Vietnam recap

Well, two months down, and so much more has happened. Vietnam has been pivotal in my travels, I know that already. It has shown me so many different things, offered me so many different experiences and left me with a deep sense of loss at having to leave. 

Again the people I have met have made this part of the trip and some of the things I've seen wil never be describable to people back home.

So my highlights of each place:

HANOI - 28th July - 31st July and 02nd August - 04th August

Top 5 moments:

- Meeting Dutch chaps, Matthijs, Jordy and Sèbastien.

- The Old Quarter.

- The Water Puppet show.

- Hoa Lo Prison.

- The street food.

SAPA - 01st August - 02nd August

Top 5 moments:

- The Sapa Squad.

- The trekking through rice fields and villages.

- Being conned out of 400,000 VND.

- Za, our tour guide.

- The epic games of Mafia at the home stay.

HALONG BAY - 04th August - 06th August

Top 5 moments:

- Sitting up all night with the stars, waiting for sunrise.

- Kayaking.

- Cat Ba Island.

- Swimming at night.

- Monkey Island.

PHONG NHA - 07th August

Top 5 moments:

- Riding a motorcycle for the first time.

- Zip lining and caving.

- Meeting Danish double, Anne and Julie.

- Easy Tiger.

- The landscape.

HUÈ - 08th August - 09th August

Top 5 moments:

- The Indian restaurant.

- Playing Jenga in a nightclub.

- Banana pancakes!

- Hiring motorcycles for the ride to Hoi An.

- Julie and Anne crashing the bike within 30 seconds of leaving the hire place.

HOI AN - 09th August - 15th August

Top moments (there's more than five because there were too many to pick from):

- Suits - selecting, fitting and buying.

- Falling down the stairs in Why Not club.

- Cargo - the best desserts in town.

- Spraying Sèbastien with the bidet hose.

- Convincing Sèbastien to stay on with us all the way to the end.

- Losing the bike lock and having to saw it off.

- Meeting Mr Xè.

- Watching Dayana eat crab and explain why she's never seen any Disney movies.

- Playing the Green and Black / CB game with Julie.

NHA TRANG - 16th August

Top 5 moments:

- Funky Monkey boat trip.

- Snorkelling with fish and sea snakes.

- Karaoke.

- Vegetarian dinner place.

- The poached regs at breakfast - finally, someone who can cook an egg well!

DALAT - 17th August - 19th August

Top 5 moments:

- Canyoning.

- The Crazy House.

- The bed bug terror.

- Winning with Julie at pool against Sèbastien, Jordy and Anne.

- The Bee Bar

MUI NE - 19th August - 20th August

Top 5 moments:

- Duning and quad biking.

- The beachside hostel.

- The live music bar.

- The relaxation.

- The food.

HO CHI MINH / SAIGON - 21st August - 23rd August

Top 5 moments:

- Cu Chi War Tunnels.

- Walking Tour.

- War Museum.

- AB Tower sky bar.

- Last drink with the Crazy Gang.

Vietnam was something really special, I'll never be able to go anywhere without remembering it. A special thanks to everyone I met this time around, and a extra special thanks to Jordy, Sèbastien, Anne Banana and Lady Julie - you guys made this for me!

Special notes:

Matthijs - You are a down to earth guy, my friend. It was great meeting you in Hanoi and Hoi An and I'm glad we had some good talks over beers. I hope to see you in England one day or perhaps when I come to The Netherlands. All the best.

Dayana - Thanks for the banter and for entertaining me when you ate crab. If I still know you in a year, and you still haven't watched a Disney Movie, I'm going to send you every Disney Classic to watch. I swear! Good luck in London and stay away from Budapest!

To the members of my crazy gang:

Jordy - What a guy! Your organisational skills, diplomacy and general zest for life is something that made you easy to be around.

I want to give you a big thanks for pushing me to do all that crazy crap, like kayaking around giant islands in Halong Bay, zip lining, cave swimming and motorbiking in Huè and all the way to Hoi An, getting me to buy ANOTHER suit from Mr Xè, abseiling off huge rocks and especially for telling me not to be a pussy and giving me the motivation to do the 11 metre cliff dive! 

Thank you buddy and I look forward to visiting you in The Netherlands and for you to come to Old Trafford to watch a United game with me!

Sèbastien - What's happening Ricki? Watching you go from being conservative in every respect to a maverick with a cavalier attitude in just under four weeks has been a pleasure.

We may have done the Rush Hour impressions to death, but we ruled them. Thanks for being my wing man on the joke front, for giving me a good run for my money at pool, for sharing my indulgence of food at all times of the day and especially for singing 'Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough' with me at Karaoke. I'll never forget that.

Equally, thanks for staying with the group in Hoi An. It wouldn't have been the same without you if you'd left, and sorry for sending your food back to waste time and for orchestrating you missing your flight. I did it for the gang.

As with Jordy, I'll see you in The Netherlands and when you come over to England for the game . . . And Johnson, what panties you wearing man?

Anne Banana - Ah, what an angel. Your happy demeanour and fun style of living just made it impossible for me to dislike anything about you. 

I'm always going to remember wrapping you in a white towel and cradling you just because we all wanted to see your baby face in that scenario and your giggling in the night when I was trying to go to sleep. Talking to you was so easy and I'm glad we had the chance to travel the majority of Vietnam together, seeing some crazy stuff and both of us learning how to ride bikes. You rocked it.

One thing I'll also never forget is your ability to steal my things. In our time together, you took precisely three towels, two door keys and a bar of my soap. It was lucky I was aware really.

Keep those smiles coming and I'll see you in Copenhagen! That's a promise.

Lady Julie - Best until last they say. The way in which you can look like you're going to kill me and then produce this sweet smile is something I'll really miss.

At times I know you were missing home and the people there but without you in the group, I wouldn't have had someone who could attempt to bring my energy levels down (sorry but like all others, you failed, but nice try).

Our bus trips and sleeping arrangements are going to take some time to get used to not having. It was always fun playing the green and black / CB game, doing impressions of your voice and learning Danish with you. I'm practicing still, I swear. I won't miss you pouring water over me, pinching or punching me. Oh, and I definitely won't miss you asking me to repeat everything five times.

I'll miss you Lady, and I'll really miss applying the antiseptic gel to your cut. It was the highlight of my day.

Keep your eyes open - one day, I might just appear in Denmark for surprise piña coladas!

Best of luck to you all, and thanks. You made my Vietnam trip!

Day 54 - Funky Monkey of Nha Trang

The early morning view from the Nha Trang hostel.

Day 54 - 16th August

Arriving in Nha Trang early was never a good thing, but we only had one day there, so we had to make the most of it. We'd done enough relaxing in Hoi An and we're ready for something a bit more active.

My memory of Nha Trang will always be dominated by 'FUNKY MONKEY, FUNKY MONKEY' being yelled at me as I boarded the boat tour for the day with the other four. 

We were told with no beer, came no money, no money, no honey, no honey, no baby. That was enough to convince me not to drink too much. I wasn't prepared for the responsibility of the end product.

After boycotting a fishy (forgive the pun) looking aquarium which drove me to an early beer, we headed out onto the open water for our second stop. We were able to swim and snorkel in the nearby reefs. It was actually pretty cool, as I dived in from the top of the boat with Jordy, Sèbastien and Anne whilst Julie dropped in lady like from the lower deck.

When snorkelling, I saw some great fish and even a number of water snakes. It was so cool just watching them go about their business, seemingly oblivious to our presence above them. Some guy dropped his sunglasses and they were efficiently fished out by one of guides, who dove straight in with a snokel on.

Look at that lot.

Lunch was impressive, with a table filled with seafood, pork, tofu, noodles and of course steamed rice. Afterwards, the hosts had each nation stand up and sing a song from their country with him and his band, The Funky Monkeys. Of course, England's was Wonderwall and me and four others sang our hearts out to get the show on the road. 

A drunk Scottishman wanted to sing his own song, not seeing himself as part of the UK contingent. More for him.

The Funky Monkeys.

When we were finally getting relaxed, the host yelled out 'Happy Hour. Everybody to the water bar.' The bar was a water ring with a guy inside who handed out plastic cups of orange and vodka to everyone floating by on a water ring. It was a crazy fifteen minutes with people bombing and splashing around whilst trying to dunk each other.

And finally, we reached stop three. The beach. Not normally one for sitting in the sun, I was ready to relax after being sleep deprived again. It was a nice relaxing hour before we headed back to shore.

Dinner at a vegetarian restaurant convinced me I needed to try it more often and then a walk around the beach area showed us what Nha Trang had to offer.

The gang.

Before we knew it, we were inside a Karoke booth singing classics. An hour of fun brought a lot of laughter. For Sèbastien and I, our night was complete when we found Don't Stop Until You Get Enough by Michael Jackson. We had been doing Rush Hour 1 & 2 quotes non stop since Halong Bay and now we had the chance to do Chris Tucker's rendition of the song in the Triad club in ahi g Kong. Sadly, it didn't beat the group's version of Smooth Criminal which received a 94% accuracy rating. Shamon!

Another great place but we were off to Dalat in the morning, another early morning start!

Day 53 - Leaving Hoi An and travelling to Nha Trang

The bright lights of Hoi An by night. Such a great place.

Day 53 - 15th August

So a check out rush around by 11am was the highlight of my morning. My lost room key reappeared, I suspected Anne Banana all along and it was in her bed now. Everyone rushing by, frantically trying to get out reminded me of the Macallister in Home Alone on flight day. Within minutes, I was literally left home alone as everyone was out and I was stuffing clothes into my backpack with minutes to spare.

At the reception desk, I had to explain that I now had two keys to my room so technically I hadn't lost it and a reimbursement of my 120,000 VND was due. Five minutes and a pen and paper diagram drawing later, I had the money.

Mr Xe and his team wrapped all seven of our suits and shoes and boxed it up for us to carry. When we asked where he was after he disappeared for a while, he yelled out from the back 'I'm here!' in his funny voice. I'll miss that guy and those girls. They were a good crack. And they also gave me a free pair of shorts as a thank you, so a great bonus. (I did buy them ice creams and a pizza in return.)

We relaxed for the day, taking in Cargo one final time and waiting out until 5:30pm for our night bus. That dreaded journey was our last night bus with Camel Travel so I trying to remain optimistic.

And as if they plan it that way, 5:30pm came and no bus arrived. By 6:15pm, we were herded down the street, me carrying a backpack and a 14 kilo box on my shoulder, whilst trying to keep an eye on a mother and her three kids who were with us and trying to navigate the busy traffic. 

In true Camel Travel fashion, the bus was overbooked. Julie and I were split from the other three and had to go up the back, top bunk where two America guys were. It was hot up there and we passed the time with me teaching Julie geography and telling her a story I had to make up on the spot. She told me about Bubbi Bjørn (Danish for Gummi Bears) and attempted to teach me Danish - it went about as well as England's 2014 World Cup campaign.

Finally, we fell asleep but as per usual I was kept awake by horns, bumps and people snoring.

Day 52 - Relaxing for the last day . . . no chance!

I love Cargo!

Day 52 - 14th August

So I was getting used to the hostel breakfasts, with stacks of pancakes and fruit taking centre stage on our table. Buffet breakfasts are the way to go!

Mr Xe doing his handy work.

I joined Jordy at Mr Xe's for his final suit fitting, going as a wingman to offer my opinion on the overall product. His suit was that good I was convinced into buying my own. Yep, suit three was on order within minutes of arriving. Mr Xe even gave me a $30 discount and said he would give me a free gift when I returned later that day to try the suit. Jordy's gift was a free grey suit jacket, which compelled him to buy out the rest of the suit. That Mr Xe's got class.

Jordy, Sèbastien and I took to relaxing at Solo Cafe with more banana pancakes and beer, much to the friendly manager's delight. She was so good and her 3,000 VND beer (10p) was pretty good. Sèbastien was still on a high from missing his flight the night before and I was trying again to sort my Cambodia arrangements. It was getting tense, with it getting more difficult to find a quick solution. Every door was being closed on me. But I wasn't giving up.

To unwind, we headed to Tiger Tiger to dance and enjoy our last night in Hoi An with the five of us and Sabrina. After buckets of rum and coke, we were yet again in Why Not. We saw our Stoke roommates, Tom and Ron (funny guys - Tom gave me a free pair of Toms ironically and Ron was interrupted earlier on the toilet by his mum when she chose to Skype him.) These two bars were making their money from us five alone, let alone the other flocks of backpackers pouring in and out.

We made our way back and crashed out, tomorrow was our last day in Hoi An. I'd be sad to leave the old place.

Day 51 - Suit fittings, collections, lost items and mind manipulation

Jordy and I had haircuts last night. A steal at 150,000 VND.

Day 51 - 13th August

Hoi An was certainly living up to my expectations of Asian weather. Another scorching day at 36 degrees. My hope had been diminishing every day since that first day in Beijing, when it had been raining heavily, an issue I'd have to get used to quickly because it's featured heavily on my trip!

It was a sad day ahead - MORE shopping, I'd lost my room key so I'd have to pay for a new one and Sèbastien was leaving us!

We had new roommates, Stoke double act - Tom and Ron, some of England's finest joining me to try to overthrow the European invasion going on in our dorm. Just kidding. Jordy and Sèbastien liked the accent, comparing it to my southern version.

Anyhow, Sèbastien and I headed to Camel travel to book our bus tickets to Nha Trang. For once, the assistant was quick and helpful and shortly after, we went in search of the infamous ATM that offered over 2,000,000 VND withdrawals. And we found it, finally! I was grateful because explaining to two tailors you don't have their money after they've made $200 suits for you wasn't going to end well.

When we reached the shoe shop, we were each greeted with a pair of dark brown, leather brogues, custom made. What a treat!

Feeling pleased with ourselves, we headed back to Bebe's to try out the full outfit. I'm not going to be modest on this occasion. We looked good, the suits fitting well and I felt like it was money well spent. My assistant, Mai with her matching yellow nail polish to my suit lining, couldn't help standing next to me in front of the mirror, joking about how good we looked. She was a good crack, and made my shopping experience a lot less dull than it is normally.

They said they had a few more alterations for us so we'd have to come back later for a final fitting.

Mr Xe was the next to welcome us, his assistants giggling and making us feel like jokers. Mr Xe personally fitted our shirts for us, pulling us side to side in his sweet, four foot, three way. When he tugged and pulled as much as he could so I felt like I was wearing a morph suit, he presented me to his magic mirror. 'Perfect, yes?' he said. 'Handsome man.' Again, I was sure Asian's are either short sighted or just have never seen the likes of David Beckham or George Clooney aka Cloontang. But it helps sales, I guess.

He told me to return later in the afternoon once they had pressed the shirt and finalised it.

I was ready for Lunch and Jordy had seen this place in the old town called Before and Now. Great choice, I had a belting burger - the best so far in Asia. We all joked about Mr Xe's style and the women he worked with. They had been joking that Mr Xe was the father of their babies - it could be plausible if a. he wasn't late fifties and they were all mid twenties, b. four out of five were pregnant at the same time and near the same due dates which would mean he'd have to be as rapid as one of his sewing machine and c. he wasn't perhaps gay. Gay or not, he was a great guy and one of the best tailors in Hoi An.

An afternoon suit collection at Kimmy's saw me say goodbye to Madonna who asked me to leave her feedback on my tripadivsor page. I told her I'd head it 'Madonna's my material girl at Kimmy's' but it did not have the impact I was hoping for. Ah, English humour is lost here, 

My shirt collection at Mr Xe's limited our movements for the afternoon but we were getting closer to getting the final products. The same applied a short while after when we returned to Bebe's.

And then we were done with shopping for the day. Another stop at the post office for postcard send offs took place. Sèbastien wanted us to meet the girls at the beach and for us to have dinner before he would catch his bus at 6pm to the airport.

An Bang beach was stunning.

And then my master plan began. Over dinner, I began planting seeds of doubt in Sèbastien's head who was not sure if he wanted to leave us behind to go to Saigon. With the help of Jordy, Lady Julie and Anne Banana, we cancelled his transfer bus, sent his food back to delay it and plied him with beer. When I told them all to look one way, I slid his bike key away from the table and tossed it into the nearby sands of An Bang beach... never to be seen again. As a sweetener, we put down half his air fare of €30 Euros to stop him from being too out of pocket. After orchestrating his life for him in such a way, it was the least we could do. 

Despite his best efforts to give it back, we felt it only right he had it, but what a way to keep the group together!

Jordy rushed off for another suit fitting on my bike after realising he'd lost his bike key. I used a key ring and tried to prise it open, sweating my nuts off as I did so. I'd like to say I'm the hero of the story but the parking attendant and his hack saw, which he produced with a little too much ease (he's probably seen this a thousand times from tourists).

When we arrived back, Jordy was down 30,000 VND for replacing the bike lock whilst I was coughing up 120,000 VND for a new room key. I still know I hadn't lost it and I think someone in the room had picked it up. Anne Banana was my bet.

A cold beer and dessert of my new favourite, banana pancakes was in order after a strenuous day. The group toasted Sèbastien's return and he was going to join us all the way to the end! Happy days!

I attempted again to get my DBS check cleared for volunteering in Cambodia in less than a week and a half. Again, it was met with more blockades and bureaucracy. It will teach me to get my arse in gear in future! Watch this development!

Our evening was rounded off with games pool and whiskey. Perhaps a little too sophisticated for backpackers but we enjoyed it all the same.

A day that could be seen as a pivot for something special in the coming days . . . or maybe it's just a bloody good day!

Day 50 - More suit fittings, ATM hunting and Why Not?

Hugh Heffner Jr?

Day 50 - 12th August

So another stunning day in Hoi An. We were up to 35 degrees and everyone was loving it - except me. I knew with sun came a burned head, even if I wore a cap, red skin and dehydration. The perfect combo for suit fittings.

So we headed back to Kimmy's. To my surprise, the suit was almost complete, lining and waistcoat included. Madonna and the team had done a great job and I was impressed already with the navy blue suit with purple leaf lining. Madonna asked if I could leave her a trip advisor review and after telling her no (as a joke of course), she laughed and I couldn't resist that Asian giggle.

Jordy had read about a Vietnamese language class at Lifestart, a life changing organisation that worked to better the lives of local Vietnamese people. Our teacher was so good, and because it was only Jordy, Sèbastien and I, we had an awesome lesson. We learned how to say hello (Sin Chow), thank you very much (Cam On New) and how to ask for beer (beer). Of course all of these are phonetically spelt but you get the drift.

One of the workshops for clothes making! It was hot in there.

After the lesson, we had a free tea tasting and visited the gift shop. I picked up a gift for my mum made by Hanh who worked at the shop. She had lost both her legs in a vehicle accident at 18. Just seeing the real person who created the gift for me to buy was something truly exceptional. It was such a sad moment but she seemed so content and happy in her work, a little happiness came back to me.

Jordy then took us to his other small tailor, Mr Xe's. This guy was great, and so were his assistants. Every single one of them welcomed us warmly, they gave us free water and asked if we were interesting in buying anything. After explaining I'd bought two suits, they offered me a good deal on a shirt. I could see this was more a personal tailor shop so I thought why not. Then I've helped out a large, medium and small company. 

Mr Xe was hilarious, a genuine cross between Mr Chao from The Hangover (because his voice was similar) and Austin Powers (because of all the women he had around him). He would tap our faces to get them straight whilst he did our measurements and would pucker his lips in and out as he concentrated. 'Come back tomorrow at 10am,' he said.

Shortly after, the three of us went back to Cargo for a snack and then Sèbastien and I headed back to BeBe's for our second fitting whilst Jordy went to Forget Me Not for his. We were told they would have our suits ready for trying by the evening so we were both fairly excited (how excited should you be over a suit?)

When we reached the shoe shop a few minutes later, Sèbastien's shoes were too loose but mine were spot on. A steal for 45 bucks. Teamed with the suits, it was going to look sweet.

Before we knew it, it was six pm and we were back at Bebe's. Mai had done a great job. The yellow lining complimented the charcoal grey suit and the matching yellow bow tie, skinny tie and handkerchief were excellent.

After a long day, we headed out for dinner near Kimmys with Francis and Sabrina. We went in search of an ATM, but failed miserably. Trying to find an ATM with a withdrawal of over 2,000,000 VND in Hoi An is like trying to find a motorbike free street in the whole of Vietnam!

Our night led us to a bar with beer buckets and card games with the newby to the group and then we moved onto Why Not? I found a good deal of buying a wristband for 100,000 VND (£3.10) where you could drink all you could. Before I'd even begun this, I'd fallen down the stairs in my Toms - not the best start. To make matters worse, the guys only wanted to stay for half an hour so I had to get my money's worth, drinking eight rum and cokes in that time. Big mistake.

Although not very strong, I was out like a light as soon as we arrived back in the dorm room.

Instead of Good Morning Vietnam, it was Goodnight Vietnam!

Day 49 - Suit Fittings, teriyaki burgers and decisions

Madonna doing her best work.

Day 49 - 11th August

So it was decision time. Where were we going to pick up suits? I'd decided on a charcoal grey and navy blue in Kimmy's but Jordy was unsure due to the way the bigger companies produced their clothes. He wanted to go to a small tailors. I respected that and could see why he wanted to do so.

So we hired bikes for another few days and Sèbastien and I headed to Kimmy's to be measured. Madonna was my assistant, and she was really great. She went through my needs with me and gave me good advice. Eventually though, I decided to get my charcoal suit from BeBe's nearby. Spread the love I thought.

Before ordering at BeBe's, Jordy asked us to look at Forget Me Not, an older tailor that had a fantastic reputation. When we arrived, it was a tiny shop front. The women inside were friendly to Jordy but after asking them how much a waistcoat would be, the assistant said 'You trust us. You buy first and then you get price.' I tried to explain that it was difficult to make a decision without knowing a price - it seemed like a simple request - but this brought an angry reaction from the lady. 'He can stay (Jordy) but you two (Sèbastien and I) can leave.' We were happy to oblige, leaving promptly and grumbling as we went. She was terrible and I'd never recommend her to anyone (normally, I wouldn't be this way but she was terrible!) Forget Me Not? Sorry, I already have!

So me and the chaps had great food at a burger place in the Old Quarter. Teriyaki burgers are the way forward!

Shortly after, Sèbastien and I went back to BeBe's and ordered our suits. We both picked out the same colour but different linings. My choice of sunflower yellow went down well with my assistant, Mai. She was so helpful and friendly. Her matching nail polishing to my suit lining was a coincidence but also, something fun to play on. 

After our measurements, we headed to a small store for shoe shopping. The small retailer was very happy to help, offering custom made shoes, in full leather for $45. Compared to other retailers, this was a great deal.

Our dinner across the street at Solo cafe was really good. I opted for the Cau Lao dish, native to Hoi An. It was delicious. What a way to end a busy day of tape measures, fittings and general city madness.

I didn't get a photo of the Raspberry Cheesecake so here is one of the four desserts I had in four days - a caramel, nut tart with lemon sorbet.

As a treat, we all headed to Cargo for dessert. The raspberry cheesecake was exquisite and every dish served looked like a piece of heaven, bringing with it serious food envy.

I saw the night out with a Skype session back home. What a way to end the day. I was pleased everyone back home was welol and they were pleased to hear about my broke adventure!

Day 48 - Hoi An suits me!

The many lanterns in Hoi An.

Day 48 - 10th August

I woke up early on my first day in Hoi An. 7am and I was out of bed, dressed and ready to go. I've never been up that early on a Monday morning, when travelling or at home, so I was pleased.

My first stop was the post office, to send my Nanna her postcard from the last three legs of the trip. My normal city magnet search failed miserably but I knew I had a few more days to spare to find one.

When I arrived back, the others were still sleeping, but soon after, we were having the free breakfast put on by Sunflower. Imagine my surprise and delight when they announced to me that it was a buffet! I bounced up off my chair and loaded up on pancakes, bananas, noodles and omelette. The Vietnamese coffee was very good with pineapple juice. Three plates later and I was ready for a day trip out somewhere.

I headed out to the Coconut under the Tree hostel by the beach to meet an old travelling buddy from Hanoi. Dutch man, Matthijs was in town and ready for some beers to catch up. He'd done some crazy stuff and I filled him in on what I'd been up too.

We had lunch by the beach with beers and laughed at Dayana's struggle trying to eat crab. A particular highlight of my trip to date! After a few hours of more beer drinking and laughter, we bid each other fair well and made our own ways back to our hostels.

I visited Kimmy's and BeBe's with Sèbastien and Jordy and we started to decide what we were going to purchase. I'd already eyed up a blue three piece and a charcoal grey three piece. I was excited to see how they came out but I'd have to wait two days.

We rendezvoused with Matthijs again and we four guys went to an Indian restaurant. The meat thali was pretty good although I wasn't too keen on the yoghurt mixture they put on the side. It was chunky and thick and not something I wanted to accompany my beer with.

Crazy place!

Julie and Anne Banana were at Tiger Tiger. They been drinking cocktails since late afternoon so when we got there, they looked pretty chilled out. We played pool and beer pong and indulged in a little dancing. As the bar closed up, we moved to Why Not bar. It was packed and soon, the girls were asleep either side of me.

It was home time. 

Jordy stayed on but Sèbastien and I walked back with the girls. On the way, we saw a dead cat laying in the middle of the street. Despite me not being a huge cat lover (I'm more of a parrot kind of guy - more interactive), and a group of 21 year old English people telling me their dad's were vets and some taking photos (sick buggers), I pulled it from the road and gave it a more dignified resting place on a bed of flowers on the roadside. 

We all did synchronised teeth brushing and then went to bed.

Day 47 - Huè Temple, Elephant Springs and Biking to Hoi An

The temple in Huè

Day 47 - 9th August

It was hot. Probably the hottest day to date since I've been travelling South East Asia. I wasn't complaining, OK, maybe a little, but I enjoyed the heat finally because I was sick of rain.

The best feeling was knowing we were going to bike to Hoi An. The thought of flying down a motorway in control was exciting (plus no more buses for a while - yeahhhh).

Game on'

We headed out the door just after eight am and saddled up on our bikes. The girls rode off just to get a feel for the bike but rode back within 30 seconds with Julie cut open on the leg. Doctor Dan, the oldest in the group, had to whip out the first aid kit and disinfect her leg. Once I had removed the bits of grit and dribbling blood from the gash in her calf, I whacked a couple of plasters on her leg as she dug her nails into my arm and screamed. When I asked her how she did it, she said she'd revved to much, and with Anne (pronounced Anná) on the back, shifting the weight, they toppled over into a plant pot. Clumsy.

So with Julie patched up, we headed out to get petrol and breakfast. The banana, chocolate and ice cream pancakes were delightful. The best I've had on the trip at the Huè Backpackers Hostel. Our old chum, Sabrina rolled up at reception and joined us as we coordinated a meet up in Hoi An.

We headed over the ancient city and took in the cultural side of Huè, me doing my best impression of a Vietnamese tour guide and the others sparing my blushes and laughing.

And that's when it began . . . the trip down the open road to Hoi An. 

We set off in search of Hoi An. Who would know if we would get there in one piece, what with the girls' earlier incident. The road was smooth for a while until we started reaching the coastal roads. The resurfacing taking place meant that they had dug up the old Tarmac and concrete, leaving behind an obstacle course of shards of old road surfacing, shingle, rocks, bottles of water from the workers and on coming traffic that shared the same lane as us. This was going to be interesting.

To be fair, we all handled the road pretty well. The obstacles mentioned above were a nice prompt for me to pay attention. A few times I switched off, humming and singing When I Find My Heaven from Dumb and Dumber or 2,4,6,8 - the motorway song, only to be interrupted by an oncoming bus or a bump in the road.

Sèbastien, Jordy and I kept overtaking each other, doing our Mr Chao impressions and shouting at each other, "So long gay boys!" before speeding off in front.

Sorting out lunch is always a debate!

The Elephant Springs.

Half way down, we stopped at Elephant Springs and had lunch and a swim. It was a nice pitstop on a scorching day. The fried rice with liver was tasty and just half an hour down time was a nice break.

As we headed back onto the road, we drove up on Hai Van pass to see some stunning views of the coastline. And I mean, seriously stunning.

The boys . . . 

And of course, the girls.

Coming down from mountain pass, we cruised into Da Nang as the sun was going down. The warm night air was great and the water looked tempting. Jordy told me not to be a pussy and sped past me at 80 kph. Game on. I raced up beside him and we made our way closer to Hoi An.

This is how we treat the locals.

Anne and Julie switched driving duties and Sèbestien switched gears on his manual bike. Jordy and I just cruised like we had no worries in the world.

Lads on tour.

No words can express how amazing this actually was.

It was such a great experience. One I would recommend to anyone and one I would definitely do again.

It was 7:30pm when we arrived. The Sunflower hostel looked good, with a pool and bar out back and the dorm room was spacious and cool. God bless air conditioning.

We had dinner in the hostel with an over friendly Englishman, who just loved Julie's arm. My fried rice was really good but the server seemed like she wanted to push me backwards into the pool.

An old face from our travels, Dayana, who has caught up with us in every place since Sapa popped up to say hello with her two friends from the UK (Mia) and Canada (Mary). We couldn't resist telling people her secret about Disney films. They said they were heading to a couple of bars in the old town. We said we'd join them.

Us joining them was more difficult than anticipated as we made it 200 metres before giving up. It was too far to walk. Instead we all headed to bed after an awesome day.

One to never forget!