Good Afternoon – Vietnam

An interim tale…

I had the most amazing time in Vietnam.  Although I have loved every country and been pleased to have been there and met delightful people and had fun, there is no doubt that Vietnam is my country of choice – so far! (Remember I still have China to come)    Once again, I have been privileged to meet fine people, both local and travelers, that have made my journey so amazing.  Add to that the incredible scenery, wonderful beaches, delicious food, crazy cities and such friendly people.  Oh did I say it is a cheap holiday destination – even for South Africans.  Certainly the cheapest country so far in my travels.

So my previous post was about diving in Vietnam.  I was cycling up the coast with a deadline to be in Hanoi by 26th September because Mo flew in on 23rd September – more about that later.  However I still had places to see and things to do on the way.  It takes 21 cycling days to get from HCMC to Hanoi so I had plenty of stops on the way.  sometimes for just a night and sometimes for a few days.

In Quy Nonh, I found a sports bar with good craft beer and decent food that is run by an Australian woman.  I had supper there and went back to my guesthouse, little knowing that this would be a catalyst for a life-long friendship.  Move on 2 days to Quang Ngai.  I craved a pizza so googled and found a place called Kids Pizza.  It was good and the owner went to buy beer for me as they do not serve it there.  A young British couple pulled up on motor-bikes, came into the restaurant and said, “We saw you at the Sports Bar in Quy Nonh”.  (Not sure how they recognised me – any ideas?)

We chatted about our journeys and soon discovered we have a lot in common and that we’d been through some of the same countries in SE Asia We had leapfrogged each other all the way from HCMC.  Jamie and Luke have subsequently become staunch friends and I regard them as family.  We made no plans to meet yet we managed to catch up and have a meal and a beer in Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue and Phong Nya and of course in Hanoi.  

Here we are in Da Nang having a pint or six of excellent craft beer at 7 Bridges.

I took Mo to Hoi An and Da Nang so I’ll show pics from there later.  In the meantime I visited the most amazing cave in Phong Nha (Fong Nha).  This is the Paradise Cave – 31km long but visitors only see 1.5km.   It was considered the longest cave until the discovery of the Son Doong Cave.  This latter cave costs $3000 to see and there is a 2 year waiting list as they only allow 265 visitors a year.  It’s a trek through the jungle and a mountain climb to get there.  I’m thinking I’ll invite Bill to join me – I can hear him saying “It’s a doddle – when do we leave?”

But back to the Paradise Cave.  Words fail me – it is like  entering a magnificent cathedral – the height is up to 150 feet.  Let the pictures do the talking

I am leaving Vietnam for China tomorrow, so I wrote this piece as if it is the last post but I still have so much to tell – mostly about Mo’s visit but that will have to wait for another day.  I do not know how much I can do from China but I’ll try to update as often as I can.  Else please keep in touch on email – I know that is still available elred@lawrence.co.za