Our incredible adventure - the movie

A few weeks after we arrived home, I had a bit of spare time as I was waiting to get a new job, so I made this video to share our experiences we went through to all who are interested.

During our travels, as well as plenty of photo's I also took plenty of vidoes; all so I could make this film.

I've been meaning to upload this for a long time - but it's been kinda crazy since I got back home (new blog soon will explain why), but here it finally is, enjoy!

The end of one adventure, the start of another

Homeward bound - soaking up the beautiful views of vineyards while I still can

As I write this, I'm about to head home and it's made me reflect on all that's happened in these 5 crazy months we've been away. They've been eventful, up and down,amazing and unforgettable. So much has happened that I could yabber on for eternity,so instead a top 10 would be a better idea:

10. Dinner with the over 50's and a local mayor at a Buddhist         temple in My Tho, Vietnam

9. Bodyboarding on Kuta beach, Bali

8. Laying eyes upon Hoi An for the first time and feeling like we'd stepped back in time

7. Getting down with the monkeys at the Monkey temple in Ubud, Bali

6. Seeing the ruins of Pompeii

5. Stepping out into the San Siro - a legendary stadium I've always wanted to see

4. The first couple of weeks in Piedmont soaking up everything that life in northern Italy had to offer

3. Cruising on a junkboat, kayaking, climbing hills and caving in Ha long bay, Vietnam

2. The giant water fight that is Songkran

1. Watching the sunrise at Angkor Wat

There's so much more that could go in the list too - it's been that kind of journey.

Thanks

Claire posing with Virginia, Davide and Corrado - Adelaide was running around somewhere!

Firstly thanks go to the amazing Scarsi/Di Bilio family that have taken us in these last couple of months. They've been so accommodating, so understanding, so kind and so much fun to be around. They've really made us feel like we couldn't have got luckier this summer.

Claire with Evanne during the week long Canale festival

Thanks go to the friends we've met along the way - whether they're the many nationalities we met in south east Asia or a friend we've known for longer and were lucky enough to catch up with on the road. Thanks also go to the other au pair we've met this summer in Piedmont, Evanne - I feel we've all got quite close these last 9 weeks and it's been great getting to know you.

Final thoughts

A couple of months back, I considered the words from my first blog and whether I'd changed as a person. At that time I couldn't answer the question - which said to me that I hadn't. Now, as I stand on the precipice of going home I realise that I'm farther removed from that person who left England in March than I'd realised. I used to wait until my colleagues would leave their desks at work just so I could go up to the window unseen, lay my hand against the glass and get lost in thought about what was out there, where my life was truly headed and what I really wanted from it all.

Landing in Ho Chi Minh city was a real step into the unknown..

I know now that I've been there, to the real unknown. I've seen the things I didn't know existed and I've felt things I never knew I could. I've learnt more about the world, about life, I've learnt more about my own way of living and myself than I ever could at home and I'm eternally grateful for that.

When you see so much of the world, you start to think about what "wonderment" remains in the parts that you haven't seen. In that moment you soon begin to see that it's in the every day things that make up your life.  It's a feeling I doubt many people can fully appreciate unless they step outside that comfort zone into the brave new world, but when you do experience it for real - and I mean REALLY feel it - you know it's a feeling you A) can never forget and B) never allow to diminish again, as you know that now you have that feeling, that your life is more complete, more full of purpose than it's ever been.

So yes, I have changed, I've changed for the better. I've memories that I'll feast upon in my mind for a lifetime and that's more real, more precious than anything you can buy/be given in this life.
I know that my life from now on will be forever richer in spirit than it's ever been thanks to the things I've seen and experienced and that I've stepped right outside that comfort zone, I've travelled to the other side of the world, I've lived off the beaten track, I've done things not every person you'll meet will've done, I've memories that are unique to me, and above all else.... I'm happy with all of it, the good, the bad, even the strange, because no-one will ever take what I've been through from me.

I'm happy to go home and start over again with my amazing wife, to build a new home, a better home and to see all of the people I hold dear and to do the things I truly love to do. I can't wait to get started, just like I couldn't wait to go on this adventure, because I realise it's just another type of adventure I'm heading out on and I can't wait to figure out the rest of it out for myself along the way because I'll never stop staring at the horizon, wondering what's next.

Life is always ahead of you, in front of you, behind you. Life is good, so long as you have the right attitude and I'm never going to stop living it the way I want now that I've started.

Here's to the next adventure....

The first month in review

So our first month of travelling has passed (5th March - 5th April 2014) and it's all been spent in Vietnam. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the month from the lows of our disappointing experience teaching in the Mekong Delta, to the highs of the incredible sights and atmospheres of the old town of Hoi An and Ha Long bay's majestic scenery.

I've learnt and experienced so much during this time already so I thought I'd give you a quick roundup:

• Taught our first lessons as English teachers 
• Quit our jobs as English teachers
• Ate dinner with a district chief
• Jumped off a boat
• Saw an elephant
• Climed a mountain
• Trekked through the jungle
• Cruised through the Mekong delta backwater
• Rode an all night train
• Drank beer for 15p
• Drank cocktails at a floating bar in the sea
• Walked on stairs that went over a roof and had no railings
• Slept on a boat in amongst a thousand islands
• Explored caves
• Kayaked in near silence while eagles stalked their prey

The bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Enjoying the pool in Mui Ne

Just one of the crazy walks at the crazy house in Da Lat

At one of the beautiful assembly halls in Hoi An

And here's a snippet of the fun we had kayaking in Ha Long bay:

There's much more, but that's just to give you an idea of the journey so far. We've both found inner strength to even set out on this adventure, let alone face and deal with what we've been through so far - the language barriers, the logistics, the exhaustion, the heat and particularly in our decision to leave our jobs and decide to spend a shorter time on this adventure just travelling, but making sure that we have a good time, rather than a long time.

At the time of writing, the next month is already in full swing and takes in Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia - so there's plenty more in store in the short term, let alone the rest of summer!

Cruising on a junkboat in Ha Long bay

The stunning Ha Long bay

We were picked up by minibus from our hotel for the 3 hour drive to Ha Long bay, where we'd be spending a full day and night aboard a boat to cruise around the famous islands.

The boats all have to be painted white due to some regulation here (except one or two that probably paid to flout the rule and be different), and the boat itself wasn't too bad - it had a nice upper deck and overall didn't look as bad as others we saw en route to it!

Soon we were deep into the bay with a picturesque view from any direction you looked. This was always meant to be one of THE things to see in Vietnam and we weren't disappointed one bit. The islands have always been famous for their stunning views - made all the more famous for the setting of the villains lair in one of the Roger Moore James Bond films (the man with the golden gun I believe - the Roger Moore films are not my strongsuit with Bond knowledge).

After some lunch onboard we were out kayaking through caves and into secluded lakes within islands where we could see eagles stalking their prey before swooping into the water for the kill. We really savoured the scenery as well as the fun of kayaking - although we were in a double kayak and Claire wasn't doing a very good job as the 'steerer', meaning I had to put a double shift in as the 'driver'!

Kayaking in the bay 

Once back on board we were drinking complimentary red wine; the local wine from Da Lat which is the worst I've ever had, but I drank it anyway because it was free wine! Vietnam has a lot to learn in wine making. During this time drinking and taking in the view as we strolled by we got chatting to other couples on board: there was a Dutch couple of Portuguese descent, Belgians, Americans and a Vietnamese couple.

Chilling out on deck with the other couples from around the world

Just before we had our evening meal on board of local fish and other assorted cuisine we stopped at an island to climb to the top and admire an impressive view of the whole bay.

The boat then parked up in a spot with all the other boats in an area that had big 'P' signs on the islands surrounding us, which I found quite funny to think of this place as a kind of car park with matching signs, but this is one car park where I didn't mind sleeping in the car!

We spent the evening chatting away with the other couples about our experiences so far and life back in our respective countries, we spent the most time in particular with the Americans as one grew up in Reading so we had a few things in common to talk about.

We slept brilliantly that night, the room onboard was nicer than we expected and obviously had the nicest view of anywhere we'd had so far!

The next morning we visited the 'amazing caves' after breakfast and we were all intrigued as to whether they deserved such a title. There were a lot of other boats around so a shed load of people visiting them at the same time (one of the main stopping points in the morning clearly). Each cave turned out to be bigger than the last, with the last one being absolutely huge - justifying the title 'amazing' in my eyes. There were some side attractions highlighted inside like the rock that looks like a lion, the one that looks like a turtle and the one that looks like.... A penis (gotta laugh). But the caves were impressive and certainly a worthy stop.

The biggest chamber of the 'amazing' cave

The last thing on our trip as we headed back to the bay was to learn how to make fresh spring rolls - something I'd looked forward to as I LOVE spring rolls. They were a lot easier than I thought apart from the actual rolling bit and I can't wait to practice when I get home for some lucky friends.

Learning to make spring rolls

Before we returned we had to sit through a very brief but heavy storm, which I thought was awesome but the girls on board were a bit frightened so we played some uno to calm everyones nerves before disembarking.

The drive back took longer than expected due to the road not being fully built and traffic. As well as this there was one final talking point as the driver hit two cyclists! I was JUST falling asleep at the time but awoke to the sound and we slowed down to see two people on the floor, one grimacing and holding his arm - to our disbelief, the driver drove off when he saw someone attend to them without even an apology! We couldn't believe it and felt terrible for the people hit but that just seems the way they are here as even our tour guide seemed to brush off the incident. That aside, the staff had been great though!

In all we had an amazing time onboard and could easily see why this is such a big draw for Vietnam. You just can't get such scenery elsewhere, which makes it such a unique place to visit. And doing it on an overnight boat tour is the best way to do so as you do it in style and comfort. This was pretty much the last thing we did before ending our month long stay in Vietnam and it had been thoroughly worth the wait, if you're ever in or even near the country I'd tell you to get yourself there if the weather's good enough - you won't regret it.

Hue, Ha Noi and another change of plans!

This is a bumper post today because we didn't spend much time in either place!

Hue - 3rd April 2014

Another 4 hour coach trip from Hoi An and we arrived. We nearly got ripped off by a taxi trying to get to our hotel only a couple of minutes away but after settling in and taking a 25 minute walk, we were soon there and in the imperial city that Hue is famous for.

It dates back to the Chinese rule and took massive damage during the war with America but is slowly being restored. There is a main gate with 3 entrances, the middle only for the emperor, the others for his servants.

Once through there (about 220,000 dong for the both of us) we were in front of the 'forbidden purple city' which is basically only for the emperor. The inside of his palace had little decoration thanks to the French getting their mitts on everything when they took over, but the architecture was still impressive enough, especially with the red painted columns and gold Chinese writing on them.

The tourism boats in Hue

The Emperor's palace within the Imperial citadel

Within the Imperial city

Cool gazebo in the Imperial city

We explored the rest of the imperial city, of which there isn't tonnes of due to this being an epicentre of conflict, but the restoration projects taking place since have given an insight as to how it looked before. Which as you can imagine is very grand indeed.

Getting close with the locals

After looking round all there was to see we set off home and ate in the backpacker district - having a cheap and cheerful pizza near our hotel.

This is a great place to visit, don't get me wrong, but coming from Hoi An it didn't quite compare. Perhaps going from north to south gives you a better mind set for this place!

The next day was spent waiting for our 9pm train to Ha Noi and we spent the time booking other travel and accommodation arrangements ahead of us (see update below).

We then shared a cab with a Brazilian and a Lithuanian who both live in Germany and talked about all sorts, whilst our train was delayed we also got talking to some dutch travellers and one crazy German - we really felt part of the crowd at last!

Ha Noi - 5th March 2014

We chose the soft seat carriage for the overnight 13hr trip to Ha Noi, whilst our friends all had beds. I wondered if we'd made a bad choice and I was proven right. Unlike our soft seat trip from Nha Trang to Da Nang this was more crowded and full of weirder people, including a lady opposite who kept eating corn then throwing it up half an hour later.

We both got some very intermittent sleep and arrived in Ha Noi - as I'd heard it was just like Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), but slightly nicer. There is a lake in the main part of town that's the main attraction and it was a tiny bit calmer there than the rest of the bustling, noisy capital.

We were here for 2 days with a break inbetween to stay in Ha Long bay on a pre-booked tour (more on that in another post).

The hotel was nice enough but was in a really busy part of the 'old quarter' - a place I found fascinating because each street had shops that seemed to specialise in selling just one thing: there was clothes street, metal street, food street, baby supplies street, sweets street and our street: stationary street. At least here if you need anything you know what street to go to!

We didn't explore too much of Ha Noi, mainly due to a bit of exhaustion from constant travelling over the last few weeks coupled with a sense that this place, like HCMC wouldn't have loads to offer compared to other places we had visited and will visit.

We left Ha Noi and Vietnam on the 8th of April and were very ready for a change of scenery at this point, on the way we got chatting to an American girl who'd had some near misses with muggings so we felt that as we hadn't been ill (not badly anyway) or mugged etc, we kinda got off lightly here! Still, you never know how It's going to go I guess!

In all, Ha Noi was ok, but I personally don't like the big cities here in Vietnam (I say Vietnam, but I doubt the cities throughout the rest of Asia are any better personally). Which is why we didn't really explore more, but it certainly wasn't the worst place we stayed in.

Another change of plans!

So as you can guess, we've now left Vietnam, we didn't fancy living there in the end so our job search went further afield to Thailand and Bali etc.... And whilst we had a few job offers to work there we both did a fair amount of soul searching and came to an ultimate decision: whilst we love travelling through Asia, we just don't think we would settle anywhere to live, no matter what the job or location.

As we as this, this is the first time we've ever had the freedom in our lives to choose not to work and we've really enjoyed that, so we both decided that rather than take a job to "see us through", we'd rather just travel while we can.

So we turned down all of our job offers in favour of simply travelling! The plan is now this: we travel from Vietnam to Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia before boarding a flight in mid May to Rome via a day in China. Once there we are touring Italy for a month (It's our favourite country in the world) before spending the majority of the summer living there with a family near Turin, who we've agreed to become au pair's for their children during the summer holidays Italy.

So it's another big change of plans but one we are really excited about and probably sees us back in the UK around august time. The teaching career isn't put to bed completely, but we've just decided not to do it in Asia for now, and having our meals and accommodation paid for in Italy for the summer was too good an offer to turn down. It's always been about Italy in our minds and knowing we are going to stay there the longest gives us so much excitement.

I'll fill you all in on more details as we go along, but that's the gist for now, in the meantime it's off to Cambodia to see the legendary temples of Angkor Wat!

Hoi An - an enchanting taste of the old Orient

We left Nha Trang not by coach for once, but by train, leaving at 5:30am (horrendous time of day for anyone!) and settled in on a 'soft seat' carriage for an 8 hour train journey to Da Nang. The journey was much smoother than the road and for the first time ever I managed to get some sleep on transport! When I wasn't dozing, I was marvelling at the stunning scenery through the window as we whizzed past mountains, beaches and rice fields.

We arrived in Da Nang just before 2pm and hopped onto a local bus that took us to Hoi An. On the way through Da Nang we crossed a large river that displayed many bridges with stunning designs-all modern too, one was particularly impressive looking like a giant golden dragon was flowing under and over the bridge.

When we got to the hotel, we did our usual: dump the bags and head out to see what we can find. After a walk of 20 minutes or so we hit the main area and were harassed constantly by people trying to sell us suits- I'd love to if I could but I'm on a strict budget here!

Then we stumbled across the first of my new-found wonders: a bar that sold glasses of beer for just 5,000 Dong- that's 15p....15p!!!!!!! So naturally we had a few. After leaving, we walked just one street down and were left feeling like we'd instantly gone back in time. The old town of Hoi An is completely protected by UNESCO as it was occupied under the Chinese dynasty and unlike many things in Vietnam that have been ravaged by multiple wars, this place had remained intact.

I've always loved places that have a lot of history, character and meaning and this ticked all of those boxes thoroughly. It was the first time since we've been out here that I'd been awestruck- and I was so glad it finally happened! I came in search of places of beauty and I could finally say that there was no doubt this was one you could never forget.

In the dusk light, the different coloured Chinese lanterns that were hanging everywhere gave it the most atmospheric of glows, whilst you could hear authentic folk songs being practiced in the street.

The next day we woke up eager to see the place properly in the daylight and headed out straight after breakfast. We went to all of the biggest sites including the assembly halls, old houses and the most famous of all - the Japanese bridge. Each time we admired the places in silence to fully take in the beautiful surroundings we were in. In one of the ancient houses, they had a board with souvenirs left by previous visitors and one had a Southampton fc badge on it! Like this place could wow me anymore!

The entrance to one of the assembly halls

But wow me further it did; before heading back to our hotel for a few hours, we stumbled upon a little place that served tea in the classic old style and we couldn't possibly miss out on it. We both had a redbush fusion tea that was good for your skin as well as your stomach and while we sat in silence we came to learn that the place was actually run by a charity for the visual and hearing impaired - so communication with waitresses was done via lip reading or pointing to signs on the table such as "more hot water" and "bill". The tea was served by serving into a tall jug and then pouring into a smaller cup which was all wonderfully quaint, plus it tasted great too. Yet another thing we'd wanted to do out here successfully ticked off the bucket list and another reason to fall deeper in love with Hoi An.

Having a real old fashioned cuppa!

We returned in the evening to eat (we had a great meal including a local speciality called 'White Rose' which is a kind of dumpling - which was awesome!), drink more cheap beer and continue to admire the place before leaving early the next day. We'd planned out our onward journey already unfortunately, so couldn't stay any longer despite wanting to. In a way though, Hoi An followed the old saying of "always leave them wanting more".

Just one of the many beautiful buildings in Hoi An

This was the most beautiful place I've visited in some time and I already know this'll be high up in my rankings when I reminisce about my travels. Personally I'm not sure if anything else in Vietnam will beat this - only Ha Long bay has the possibility to come close. If you ever come to Vietnam yourself, get yourself to Hoi An, there's places we've been that are good and places that might be able to leave off but this place is an absolute must for any traveller. If you were to come here without seeing Hoi An, then I'd say you may as well not bother coming at all.

Next up: more old sights in Hue as we visit the Imperial City!

Island hopping in Nha Trang

We arrived after another 5 hour coach journey and we couldn't find our hotel to begin with, the street numbers were confusing but after nearly half an hour of walking around we eventually found it.

The woman at the hotel was really friendly and helpful and when we mentioned our next destination was Hoi An via the train, she offered to sort our train tickets for us to which we gladly accepted to avoid the hassle!

Nha Trang itself is a real beach destination, unlike Mui Ne it has been receiving tourism for a lot longer so is a lot more built up. As a result, there's a superb selection of places to eat and drink there, by far the best range we've seen so far in Vietnam. The beach itself is relatively clean and the sea is a little cool, but when your used to the English channel then it's positively balmy! There's a real beachfront vibe here too, with parks just off the promenade and watersports on offer.

We had 1.5 days in Nha Trang (half due to travelling from Da Lat) and the first day was spent getting our bearings, lazing on the beach and then relaxing in the hotel before some cheap eats.
The 2nd day was what we'd been looking forward to; we'd booked a boat trip to see 4 of the surrounding islands.

We set off with the sea mist still rising and our first stop was the worst - a tiny island where all there was to see was an aquarium. Annoyingly the price to enter wasn't included in our boat ticket price so we decided against going in and sat outside until it was time to leave.

The next island we didn't set foot on but we went to the diving village alongside it and did some snorkeling as there was a mini reef there. Not much other than some very little fish and one or two sea snakes but it was still nice to be in the lovely blue sea and especially to jump off the roof of the boat (something I always have to do!).

The next stop was a fishing village off another island where they had little enclosures for fish they'd caught that you could also eat if you chose. There were lobsters, cuttlefish, squid (hate those things with a passion!), little sharks, boxfish and more. It was great to see these fish up close and we watched as a squid was taken out to be someones dinner - I would pity it usually as it inked everywhere to avoid being caught, but as mentioned I hate squids so I had no sympathy I'm afraid, otherwise I'd feel very sorry for it.

We then had a veritable feast on board the boat and a French couple next to us almost ate their body weight in spring rolls and omelets. Afterwards we were all put on another boat to join another tour for 'happy hour' and that's when things kicked up a notch...

All of a sudden there was a live band playing in front of us, beer flowing and people getting up to sing from different countries (what did the English sing? Wonderwall of course!), the party had truly started! After a while we came to another island and loads of us jumped off the boat to join one of the crew in the sea who had set up a bar on his rubber ring! So we all swam in the sea drinking cocktails (massive measures too) and soaked up the rays before getting back on board and heading to the last island where we just sat on the beach for an hour or so.

We headed back to port having had a great time, although thankfully we weren't as worse for wear as most. We had to be up ridiculously early the next day to get the train for Da Nang so we decided to have an early dinner and drinks to keep the party going in the hope we'd sleep easily. It certainly worked, after more cocktails, beers, mains and pudding, we slept soundly when we eventually went to bed.

In all, Nha Trang has the vibe that anyone can enjoy, you could come here as a family and enjoy the beaches, you can also come here with friends and party your ass off (if you're after something Ibiza-esque, then you'll love it here). Due to our schedule our stay was short but sweet, but we definitely thoroughly enjoyed it here and would've gladly spent more time here.

Next up: a simple matter of a 5:30am train for over 8 hours to Da Nang and then a coach to the historical city of Hoi An for some ancient culture.

Jungle trek and a crazy house in Da Lat

We arrived around 5pm after a 4 hour climb in a sweaty coach up the steep hills, the scenery of green trees and the big lake was far from anything we'd seen in Vietnam so far. After checking in we headed out to get a coffee and see what Da Lat was like, by that time the sun was setting and by nightfall the place resembled most of the cities we've seen so far - busy, noisy and not a lot else. But we had come to experience the buzz of nature here that it was famous for and we certainly ended up doing that.

Feeling on top of the world... and out of breath!

We had 2 full days in Da Lat - a place described in our guide book as "petit Paris". The first day we visited one of the most famous attractions here - something called the 'crazy house', it cost just over £2 for us both to get in and I can definitely say it was worth it. It was somewhere that made you feel like a kid again with it's warped walkways, railings that would never pass health and safety in the UK, different sized houses and architecture of different origins. In some places it made you feel like a giant, in some places you felt small. It opened in 1990 and it was still under construction! It doubles as an expensive hotel too, which explains why they're constantly expanding it. There was plenty to see in there but in a short time there'll be even more so if you're ever here I'd recommend a visit.

Claire at the crazy house, where she was often just the right size!

In the afternoon we tried to find the flower gardens but went the wrong way and ended up walking all around a golf course before we got there! When we did, rather than pay and go in, we sneaked a peek through the gate and decided it wasn't worth it.
So far, Da Lat was very nice by day and had a distinctive look about it when compared to the other cities of Vietnam thanks to the French inspired architecture and abundance of greenery, but it wasn't looking anything like a "petit Paris" - in fact I wondered if the people who said that have ever been to Paris themselves.
The next day we decided that we needed to see the real Da Lat that people visit for -the surrounding countryside - so we booked a tour to hike up a mountain and trek down through the jungle through a company called groovy gecko tours for $25 each.

The next day we met our guide Hoat and headed off at 9:30am (nice reasonable time!), before we knew it we were in the hills trekking up a mountain (I say mountain because they call it that, and whilst it is high it isn't as high as you'd think a mountain to be).

Hoat knew we were fit and set us off at quite a pace, soon the incline was really steep and all 3 of us were panting and sweating profusely! It was quite a lung-buster getting to the top but as soon as we did we were greeted with spectacular views over the whole of Da Lat as well as a sense of achievement of doing something I've never done before.
After that we spent the next couple of hours trekking down through the jungle that got more and more dense the further we went, whilst our guide told us to be on the lookout for leeches on our feet!

A while later we had finished the descent and came to a clearing where Claire got a sight of something she'd really wanted to see on our travels - an elephant. Unfortunately this one was chained up as they aren't native to this area so she was just a tourist attraction, but beyond that she was still a magnificent creature to behold and one we hope to see in the wild for real at some point.

We ended with an awesome picnic provided by Hoat of baguettes and fruit before getting a boat across the lake and hopping in the car home. When we got home we were absolutely exhausted - I've never hiked before so it took a lot out of me!

In general Da Lat was lovely, especially in the daylight. I've come to think though that I'm not really a fan of any city I've seen here by nightfall - the places lose any character they have after sunset. But there's no doubt that for me the main pull of this place is the stunning surroundings of mountains, jungles and it's there you can have the best adventures.

Now we've hit the road again, next stop: the beach resort of Nha Trang for an island hopping boat trip!

Mui Ne

Back to Ho Chi Minh City

After quitting our jobs and leaving the Mekong delta behind us, we headed back to Ho Chi Minh City for a couple of days as we finalised our travels beyond.

After my previous encounter of this city left me relieved to leave, this time I was glad to be back compared to where we'd been! We stayed right in the heart of the backpacker district this time and so were much happier.

The time in HCMC was spent planning where to go, where to stay and how to get about on our travels ahead of us. We also sent some clothes back to England to make our bags lighter - which was always the plan when we went travelling - and we sent 2.5kilos for about £20 which wasn't too bad (but it'll take 3 months!). Other than that we frequented our favourite rooftop bar again and again for the best value meals and drinks we've seen yet.

Mui Ne

Sunday morning we set out for Mui Ne on the coach at 7:15am. The journey took 5.5 hours and we did manage some sleep on board. We then arrived at Mui Ne and headed up to our resort - Mui Ne hills. We could've stayed in a cheaper guesthouse than this but it was still low price enough, plus it has 3 pools and after the time we'd had recently we thought it would be worth it just to get our happiness back.

Claire gets stuck into life by the pool!

After dumping our bags we checked out the beach, which is lovely but not the best I've been to by far - there are black bits everywhere (assume its rock), it's only a couple of kilometers long, there's a bit of litter and the place is absolutely overrun by kitesurfers. This place is paradise for them as the winds are strong enough for them to get good air, but not dangerous. As a result we think our time here will be spent poolside rather than beachside.

Mui Ne beach - nice, but I've seen a lot better.

The room and hotel are both great, considerably the best we've stayed in so far. The weather here is glorious - blue skies, hot (35 mostly), but enough breeze to take the edge off the heat.

We have 4 nights here and the majority of them are spent sunbathing by the pool, having a dip, drying off and then repeating the cycle again until lunch or dinner. It's great to have that holiday feeling, something I've been crying out for ever since we left England.

At night we tried a few places to eat, having mainly local dishes and  most are unspectacular. I couldn't bring myself to try this local delight though: (even though I've had it before!)

Tonights special is.... Nah you're alright

One place three doors down from our hotel tempted us in though with a really good price for a burger, and after loads of local cuisine lately I couldn't help but succumb to something familiar! The place had a real beach vibe to it and I was so surprised at how good the burgers were too, top notch!

There are tours we could go on - to nearby sand dunes and to a "fairy spring", but we don't think they sound good enough to drag us away from the pool (seen sand dunes before, and the spring sounds naff).

Inbetween sunbathing and swimming, we also apply for a few jobs as we prepare for the next steps - working outside of Vietnam is now becoming a more likely possibility by the day.

Mui Ne - a summary

Mui Ne is a lovely place and is clearly on the up, there's plenty that's recently been built and seemingly more on the way. As mentioned, if you're a kitesurfer then this place is for you, otherwise the beach is nice but I'm sure some of the lovely hotels are even better than the beach.

Mui Ne reminds us of a Spanish tourist resorts in many ways, the look and feel mainly, but again that's been kind of welcome as it's at least felt a bit more familiar! There's also a particular foible to this place that we've noticed - there's a HELL of a lot of Russians here, so much so that lots of signs even have Russian on them. Maybe this is their version of Malaga??

So in all, our last few days have been fairly uneventful, but they've been critical to getting our state of mind back in the right place - if a bit of R&R can't do that for you, then what will?
Tomorrow we leave with fresh tans to the hills of Da Lat for something very different. I'm not sure I've had enough of sunbathing and swimming yet, but I'm looking forward to it all the same.

Relaxation time at the pool

Hitting the road: the itinerary for Vietnam

So, as mentioned in my last post, we've quit our jobs and we've now officially hit the road!

So what's next? Well first I'd like to show you our whereabouts of the last 2 weeks:

We landed in Ho Chi Minh, headed south to the Mekong Delta which took in Can Tho, My Tho and Tan An (plus working in Ben Luc), all before coming back to Ho Chi Minh to kick start our adventure again.

What's next is a tour of the rest of Vietnam going from south to north, starting in Ho Chi Minh and finishing in Hanoi (the capital) with a day or two in ha long bay to boot.

The itinerary is:

1. Mui Ne
2. Da Lat
3. Nha Trang
4. Hoi An
5. Hue
6. Hanoi
7. Ha long bay (round trip from Hanoi probably)

With this itinerary we'll take in beautiful beaches, sand dunes, high hills, ancient monuments, beautiful (well, apparently) cities and the stunning Ha Long Bay - which is likely the first image used when advertising Vietnam as a destination.

That's roughly 1,250 miles by a combination of coach and train (starting with coach as it's cheapest but the train is a little more expensive so we will try both to compare along the way).

We estimate this should take us about 3+ weeks, and with up to a week in Hanoi to allow for the Ha Long bay trip and a last chance of a job offer we will know for sure by then whether Vietnam is where we want to be for longer. We'll apply for jobs on the road so that we keep the prospects going ready for when we've finished touring.

If come the end of all that things don't work out here in Vietnam, it'll probably be full steam ahead to Thailand or Cambodia!

First up though, show me those beaches of Mui Ne, I can't wait!

Tan An and a change of plans

In this blog update I'm going to give a small update to add to what Claire has already said on her blog - which best describes the details and feelings of what we've been through this week so rather than repeat, I'll just add a few touches of my own.

Monday 17th March 2014

We were supposed to be picked up to go to Tan An at 8am, was only told at 7:55am that it would then be the afternoon (could've done with a lie in!). Eventually arrived at 4pm. New 'permanent' digs were seemingly nicer than the last but were lacking anything to cook with as well as many other basic amenities.... Wasn't happy! 

Went to the town (it's officially a city but I refuse to call it that) and saw there were plenty of cafés but nowhere to eat (here a cafe rarely does food, they just do coffee and juices - which are awesome, but you kinda want both). We thought then river view might cheer us up, but the stench of urine put us off.

Our favourite cafe in Tan An - the only highlight to speak of!

Tuesday 18th

Headed to the main district to see if this place we were meant to live in for the next few months had anything else to offer.... We found a post office and that was it. Later on we taught our first lessons on the payroll and were hoping that things would be better than the training last week.

The guy who came to pick us up to go to Ben Luc to teach was over 30 minutes late so by the time we arrived the class had been sat there waiting for half an hour. Just to make it worse the only lesson preparation we were given once again was shoved into our hands as we were quickly ushered into the classroom and then forgotten about.

Although already short on time, my first class went well with a few bright students making up for those that were shy. I started to feel really I'll during the class feeling dizzy - which was ironic given the topic was "health and wellbeing"!

The next class was completely different and possibly the worst 90 minutes of my life (and being a Southampton fan, I've experienced some painful 90 minute sequences in my time). The topic was " introducing yourself " which at first glance I thought might be quite good seeing as every class so far I've spent the first 5-15 minutes introducing myself, so I was well drilled and knew exactly what I would take them through topic wise. The big problem I had was the language we were supposed to be 'revising' had clearly not been taught - and this was stuff that for a class of their supposed level they should really know - and then when I tried to explain using even simpler terms they still didn't know. As well as all of this I had felt worse and worse so by the time I tediously dragged the class out I was a physical and emotional wreck.

As I walked out of the building I felt I'll, I felt like I'd failed and I felt furious with the school. As Claire saw me approach she took one look at me and said "there's a face of thunder!" And I threw the lesson folder on the desk and stormed out. With all of the stress that we'd faced recently, the poor preparation and lack of professionalism from the school, being constantly messed about with locations and timings, I was ready to not only quit the job, I wanted to jump on the first plane home.

On our way home in the car we were able to speak honestly as the driver spoke no English and I said "I just can't do this, I hate where we live, I hate the school and none of this is going to get any better no matter how long we stay".  Claire felt the same. We'd been fighting the urge to quit the job for a few days, each time holding on in the hope that it would get better when we start for real, but although we only taught one night we knew that there was just no way we could carry on here with so many factors out of whack.

We had no other native speakers to socialise with, our promised contract hours had been reduced by the school (not because of us, just because the school could no longer guarantee the same amount of hours) and the reduced hours meant we weren't earning enough to save towards our travels (which is the whole reason we are teaching). If any one of those factors was drastically different, we might've been able to stick it out but we finally took the decision that we can't carry on here.

I hate the feeling that I'm "giving up" as I've long prided myself on seeing things through, all of which made the decision to quit even harder. But we made up our minds and decided that enough was enough - it isn't the career, it's just THIS job.

Wednesday 19th & Thursday 20th

We've decided that in quitting we are going to travel the whole of Vietnam (as we are in the south), so we're heading all the way north to Hanoi. In doing so we're hopeful we can find more places we like and would be more willing to take a job, and if we don't find anything we're gonna carry on travelling anyway. Travelling was the whole part of this journey and all that's happened now is that the time to go has arrived earlier than expected!

We spoke to family about our decision on skype and they reinforced that if we weren't happy then leaving to travel was the right thing to do, after all we didn't give up our lives I'm England to travel half way around the world and be unhappy.

These two days have been spent sorting out our resignation and beginning the process of planning where to go next - so a lot of time researching! We hate that things haven't worked out here but these first two weeks of our "adventure" have so far sapped away at our enthusiasm and energy so for the first time since we arrived we are taking back control of our lives (much the way I prefer it) and we're going to do things our way.

Next up: back to Ho Chi Minh City for a couple of days before we head to the beach resort of Mui Ne for some much needed R&R.

So I'll catch you all after I've hit the road and soaked up some rays!

Acclimatising in Can Tho City

Monday 10th March 2014

Went to the British consulate in the morning in Ho Chi Minh to sort out all of the documents we needed to get our work permit and after the shock to the system that Ho Chi Minh gave us, it felt quite nice to speak full English with someone and be on home soil! (Never thought I would say that, let alone this early!) The whole process was quick, easy and we even got some of our money refunded - rule Brittania!

We met an employee of the company we are here to work for and she accompanied us to the bus station and to Can Tho City - which was about 3 hours journey. As we approached the buses in the terminal I saw a nice orange one and said "please let that be ours".... It was! Phew, the others didn't look appealing! The coach ride was comfortable; air con blowing, complimentary water and wet wipes, vietnamese comedy on tv, in fact it was better service than you'd get on national express!

We arrived to the hotel of our employers choosing, "it'll be comfortable" he said. In our tired state (still a bit jet lagged) we just said "yeah it'll do" and flopped on the bed to rest. Then we realised when the tiredness wore off that it was a right dump. Shower only pointed straight down off the wall with barely any pressure so we had to sit in the tub and use the showerhead sat down. Towels were so thin i could blow my nose in them and they would disintegrate. After Claire had a nap we headed out to check our surroundings and we could see we were quite a walk from the riverside - which is Can Tho's main attraction and where everything tourist happens - and the 30 minute walk down felt barely dissimilar to walking around Ho Chi Minh albeit with bigger streets.

The waterfront itself looked OK but it was dark and we were starved so we went to a restaurant that turned out to be the most expensive meal we've had so far along with tiny portions. To make matters worse Claire chose her meals well while I made terrible choices and to compound my misery my $2 ice cream I ordered to cheer me up consisted of one scoop. ONE SCOOP. We plodded off back to the hotel less than enamoured with our first impression of Can Tho.

Tuesday 11th March 2014

We spoke to our employer and she wanted to meet us around 4pm that day so we both decided to do something touristy to cheer ourselves up and headed out to get ourselves on a boat trip to the rivers of the Mekong delta. I must say though that the riverside looked remarkably better in the daylight, lovely views of the river and flowers and trees all around us but by the time we'd grabbed an ice coffee, eaten and walked down it was too late to go to the floating market and we only had a couple of hours available before having to head back and meet our employer. The place was deserted too - we'd expected to be bombarded with offers and hasslers trying to get us to go onto a tour boat but there wasn't a soul in sight - turns out you have to be here at pretty much dawn! We went up to a big sign and tried the tactic of looking around inquisitively and eventually a couple of women came running over and offered us a private tour boat. As we only had 2 hours we negotiated 2 hours hire for $15 which I didn't think was that bad.

The tour itself was fantastic and by far the best thing to do here. We headed down tiny little rivers with beautiful scenery and little houses either side where children would often see the westerners and shout hello and wave their little hands off - it was so cute. There were gentle breezes, dragonflies dancing around and the driver even made us little souvenir bracelets from the reeds, as well as a beautiful flower 'thing' from the reeds and little flower buds. The driver was so nice too, which made the whole experience the most relaxing thing we'd done so far.

After that we didn't actually meet our employer until after we ate dinner (found a place that did the best crispy spring rolls), and she then gave us details of where we will be going to be teach etc, which put a few questions to rest in our heads. She then said we had a choice of either going straight to the place of work tomorrow or we could have another day off.....we chose the day off obviously!

Wednesday 12th March 2014

We intended to make full use of this day of holiday and as we had such a rubbish shower we decided to head to the water park that the lonely planet guide had suggested as while we don't mind the heat we usually handle the heat by having a dip. We walked about 40 minutes to the place to find it completely deserted, our hearts sank. I formulated a plan B and used the lonely planet guide (which we are finding out is quite frustratingly out of date now) to see if any hotels in this city had a pool we might be able to persuade access to - there was just one that did and by some karmic act it was the closest one to us, in fact it was just one road over!

We got there at the Victoria resort and it seemed really posh - so much so that I was certain they wouldn't allow us to use their pool - but the receptionist was really nice and allowed us to for a fee (I was willing to pay nearly anything at this point) and we had a chat with him about the water park, to which he told us that it only opens at weekends at certain times of year as not enough locals use it so therefore it doesn't make any money. Even though we thought the entrance fee was cheap (£1) this is just far more than the locals can really afford and therefore they usually just jump in the river for free.

So we had a day pass to use the pool at this lovely resort and we spent the day just swimming in the pool, drying off, reading a book before repeating the sequence again. The setting was fantastic - French architecture clearly present. Another thing present were the people who could afford to stay at this $150 a night resort - old Americans. Nothing wrong with them per se, just reminds me how the other half live (plus these lot had those really annoying nasal-y accents that grinds on you). We lapped up every minute being here though as it finally felt how we had wanted it to feel - like a paradise.

We knew setting off on this adventure that it wouldn't all be bumming around and we definitely knew plush hotels aren't in our price range but perhaps we'd kidded ourselves so far that it might be a little more "holiday-like" than it had been, so these two days were just what we needed to help us acclimatise to this strange environment.

We then headed back to town and stopped at the same bar\restaurant we went to the night before (as the price was great) and we both felt that we had been mainly eating noodles, meat and bread since we arrived so we were in need of some fruit, so we both ordered mango smoothies and they were like heaven through a straw! Sweet, thick, cool and downright delicious. I've since gone back for more!

Later we met one of our employers called Callie - if you thought Claire was small, then just imagine Claire standing tall over Callie! - her frame and demeanour are very welcoming though so it was great to have a friendly face to get to know. She told us more about the school we'd be teaching in and that the next day we'd have to wake up at 5 and travel 2 hours to Long An to meet the school, give a teaching demonstration and check out the house we'll be living in, realising this me and Claire sharply said goodbye to get some sleep!

In all, Can Tho IS more laid back than Ho Chi Minh city, especially by the waterfront, but the further away you get, the more it begins to resemble it's bigger counterpart (pollution, noise and all). I get the sense that most cities in Asia will be similar to this, so the idea of us working and living in a smaller province seems very welcome right now. Nonetheless, we both really enjoyed our stay in Can Tho and feel we must return at least for the floating markets. But Claire and I are adjusting to the lifestyle of being here and being on the road with more ease with every passing day, albeit we perhaps underestimated how difficult it might be at first but these days in Can Tho have certainly helped and we now feel that it will get easier with each passing day.

Now just the small task of travelling to meet the school and starting work! Out of the frying pan and into the fire eh?

The first chapter of our adventure: Ho Chi Minh City

Day 1

We touch down in Ho Chi Minh City after an 11 hour flight without a wink of sleep and barely 5 hours from the night before. We spend about an hour at the airport waiting to get our visa and then we head outside to take our first steps on our adventure....

That's when the mayhem begins. We landed at 7am local time and the taxi driver is blaring dance music on our way to the hotel. There's what seems like thousands of people riding scooters in the street, all in a rush, all beeping their horns constantly and all zigzagging in every direction. I try to deduce if they drive on the right side of the road but you'd be easily confused by some people disobeying that apparent convention by driving the wrong way and stopping wherever they want. I'm instantly reminded of documentaries of salmon swimming against the tide. We are full of adrenaline (the only thing keeping us awake) and we can't stop laughing at the madness around us. We ask the driver if he ever crashes, the reply we get is "all the time!".

We are dropped off near our hotel but we can't see it, we then face something we never realised would be so daunting: crossing the road. When there are constant streams of bikes and cars going in all directions without stopping for any lights, you quickly realise crossing is going to take some bravery. Claire and I watched and waited for a couple of minutes before taking a run at it - holding each other's hands for dear life and nearly screaming all the way.

After that drama we found our hotel (the Thien Thao in district 3) and as we were 4 hours early they took our bags in for us - which was great of them - and to pass the time we went for a walk to gather our bearings. In our jet lagged state, the narrow pavements, dirty streets and crazy traffic were just as scary but eventually we found a park which allowed us some respite from the roads. We returned to the hotel for a power nap before setting out for dinner down to the backpacker area and we stumbled across an amazing rooftop bar called "The view" where we gladly sank a couple of drinks among the sunset skyline - it was just what we needed.

We ventured further and found a local place that did the specialty dish Vietnam is most famous for: Pho. If you've ever had ramen it is quite similar in that it is a big bowl of noodles and soup with vegetables and whichever meat you choose. You also get extra veg and sauces to use as you wish - to which we added chillies for a kick. This is the most common dish in Vietnam and I've instantly fallen in love, plus it cost less than £1 so my wallet is as happy as my stomach!

Day 2

We sleep deeply and wake up refreshed, then head straight out to see the sights. We take a taxi to district 1 (where all the sights and embassies seem to be) and arrive at the Notre Dame cathedral (yes just like the one in Paris). District 1 is so different to the other districts, the influence from French rule is obvious here with the beautiful buildings that also include a grand post office, museums, parks and boulevards. It's also clear this district is the most popular as not only are the streets clean and wide enough to walk alongside each other, but we also spot other westerners for the first time. We find a place to get a Vietnamese coffee nearby and instantly I fall in love with that too - just what you want in 35 degree heat.

We head to the war museum and get quite an education, during which we barely speak to one another as we both feel so bad for all of the people that were involved in the war, I especially feel terrible for the victims of agent orange. Claire's brother had told us the museum isn't for the faint of heart and he was spot on, however I'd recommend it as it certainly gives you a view of the events you wouldn't have heard of before.

We spend over an hour in the evening trying to find a place as nice and cheap as the place we went to the night before. We fail and therefore head back to the rooftop bar to eat as well as drink this time and further discover how much of a star find it is. I have braised pork and eggs and once again I am blown away by how amazing it tastes.

Day 3

We sleep terribly - the effects of being on a different timeline now fully taking effect. We get breakfast at an amazing local bakery that does amazing pastries, Claire then naps while I delight in watching a childhood favourite in Vietnamese (Pokémon! Yay!). We then head out to buy local sim cards - needed while we are living here - and enjoy more coffee and noodles.

After lunch we head to the Xa Loi pagoda which is a Buddhist temple. Claire has a real moment of enjoyment here as she gets just a tiny sense of the spirituality that surrounds this beautiful setting, a feeling I would've shared had my jet lag not fully kicked in and I rendered me unable to appreciate nothing other than the lovely scenery and peace and quiet.

We return to the hotel so I can take my own power nap, and in the evening we head out to the backpacker disctict again to eat.
When we get back to the hotel I feel the pollution of the city has started to take its toll on me as I can feel it in my lungs - if I were to stay any longer I'd need a mask like the locals wear!

I do get a treat to end the day with; thanks to Asia's love of premier league football, I get to watch my beloved Southampton beat Crystal Palace 1-0 live from my own hotel room! Being 7 hours ahead it means I'm watching a 3 o'clock kickoff at 10pm, so by the time it finishes I switch off the TV and fall asleep instantaneously.

Day 4

Not much to be done today and as we are still adapting to life here we decide to take it easy today so we head back up to district 1 to check where the British embassy is - which we need to visit tomorrow to complete the documents needed for our work permit. We get some more coffee but we can see that I'm district 1 the price is significantly higher than other places; in fact we paid the same price here for 2 coffees than we did for 2 meals and 2 beers in the backpacker district! Everything in this area is more expensive, so my tip is come here for the nice views and streets, then get out to eat and drink!

As we head to the park Claire spots a coconut seller hassling tourists and decides it is the time to try one out. He cuts one up and shoves it in our hands before telling us the price is 150,000D - again, the same as the meal and drinks in the backpacker district but this time just for one coconut! - as we both take sips we immediately regret the decision and grumble about the price.

We stroll through the park which is full on this Sunday with kids having fun making their own little dance videos and take our time to lap up the nice district before returning once again to our area which is a stark contrast.

Tomorrow morning we sort out our documents and then get picked up by our employer to spend a couple of days finalising our work permit in Can Tho City before heading to where we will be living: Tan An.

We've waited so long to start our adventure, so we've both felt bad that we haven't settled so far, however we've both come to the conclusion that Ho Chi Minh just isn't our cup of tea (too big, too noisy, too busy and too dirty) and that the jet lag and upheaval of leaving home has made our experience tougher than we thought it would. We won't be perturbed though as we know the rest of Vietnam will be very different, plus it makes us realise we just aren't big city people.

4 days in and we are already finding out a lot about the world and ourselves, so we just have to roll with the punches and take it all in! So we look forward to heading to Can Tho for a couple of days as it's supposed to be more laid back - like us.