Our journey to Hue was not an enjoyable one at all. It is meant to be around a 3 and a half hours Hue from Phong Nha, however it took us 5 hours. The bus driver decided to keep taking stops and then also stop outside a petrol station for 50 minutes (which was definitely not necessary). We arrived in Hue at 1 in the morning and the bus driver decided to drop us in the middle of absolute no where. As it was 1 in the morning there were no taxis around, only 1 b&b open in which I had to google translate to the man who worked there to order us a taxi. This guy for some reason could not do this?! So we eventually (after 30 minutes) found a taxi on the street. We arrived at our hostel where the poor man who worked there was asleep on the chair, he soon woke up and checked us into our room. The room was tiny with an extremely hard (Vietnamese style) bed. However we were happy to have made it and finally be in bed.
The following day I woke up and headed straight out to explore the city of Hue. I walked for around 40 minutes to the find the Imperial City which is the former imperial capital of Vietnam. The imperial city was huge, it is enclosed with 4 walls each at a length of 2km. It was really interesting to learn about the Hue history and culture that is once had.
After the imperial city I took a stroll along the river and came across the Dong Ba Day Market. I would describe the market as a well organised and packed out Primark. There was literally stuff everywhere and hundreds of women and men trying to sell you random stuff (oh and if you looked and didn’t buy they would literally physically hold onto you until you did).
In the afternoon George and I headed to the famous Khai Dinh King Tomb. The architecture of the tomb was interesting and the long, hot walk to the top made it worth it! After this we headed to the abandoned water park. This was a pretty freaky and eerie experience.
We got dropped off around 20 minutes outside the water park so you had to walk the rest to reach the side entrance. We firstly came across a huge abandoned dragon statue in the lake. We soon realised that the dragon used to be an aquarium as you could recognise the fish tanks within it. There was broken glass and smashed up walls everywhere. The whole place was very weird but so cool to visit.
We then arrived at the actual water park with the slides. There were 2 slides, a lazy river, a swimming pool (full of green smelling water) and a kids area (which looked like something out of a horror movie). The waterpark was super weird but really cool to visit, it almost felt like we were being filmed in some type of movie as it was completely abandoned and only a couple of others there with us; super spoooooky!
That night we had dinner and drinks in Hue and headed back to our hostel to pack up our bags ready to move on the next day. The next day we were renting a motorbike to do the High Van Pass which is a motorbike route from Hue to Hoi An taking around 7 hours; we were both really looking forward to it. We both had a good time visiting Hue and learning lots about Vietnams history and culture. It was also nice to be back in a city environment as we had been out of this for a while. Next stop … Hoi An!!!
We decided to take a train from Ninh Binh to Phong Nha as we were pretty fed up with buses! The train was an 8 hour trip to Dong Hoi and then a half hour taxi journey into Phong Nha. The train was a great experience as we got to see lots of the locals and because we took it during the day we got to see more of the beautiful Vietnam!
We were staying at Central Backpackers in Phong Nha (if you ever travel in Vietnam these are the best party/social hostels you will get!), so that evening we had our ‘free beer’ from 7 (which the hostel offers) and then went for a cheeky curry … (it was a Friday night so we thought we’d treat ourselves).
We came to Phong Nha for 2 main reasons. The first was the famous ‘Duck Stop’ and the second was the caves. Our first day we decided to head to the Duck Stop. Now I can honestly say this was the FUNNIEST experience of my life. So i’m going to explain from the beginning.. We took a taxi from our hostel to the duck stop and travelled through muddy fields and bumpy roads to get there. When we finally arrived we were greeted by a Vietnamese man (who as wearing a t shirt saying ‘what the duck’) and were told to sit down. He then explained what the day would consist of. Another man then came over and said he will be taking us to the ducks first. He made us take off our trainers and put on what were like jelly sandals and gave us both a traditional Vietnamese hat. He then took us over to the ducks.
Now unfortunately I am not the biggest lover of birds and especially not ducks so I was actually a bit scared entering a small area with about 100 ducks surrounding me … however travelling is all about facing your fears … right? We entered the small enclosed area and there were 100 furry white creatures all looking up at you waiting to be fed. The guy took a handful of food and the ducks immediately went towards him, he threw it to them and did this a couple of times. It was then our time to do the same thing. As soon as you picked up the food the ducks came for you .. I was petrified, but I soon learnt all they were interested in was the food. I had to then walk about the area with the food in my hands and the ducks were literally chasing me. The guy then made us sit on a bench on the other side of him whilst the ducks were with him. He then threw the food towards us and ducks came charging at us.. the guy then told us to make a circular shape with our feet and I immediately knew what was going to happen. He put duck food in our feet and the ducks were eating from our feet. I am also EXTREMELY ticklish on my feet and so at this point I was in stitches of giggles and I could not control my laughter. The last part we had to hold a duck (which totally freaked me out.. so george went first) and throw it into the water.. I picked up the duck in my hands (!!!!!) and then threw the duck into the water. My face in the pictures just absolutely says it all.
We then moved on to see the buffalo. To be honest I didn’t really know what to expect of this part so I was taking it as it came.. The buffalo was huge and weighed 700kg. The guy (a different guy to the duck guy) then said ‘ladies first’ so I immediately said ‘oh no george can go first’, but he was adamant that I would go first. He took he over to the buffalo, where he then made me stand on his hands to jump onto the buffalo’s back. The buffalo then began to move and I was petrified but at the same time wetting myself with laughter. This was such a funny experience especially when the guy made us do a photo shoot on the buffalo – the pictures below explain this!
So the Duck Stop was an absolutely hilarious experience overall and if you ever visit Phong Nha you HAVE to go. It was super quiet there too which meant it wasn’t very touristy and we also got a taste of Vietnamese culture from the men and food too!
On our second day of Phong Nha we paid for a tour to take us to the Paradise and Dark Cave. The first stop was the paradise cave where we climbed 550 steps to reach it. The cave inside was amazing and HUGE! It was 31km in total and we only walked 1km of it. When we visited the caves in Ninh Binh and Ha Giang they were quite small caves, however this was absolutely massive and really amazed us both!
The Dark Cave was a totally different experience. This part of the tour contained water sports, swimming through very cold water and a mud bath! In order to reach the dark cave we had to zip line over a river to the cave. This was so so so fun! We then reach the cave where we had to swim in to reach the dark part. Now I thought the water would be warm but it was absolutely freezing! As we approached further into the cave the cave got darker and darker (and I got more scared and more scared). We had to put our head torches on at this point and we were literally swimming in a pitch black cave with just a small torch, it was SO cool! We then reached the part where we had to get out and walk the rest to reach the mud bath. We walked through a very narrow part of the cave which was muddy and quite slippery. After walking for about 15 minutes we came to the mud bath which we all swam in. This was pretty gross at first but once you got in it was absolutely fine. After taking a muddy bath we walked back the same way as we came and swam through the fresh water (which was really nice as it got all of the mud off) and then swam to the entrance of the cave.
The dark cave was definitely not something for someone with claustrophobia or someone who is afraid of the dark. It was so thrill seeking and you were on edge the whole time. It was an amazing experience and something I’ll never forget!
That evening we got back to our hostel and had to wait a few hours for our bus to Hue. Phong Nha was an amazing experience and we laughed and had so much fun (and even conquered our fears!). If anyone is ever travelling to Phong Nha the Duck Stop and the caves is a must! Next stop … Hue!
We arrived in Ninh Binh late so headed straight out for something to eat. Our homestay was actually in a place called Tam Coc which is a small town just outside of Ninh Binh. The homestay was quiet but just what we needed after the busy and crazy Cat Ba.
Our first meal in Tam Coc was one of the best we have had since being away. We found a restaurant selling duck (sorry if you’re a vegetarian and reading this) so we thought as a change we will try this and wow it was amazing! (We even ended up going back the second night!)
We actually only had 1 full day in Ninh Binh as we spent the following day on a train. We woke up early, had breakfast and rented a motorbike from our homestay. We started the day by exploring the area, we drove to a couple of different parts of Ninh Binh (which were really beautiful) and then headed for the boat tour.
The boat tours in Ninh Binh are famous because of their amazing caves. We drove out of town towards the boat tour which took around 25 minutes. Once we got there we had lunch and then headed for the entrance of the tour. Now I’m not quite sure what I expected of the boat tour (apart from knowing I was going to see beautiful caves) but I don’t think it was this… The 3 hour tour (yes 3 hour) was on a tiny little rowing boar with 1 lady paddling with 2 awes, 3 big men and me. As soon as the lady saw the 3 grown men she immediately handed them each an awe and got them to paddle for the 3 hours too! (Georges face was not very pleased) We visited 9 different caves, saw 3 temples and visited where King Kong was filmed. Rowing through the caves on the tiny boat (whilst nearly bumping our heads) was quite amazing and neither of us had seen caves like this before so we were fascinated.
After the boat tour we headed towards the view point of Ninh Binh. We climbed 500 steps to reach the view point and unfortunately it was pretty cloudy and extremely busy at the top so it was a little disappointing. But if you are ever visiting you should head up in the morning for the sunrise on a clear day as it’s meant to be beautiful! The most entertaining part of visiting the view point was definitely seeing a man and women getting married at the top. The lady was literally walking up 500 steps in her white wedding dress, in 30 degrees heat and 100% humidity! Definitely not something I would be doing on my wedding day!!!
That evening we headed back to our favourite restaurant, packed up our bags and had an early night ready for the long train journey the following day. Ninh Binh was nice and relaxing compared to Cat Ba and it was nice to escape the busy city life for a couple of days. Next stop … Phong Nha!!
After an EXTREMELY long and sleepless 12 hour sleeper bus journey we arrived (very tired and little grumpy) in Cat Ba. We were originally meant to be in Halong Bay for 2 nights but after hearing recommendations from friends they advised it was better to stay in Cat Ba as it is less touristy and there is more to do. Cat Ba is an island at the edge of Lan Ha Bay (very close to Halong Bay). We arrived at 7am in the morning, got off the bus and headed to our hotel. We booked a hotel for our stay in Cat Ba as we felt we needed to recharge after the crazy and exhausting Ha Giang Loop. Our first day in Cat Ba we spent indoors as we were absolutely knackered, so unfortunately wasted that day. We met friends in the evening and had a few drinks with them which was nice.
On day 2 we booked a boat tour with some friends and travelled around Lan Ha Bay. The boat tour was nice and relaxing. We kayaked through caves, swam to a deserted beach, hiked to the top of another rocky mountain (well George did whilst I sunbathed on the beach…) and saw the floating villages. The floating villages were really interesting, these people live in houses which float on the water (quite obvious but thought I’d explain!) They live with their families (even dogs were there) and the children travel to school by boat to Cat Ba island. A lot of the families are there for around 5 years. They are known as ‘fishing villages’ and all the floating houses have traps at the front of their houses to catch fish.
Our third day we spent hungover as we partied with friends the night before till 3am. I spent the day at a quiet beach which was relaxing and a nice change to being busy all day. We had dinner that evening in town and had an early night.
On our final day our bus was leaving at 12.30 so we felt like making the most of the morning. We hired a motorbike from our hotel and headed to Cat Ba National Park. The hike up to the viewpoint was around 45 minutes, it was very steep, sweaty and the last 100m we had to basically rock climb to the top (not fun!) The view from the top was amazing, however soon after we reached the top the rain started to come down and wow we had never seen rain like it. Thunder and lightening soon came after the rain and we then realised we probably shouldn’t be at the top of a mountain whilst in the middle of a monsoon.. We left the viewpoint and the rain was torrential. The hike on the way down was extremely slippy and pretty dangerous but very funny. Me being the dipstick I am also forgot to bring my raincoat but as George is such a kind boyfriend he gave me his. By the time we got to the bottom we were both absolutely soaked. We got back to our bike which was in 4 inches of water and drove back into town.
After arriving back at our hotel, we dried off and got ready to leave the hotel to get on the bus to head to our next destination. Cat Ba was a fun place, however there wasn’t much to do apart from boat tours and exploring the island on a motorbike. We had fun seeing friends from the Ha Giang Loop and partying with them. Our bus journey from Cat Ba was around 6 hours which was way much better than our journey to Cat Ba! Next stop … Ninh Binh!!
The journey from Hanoi to Ha Giang felt like forever; 7 hours on a sleeper bus during the day squished at the back with 5 grown men and not being able to sit up as you had to lay down the whole way (it was not fun at all). We arrived late at night, got told me couldn’t stay in the hostel we paid for so were sent to a homestay and slept there for the night.
The following day we woke up ready to start the Ha Giang Loop. We booked our tour through ‘Jasmine Hostel’ who I would hugely recommend as they were amazing at organising everything! Now the loop is a motorbike tour around Ha Giang for 4 days and 3 nights. This would not normally be my cup of tea but George really wanted to do it so being the nice girlfriend I am of course we did!! I decided I didn’t want to drive my own motorbike so I sat on the back of Georges (literally trusting him with my life). That morning during the briefing we met lots of other people doing the loop with us. We chose our motorbike, paid the insurance for the bike chose our motorbike, paid the insurance (thank god we did) and off we went!
Day 1 we set off at 11, it was a lot of driving, however we were absolutely amazed at the sights we saw. Our final destination for day 1 was a place called Yeh Minh which was around 110km from Ha Giang. Our first stop was a cute little coffee shop at the top of a mountain which overlooked beautiful fields and mountains. We stopped in a town for lunch where we had traditional Vietnamese food and carried on our journey.
A couple of hours later we stopped again to hike up a mountain to find a recently discovered cave. The hike was extremely hot and sweaty but the views from the top were very impressive. The cave itself was really cool and actually helped to cool us down because it was so cold in there!
The roads to Yen Minh were in awful condition, they were extremely rocky, so many pot holes and some of the roads were literally non existence. This made me quite nervous being on the back of George’s bike so half way to Yeh Minh I had a slight ‘meltdown’ and decided to switch bikes and sit on the back of the main tour guides bike. The tour guide soon after that gained the name ‘flag man’ because he had a Vietnamese flag which the other bikes had to follow throughout the loop. Being on the back of his bike made me feel a lot more comfortable and safe therefore letting me relax and enjoy the views a bit more.
We arrived in Yen Minh around 7 so it was already dark (which was quite scary to drive in down the windy, rocky roads). The hostel was perfect, lots of beer, a huge buffet for dinner and we even got a private room! That night we sat with our new Ha Giang Loop ‘friends’ and slept like babies from all the beers and exhausting day (until about 4 in the morning when the roosters started!!)
We woke up early the second day, got ready, had some breakfast and got back on the road. We left at 10am and were heading to Dong Van that day which was around 95km from Yen Minh. After about 30 minutes of driving flag man told everyone to stop and pull over. We looked out to the view and it was incredible. You know the picture everyone has as their cover photo of Northern Vietnam, we were there, windy roads covered with green mountains.
After this we travelled on more towards the Chinese Border. We got off our bikes in a small village, hiked up another rocky mountain and soon arrived in China. It was pretty cool having 1 foot in Vietnam and 1 foot in China. We then travelled through the villages to our second destination. It was so lovely seeing the local people waving and high fiving us as we drove through. It was also really interesting to see the houses and areas they lived in, it is a totally different way of living compared to back home (lots of huts, young children walking on their own and lots of people carrying extremely heavy baskets full of crops and plants).
After travelling through the villages we stopped for lunch and then carried on our journey. We began to drive up a really narrow, windy road (quite scary) and I was thinking to myself where are we going? We soon stopped and got off the bikes and hiked up another mountain. The view at the top of the mountain was amazing but what shocked me even more was the children begging for money at the top of the mountain. The mountain was not easy to climb but these children were right at the top of it asking for ‘money, money’. It made me sad to see the children so dirty and begging for money, however I needed to remember it’s a different way of life out here.
We travelled a little further after this stop and arrived at what flag man called ‘the party hostel’. The hostel itself was actually so nice. In a small village, made out of wood but very modern. That evening we drunk ‘happy water’ (a Vietnamese shot) until about 2 in the morning and were all feeling very regretful in the morning.
The following day we headed out at 10am and our final destination was Du Gia. Now some of the people we had made friends with were only doing the 3 day Ha Giang Loop so we had to say goodbye to them on this day and carry on with everyone who was doing the 4 days. We didn’t have any major stops this day but we again saw beautiful views and landscapes.
Just like our second night hostel all 25 of us were put in 1 big room together with 25 mattresses on the floor, we even ate dinner in this room on the third night, it was like one big sleepover! The last night we sat around chatting and headed to bed early as we were all exhausted from the previous night.
On our final day we headed back to Ha Giang at 9.30am with a final stop at the beautiful waterfall. The waterfall was amazing and great to jump into off the cliffs. However, do note never wear an Apple Watch in a waterfall whilst jumping in as you will lose it and spend hours looking for it using a go pro video to help navigate it (just like George did! – luckily he did find it after the help from 4 Vietnamese men, a go pro and good swimming skills).
The journey back to Ha Giang was very long, we didn’t make many stops, apart from lunch, so our bottoms and backs were extremely sore! When we got back to Ha Giang it was time to say goodbye to our Ha Giang Loop friends who we actually became so close to. We had dinner, said our goodbyes and then got ready for the 12 hour overnight sleeper bus journey to Cat Ba (the joy of travelling!)
So this post was very long and none of the pictures do the scenery that we saw any justice at all because in person it was just breath taking. The Ha Giang Loop has been a highlight of my trip so far, it was absolutely incredible. Not only were the views incredible, but the way the whole thing was set up was perfect. Doing the tour with 25 other people at a similar age and travelling around on a motorbike was super cool. We made so many friends which we travelled on with from Ha Giang. We were recommended Jasmine Hostel by a friend we met on our travels and I can say it did not disappoint! Big shout out to flag man for not letting me die on those extremely rocky roads! Next stop … Cat Ba!
We were excited to arrive in Vietnam as we had both always wanted to visit the country. We arrived in Hanoi where we had to sort and organise our visas on arrival, pay for a SIM card and then find our way out of the airport into the city (oh and also nearly lose my passport). The journey into the city was crazy .. hundreds of motorbikes, crazy drivers and lots of beeping horns.
On our first day we woke up, went straight for breakfast and headed out. We did not realise the train street was basically on the doorstep of our hotel, so after an hour of walking around we finally found it! We sat and had a drink and then watched the train go past in the tiny street we were sat in.
After we walked around the city and explored more, we decided to go to the Hanoi Prison Museum which is a must if you are visiting Hanoi! It was really interesting and gave us a lot more insight into the history of Hanoi and the French colonists.
That evening we headed out into the busy city to try our first Vietnamese food. We shortly discovered that the only places to eat were on tiny little chairs in the street. We chose a ‘restaurant’ that was selling ‘BBQ’ and ‘Hot Pot’, which we found out were traditional Vietnamese dishes. We chose the BBQ dish which we cooked ourselves on a hot stove. We were told the meal was beef and chicken but we soon discovered from the Vietnamese couple next to us that it was in fact pigs intestine. It was actually really yummy but I don’t think I would have eaten it if I knew what it was!
We woke up early the next day again and headed straight into the city for our second day of exploring. We walked around the Hanoi Old Quarter, visited the Kiem Lake and saw the mural street of Hanoi. The city is such an interesting place to just walk around and watch, there is so much constantly going on that you can never get bored. The Kiem Lake was also a really great way to get away from the crazy city and escape from all the noise. That evening we experienced our first ‘Pho’ which is a famous Vietnamese dish, George enjoyed it but I was quite disappointed (only 4 weeks more of eating it though!)
On our final day in Hanoi we explored the city more and it’s culture. We decided to watch a Water Puppet Show at the theatre. This was a very weird experience but quite funny. It gave us more of an insight to the Hanoi culture and history of the city. For a lover of drama it was also interesting to see theatre in a different country.
We both had such a good time in Hanoi. We loved exploring the city (walking 20,000 steps daily!), trying the food, meeting some Vietnamese people and getting to know and understand more about the Hanoi history and culture. It was a great place to start our Vietnam adventure. Next stop… Ha Giang!
After leaving Chiang Mai we had a 4 hour bus journey to the boarder of Thailand (Chiang Khong) where we would stay in a hostel overnight before the slow boat into Laos the following day. Now our hostel in Chiang Mai organised our whole trip to Laos so we didn’t really know what to expect in terms of accommodation or travel.
On our way to Chiang Khong we stopped at Chiang Rai and visited the famous ‘White Temple’, it was really amazing and so beautiful (it reminded me of something out of Narnia!!) The whole temple was white with a huge moat around the outside.
After stopping in Chiang Rai we carried on our journey to Chiang Khong and then arrived in the evening. Chiang Khong was very quiet and not touristy at all, the people in the town looked at us like we were lost, so we decided to stay in the hotel for the night. Our hostel was actually more of a b&b with a Thai family who lived there. Our room was very basic with a rock solid bed, no air con and lizards on the ceiling (it wasn’t the best nights sleep in the world..) We were served a traditional Thai dinner by the family for dinner, played some cards, had our last few Chang’s of Thailand and headed to bed.
The next day we woke up (with our backs very sore from the hard bed) and were served a Thai breakfast (I’m pretty sure it was our dinner was the night before but mixed with eggs). The van then came to pick us up to take us to the Thai boarder. We arrived at the at the boarder, showed our passports and were guided out the back where we waited for a bus. Whilst waiting for the bus we experienced a Thai/Laotian man holding what looked like a a big onion bag with something moving inside. We soon discovered the man had a live chicken in the the bag – this was a great first experience of Laos!!
We made our way over to the Laos boarder where we had to fill in more forms, show our passports and pay for the Laos Visa (in US dollars). We were then taken in another van to the river where we would start our 7 hour journey on the slow boat to Pakbeng.
We didn’t know what to expect of the slow boat at all and were were actually quite surprised. We had a comfy (ish) chair and a table, it was like a carriage of a train back home. They served very basic food and drinks on the slow boat so we made sure we had stocked up on snacks before we got on. The journey went quite quickly, we watched a couple of films on our phones, played some games (hangman and dots and boxes are always a good time filler), watched the beautiful views of the Mekong River and then we soon arrived at Pakbeng.
When getting off the slow boat knew we had to book accommodation for that evening as we had not arranged any yet. There were lots of men selling rooms for the evening and we took one of them. We arrived at the b&b very tired and happy to be in a room with air conditioning and a hot shower. We got ready straight away and headed for dinner and drinks with some people we had met on the slow boat.
Pakbeng was a very quiet town with a lot of poverty. It was our first chance to see a non touristy area and discover how the Laotians live.
The following day we woke up, had breakfast and headed down to the river for our second slow boat. The second day of the slow boat seemed to go much quicker (even though it was 9 hours..). The sights were even more beautiful the second day and it was interesting to see the Laotians in their normal every day environments. We saw lots of children playing and jumping into the river, whilst their mothers were waiting for the goods to be delivered to them from the slow boat.
We arrived in Luang Prabang where we got a tuk tuk with our friend we had made on the slow boat into the town centre. The town was very small with the river running right through it. Our hotel was ran by a lovely Laotian family (who had a pet monkey – a bit strange) with 5 boys (one being a new born) a mother and father.
On our first proper day in Luang Prabang it was absolutely boiling (we hadn’t experienced heat like this yet) so we decided to head to the waterfall. We took a tuk tuk up there which was a very bumpy ride and then walked the rest. The waterfall was beautiful. I don’t feel I actually need to say much as the pictures 100% do it justice. The water was so cold which helped to cool us off and the water was also so blue.
That evening we headed to ‘Utopia Bar’ which is must if you ever visit Luang Prabang, it was a really cool bar (with bean bags of course) and a great way to escape from the busy town! The drinks and food were surprisingly cheap and it also looked over the beautiful river! Remember to bring bug spray though as you will get bitten alive!!!
On our second day we visited some of the famous craft villages of Luang Prabang which were just outside the town. The village people made silk, paper and cotten. The paper making was the most interesting as you don’t often get to see something like this at home! The paper is made out of a liquid which is then dried for a few days in the sun until it is as hard as paper. It was a really interesting experience.
After this we headed across the river into a little village called ‘Chomphet’. The village was very poor and a lot of the people there were looking at us like we were lost! We stumbled across a Laos Primary School where we went in (definitely wouldn’t be allowed in England!!) and met some of the children and teachers. The children were so happy to see us, they ran up to us, smiling, waving and holding our hands, they didn’t want to let us go! It was really sweet. We then walked around the village, there was a lot of poverty but it was really interesting to see how the people live. We were both definitely feeling very appreciative of our lives back home!
On our final day in Laos in the hot, sweaty heat we walked to the beautiful view point at the top of a mountain. The view of Luang Prabang was beautiful and breathtaking. There was also a beautiful temple at the top of the mountain.
After 5 days of being Laos our time had come to an end. We got to experience a lot of the culture, food (which wasn’t that different from Thai food) and meet lots of lovely Laotians. We headed to the airport that evening. Next stop… Hanoi!
We arrived in Chiang Mai late and went straight to our hostel. We were expecting the city to be similar to Bangkok, however it was a lot quieter and less touristy which was really nice. Our hostel was based right in the center of Chiang Mai making it really easy for us to get around.
On our first day we woke up early and headed straight to Jungle Elephant Sanctuary which was around 2 hours outside of Chiang Mai. I was always quite apprehensive about going to an elephant sanctuary in Thailand as I wanted to make sure it was an ethical one. Elephant Jungle Sanctuary was extremely ethical. The elephants at the sanctuary are taken in to be cared for by the local people. They have come from places like entertainment, companies that ride on them and logging, therefore keeping the elephants needs and well-being at their aim. The sanctuary was right in the jungle and there was a small group (around 10) of us caring for the elephants that day. Now, neither George or I had seen an elephant up close and this personal before (apart from at Colchester zoo but I don’t think that really counts..). When we first saw the elephants we were amazed; such huge creatures but so so gentle. We got to feed them, play with them in a mud bath and then clean them in a river. It was an absolutely amazing experience (the highlight of my trip so far) and something I will never forget.
On day 2 of Chiang Mai we went on a trip to the Long Neck Karen Village. This was around 45 minutes out of Chiang Mai and wow what an interesting experience it was. It was a small village with all woman and some children originally from Burma. The woman all had traditional heavy brass rings (what they called jewellery) around their necks and the purpose of this was to stretch out their necks to make them longer. The woman have these put on at 5 years old, they are the added and adjusted to until they are 25 and then kept on until they die. We both tried one on and they were so heavy! I kept thinking how uncomfortable it must be to have this on forever. I asked one of the woman why she wears this and she explained ‘because it is beautiful and I am proud’. We also got to look into some of the families homes which shocked us both. Their beds (no mattresses – just a couple of blankets) were on the wooden floors, their pots and pans (which was the kitchen area) on the floor and clothes drying everywhere. But actually the woman and children seemed so happy, no need for iPads or phones, the children were happy playing games with each other. It was really interesting to see such a contrasting life to ours at home.
On day 2 we also visited Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep Temple which is located at the top of a mountain in Chiang Mai. The temple was beautiful and it overlooked the whole of Chiang Mai. After getting back from the temple we walked around Chiang Mai and got a feel for the city. It wasn’t as touristy as our other destinations which was really nice and also a lot more quieter. The city had a really nice feel to it.
Chiang Mai to Pai
On day 3 and 4 of our trip in the north of Thailand we decided to take a trip to Pai which is around 3 hours north of Chiang Mai. We packed an over night bag, booked a bus and hotel and off we went. We weren’t really sure what to expect but we had heard from friends that it is a must if you are in Chiang Mai. The journey consisted of lots of windy roads travelling through the mountains but the views were incredible!
We arrived in Pai and it was absolutely stunning. It was a very small town with lots of greenery, beautiful trees and rice fields. On our first day we decided to rent a moped (which George drove and I sat on the back); this way we knew we would get to see loads of sights but for a cheap price. We travelled up to a waterfall which was lovely but the weather wasn’t amazing so unfortunately we didn’t get to swim in it. On our way to the waterfall we stopped off for lunch in a cute little shack restaurant where a little girl actually took our order and delivered our food (really cute). This overlooked rice fields and beautiful mountains. We also got to see the Pai Canyon which was really beautiful, the pictures definitely do it justice!
On our second day we saw another waterfall and went to the hot springs. The hot springs were really cool, it was nice to relax in the warm water after a long drive up to there. The highlight of my trip to Pai was definitely driving the moped around and getting to see all the beautiful views on the way. The roads were so quiet which made it really nice as we got to drive nice and slowly and see so much!
We travelled back to Chiang Mai late in the evening and when we got back we had to pack up our bags to move on again. Our next stop was Laos, so that meant our time in Thailand was coming to an end! We both absolutely loved Thailand, and even though we found it very touristy at times, the beaches, cities and views were amazing. Travelling to Laos meant a 3 day journey which we were not looking forward to however we knew it had to be done!!
We were very sad to leave Koh Tao, however excited to arrive in Phi Phi after hearing from lots of friends that it was the ‘paradise island of Thailand’. The journey from Koh Tao was a long 12 hours (3 ferries and 1 coach) but we finally arrived. It was extremely beautiful, however the weather wasn’t great but we were hoping it would clear up! We arrived at our hotel (yes a hotel and not a hostel!) in the evening, unpacked and went straight for dinner (we ate at the most amazing burger place called Monster Burger where you made your own burgers – 100% would recommend) The town was very buzzy which is always a good sign for us.
We woke up the following day and the weather unfortunately did not clear up, we decided to spend the day doing our washing (not very glamorous) and having a Thai massage. We spent the evening in the town, having drinks with friends we made in Koh Samui and watching Mai Thai boxing. On our third day we kayaked over to a beach which was a lot of fun.
So the bad weather finally cleared up on our last day! In the morning we walked up to the viewpoint of Koh Phi Phi which was beautiful. However walking up hill in 30 degrees heat for 30 minutes to get to the viewpoint was not very enjoyable! But the view once we were at the top was definitely worth it.
We spent the afternoon on a tour around the islands of Phi Phi, our first stop was monkey island.. Now I am not the biggest animal lover so I was pretty scared. We approached the island on a tiny boat (which almost capsized before we got there), I could see the monkeys jumping on people’s backs and the people screaming. I was brave enough to get off the boat but I stood well away. George on the other hand had monkeys climbing all over him! However, I was glad this wasn’t me after seeing a man getting bitten on the ear by one! We left monkey beach and went snorkelling in the sea (this was no where near as good as diving!) and swimming in lagoons which was absolutely beautiful. The journey back to the main beach was a bit of a nightmare as the sea was extremely choppy and the waves were crashing into the tiny boat nearly making it capsize again.
Despite the weather our time in Phi Phi was lovely but it had come to an end and we were back on a ferry to Phuket where we would catch a flight to the north of Thailand. Next stop… Chiang Mai!
After a hectic journey to Koh Tao we arrived at the beautiful Sairee Beach. We had heard lots of amazing things about Koh Tao and they all definitely lived up to the expectations we had.
We had come to Koh Tao for 1 reason and that was to complete our Padi scuba diving courses. We arrived on Saturday and had a nice chilled evening before our first day of scuba diving training the next day.
Day 1 of the padi was all classroom based. We took a few tests and met some really cool people. The instructors also went through everything that the course would involve.
On day 2 we spent the whole day from 9 in the morning till 5 in a pool practicing our skills. Now, scuba diving was something I could never have seen myself doing, the thought of being under water with no proper breathing for a certain amount of time really freaked me out. I also don’t like being in confined spaces so that was also a worry for me. The whole point of practing in a pool is to get you ready for the ocean. Putting on the kit for the first time was a really weird feeling, however the instructors were great at explaining exactly what to do and how to use everything.
After the kit was on it was time to get into the water. I was so nervous and scared, but it really helped having George there to calm all the nerves! Going under water for the first time and breathing through the regulator was such a weird feeling. We practiced these skills for a long time until everyone felt really comfortable. The instructors were extremely patient (even when I was asking a million different questions!), big shout out to Big Rich and Stuart!!!
As the day progressed we both felt a lot more comfortable in using the kit and getting used to the breathing. We both completed all the required skills and I can honestly say we both absolutely loved it by the end of the day. We were both so excited to get into the sea.
Day 3 came around extremely quickly, we both passed our exams with 98% (both wishing we did that well at uni) and then it was time to head to the boat for our first dive. We got to our first dive spot (Twins – Koh Tao) and got into the water and went under. The first dive was absolutely amazing and even if I was so scared and nervous, I have never felt a feeling like it. Our first dive lasted for around 30 minutes and we went a maximum of 10m (I couldn’t quite believe we were actually that deep), we saw beautiful rainbow fishes, lots of dories and nemos, puffa fishes and sting rays! It was absolutely amazing.
On day 4 we completed 2 more dives and went down to 18m for 30 minutes. These dives were a lot more relaxing and really enjoyable. By the end of the 4 dives we had both passed all the skills (cleaning of the mask, removal of the mask, sharing air with buddy etc.) and passed our padi open water courses!
So I can now honestly say to anyone scared of the sea, scared of small, confined places or just scared of being under water for a long time, it was the best experience ever. Once you get used to the breathing and RELAX everything is absolutely fine!
After completing our final dive we trekked up to one of the highest points of Koh Tao which was beautiful. The views were incredible and it was a great way to unwind after the exhausting (but very fun) 4 days we had just had!
We loved Koh Tao so much that we decided to extend our stay for 2 more days. George decided to complete his advanced padi course where he swam down to 30m, did a night dive (very brave) and saw a ship wreck. He absolutely loved it. Whilst George was diving I attended a yoga class and got to see some more of Koh Tao.
Koh Tao is definitely the most beautiful place we have ever visited, we had the most amazing time, conquered fears and met some really cool people. We will definitely be back one day! Next stop… Phi Phi Islands!
Adventure Awaits... 