So on the 2nd we left Hoi An for a few days of luxury for Tash’s birthday.
Da Nang
In Da Nang we visited Ba Na hills which is where the Golden Hands Bridge is. We rented some motorbikes which were in great condition and amazing to drive.
In this process however we discovered that Tash’s visa was missing (just our luck). The weather wasn’t on our side either, we did know this as we had come in the winter season. We decided that we would still visit despite the weather as we really wanted to see it. When we arrived at Ba Na hills we took the cable car up to the top which offered some great views.
As we got further and further to the top the more mist and fog we saw. We ended up not being able to see a few metres in front of us. When we got to the bridge we braved the weather and got slightly wet in the process. We still had plenty of laughs as well as the typical expectation vs reality experience.
We then returned back to our hotel in the now, miserable rain. We had managed to hit rush hour traffic though and there was motorbikes coming in all directions. It’s kind of like a battle of who dares wins and a game of ‘chicken’. We made it though, even after getting considerably wet!
The next day – Tash’s birthday! We had a lovely day which started with a trip to the immigration office to try and sort out Tash’s visa. We then had a spa day which involved getting massaged, scrubbed, wrapped in this oatmeal liquid that left me smelling like ready brek and a facial. The spa even surprised her with a beautiful cake!
That evening we got to put on our tailored outfits from Hoi An and have a few cocktails, wine and a delicious meal.
The 5th of January, we spent the afternoon by the infinity pool in our hotel soaking up the views. We even managed to get in the freezing cold pool but we were glad of some nice fluffy towels when we got out! We then took a train to Hue.
Hue
Hue is the city of tombs and the Imperial City. We first visited the tomb of Tu Duc it is built for the Nguyễn Emperor Tự Đức and took three years to build from 1864–1867. It is in a large area and also has the tomb for his wife and son.
We then had some really tasty Vietnamese cuisine at Madam Thu’s restaurant. There were seven different dishes (which you can see on the menu). My least favourite was probably Banh Nam- the rectangular dumpling as the consistency was like savoury jelly. The rest of the dishes were so good!
The next day we woke up bright and early to ride Hai Van Pass. It was around 1:30hrs away from Hue but definitely worth the trip. The Hai Van pass is a road that leads from Da Nang to Hue. The roads are fun but can be dangerous in bad weather and if you don’t take care, and the scenery is simply stunning. This is one highlight of the trip so far!
Pictures do not do this justice! On the route we managed to find a local restaurant that served the prawn spring rolls still with their heads and tails. We also found a pagoda with a giant Buddha on a hill.
The next day we planned to leave for Phong Nha Ke Bang, but not before we explored the Imperial City. The outside of the wall was more impressive at night time as the walls had a colour lightning show.
The inside of the City however was impressive in the day time. Having been extensively damaged by all the war in Vietnam it has been mostly restored. Inside it has many monuments and places to visit and is huge! We spent 3 hours there but could of spent longer! But we had our bus to catch at 2pm. We grabbed pizza and off we went!
Phong Nha Ke Bang
This is one of the places I was most looking forward to visit due to its nature and natural beauty. It definitely did not disappoint. This is also one of the places where we’ve had a barrel of laughs.
We stayed in a homestay along the riverside with this view.
During our time here we have visited caves, zip-lined, swam, kayaked, went in a mud bath, became duck leaders, rode a motorbike and then subsequently fell off on an incredibly muddy dirt track road and drove around the national park.
We started by doing a day tour of the Paradise cave, the dark cave and the botanical gardens. The driver picked us up at 9am and we went to the botanical gardens. A beautiful place which would of been more fulfilling if we had time to explore. However we had a busy day ahead!
We then headed to the Paradise cave. This cave is incredibly beautiful and was only opened to the public in 2010, despite it being 31km in length only the first 1km is open to the public. The cave was first discovered in 2005. We first had to walk up many flights of stairs (which made me realise I really need to get back to the gym)! This resulted in us being very sweaty 🤷♀️
However, the walk was worth it when you got to see inside the cave, pictures do not do any of the national park justice. It truly is a beautiful place.
We then went and had our BBQ lunch along the river where we would soon be heading into the dark cave. The food was so tasty! It was served on a big tray on banana leaves, it was bbq chicken and pork.
After lunch we headed to get changed for the zip-line. It was rather strange getting a harness on over a bikini! After we were strapped in we walked up the tower to zip-line to the main part of the cave. I was second it was great. When we all got to the dark cave we swam across in the very cold water to a bit where we walked with our head torches through to another bit of water. As we were swimming I bashed my foot on multiple rocks I could see! We then walked through a narrow part of the cave until we reached the mud bath and by which point I’d managed to cut my hand of the rock wall. We walked into the mud bath and it was very slippery. The further you walked in the higher the think gloopy mud got. We covered ourselves in mud (apparently it’s meant to be good for the skin) then rinsed in the muddy water on top. When I was time to leave the mud cave we had to then crawl through a muddy tunnel to get back out. Me and Tash were the last two out so I’m kinda glad it was only Tash that had full view of my bum and not a total stranger 😂.
We then came out of the dark cave and kayaked to the river side where there was another zip line but this time you held on then dropped into the water. I failed miserably on my first attempt dropping into the water instantly, on my second I fared pretty well and managed the full length. All in all the tour was fantastic.
The next day we went to visit Phong Nga cave which you had to get to by boat. It was an equally beautiful cave. It was discovered in 1899 and was used as a hospital during the American war in Vietnam. It was opened for tourism in 1995.
After this we went to a place called the Duck Stop. After stumbling upon it on trip advisor which it’s fantastic reviews we thought we’d give it a ago. We got a motorbike and headed to the place with is in Bong Lai valley which is one of the poorest areas in Phong Nha. The trip there was enough laughter for us already as it was along a muddy dirt track road. We were on a bike suitable for city driving. We slid everywhere and at one point slid over… all unharmed and with lots of giggles in the process. When we made it there we had some delicious food and were greeted by the children in the family run business. Their English was fantastic. We decided to go for the duck experience. During this the ducks are from our hands, we got to be duck leaders (we got them to follow us and control them) and they are from our feet which in my experience wasn’t the best as it was too ticklish. On the whole the experience was the strangest thing I’ve ever done but we couldn’t stop laughing so what more could you ask for…
On our last day in Phong Nha we took a motorbike bike around the national park and soaked in the scenery. Phong Nha is just a beautiful place and I have loved every minute of it.
Our last stop was to the 8 ladies cave. During the war in the 70s, four men and four women were trapped in a cave after they had been repairing the road and bombs were being dropped. One bomb had caused a giant rock to block the only entrance to the cave and instantly killed 5 soldiers that were near the cave. Despite their cried for help after 8 days rescue crews could not save them and the unfortunately died. We paid our respects and lit an incense.
We are now on a sleeper bus on the way to Ninh Binh, as you can tell from our faces we aren’t impressed. The stench coming from the toilet is particularly strong!
Until next time!x
JessTashandBobby-SEAsia 