Our big trip

A few thoughts and photos from our travels

  • Day 198 – Paradise lost

    12th March: Cat Ba, Vietnam I had a lovely generously sized pancake for breakfast, with a whole mango sliced inside. The less said about the coffee though, the better! Instead, I walked around to the hostel we’d been to for dinner last night as they have a roastery. As expected, their oat milk coffee was…

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  • Day 197 – Sleeper trains and speedboats

    11th March: Hanoi, Vietnam to Cat Ba, Vietnam We were awoken by operatic music, announcing our imminent arrival into Hanoi. I checked my phone, thinking there must be time to sleep for a bit longer but it was 5:45 and outside the city was rolling past. We pulled into Ga Ha Noi on time and…

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  • Day 196 – The Imperial capital of the Nguyen

    10th March: Hue, Vietnam to Hanoi, Vietnam Hue was capital of an approximation of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945, under the Nguyen dynasty. This is seen as an important period in the development of the modern Vietnamese identity. One facet was the solidification of many Chinese ideas such as within the fields of administration and…

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  • Day 195 – Up, up, and Hue

    9th March: Danang, Vietnam to Hue, Vietnam We began the day with breakfast in the hotel. Something about the building, the corridors, the lift, and the breakfast buffet reminded us of our first hotel in East Asia. We remembered how wide-eyed we were when arriving in Beijing five months ago and how much we’d explored…

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  • Day 194 – There be dragons

    8th March: Hoi An, Vietnam to Danang, Vietnam It was our final morning in Hoi An but rather than rush to leave, we savoured a final amble into the old town. Kaja had found a tea house yesterday that we went back to. Her herbal tea had the profile of buckwheat tea but with hints…

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  • Day 193 – High-water and night walks

    7th March: Hoi An, Vetnam There’s still no rain, defying all predictions we’d seen! Not that we’re complaining, of course. I needed a chilled morning today, so popped out to get myself a coffee and a banh mi and then spent most the day in the room. I’m still a bit frazzled but it’s the…

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  • Day 192 – Pastels and lanterns

    6th March: Hoi An, Vietnam Breakfast this morning was back to noodles. I’m actually getting used to this for breakfast, although it’s only taken 5 months in East Asia! I think that it’s likely because I currently have a bit of an appetite again. After walking to town, I finally got to try Vietnamese salted…

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  • Day 191 – Suits me

    5th March: Hoi An, Vietnam Breakfast in the hotel garden was eggs today, but they were at least washed down with delicious dragon fruit smoothies. We had a lovely, chilled morning spent reading and relaxing before popping out for coffee from a nearby café. Kaja had enjoyed the taste of my coconut coffee a couple…

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  • Day 190 – Elegant Hoi An

    4th March: Hoi An, Vietnam One other bonus is that our new accommodation includes breakfast, which means that we don’t have to worry about finding that in any of our remaining places. We went down to find a table out in the beautifully shaded garden amongst the orchids and were served noodles and tofu. I’m…

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  • Day 189 – The Reunification Express

    3rd March: Quy Nhon, Vietnam to Hoi An, Vietnam We left a hazy Quy Nhon early, grabbing coffee and jumping in a Grab back to Dieu Tri station. The dual carriageway was busy with giant trucks all beeping at everything that dared to get in their way. We felt small in our little taxi. The…

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