See ya later Vietnam

The past eight months have been amazing, emotional, hilarious, challenging and a bit weird too. It has without any doubt been the best eight months of my life and I really can't believe that it was all the way back in January that I was that terrified girl at Heathrow airport flying to Asia and living abroad, both for the first time. I have definitely learnt a lot about who I am, what I can do and what I want to do in life (as cheesy as that all sounds).

I've learnt that I'm the worlds slowest motorbike driver, that wearing make up is severely overrated and that eating pork, egg and rice for breakfast isn't actually all that bad. 

But on a more serious note, I've definitely learnt a lot more than just that. I've lived amongst the Vietnamese and learnt so much about a culture I knew nothing about. I've been so lucky to do this, as often backpacking and travelling in short periods of time, you can easily miss what a country is all about. Vietnam is a beautiful country with the most welcoming of people, and I'm going to miss it. A lot. Where else would open their shop at 2am in the rural countryside just so the drunk white girl could buy some vodka? Nowhere.

I've also learnt how easy and ok it is to start talking to random people! My confidence between this time last year and now is pretty different. I'd always considered myself a bit of a reserved person, and talking to strangers wouldn't really be something I'd do. Now, I feel it normal to start talking to anyone I meet! As my friend Lucy said in a previous post, the experiences in your life can often be determined by the people you meet. And I love that. 

With travelling, teaching and living in SE Asia, I've made some life-long friends all over the world, and we've shared some pretty hilarious times. Sunday morning cave times at Heathers with Rach, that weird weird Owl weekend (I won't go into that) and Phoebe Jean walking down Bui Vien in a swimming hat and kimono. 

With these beautiful people, they've also been there when times have been pretty shitty. Being mugged with a knife, hit by a taxi and sent to hospital all within the space of just over a week back in April, you could say, took it's toll. But having the most unreal and positive people around me, it wasn't long before I got back to my normal self. 

Though, I've had a few 'I hate Vietnam' days, I'm going to miss it so much and I know 100% I will be back at some point in my life. Soooo, I thought I'd compile a few reasons on why I'll miss it so much. Here are my top 6:

1. Seeing weird things happen on a regular basis

Definitely my number one. Badminton courts in the middle of the road at 5.30am, chicken fights, fridge freezers/cows on motorbikes. You see a lot of weird shit in Vietnam, and it always brightened up my day.

2. How friendly the Vietnamese are

The Vietnamese are so friendly and welcoming, which was definitely needed when I was so nervous moving here. I needn't have been nervous. They're great.

3. Yoga

I found a new love for yoga when living in Saigon, at the most beautiful studio 'Yoga Living' in District 3. Getting a membership in Australia will no doubt be four times the price. 

4. Bartering

It's going to be a struggle to not try barter down the prices in Australian supermarkets. I'll be walking out in the hope shop assistants will follow me and agree to a cheaper price. I need to realise that this won't be happening.

5. Poo talk being acceptable

Talking about poo problems to near enough strangers. If you don't get issues in Asia, then there's probably something not quite right. Though, speaking of poo, I'm definitely not going to miss how acceptable it is for dogs to take a shite in front of me when I'm trying to eat my pork, egg and rice for breakfast. 

6. My beautiful friends  

I love you Vietnam. It feels like we're splitting up, but it's just a temporary break. I'll be back soon. I promise. X

Hoi An > Hue > Ha Noi > Ha Long Bay

After the highly anticipated reunion of my parents and I, it was time to leave Saigon and take a flight half way up the country to Hoi An. This was the second time I'd visited here, after spending a few days back at the beginning of Febuary as a very clueless Westerner. 

We spent a week here, chilling out at the beach and pool. I think after my parents visit to Saigon, they wanted this. They found it pretty crazy and my mum even admits that she was glad I was leaving, as I think she found it a bit much and a bit too different to rural Norfolk life! My dad kept filming my mum trying to cross the road. Classic.  Hoi An on the other hand was definitely more suited to them.

Over the week, we ordered the most ridiculous amount of custom-made clothing. I had a few pairs of shoes made, a couple of dresses and a bag. My mums list was much bigger. Massive divas. They even had to buy two new suitcases. The amount of things my mum and dad bought together was maybe a bit of an error however, which will be explained later on.

Me and mum also took a cooking class, where we learnt to cook spring rolls, grilled mackerel in banana leaf and sweet and sour chicken. The chef also attempted to teach us how to make a few edible decorations for the plates, to which my mum announced "it's amazing what you can do with a cucumber".

Having spent a fair amount of time in Hoi An, it was time for our next stop, Hue. Both into their 60s I genuinely didn't think my parents would ever agree to this - but we motorbiked the 100 miles between the two places! Well...my mum got a car, and my dad was on the back of a bike whilst I had my own. At one stage my mum actually got on her first ever bike and rode on the back for 10 miles! I was so proud of her. She's shown that life is all about new experiences no matter what your age. 

The views were incredible and I definitely recommend anyone doing this! 

We got there just about safe and sound (7 hours later) though there wasn't really much going on in Hue. And by not much I mean nothing at all. We only spent a day here, and this was where my mum realised how soon I was moving to Australia and how soon they would be saying goodbye to me again. So the tears then started. 

Like I said, the amount of things my parents bought in Hoi An caused a bit of a transportation issue. It meant we wouldn't really be allowed to take that much stuff on an internal flight. So a 14 hour train ride it was! 

I've been on a lot of buses and trains in SE Asia, and it's safe to say this was one of the worst. Which made for a fab experience for the parents. It was an experience which I think they will never want to repeat again, but one they definitely won't forget. My dad made a new 75 year old Vietnamese mate too, and ended up showing him the first iPad he had ever seen. It was a pretty cute bromance.

I love how much my parents are embracing the travelling life. Tony and Lou are a prime example of how you are never too old to travel! They've been sending emails back home to friends, who are under the impression mum and dad are on a gap year rather than an OAP trip abroad. 

After the 14 hour ordeal, we arrived at a beautiful hotel in Ha Noi, where I was looking forward to seeing how the capital compared to Saigon.

Back in December, I was in two minds on whether to accept a teaching job in Ha Noi or Saigon, however I think I made the right choice. Saigon seems to have a lot more going on and is definitely more westernised. Though, I do like how quaint Ha Noi seems with less hectic traffic. We are booked into the hotel in Ha Noi for a week and within that have taken a little over night boat trip to Ha Long Bay, where I am writing this blog from (with this view!)

Ha Long Bay was definitely my most anticipated place to visit. Having met so many people who have raved about it, including my brother, it definitely lived up to my expectations and more. It's stunning, and surely one of the most breathtaking places on the planet.

Travelling with my parents means that I have travelled a bit classier than I normally would! And the boat we have stayed on is beautiful. 

We took a canoe ride to a beach this afternoon, where again my mum had another first experience doing this. We've been treated to so much delicious seafood and Vietnamese cooking, and drinks on the top deck at sunset was amazing too. A 6.30am Tai Chi class is on the schedule for tomorrow, which I'm really looking forward to! 

If I was holidaying in Vietnam in the future and could only pick one place to visit, Ha Long Bay would definitely be it. It's made me feel so lucky about the experiences I'm having, and it has rounded off my time in Vietnam absolutely perfectly.

Though I'm trying not to think how I'll be saying bye to mum and dad for another year (my current life plan) it is a really really sad thought. I've had the best time showing them the beautiful country where I've been living, and it's sad it is so quickly coming to an end. The three weeks with them have been amazing and I am so lucky to have their love and support. 

THE BEST BITS

The past eight months have given me some pretty memorable experiences which I'm definitely going to remember when I'm an old granny. I've tried to pick the best photos from each month, but there have been so many it was a very tough decision!

January: My leaving meal in London with the Uni girls. What was suppose to be a civilised Pizza Express lunch turned out to be pretty messy. I missed the last train back to Norfolk, somehow ended up in Kent, lost a lot of shit and inevitably had to take my first ever sick day on the Monday. A great send off.

February: My first ever threesies experience to go get some fuel. It was pretty cosy.

March: The girls and I had only known each other for just over a month, so this meant it was perfectly acceptable to chose each others outfits for a night out. This was the outcome. Definitely the funniest night I've had in Saigon. 

I couldn't quite decide on just one photo for March, so here's number two. This was when I got flowers from my school for Women's Day! The class had also written me a poem about how much they loved me. I felt like a celebrity and it was so bloody cute. 

April: The first time it had rained in months and we were at a party in the middle of a Vietnamese forest. The sun was just rising too so it was pretty magical. This photo captures it perfectly.

May: My brother Richard came to stay towards the end of the month, and it was so so good to see someone from home. He spoilt me so much and we had a great week up the coast in Nha Trang. He also took a brief ride on my bike. Looking comfortable there Rich.

June: I visited Phu Quoc Island for a few days and it was genuinely the most beautiful place I've ever visited! Some people from my hostel and I took a motorbike trip to a little beach to see the sunset. Beautiful. 

July: This was taken at the Full Moon Party - the funnest night ever! Breege and I met some pretty wicked people here and it rounded off my travels in Thailand perfectly.

August: My time on Koh Rong, a Cambodian island, was so relaxed. It was the most chilled out, idyllic place I've been so far. It was also full of hippies.

September: The emotional reunion of my parents and I! I took them to see all the sights in Saigon, and we also took a little trip to the Mekong Delta. Cuties.

A booze-free (rest of) September

It's officially been decided. Cards will be replacing my vodka/rum/gin intake until the end of the month. I've been in need of a mini detox for a while - well...basically since I moved to Vietnam. So the next few weeks will all be about the Gin Rummy rather than the Gin and Tonics, and i can't wait...

Emotional Hellos and Emotional Goodbyes

The 30th of August saw the end of my Laos and Cambodia travels, and also the end of (for now) hostel life. This meant one thing: I was heading back to HCMC to not only meet my parents, but to also say my emotional goodbyes to the friends who had become my Vietnam family.

Though I finished working for Major English Centre at the end of July, I tagged along to one of their work parties when I arrived back- a bit weird seeing as I never actually attended one whilst I was working there. This felt like a bit of a 'you don't even go here' Mean Girls moment, but I was just going with it.

Anywaaaay, I reunited with only a handful of my old friends who still work there, and around 20 new people. It was a bit surreal to see how it had changed so much in such a short space of time I'd been away, but I soon came to realise that most of them were pretty wicked.

Also I had timed my visit back pretty bloody well, seeing as I was staying during a national holiday meaning everyone was off work! I stayed with my best Vietnam mate Phoebe and we had the greatest/drunkest week and a half ever. 

For the first few days we took a trip to a campsite about an hour and a half away from Saigon, which included a little ferry trip. Going in a convoy of about 25 bikes was a logistical nightmare, and setting off about midday in a hungover state was probably not the wisest plan. We got there to basically find there were no tents available, and the last ferry back was soon to depart.

Luckily we somehow found a motel in the middle of rural Vietnam to host all of us for around 60p a night each. Ridiculous. And over the next few days we basically had one big school trip for teachers (well... including one ex teacher).

We ventured back to this campsite/water park place the next morning, and it was unreal! There were sumo suits, zip lines and this massive cushion in the water which you could jump down on, to then send the other person flying. Phoebe managed to fly I swear about 20 metres in the air, only to then enter the water on the worlds biggest belly flop. She genuinely looked like she was flying. The tears were worth it though Phoebs, it looked so cool.

That evening we spent at a little restaurant place who did us a big BBQ. At around 1am I walked down the road to try and find some vodka in what appeared to be a deserted village. I saw a local woman sitting outside her house and said 'voddddkaaaa?' After walking around with her and knocking on several peoples doors, she managed to wake up her mate who opened their shop just for me. Seriously, this would only happen in Vietnam.

It's little weird things like this that has, over the past week, made me wonder why I'm leaving to go back to a western country, which is going to be at least over four times the price than here.

I think it's just change. Something which I tend to not like at first. Moving to Australia after living in Vietnam for 8 months is going to be a massive change. No more motorbikes, no more street food and no more being able to live off £30 a week. 

But I know that reluctance to change is normal. Moving out to Vietnam in January was fucking terrifying, but I soon realised it was the best decision I could have ever made. If people were always too scared of change, life would be pretty dull.

It's been an emotional past few days. Obviously seeing my parents after 7 months was very surreal. My mum pretty much dropped her suitcase in a crowd of Vietnamese travellers and ran towards me. It was definitely a Love Actually moment. 

However, saying goodbye to some of those who I've known since the beginning of my South East Asian adventure was emotional to say the least. There were a lot of tears involved (as well as a few vodka buckets) and it was all pretty sad. 

I also went to see the smoothie lady where I used to live in District 7 to say goodbye. She still can't speak any English, and I can still only say a few words in Vietnamese... but I think she kind of got the idea I was leaving. She got her camera out and wanted pictures of Mum, Dad and I. Though the smoothie lady makes me look like the BFG, it was the cutest thing ever.

I'd also become friends with the new teachers who I'd only met for about a week, so saying bye to them too left me feeling pretty gutted. There's already some potential plans of meeting up with them in Bali over Christmas, which would be pretty sweet!

It's now time to head up Vietnam for the next two weeks with Tony and Lou before I head over to Australia and leave them for another year. Staying in nice hotels rather than $2 a night hostels, and being spoilt by them has also made me feel like a new woman! Though these malaria tablets have started to make me do some odd things. Naked sleepwalking at Phoebes house for example, but we won't go into that...

Five days in Paradise

The next five days were spent on Koh Rong, a tiny beautiful island just off the south coast of Cambodia. This post is just basically going to rant on about how much I lovevthe island and how everyone should visit it sooner rather than later.

Before I went, I was told that electricity was only on at certain times of the day. Really I should have realised there probably wasn't going to be any ATMs. Obviously I didn't, and I only realised this after I spent all my dollar on rum the first night, oh well.

Anyway this island was unreal. There were only a few bars and hostels and the rest of it was pure beaches and trees. I felt like Leo of The Beach or something. Also no one wore shoes anywhere. People were hula hooping in the sea and just basically chilling all day. I semi thought I was going to leave the island dressed in tie dye with my hair in dreadlocks, but luckily I didn't.

We spent the days literally just chilling on the beaches, swimming in the sea and jumping off the pier. It was the most chilled out place I've ever been. The people working there weren't paid in cash, but in accommodation and food. I was sort of tempted to do the same as I did have time to kill. But as much as I loved the island, 5 days was enough for me. It just didn't seem like real life! We met this one guy named Cookie (I know) and he basically arrived on the island last November and had never left. He was a character that's for sure. 

The hostels we stayed at were like shacks, especially the second one. The girls and I booked into a private room in a hostel on the pier. Half way through the night there was a massive storm. This was fucking terrifying, as it felt like the wooden frame was going to fall into the sea! 

A lot of building work was being carried out along the front, and I reckon in a couple of years to come it could become as developed as the Thai Islands, with more and more people hearing about it. One bar owner there said that people had only been visiting Koh Rong for the past year and a half. It reminded me a bit of Phi Phi Island in Thailand but 100 times smaller. In a few years it could probably be on that similar level, which is a little sad. So I recommend that if you're in SE Asia, you go there now!

I was sad to leave the island, especially when I had more time to kill in Cambodia before my parents arrive in Asia, but any longer there I would probably have turned into a massive hippy. 

After Koh Rong, I made my way up to Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. Which I don't rate. On this trip, I've yet to feel unsafe travelling alone. But here, I just got bad vibes so my days have really just been spent chilling by the hostel pool.

I visited the Killing Fields on the outskirts of the city. Though they are very emotional, you can't not go if you're in Phnom Penh. It was pretty horrific to discover how recent it all was.

To be honest these last few days in Cambodia have been about trying to waste time! I have basically run out of my tax rebate and my Vietnam visa doesn't start until the 30th August. I'm so looking forward to getting back to HCMC to see my friends, and saying goodbye to the city where I've spent my 2014, but I have really loved my time in beeautiful Cambodia and would definitely recommend visiting Siem Reap and Koh Rong. 

Cambodia Week 1: Siem Reap to Sihanoukville

After the physically and emotionally draining journey from Laos to Cambodia (and a 12 hour sleep) I was ready to explore my first stop, Siem Reap. The city seemed pretty developed in comparison to Laos, and it almost felt like I was getting back to civilisation. I spent the day wondering around the markets, getting a massage and managed to get a manicure and pedicure for $5 - the cheapest I've found in SE Asia! My first day was pretty chilled as I was still completely knackered. 

The second day I booked myself into a hostel, where I made friends with some Tunisian medical students (my first ever Tunisian friends?!) and decided to tag along with them to visit a floating village. When travelling alone you just have to put yourself out there, otherwise you could go days without doing anything with anyone! Rarely will someone say no you can't come, well, unless they're weird, or you're weird. 

The floating village was pretty surreal and really really sweaty. My Tunisian mates kept forgetting I was English, so there was a little language barrier but they were really sweet. It's good to meet people you wouldn't normally speak to and I think they liked practising their English with me. After this we went to a temple... my first of many in Siem Reap.

That night I split from my new Tunisian mates and went out for dinner with an English girl from my hostel and friends she had made in Thailand. It turned out that her friends would be who I'd do most of my travelling with in Cambodia!

I moved to a hostel with a pool the next day, and then had a night out with people from my dorm. I woke up hanging but also with a free t-shirt which made my state more worthwhile. I can't seem to handle hangovers like I could when I was 18, so the next night I had a night in only to be woken up by the girl next to me shagging and vomming at 3am. Living the hostel dream. 

The most cultural day probably of all my travelling was spent at the Angkor Wat Temples. I rented a pushbike for a dollar instead of a tuk tuk. Some boy (who was a bit weird) wanted to share one with me, but that would mean I would have been stuck with him all day around the temples. So I sneakily biked at 7am. Maybe a bit cruel. But the the other joy of travelling solo is that you can do whatever you want.

The temples were unreal! I biked to three different ones, including one that featured in Tomb Raider. I got some pretty cool pictures.

I really enjoyed Siem Reap and it really shared similarities to some European cities, making me feel a little closer to home. However I found Cambodia more expensive than I thought it would be, they charge you in US dollars rather than Cambodian Riel, so really everything is at least $1. 

It was then time to leave Siem Reap to get a 12 hour night bus down to Sihanoukville on the south coast of Cambodia. I mean, I don't mind buses. I've been on a lot. But this one was fucking grim! Trying to sleep when things are crawling over you isn't the one. I also had to share a bed again, but this time with a coughing French man. Wicked. 

I arrived in Sihanoukville at 6am where the worlds heaviest suitcase fitted on a motorbike taxi. This was pretty sketchy, but having had no sleep it seemed like a sensible decision. Turns out the girls I went for dinner with in Siem Reap, Sasha, Anna and Hannah, were staying at the same hostel as me!

That night we had a BBQ on the beach followed by drinks out. Sihanoukville seamed pretty seedy. Full of old western men looking for prozzos. So I didn't rate it, but it was a funny night out.

The girls and I then planned to stay together on Koh Rong, a Cambodian island just to the south of the country. To be honest, we were looking forward to getting out of Sihanoukville ASAP.