been in Hoi An over a year ago. Bich came to join us and I got to briefly see Michael and Howie, Ben (their dad) was back in Australia. Andrew, Trang and a couple of extra kids were there to say hello and Hawk was visiting from Hoi An too. It was great to see everyone while drinking our 2 for 1 cocktails but I did feel like I couldn’t give everyone my full attention. I didn’t know it at the time but this was probably the last time I would see most of these friends this year. Gin and tonics were 50,000vnd (£1.65) for 2, my rum and coke was a little more at 65,000vnd (£2.15) so we had a few before going on to the wine. I ordered my favourite dish, the beef in bamboo, Tatas had a chicken salad and Kat chose the sausage sandwich and chips. Kat had a carrot cake for dessert and I had a spoon of it, Tatas had a chocolate brownie with ice cream which I resisted. Even though I’d put some weight back on, my new clothes still fit fine and I wanted it to stay that way.
For those wondering, here was our bill at the Phong Nha Farmstay with the prices in Dong;
4 X 2 for 1 G&T 200,000 2 X 2 for 1 R&C 130,000 Sausage sandwich 145,000 Chicken salad 120,000 Beef in Bamboo 210,000 Carrot cake 70,000 Brownie 120,000 1 bottle house wine 400,000 2 bottles (not house) wine 1,040,000 Total bill including service + tax/vat came to 2,812,425vnd (£92.81).
We didn’t leave until gone midnight, it had been a brilliant evening which would actually turn out to have been my leaving party!
Captain Caveman was off in to the cave on Friday 16th June and he would be doing 2 tours back to back over the next 8 days. I was looking forward to some quieter, less active days. In 2 weeks time I would be arriving in Rhodes to stay at Steve and Michelle’s house in Lardos. Captain Caveman and I ate left over pizza, from The Villa’s, for breakfast and then I saw him off from Ho Khanh’s homestay. I worked 10am to 7.15pm but with a couple of gaps for breaks. I ate cheese, biscuits, fruit, yoghurt and peanuts and after work I had a cheeky can of Huda beer from the fridge then watched Netflix. It felt cooler or was it because I was acclimatising after cycling in sun the last 3 days!?
For a change of scenery on Saturday 17th June, I chose to work from Victory Road Villas. I sat in the AC room of The Villa’s restaurant at the back and decided to go off piste on my breakfast order. I thought I’d try the recommendation from Captain Caveman of Bo Ne (without eggs) which was a little on the pricier side to my usual breakfast. When it came, it was different to what I imagined it to be; instead of sausage it had pâté, which I don’t like and the dish was in lots of tomato sauce, served with cucumber, which I don’t eat either. The bread was also sweet so I didn’t eat it all but I enjoyed the little hone made cookie served with my pot of Jasmine tea. I worked from 10.15am to 1.15pm then ordered an orange juice and some fresh spring rolls with prawns in. Lunch was very tasty and I washed it down with another pot of tea and got back to work. I finished around 4.15pm as I had planned to meet Lucie, who had returned from the new Jungle Boss tour. I had a soda, a lime juice and some peanuts while I waited for Lucie to get ready. Her son, and Lucie’s mom also joined us and we all ate together, we should have ordered a bottle of wine as I had 3 by the glass. The Showstopper pizza was as good as always and we had a lovely evening.
Here’s my bill at The Villa’s restaurant for the whole day;
Bo Ne 170,000 2 pots of jasmine tea 100,000 Fresh orange 60,000 Soda water 25,000 Lime juice 30,000 Fresh prawn spring rolls 100,000 Peanuts 35,000 Showstopper pizza 240,000 3 glasses of wine 270,000 Total 1,030,000vnd Discount of 206,000vnd Total spent 824,000vnd (£27.19)
I cycled home and slept very well that night, having the bed to myself.
‘Once is a mistake, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern’ is one of those quotes you read on a friend’s Facebook status. On Thursday 15th June I thought of this quote when I foolishly ended up on another outing I’d not properly planned for! Captain Caveman had to be at work at 6pm for his Oxalis briefing so we had a last free day to have more Phong Nha fun. It was before 8am when I suggested that Captain Caveman and I go for a walk to the hidden lake and take a picnic, the forecast looked like it might be a bit cooler. I knew the way but, as we didn’t have a cooler bag, Captain Caveman suggested doing the walk then coming back to eat food and perhaps opening the champagne we bought at Chiang Mai airport. We got ready for a walk, the sun was shining but there were still some clouds. When we got downstairs, Bluey was there and I couldn’t walk too well so I suggested it would be quicker to cycle, especially as there is no shade whatsoever at the hidden lake. Of course we cycled the long way round and Captain Caveman seemed unsure of whether I would get us lost but I remembered the way. It was scenic, steamy hot and further than I’d remembered, plus Bluey seemed sluggish after the last 2 days of exertion.
Just as we had finished admiring the view and I set off back, Captain Caveman decided to cycle round the lake. It’s fenced off on the far side so I tried to call him back. He was having none of it and carried on, I couldn’t stand the heat and cycled towards the ‘road to nowhere’ hoping for shade. There was none and I was getting a bit moany! When Captain Caveman caught me up I was hangry so we called at the Winmart for some extra provisions and we planned to cycle back for a picnic brunch on the bed. Here’s what we bought;
Total spent 194,262vnd (£6.41) I was that hot that I didn’t realise how expensive those apples were – more than the last lot I bought.
I got a bit crotchety and needed a break so we stopped for a coconut at a roadside cafe by the river. It took me less than 30 seconds to polish it off and the cute dog came to check on me. Back home we enjoyed our picnic and a rest in the AC but we didn’t bother with the fizz as I was too dehydrated once again. I had double Oresol and did an hour of work while Captain Caveman packed for his tour tomorrow. He left at 5pm to go to Oxalis and I worked for a few hours.
At 8pm I met him and Tatas at The Villa’s restaurant where he and I had pizza and we all had red wine. We cycled home and I was actually looking forward to working from home tomorrow, I told Bluey she could have a well earned rest. We had cycled another 10km or more today so over 60km in 3 days – that was a first for me!
A question I often get asked is ‘Don’t you ever learn?’ Judging by my actions on Wednesday 14th June, I think it is fair to say that I don’t . Captain Caveman and I were up early to find that the weather was cloudy and the forecast predicted thunderstorms. I think I may have been over ambitious but I suggested another outing, it was Captain Caveman’s last full day off and I wanted us to make the most of it. I quickly took my measurements after my shower and was surprised that I didn’t ache much from my cycling 23km yesterday. I measured everything and here are the results; Bust -1cm, Waist -1cm, Hips +1cm. I suggested we should visit the Pub with Cold Beer as the owner had been following all my updates on Facebook since I left Vietnam, she’s a lovely woman and I’d missed her family and their place. Captain Caveman offered to drive the motorbike and, looking back, I should have agreed. I said we should cycle because Bluey would miss me when I’m back in Dalyan and it was cloudy. I drank rehydration tablets for my breakfast to keep from having any issues as I’d been getting a bit of cramp. As soon as we got out of the door I had to put on my sun hat as the sun came out! We pretty much did the same route as yesterday but I managed to cycle all the way to the Duck Stop without a break. When we got there Quynh, the owner, gave us a free drink and peanuts – I looked like a beetroot and was beginning to wish we’d gone by motorbike.
Captain Caveman hates it when I moan, in fact he says I complain a lot, so I had no choice but to soldier on. Even Bluey was having trouble and I had to push her up the hill from the Duck Stop until I could get back on for the downhill bit. I arrived at the Pub with Cold Beer in blazing sun, another drippy mess, any sun cream I’d had on had definitely sweated off. Nhat and her daughters were so pleased to see us, they got Captain Caveman a cold beer and me a water straight away. We decided to order chicken, pork, rice and morning glory because we hoped our friends, Chung and Uy, would join us. While Nhat killed a chicken and I rested in a hammock, Captain Caveman cycled up to the Wild Boar Farm to see Cuong. I couldn’t manage any more and was regretting cycling 13km away from home, not knowing if I’d be able to make it back.
Uy and Chung couldn’t make lunch but we arranged to meet tonight for dinner as it was their 6 year wedding anniversary. For lunch we had an absolute feast, including 2 bowls of the famous peanut sauce which we both love so much. Captain Caveman said it was only 10 minutes more to cycle to the Wild Boar Farm and wanted me to go after lunch but I decided another 10 minutes in the opposite direction would be foolish. Instead, I suggested we have a swim, seeing as there is a lovely swimming pool at the Pub with Cold Beer. I went to the toilet and, as I flushed, a frog jumped up from the bowl, I’d peed on it’s head and it wasn’t thrilled. I shouted Captain Caveman over to bring a camera as this wasn’t the first time I’d been startled by a frog in my toilet, in fact it was the third! (Once, while camping in India and the other while on Safari in Kenya). When it got to 3pm we decided we had better start making our way back, we had really enjoyed our time and food at the Pub with Cold Beer. We said our goodbyes and Captain Caveman and Bluey had already decided we would go the other way back, over a narrow, grid floor, suspension bridge which I was scared to cross. At first, Bluey was going to ride us across but I had to get off and push because I was having a panic on.
We cycled back through the valley and some of it was shaded which I was grateful for, some of it was steep and I had to push Bluey uphill. We soon ran out of water and I knew I wouldn’t make it back to Phong Nha in one go so Captain Caveman pushed Bluey for a bit and suggested a slight detour. Half an hour later, we were sat in Multi and Diem’s kitchen at the Pepper House being offered rice wine. I declined and had loads of much needed water while Captain Caveman had rice wine and beer (he’s an animal)! There were kids’ swimming lessons going on in the pool and I’m sure they were laughing at my red sweaty face. We finally left Multi’s to cycle home but I was a little tender on the undercarriage. Captain Caveman could tell I might not make it home so he suggested we cycle past where we used to live in Khuong Ha and stop off at a new place, he even got another video of me and Bluey.
Captain Caveman’s video of me and Bluey, in Khuong Ha
Phong Nha Funky Beach is a new venture owned by our friend, Mo (ex Oxalis colleague) and the previous owner of Greenfield Homestay. We arrived and sat overlooking the river on one of the platform style seating areas. It wasn’t particularly comfy for my achy legs but Mo was pleased to see us and was with another colleague of Captain Caveman’s, Nu, so they joined us. We had a cold beer, Mo brought us some vegan spring rolls and Nu gave us some vegan Banh Ep. Both were lovely but I was a bit distracted as it was already gone 5pm, it goes dark around 6pm and I hadn’t brought any lights. We said our goodbyes after a brief overview of the various activities that can be done there and set back off.
Our next stop was a quick nip in to Jungle Boss HQ, the boss was still not around to say hello to, but it was a good place for me to stop off to rest and use the toilet. We were due to meet Chung and Uy at 7pm but I was a sweaty mess and needed to go home for a shower. I’d drank all of the water we had between us so we had to stop for a coconut at Tree House Cafe on the way back home. I had a shower, then a naked lay on the bed in AC before rushing to get ready to go back out for dinner.
Captain Caveman and I met Chung at the Bia Hoi BBQ duck place, next door to Victory Road Villas. Uy was still on his was so we ordered the Bia Hoi beer which was about 60,000vnd (£1.98) for a small keg. Chung ordered food without Uy as it got to 8pm and he still wasn’t there yet but he arrived, a bit merry! It certainly was one of the more unusual anniversary celebrations I’d been on and turned out not to be much better than our own last year! Uy just drank and smoked but didn’t eat and another keg of cheap weak beer was consumed, mainly by the fellas. By the end of the meal, which tasted fantastic by the way, Uy was telling Chung she needed to do more exercise because she was fat. Luckily, the events of the last 2 days meant that Captain Caveman couldn’t possibly say the same about me today. Somehow, the birth of the LLC came out right there and then as Chung and I pledged to cycle together as the 2 founder members of the Lazy Ladies Club. The BBQ duck, veggies, noodles and beers came to a total of 400,000vnd (£13.20) which was a bargain.
We said our goodbyes and then instead of going home ourselves we had a sneaky bottle of red wine (also 400,000vnd) in The Villas to finish off our night. It was a good job, so that I could stop moaning that my bits were on fire from the 28km I’d managed to cycle on Bluey today on a very hot day! That was 3km more than yesterday, the furthest I cycled since before my injury and we did it in the height of summer. On the way home, I spotted a snake in the Stick or Snake game and it was alive in the Dead or Alive game, so I shouted to Captain Caveman behind me to stop so he could take a photo. It was heading back to the river after a spot of sunbathing and was slithering across the road, it was beautiful. I was glad to get in bed that night and at least we could have an easy, restful, quiet non-cycling day tomorrow, couldn’t we!?
The realisation that I had only 17 days left in Vietnam, hit me on Tuesday 13th June. Not all of them would be with Captain Caveman as he had to go back to work and I might even have less than 2 weeks left in Phong Nha. I felt like I needed to make more of an effort to enjoy it before I had to leave! I’m not sure whether it was the heat or just insanity but I started to have some very foolish ideas that I might come to regret. Captain Caveman was quite addicted to playing Bridge on his phone so, in an attempt to do something he would enjoy which did not involve being on his phone, I suggested something outdoorsy! Bluey, my bicycle, loves a trip out (even in the hot sun) and I decided we would cycle over to Greenfield Homestay. In fairness to Captain Caveman, he offered to drive Trigger, the motorbike, but then it would mean he couldn’t have a few beers so I said we would cycle. It was almost 11am when we got to Coffee Station and I was concerned if I ate anything I would get a dodgy stomach and not make the rest of the journey. Captain Caveman shovelled a bacon, egg and tomato sourdough sandwich down while I had a ginger tea. They used to do a lovely herbal tea but not any more so I sat and worried I’d bitten off more than I could chew with this cycle ride. On our way, we decided to call at Jungle Boss HQ, which was now relocated to Sy’s Homestay. We wanted to say Hi to my old boss, the owner, he was in the jungle so I only got to say hello to the marketing guys.
I managed to just about keep up with Captain Caveman for the rest of the journey but I arrived at Greenfields a sweaty mess. René and his wife gave us a nice welcome and Captain Caveman had a few beers. I got some delicious iced herbal tea and a big water then René treated us to some Toblerone. The place looked great and they had installed a big pool since I was last there, not that we went in it – we seem to have a habit of not swimming when there is a pool. After a couple of hours we decided to head off and I had the bright idea of cycling to East Hill for chicken, one of my favourite places in Phong Nha. Of course Captain Caveman knew a shortcut which involved cycling on grass and between buffalo, which I was a stranger to. I got a bit moany as it was a bit too far and hot but I made it in the end.
Captain Caveman ordered the chicken combo and we had a couple of drinks – they sell Strongbow cider and it’s very cheap in Phong Nha so I had those and Captain Caveman had beer. After an hour, there was still no chicken so Captain Caveman went to check, the girl hadn’t put the order through so we had to wait another 45 minutes. This was lucky as it meant we could invite Tatas who came after she finished work. The chicken was as delicious as it always was and worth the wait but then I had to cycle back.
I managed to get as far as The Villas so we stopped off for red wine and peanuts as a reward for cycling so far today. Back at home we were chatting about the route and how whizzy Bluey was. I was saying that I couldn’t believe I had managed to cycle a total of 23km in this heat when Captain Caveman fell asleep on me. I think I was going to hurt tomorrow and it was still over 30°C in the bedroom with AC on after 10pm!
Captain Caveman was due out of the cave on Friday 9th June so I had only scheduled myself to work in the morning. I had a sugar free plain yoghurt with a banana and an apple for my breakfast. I was starting to miss my Yorkshire tea and a nice bit of toast. I put a load of washing in and it would dry here very quickly but I noticed the white dress from Carol (of Dalyan’s Fat Club fame) had a mark on the pocket from where it had rubbed on the metal washing line. I worked from 8.30am to 3.30pm but with a long break for lunch. I ate my left over Indian food from last night and it was just as delicious. I didn’t need to reheat it as I left it on the bed for a bit to warm up. My sister got in touch and we spoke of plans for her forthcoming holiday to Dalyan, her and the family would arrive around the same time as me and my eldest niece really wanted to go horseriding. It looked like I might be about to agree to it but only if Gayle was going to do it too. Captain Caveman was back late afternoon and he had a couple of hours before he was getting picked up for his Gala Dinner. I arranged to meet Tatas again for more wine and we went to The Villas for dinner. I had one of my old favourites of confit duck leg on a bed of lentils, Tatas had a pasta dish with extra chillies and (there was a theme forming here) it still wasn’t spicy enough. It was my turn to buy the wine which was a reasonable 400,000vnd (£13.20) and the duck was 300,000vnd (£9.90). Captain Caveman joined us after he’d finished work, we had another drink, Tatas had a pho and then we cycled home. Tomorrow we had some exciting plans to go to Dong Hoi as Captain Caveman had some days off.
Wednesday 7th June was a much calmer day than yesterday. I was naturally up early with the sound of the lost Casio watch at 6.45am and it was measurements day. My bust had remained the same but I had lost 6cm from my waist and 3cm from my hips. I still didn’t have any scales so I wasn’t sure how much I’d had put on from our holiday. I decided to take myself off out for breakfast, seeing as I didn’t eat well yesterday. It was back to being hot and sunny again but it was early enough for me to cycle in to town to visit the supermarket. Phong Nha now has a Winmart and I was keen to get some ‘healthy’ provisions.
Here’s what I bought with the prices in Vietnamese Dong:
I’d completely forgotten how expensive apples are in Vietnam and should have bought bananas instead. I think 54p each for an apple may be a bit much but they turned out to be one of the nicest apples I’d had. At The Villas I had a mango smoothie and a beef noodle soup for breakfast. It came to 128,000vnd (£4.22) and was very nice. I was back home working on the laptop in the afternoon and had just a cereal bar, an apple and a KitKat for lunch. For dinner I had cheese with crackers and another KitKat – the KitKat diet was going well!
It was the 12th anniversary of Oxalis on Thursday 8th June so I was expecting there might be some sort of event either today or this weekend to celebrate. Captain Caveman and I had plans at the weekend but we would have to cancel them if there was an Oxalis party. So I was surprised when Tatas confirmed we would meet this evening for wine and then go for a curry. I asked her if there was any party planned but she said she’d not heard of anything. For breakfast I had a cereal bar, a yoghurt and an apple which meant I was back on the Slimming World plan. I worked from 9am until 3.45pm stopping for a lunch break at home of another cereal bar, 60g of cheese and 2 apples. I met Tatas at 7pm at Tree House for red wine and there was still no mention of an Oxalis anniversary party. However, one glass in to the bottle, she received a call to say there would be a bit of a do at Big Ben and could she come over after she had finished dinner. We drank the wine, which had to go in an ice bucket as it was still very hot at night here.
At Ganesh Indian restaurant I ordered chicken samosa for starter, then for main a chicken tikka with saffron rice and a garlic naan. Tatas, who likes everything extra spicy, ordered an extra hot chicken vindaloo with plain naan bread. We both had a couple of bottles of Saigon beer each. My food was amazing, even though my samosas looked like a pair of boobs and I’d brought my trusty Tupperware to take half home! Tatas was upset that her’s still wasn’t spicy enough despite it making me cry when I sniffed it! Here’s the prices of what we had so you can compare how much it costs where you are:
Towards the end of the meal, while I was still eating but Tatas had given up, the calls and messages from Tatas’ colleagues increased. By 9pm she had left me to go to Big Ben for the Oxalis anniversary party. I decided to chat to the staff at Ganesh and get some photos. When I left, one of the Indian guys came out to help me put my light on my bike as I had my hands full of tomorrow’s Indian takeaway! It was great to have an Indian restaurant back in Phong Nha and, although we missed Raj at Namaste, Ganesh was certainly one of my new favourites. I cycled home, popped my leftovers in the fridge and set my alarm for work tomorrow.
joloyolo 