Day 56 - Dalat Canyoning

This was incredible.

Day 56 - 18th August

It was drama in the night. No, Mr Happy had not managed to get in to sexually love me but two beds in the 12 bed dorm were infested with bed bugs, the two girls were packing their stuff up. I picked up their sheets and bundled them up before throwing them onto the balcony.

A few hours later, we were up for a breakfast of Banana pancakes (yeah!) and and tea, We then headed downstairs for pick up to go on the Dalat Passion Tours trip. No money, no bags or valuables required. Just water and swim shorts.

Our guide, Gold ran in, high fiving us all in his under armour shirt and bandana and told us to load up on the bus. We lost Sèbastien in the group and didn't see him for the rest of the day.

So if I let go of the rope, I die. OK . . .

When we arrived and put on harness equipment and hard hats, I realised we weren't going canoing but instead canyoning! No I knew, but it was fun to play up to the group with it. Our guide, Gold told us about techniques and how to do they scaling down safely. 'You walk, walk, walk. Stop. Photo, yeah, photo, then walk, jump, jump, jump until three metres from the bottom then let go into the water. No lady boys please, lots of jumping and photo with no hands on the rope!'

But then the jokes stopped as I realised I would have to start jumping off cliff tops and abseil down them pretty soon. Whose laughing now, Danny Boy? Well certainly not me as I'm terrified of heights. But I always feel like I'm going to miss out if I don't do these things.

Not the best picture.

The first one wasn't bad for a taster, and when I reached the bottom and high fived Jordy, the adrenaline had kicked in and I was off.

None of my portraits came out so here is Jordy's on the water slide. Crazy stuff.

After, we took to a rock water slide, which is basically a constant flow of running water flying over smooth rocks from about four metres. The instructors, Lion and Windy just held our jackets and we went down backwards, head first. It's amazing how fast you can plummet down four metres with just water pushing you. What a rush.

Lunch is always a quiet occasion.

Lunch of baguettes and fruit was welcomed by all before we moved off on a mini hike towards our second destination.

A few seconds after this shot, I cried! No, I'm just messing.

Drop two was over a waterfall and I went first, scaling down, pausing for 'photo' and cursing as I went. It was such a rush but I was always cautious knowing that my fear could kick in at any moment. The rock was really slippery so our shoes had to come off and we had to drop into the water from about three metres up.

The world wettest conga line.

After a brief trek, we reached the 11 metre cliff dive. Jesus, my stomach turned. I hoovered over as the two Irish guys in our group threw themselves off without hesitation. Jordy followed shortly after with his Go Pro attached. 

I was the only guy left and my nerve was fading quickly. Julie, ever helpful, told me not to be a ladyboy and I heard Jordy say at some point 'Don't be a pussy, Dan.'

It's a long way down, 11 metres.

I turned away and took a deep breath. I then turned and yelled out 'Oh shit,' as I flew off the cliff. The plummet lasted only a second or so but as I hit the water, I yelled out in joy. Hell yeah. What a rush. I did it.

When I reached a rock, I was shaking, so was everyone else. But mine was from pure adrenaline. My heart was racing but I looked back at the rock and knew it was an incredible experience. Anything now was easy.

Last drop down.

Just hanging.

The final rock was nicknamed 'The Washing Machine,' and as Gold put it, 'When you're done, come back up and tell me why it's called the washing machine.'

As I went down, the rocks began to disappear, and all I could see was a sheer drop and a gushing waterfall. Gold was yelling out lean forward and let your legs dangle. As I hung there, I just released the rope quickly so I zipped downwards into the waterfall. It spun me around and I realised why it had its nickname. The current pulled me under and I was sucked into a pool outside the falls where Lion and Windy were waiting.

And just like that, the canyoning was over. Another experience finished just like a click of the fingers. But one never to forget.

We arrived back to find Mr Peace and a team fumigating our room like something out of Monsters Inc. when they were done, we headed out to Bingo Pizza and I indulged in a BBQ Chicken pizza. It was delightful. At the same time as enjoying our meals, I opened up a controversial game of truth with my four travelling companions. Questions such as 'What do you find most annoying about each member of the group?', 'what was your initial reaction of each member of the group,' and 'what's the worse thing anyone has every done to you?' came up with a number of others and we all felt like we knew each other much better afterwards.

Another round of pool squared the night off for Jordy and Sèbastien, who went to a Karoke bar and to bed respectively. The girls and I went to Bee Bar for G and T's and wine and further open discussions.

It was a great way to finish Dalat and we crawled into bed past midnight, me a little later after a short and sweet Skype session, ready for the 7am bus to Muine in the morning. Oh, I do love those morning buses . . .

Oh what a day!

A special note also to Matthijs - safe travel back home buddy, I hope your grandmother gets well soon.

Day 43 - Kayaking, Monkey Island and Cat Ba Island

A misty day.

Day 43 - 05th August

Another early morning, as I rose at 5am to see the sunrise. The mist over the bay made it impossible though so I ended up grabbing an hour or so sleep.

I was awoken to Ken banging on our door, telling us it was breakfast time. It was 7am! My iPad still wasn't working!

And breakfast was a combo of underdone pancakes and watermelon. It filled the gap, ready for Kayaking. The rain was pounding the water and Jordy and I commandeered a kayak and proceeded to paddle our arses off until half an hour had passed and we had circled a huge Rock Island, seeing a mountain goat, two delicate Irish girls from the night before and a floating mini village.

Ken ushered us back on the boat to check out and before I knew it, we were pushing through high waves towards Monkey Island, laying flat on the deck to feel the rise and drop of the mammoth waves. The scenery around us was amazing and I couldn't help just gawping at the beauty of each individual island, with its own personality. Some had openings which exposed swimming caves inside. What I would have paid to go in there (oh, hold on, I did pay for that and it wasn't delivered!)

Crazy buggers!

Monkey Island honestly filled me with a little apprehension. I'd heard stories from other places where Monkeys' had attacked humans, stolen their food and cameras. I wasn't wrong. Within minutes, a French girl had lost a pack of Oreos and by the end the Australian girl, Renee had lost her bag of crisps. Jordy, Sèbastien and I hiked up towards the peak, but Jordy and I retired early because of the Mosquitos! Damn things. My pack of Oreos was also infested with ants so I just swept them off and ate them through gritted teeth.

Finally we were off the island, and now heading another hour or so towards Cat Ba Island (namely Woman Island, after the women who stayed behind whilst the men went off to war.) We'd met an English couple on our main boat, Sam and Natasha from Norfolk. Good guys and fun to have around, as the three of us made our jokes and amused ourselves.

Once on Cat Ba, we met Ken 2. This guy was nice, taking us to Cat Ba Palace Hotel to check in for the night and grab some lunch. The waitress was good fun to have banter with and we enjoyed the food like we hadn't eaten in days.

Giant spider in the National Park.

I always love a good hike and when we set off towards the center of Cat Ba, I was optimistic. When we arrived, we walked a winding trail upwards towards the summit until we were a few hundred metres away. Our guide, Ken 2, then said he had to leave us because he had been unwell and needed to go to the toilet. Poor chap.

Between me and a French guy, we led the way upwards to the two peak stops and took in the surroundings. Although the pictures look fantastic, they do not really produce the sheer scale and real beauty we were exposed to. It's a memory I will never forget.

What a view!

On the way back down, I led a small group, predominantly English folk, down the 'hard' trail until we reached the bottom, before we headed back to the hostel to freshen up and have dinner. Again, it was another great meal and I enjoyed the company at our table. We were interrupted by a local barman, who told us to visit him at Rose Bar for drinks that night.

So as soon as dinner was down, so we're we. Straight down to Rose Bar. Jordy and I met Alice and Chloe from Belfast. They wanted to relax but the Dutchman and I refused to let them enjoy that simple pleasure. Instead, we racked up a game of beer pong. I think it was beginner's luck that cost me victories or possibly Jordy's wonky aim. As soon as Sèbastien arrived, we cleared house.

The pool game was even more excruciating, as Jordy played by his own rules and not those of the official American Pool game. He thought I was trying to cheat him, telling him you could take two shots for potting the white. A mixed pair game threw up some interesting shots but it was a great night where beer flowed freely. 

Ah, this is a great way to live.

Day 40 - More rain, more trekking and goodbye to Sapa

The Sapa Squad.

Day 40 - 02nd August

It was just after seven when I actually woke up, a cat miaowing repetitively and children's cries contributing to the disturbance of my sleep.

The local church.

Around 8 am, I got up and went downstairs. It was still raining heavily and only Za and her family were awake. I stood out and looked across the valley at the mountains. What a way to wake up! After a discussion with Za, I went to look at the local village. Hearing the local church-goers singing hymns, I went to see what a mountain church looked like, and it turns out, it's not that much different. The only exceptions being the building has corrugated iron sheets for walls and roofs, the seats are plastic chairs or benches with no back and their is no alter, just a reverend standing in a space up front. Other than that, it's no different, yet it was still bizarre to see it in a different language.

When I headed back for breakfast, Jordy was next up. I told him I'd balls up (again) thinking breakfast was at 8:30 am instead of the agreed time of 9:30 am but all was forgotten quickly when those amazing pancakes came out with banana and honey. It was so much better than the crap the hotel gave me, which had been just round discs of uncooked batter, forcing me to swallow it down with large gulps of water. Everyone ate them with tea or coffee and morale in the group for the second day of hiking was good, even despite the rain.

Another great view.

We met Za's husband and I asked about the story of how they met. She said they met on New Year's Eve and were dressed in sparkly attire. They were in the same tribe, the Zi tribe but lived five hours apart. Long story short, they married and at 20 (Za) and her husband (22) they now have a bambino. Ahhhh.

This picture does it no justice!

We set off and soon saw how much it had rained as mini waterfalls gushed over pathways and roads. Dylan didn't hesitate to walk through it, and soon, the herd followed, with a few taking off shoes and socks to cross the rushing water. With a majority of wet feet and soggy socks, we made our way to the waterfall.

The waterfalls.

Rickety old bridges, talking to U.S. Zach about teaching in Korea and George jumping up and down on the crossing bridge to wobble it made it more fun to get to the waterfall but once we arrived, all the slips and chaos were worth it. It was an incredible view and we all had great opportunity to get some good shots of it.

Serious egg cooking problems in Vietnam. It's all rusty.

Another mini trek and we reached our lunch stop. We had fried eggs on a noodle broth. A strange combination but tasty all the same. The broth was followed by bananas for desserts. Dylan managed to draw the local population of child sellers (serious, bloody a huge group of 'em) and haggled with them for bracelets. Soon, the creepy, doll voices came out from the day before, 'you want a bracelet, buy one from me.' A funny experience, especially when he tried to get them to play rock, paper, scissors for them.

The crazy kids.

And that was our two days of trekking done. Gone by in a flash, as I notice everything does when you're enjoying every second. I also noticed when you're not having fun, whatever that thing is you're doing takes an eternity, and the bumpy bus back to the Sapa View Hotel was brutal. Bouncing up and down and hitting myself in the nuts with a bottle of water made it all the more harder (no joke intended!)

Za, our Tour guide.

I found the postcard for Nanna (expect in 10 days or so, Ethel darlinnn') and we boarded the bus back with boiled eggs (just imagine the smell) to Hanoi and a nice hot shower and bed. Nope, I'm not sharing with Jordy and Sèbastien. I was in a six bed dorm with three French men, a German and English woman. And we had a wet room instead of a shower! And the French men had left wet foot marks everywhere and beard trimmings. Perfect!

Another great couple of days, with glorious views, great people and memories a plenty. Thanks to all involved!

Day 39 - Sapa trekking.

The breakfast stop.

Day 39 - 01st August

So we arrived in Sapa just beyond six am. It was raining! Damn this wet season.

The villages below. Stunning.

Our group was assembled: me (obviously) Sebastian and Jordy (Dutch guys), Dylan, Matt, George and Zach as well as Lauren (England), Ania and Katherina (Austrian), another Zach (USA) and Bulgaria (Dayana from Bulgaria). Our guide, Za took us from the hotel where we had a light breakfast until 8:30 am, carrying her baby and being assisted by 7 other guides.

Some of our guides.

Our guide, Za and her baby. He was adorable.

The trek began rainless and the views were beautiful. I have never seen a place so magnificent with natural beauty. The rice and corn fields were a ripple of green, running down the hills towards the river. Everyone managed to fall over at times, some incidents looking more painful than others, but Lauren flew the flag for the English and managed to make the journey without a slip or trip.

The locals were friendly and welcomed us warmly, before children approached us with bracelets and rings, asking in doll like, repetitive tones, 'Buy one from me.' Actually they were more zombie like but we managed to resist the urge. Jordy pointed out by buying from children it was like supporting child labour. It's tough when faced with such a small child and a heartbreaking expression on their face. Perhaps I'm too soft.

We trekked for four hours before reaching our checkpoint. We were due to have lunch but prior to this, we were asked if we wanted to buy anything from our guide women. As usual, I paid out the most to my guide, who had been incredibly helpful. I brought two gifts for my sister, so Tel, you'd better appreciated it! As a 'free' gift, I received a hand made bracelet.

Lunch was nice, with sticky white rice, chicken, vegetables and spring rolls filling us up. We also laughed at me losing 400,000 Vietnamese Dong on the two items I'd brought and made a joke of it all afternoon. What a plonker!

Trekking through the corn fields.

Our accommodation for the evening was a homestay with our guide. An hour or so trekking in the on / off rain made it a more arduous task than it should have been. We arrived to iced Vietnamese Tea (although I think it should have been hot but the rain delayed us) and a naked toddler running around.

The place was nice with flat beds and mosquito nets. It was like a converted barn with the beds on the second floor overlooking the main room downstairs. A world away from what I'm used to in hostels or at home.

We all showered (it was bloody freezing, shrinking my . . . nipples to a shirt button size) and I observed the others playing drinking games before dinner was cooked by Za and her house sharers. 

After dinner, we all decided to play Mafia (if you don't know what it is, research it, you lazy bugger). Basically, everyone is handed a card and those with spades are mafioso, the jack of hearts is a detective whilst the queen is a doctor. The rest of the red cards are the villagers. The aim of the game - get the Mafia before they kill everyone.

My intuition was right on some but Bulgaria and Sebastian were elusive and English Zach and Dylan were caught in my firing line. Sorry chaps. It turned out to be a great few rounds and really broke the ice. Everyone laughed and joked which is always good after spending only a few hours together as just  randoms.

Za brought us Happy Water, which I can only liken to Fire Water or Saki. It wasn't too bad but Dylan, not a big drinker, mistook it for water and was greeted with a nasty surprise when he gulped out of the bottle, much to everyone's amusement.

Finally, we talked about our lifes before one by one we dropped like the mosquitos and flies around us.

Retiring to bed, the rain rattled on the roof and I laid with my thoughts. That was when I realised what I've seen in the last five weeks makes me think, Christ I love travelling!