The rich history of the continent of Asia is clearly visible almost everywhere. For example, the immense India is very different from Southeast Asia and in the north you will find completely different cultures. Asia is a wonderful continent characterized by delicious food, authentic temples, dense jungles and impressive metropolises. Take a look at where we have already been and get inspired!
Destinations in Asia
Asia
januari 25, 2022The end of our trip was near but we did go out with a bang! Our last week was one of the most tumultuous of all. Let’s start at the beginning! We were still having the time of our lives in Koh Rong Samloem but we were headed to Battambang soon. Due to the fact that we were staying on the quiet part of the island, we had to travel quite a bit to get to the mainland. It all started the evening before when we went to bed. It was raining cats and dogs and we even witnessed a thunderstorm. So we were kinda stressed about the big day we had ahead of us.
We got up at 5 am in the morning as we had to leave our little hut at 5:30. We had quite the hike ahead of us. We had to hike all the way from our side of the island to the other side, which was not an easy path to take. Especially when you are carrying all your stuff on your back. What made it even more challenging was that it was pitch dark so we couldn’t see a thing. My boyfriend had to use his flashlight so that we could see the path in front of us. Everything was all wet and slippery due to the storm. The hike took about an hour and it was a horrendous hike. So when we finally got to the beach, I took of my jacket and backpack and I had to lie down for a bit. We were continuing our trip by speedboat. It took about 45 minutes by speedboat to get to shore. So around 8 am we reached the mainland. Then it took us about 15 minutes to walk to the bus stop where we would take a Giant Ibis bus to Phnom Penh. This bus ride lasted for approximately 6 hours. When we arrived in Phnom Penh, we had already arranged for a taxi to pick us up. He was already waiting for us, so that was great as we were super tired already. The final obstacle between us and our beds was a taxi ride of 7 hours. We stopped along the way to grab some dinner with our taxi driver, he was a really nice dude! We finally arrived at our hotel in Battambang around 11 pm. What a day! We slept like babies.
We actually didn’t find Battambang to be that exciting. There wasn’t that much to do. We went on a private guided tour to see all the hightlights. We went on the bamboo train, which was a awful tourist scam. Would not recommend it at all. The ride on the bamboo train is quite fun but afterwards they supposedly have to change something? I don’t even remember what it was and they drop you off in this tiny little village it seems. Where they just keep asking you to buy stuff and get offended when you don’t want to buy anything. What I did like was the bat cave. In the afternoon all the bats fly out of the cave to find themselves some dinner. It was quite fascinating to see millions of bats flying out of this cave.
After our stay in Battambang my boyfriend arranged a boat tour to Siem Reap, which is another thing I do not recommend at all! Please stay clear of this boat trip. The boat trip took up the whole day and all you see is poverty. It’s not some sort of idyllic boat tour, not at all. You sit on a boat with other western tourists and you look at poverty. We kinda felt ashamed to be on this boat. It was a really weird experience. After the boat tour, you arrive in some remote part far away from the city. So you have to take a tuktuk to get to your hotel. Another perfect tourist scam as they charge you a lot of money because they know you have to pay it anyway.
Our tuktuk driver was the worst. He started out nice and friendly but his mood totally changed when we didn’t want to book him for a guided tour around Angkor Wat. We already booked a nice guide through Facebook who had a lot of great reviews. So we tried to explain that to him but he got annoyed with us. He was constantly looking back at us and trying to convince us to let him guide us instead. I really didn’t like the fact that he didn’t look at the road anymore.. I thought we would end up in a ditch or something. He kept pressing us that if we didn’t let him guide us, that he would not get paid for this tuktuk ride. Mind you, we paid like 10 dollars for this ride to his so-called boss. We kept telling him that we did not want to book him. He then decided that it would be a good idea to take us to his home, to show us his naked children who were being bathed. His excuse was that he wanted to get an umbrella as it was going to rain. The sky had never been bluer. So he introduced us to his family and told us that they would not be able to eat if we did not book him. The guy got scarier by the minute. We just wanted to go to our fucking hotel. When we finally arrived at our hotel, we got our bags and left. He said something in Cambodian, probably cursing us or something like that. But we were just so relieved to be rid of him.
However, the nightmare didn’t end there. When we arrived at our hotel we discovered that it didn’t quite look the same as in the pictures. We booked a nice room but there weren’t any available which was weird? So we got this weird little annex room next to the janitor’s closet. So we were already pretty annoyed. They promised us a better room for tomorrow. The next morning we had the most horrendous breakfast we had ever had. It was disgusting and we even got cold fries to go with our breakfast. We decided that we did not want to stay at this hotel. So we complained at the desk but they didn’t want to help us nor did they take our complaints seriously. That’s why we decided to cancel the rest of the booking and contact booking.com. So booking.com made sure that we didn’t have to pay for the rest of the booking and we chose another hotel. The other hotel was just lovely! Gorgeous room and a nice pool. They were even so friendly to make us a breakfast picknick when we were visiting the temples of Angkor Wat with a sunrise tour.
However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. The rest of our stay in Siem Reap was wonderful. We visited the temples with a sunrise tour and a normal tour. Twice with the same guide as we liked him so much after the first day. We asked him if he were free the next day for another tour. Fortunately for us, he was! Such a nice man, had a lot of knowledge about the temples, took some cute photos of us and handed you cold towels and water during the day. I even got in a fight with two Chinese girls who were trying to pose with me for a picture but they were so rude about it. I was just sitting by myself looking at some photos that I took when a girl sits close to me, which I already thought was weird. She came closer and closer until she was touching me. At first I thought she was trying to rob me but then I realized that she was smiling at her friend and making a peace sign. The friend in question was taking photos. Oh boy, I got so angry! I jumped up, shoved her and started yelling at her. Then I walked off, apparently with my arms above my head. My boyfriend saw this little spectacle from a distance and immediately came to ask me if I was alright. I really don’t mind going on photos with people, we have done that before. I get it, I’m blonde. But this time it felt like I was some sort of monkey in the zoo. They didn’t even ask me for my permission.
The rest of the tour was amazing and seeing the sunrise behind Angkor Wat was such a special moment, which we shared with roughly a few thousand other tourists… But still, amazing. The rest of our time was mainly spent by the pool or wandering around the streets of Siem Reap, looking for restaurants for dinner. You do need to look out for pickpockets in Siem Reap! A lot of children will try to pickpocket you by first scratching your leg, so you’ll be distracted and then steal your wallet. My boyfriend got scratched but fortunately, he didn’t carry his wallet in his back pocket.
After some amazing last days in Siem Reap our adventure came to an end. We had to fly back to the Netherlands.. Many tears were shed as we were not ready to go home yet. We had an amazing time together and our wish is to travel for another 3 months in 2023 when my boyfriend finishes his PhD! In the meantime, we’ll just plan other awesome trips. [...]
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januari 11, 2022After an amazing birthday in Kampot, we decided it was time for some beach days! So we continued our trip to Otres 2, Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem. We took a taxi from Kampot to Otres 2, where our driver took our fake money out of my boyfriend’s wallet. We were pretty surprised that he took it on his own initiative but we were quite happy to be rid of the fake money! So we didn’t complain.
At Otres 2, we had a really cute little bungalow near the beach where our hostess was a Canadian woman who grew her own bananas, which we could eat for free. We enjoyed our time at the beach and my boyfriend got a butt slap from this weird old lady who tried to sell us something. Furthermore, we rented some SUP boards which was super fun! However, it was really windy so it was quite hard to stand up on the board. I even paddled into the wrong direction as the wind was too strong to go the other way, oops! We also went to some great restaurants in Otres 2. We had some great pizza, where due to the long waiting time we got free drinks! We also went to a restaurant run by a Russian guy who made amazing pastas.
After some days at the beach, we took a boat to the first island: Koh Rong. When we got to the island we received a free baileys, which was a really nice and warm welcome! The accommodation was run by a Dutch couple, so communicating with them was pretty easy. We had a little hut on the beach, where one morning we got up at 5 am to see an amazing sunrise! They even had this enormous pig running around the beach?! I was kinda scared of the animal as I saw him biting someone else. The owners hosted a party for their anniversary and offered free food and drinks all evening to their guests. What a night! We danced and drank with their Cambodian friends. We also visited lonely beach, which was the loneliest beach I had ever seen! It was quite the hike to get there, it took us a bit more than an hour but it was totally worth it. There was no-one! My boyfriend found a coconut to drink from and we just snorkeled and relaxed.
The owners ordered us a taxi boat to continue our trip to the next island! We headed off to Koh Rong Samloem. We were joking around that we would have to swim the last bit from the boat to shore. But, when we got close enough to the beach, the boat actually stopped and we did have to walk through the water. My boyfriend had to do it twice as he had to carry our backpacks above his head as I could barely stand in the water. Our accommodation was once again wonderful! Another cute little hut on the beach, with even a big ass tree in our shower, so cool! The accommodation was run by an Austrian couple and they were super open and friendly. The sunsets on this island were just sublime and the fact that there was no WiFi or internet whatsoever was quite relaxing. However, I forgot to tell my family that we wouldn’t have any internet for a few days so they weren’t so pleased with me, haha! The cook at our accommodation made some great food! We had some amazing gnocchi and tasty pizza’s. On our side of the island there were only 3 or 4 accommodations to stay at so it was really quiet and serene. We really took the time to relax and lay on the beach. We sometimes even felt a little bit guilty for not doing anything but we reminded ourselves that we deserved to relax for a little bit! [...]
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december 20, 2021Our adventure in Vietnam came to an end and it was time to hop on the plane to the beautiful Kingdom of Cambodia! Our first stop in Cambodia was Phnom Penh, where my boyfriend booked a way too fancy hotel for us. We arrived at the hotel with our backpacks and sweaty faces and when we walked inside it was insane. Such a beautiful hotel, the lobby was filled with magnificent statues and there was even a pool on the roof. It wasn’t cheap for backpackers but for European prices, this was still super cheap! Our room even had two queen size beds, it was crazy! We decided to enjoy our space and take one bed each.
What we didn’t know about our stay in Phnom Penh was that we were there during Bon Om Touk, also known as the Cambodian water festival. It marks the end of the moonsoon season. So there were many activities all through the city center and every night at 18:00 there was a firework show. From our rooftop we had one of the best views of the fireworks! So every night when the clock striked 6, we were at the rooftop to admire the beautiful fireworks.
Before we arrived in Cambodia, we didn’t really know anything about the country or its history. So we decided to delve into the history of Cambodia, which is why we decided to visit the killing fields and the S21 Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. We booked a guide for the day, who was a very upbeat and lovely man. He drove us around Phnom Penh and showed us very beautiful sights. Then, we went on to the S21 museum, which was horrifying. It is a horrendous reminder of the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime. The building used to be a school and as we walked there, I got chills. Afterwards, our guide took us to the killing fields, where we took an audio tour. We walked around the site where so many people and even baby’s were murdered.. It was a very emotionally draining day. I think it was necessary to visit the sites and remember the horrific things that happened in Cambodia but a day like that takes an emotional toll on you. When I talked to my mum that evening, she asked me how my day was. I didn’t really know how to answer as I couldn’t really say that I had a nice day because I didn’t. So we rest a bit by the pool at the end of the day, went for dinner and called it a night. One thing we liked less about Phnom Penh was the fact that on every corner there is someone who will try to scam you. Even when you visit tourist sites, you must stay alert! We bought tickets for a tourist site in the city and the change we got back from the cashier was fake money..
After a few days in Phnon Penh, it was time to travel to Kampot! My boyfriend booked a wonderful boat lodge where we would celebrate my birthday. It was one of the most beautiful accommodations we’ve stayed at. We had an amazing view of the river, the lodge was gorgeous and you could dine at their cute little terrace at the waterside. We had a great weekend there! We kayaked the green cathedral, where we only encountered 3 other people so it felt very serene. It seemed like we were the only ones there, which was pretty cool! My boyfriend even went out of his way to get me a birthday cake, he cycled an hour into town to get it for me. It was a marvelous cake and it tasted amazing! In the evening we had a romantic dinner at the waterside and it was fantastic birthday. No better place to be turning 25! However, I was a little bit stressed because they predicted that a typhoon would come our way. Apparently the typhoon had been following us, hitting all the places we had just left. They predicted that the typhoon would hit Kampot on my birthday.. So, that was a little bit stressful. But in the end, we had nothing but blue skies on my birthday. So I felt very blessed. We had a wonderful time! Now it was time to head to our most idyllic locations of the trip. Stay tuned. [...]
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augustus 18, 2021We ended our Vietnam trip in the South of Vietnam. We visited a few places in Southern Vietnam. Our first stop was Mui Ne. We craved some beach days. We flew from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City and afterwards took a taxi to Mui Ne. The taxi cost us 80 euros but it was a 5 hour drive! So a pretty decent price in our opinion. We booked a nice little guesthouse but we didn’t realize that we booked our accommodation in “little Moscow”. The part of town we were staying at was overrun by Russians. Many Russian restaurant owners and you could even buy vodka at the pharmacy, which I thought would probably be typically Russian. The funny thing was that the Russians thought we were one of them, probably because we were staying in “their part of town”. They spoke to us in Russian, waved at us from across the street, handed us Russian pamflets and in restaurants we would get the Russian menu. So we just smiled and waved so that we would fit in perfectly, haha!
We did really enjoy Mui Ne, we visited the red and white sand dunes. It was just marvelous! In the white sand dunes we took a quad bike ride, which was so cool! Afterwards, we watched the sunset in the red sand dunes, which resulted in some beautiful lighting on the dunes. The rest of our time was mostly spent at the beach. My boyfriend knows how to surf and Mui Ne is the perfect place to surf! So, he attempted to teach me how to surf, I still suck but it was fun!
Afterwards, it was time to visit Ho Chi Minh City! I really liked Hi Chi Minh City. Most people like Hanoi better but due to the fact that I was so ill in Hanoi, I couldn’t experience the city properly. So for me, Ho Chi Minh City was much more fun. We decided to visit the War Remnants Museum, which was super interesting. I studied the Vietnam war in high school so it was really fascinating to visit the museum. The museum was super impressive but I did get a little overwhelmed at times by all the horrendous things that happened during the war. Besides roaming around the city, we also took a little trip to the Mekong Delta. We stayed at an amazing little homestay by the water. We had a super cute little cabin and they had lots of cute little puppies! Another funny story to tell, which I probably shouldn’t post online but what the heck, I got really ill again.. So around the evening I suddenly felt unwell. I felt nauseous, starting to sweat and overall just didn’t feel well. So I told my boyfriend during our dinner that I had to vomit. So as I got up, some dude went into the toilet, which was the only toilet there.. So I panicked and looked at my boyfriend. He told me to cross the bridge, there was a footbridge from the restaurant to the cabins, so I ran to the bridge. I tried to cross the damn bridge but it was already too late. I had to think quick, to vomit on the bridge or to vomit from the bridge into the water. The water it was! So I start to vomit into the water and you could hear it all splash into the water. My boyfriend is waving and yelling at me “run further, everyone can see you!!” as apparently I was vomiting in plain sight. So I ran further, holding my hands against my mouth while I’m still vomiting. So it is now running down my arms. So I decided to vomit into the water once again, but this time on the other side of the bridge. Finally, I reached the other side and I was done vomiting. I thought it best to take a shower.. In the morning, I felt a lot better! So I decided to go along with the sunrise tour of the mekong delta. It was a really nice tour as we got to see a floating market. This is where people sell their food from boats and I really liked the fact that they had these poles on their boats with their “menu” on it. We also went on land to visit the market there, which was of course super different than what we are used to. There was raw meat everywhere, just out in the open in 30 degrees.
We ended our Vietnam trip in Phu Quoc. We rented this super cute bungalow near the beach. All the bungalows were unique so that was super cool! We didn’t do much on Phu Quoc, we rented a scooter and visited some nice beaches, the waterfalls and we relaxed a bit! We saw some amazing sunsets, had some great food and tried coconut juice. Unfortunately, our Vietnam trip came to an end but damn what an amazing experience! Would love to go back some day. But now, it was time to go to Cambodia, our last stop on our big trip. [...]
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juli 13, 2021After our amazing stay in Ninh Binh, we took a domestic flight to Hoi An. We were feeling a little bit lazy so we contacted the hotel in Hué to arrange a pick-up at the airport. They sent us a taxi and it cost us 50 dollars. It was around an hour by car from Hoi An to Hué and we could’ve traveled by train or got there ourselves but it was so nice to just sit back and relax. I could just look out the window and enjoy the view.
I really liked Hué, the city was full of life! It was almost Halloween and they sure knew how to celebrate. There was a lot of partying going on and lots of places were decorated in Halloween style. It was amazing. Besides the nice atmosphere Hué also had a lot of great restaurants! I think it’s safe to say that the best restaurants we visited in Vietnam were all situated in Hué! A few recommendations: Nook Eatery, Nina’s café and Madam Thu. Especially, Madam Thu. You could order different menus there and the food was simply sublime! Oh, how I wish to taste that food once more.
We did do more than eating in Hué by the way! We visited some sights of course. We went to the Imperial City, which was really impressive. I really liked the Imperial city. After a few days in Hué it was time to do the Hai Van Pass, so back on the motorcycle.. I was very happy that I decided to get back on the motorcycle so that I wouldn’t be scared of motorcycles for the rest of my life. The Hai Van Pass was amazing! We went with Le family riders, I highly recommend them. They were just so wonderful and my guide was so funny. We made a few stops along the way. We stopped at the Elephant Springs, where you can have a little swim. Furthermore, we stopped at some viewpoints where you could see the amazing view. It was breathtakingly beautiful! Also, the food was the best seafood I had ever had. Our group consisted of solely Germans, as the easy riders thought that we could speak German because we were from the Netherlands.. Instead of classifying us with the English, they thought it’d be best to put all the supposedly “German speaking” people together. So thanks to us, they had to speak English all day anyway as we do not speak German. They were great people and we had lots of fun with them. Even encountered some of them in other countries afterwards, it’s a small world after all. However, they did not have a big appetite, which I thought was a bit strange. One didn’t like fish, the other didn’t feel well, etc. So, more fish for me!
After the Hai Van Pass, we stayed in a cute hotel in Hoi An just a little bit outside of the city center. However, that was not a problem at all as they had bikes that you could borrow. The hotel had a pool, which was great as we were kinda exhausted. We didn’t really have a break after Hong Kong so we really needed some pool time. One morning, I woke up and I just wasn’t feeling it. I said to my boyfriend: “let’s lay at the pool today, I really don’t wanna go anywhere.” So we did. Hoi An was an amazing city but there were a bit too many tourists for my taste. We cycled around the city, so we could admire the colonial buildings and colored lanterns. We also bought some sort of ticket with which you could visit all the sights in Hoi An ancient town.
And last but definitely not least, I bought a custom made dress at a tailor. I was very excited to get a custom made dress in Vietnam, had been preparing for it for weeks (searching pictures on Pinterest). So, I googled the best tailors in Hoi An and we gave them a little visit. However, I did not feel comfortable at all. They were very pushy, asked a lot of questions and immediately assumed that I would buy a dress from them. After 3 tailors, I was actually kinda sick of it. So I told my boyfriend that I would look up one last tailor and if I didn’t like it there, we would leave. So I looked on Tripadvisor and found a smaller tailor with a lot less reviews but all of them were positive. So I decided that this tailor would be my last stop. So we went in and I immediately felt at ease. They were kind and considerate. They did not push me, they did not impose, nothing of the sort. They offered us drinks and asked me what I was looking for, whether I already had an idea of what I liked. I showed them my picture and they showed me some fabrics, asking me if it came close to what I was looking for. They were very calm and super friendly. I knew right there and then that I was going to buy my dress here. So I picked a fabric, they took my measurements and we discussed the price. I left a happy girl! See picture below of my dress, it’s the prettiest dress I have ever owned. So if you are searching for an amazing tailor in Hoi An: Surprise Tailor is great! [...]
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april 8, 2021When our Ha Giang adventure came to an end, we left for Cat Ba island. Cat Ba island was really beautiful. I think, for me, it was the most beautiful place we have visited. We rented a scooter and drove around the island. The beaches were astounding as were the sunsets. We stayed in a lovely hotel with a wonderful view of the water. The owner had this adorable little puppy that followed us to our room and refused to leave. It was the cutest dog I had ever seen!
We had so much fun discovering the island on our own. The island is not that big and everything was easily accesible. We went to cannon fort where you have an amazing view of the harbour, definitely worth it. We also climbed all the way to the top of Cat Ba National Park. It’s quite the hike to be honest as it was very hot and it was quite humid. The view however is definitely worth all the hassle. When you reach the top, there’s a watchtower where you have the best view of the island!
Besides discovering the island, swimming and stuffing our faces with food, we also went on a boat trip. My boyfriend’s birthday was coming up so I booked a trip with Cat Ba Ventures (highly recommend them!) to explore Ha Long Bay and Han La Bay. It was a 2 day trip and it was just amazing. The group consisted of approximately 18 people, I believe. Almost solely Europeans with 2 exceptions. Most of them came from France or Germany, it was a really nice group of people. The crew on the boat was really lovely and everything was perfectly planned and thought out. The food was impeccable and in abundance. I fell in love with the Vietnamese cuisine more and more every day. As for the trip, I had never seen such beautiful sights. We kayaked in almost deserted waters, just us. We visited blue lagoons and a deserted island where we could snorkle. The boys jumped of the roof of the boat, which wasn’t exactly allowed but it looked freaking cool. Oh, how I enjoyed life on a boat! We had our own little cabin with a remarkable view of the sea. We watched the stars on the deck while playing cards and drinking with the French guys, what a life! The next morning we got up super early to catch the sunrise and damn sunrises do hit differently at sea. Furthermore, it was my boyfriend’s birthday and the crew made a wonderful cake for him. It was so sweet! We kayaked some more, swam some more and enjoyed the sun. One teeny tiny downside was the fact that we encountered some jellyfish, which was a little bit scary but nothing happened. So thank god! All in all, I think I planned a wonderful birthday for my boyfriend.
After our little getaway to Cat Ba island, it was time to head to Ninh Binh. We booked a boat from the island and then a bus. However, it wasn’t all that easy to get on our bus when we arrived on the mainland. They claimed all the buses were full and we couldn’t get on them. We didn’t trust what was happening so I insisted they let us on the bus as I claimed it was our bus (I wasn’t sure to be fair). In the end, they did let us on the bus because I wouldn’t take no for an answer, so off we went. They dropped us in a remote corner of the city which was just marvelous.. As we now had to walk (in the dark) for over half an hour with our backpacks to get to the city center. We made the mistake of staying in Ninh Binh as we didn’t know that you actually had to go to Tam Coc. However, our hotel was really nice, it was run by two brothers, hence the name “Ninh Binh brothers hotel”. They were very accomodating and served a really good breakfast. Only downside was that you had to ask for toilet paper when you ran out. After a little while it gets quite embarrassing to ask for it when you really need to shit (again..). As there is not much to see nor do in Ninh Binh, we spent most of our time in Tam Coc. The landscape in Tam Coc is really beautiful as it is often described as the Ha Long Bay on land. We cycled through the area a bit, which I highly recommend. It is an easy way to discover the nature there and a bike costs a few euros for a day.
We also did a boat tour, where you get to see the lovely scenery of Tam Coc and you go through a few caves. Our boat driver rowed with her feet which was pretty cool! Furthermore, we visited the Bích Động Pagoda and the Mua cave which are both a must see! The Mua cave’s beauty is actually at it’s top, we had to climb a lot of stairs to reach the top but the view you have there of the valley below is stunning. Definitely worth all the sweat as we climbed the stairs at midday. We thought it would be nice to get our picture taken there and when we saw a Dutch couple we thought it was easy to ask them. So the guy took some pictures of us and damn did we ask the wrong guy.. He took pictures of us with the view behind us. He made us the center of the picture so you couldn’t even see the beautiful view. So we had to wait until they left to ask someone else as we didn’t want to seem rude. Always a gamble when you ask someone to take your picture! But the next guy took some nice pictures so all’s well that ends well. [...]
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maart 29, 2021All good things must come to an end. So our adventure in Hong Kong also came to an end. I wasn’t sad to leave because a new adventure awaited us. We flew from Hong Kong to Hanoi. We stayed at a lovely hotel in the old quarter. They even served breakfast in bed, which I am a big fan of!
It saddens me to admit but I didn’t see much of Hanoi. I vaguely remember the hurdles of scooters on the streets which made it hard to cross a street. I saw some bits of the old quarter but not much as I got sick on our very first day in Hanoi. It was entirely my own fault. After traveling through the USA, Beijing and Hong Kong I had not realised that in countries like Vietnam, you can’t just eat and drink anything. Probably naive on my part but the thought just never crossed my mind. So on our first day I had a milkshake with whipped cream and pancakes and in the evening I drank a strawberry drink with lots of ice cubes, which was a recipe for disaster.
As you can imagine, I got really sick. I couldn’t leave the bed. Well, I could but only to go to the toilet. It was horrendous. So, that was the end of my adventure in Hanoi. Not sure if I should tell this story but what the heck! I did go out one evening in Hanoi because I had to buy a new hairdryer and I didn’t trust my boyfriend to buy the right one. So my stubborn ass had to accompany him. I am very vain when it comes to my hair. So once again, I had called this unfavorable fate upon myself. We went to the shop and bought me the hairdryer I wanted, everything was still fine at that point. What I didn’t know was that, when you are “ill” like I was, you cannot fart. So I made the humongous mistake of farting. So, as you expect, I shat myself. Right there and then, in the middle of Hanoi, I had crapped my pants. It was mortifying but in hindsight quite funny to be honest. My hand smelled like poop (which was how I found out I shat myself) and my boyfriend (who could blame him?!) didn’t want to hold my hand anymore. He told me to “piss off with my poop hand”. To be fair, I would’ve done the same but I just really wanted to hold his hand as crossing the streets in Hanoi wasn’t that easy. We made it back to the hotel and needless to say, I threw away my underwear.
Moving on, we planned on riding the Ha Giang Loop (with easy riders) so my boyfriend had to take care of everything, explore the city by himself and feed me occasionally. I wasn’t totally recovered when we left for Ha Giang so I stuffed my face with loperamide. Our transportation to Ha Giang was great, we rode in a limousine bus. It was super comfortable and we made plenty of stops on the way. When we arrived in Ha Giang, we weren’t quite there yet. We still had to go to our homestay, we were staying with locals! Our host gave us a tour around the village and he was super friendly. He told us stories about the region and showed us lovely sights. In the evening his wife cooked us (and 5 other guests) a traditional Vietnamese dinner and we drank “holy water”, which was not water as I found out the hard way.. The food was the best food I had ever tasted! I instantly loved the Vietnamese cuisine. There were more guests in the homestay with us and we all had so much fun getting to know each other. There was a German couple whose roots were in Vietnam so they came together to get to know the country a little bit better.
We slept in a bungalow next to the main house and it was made entirely out of wood. The host made it himself. It was pretty cool and the view when we woke up was just indescribably beautiful. After breakfast our easy riders picked us up and off we went. My easy rider didn’t talk much, I think his English was not that great. I didn’t mind as I could just enjoy the views. The Ha Giang loop is up until this day the coolest thing I’ve ever done. Riding through the mountains on a motorcycle, seeing this amazing scenery. It was simply perfect. At the end of the day they dropped us off at a hotel and we were able to eat at the nearby restaurant (where all the tourists doing the loop were dining). We didn’t sleep that well because there was a big neon sign in front of our window but who cared! We were in Vietnam having the time of our lives.
So we thought.. the next day didn’t really go as planned. It drizzled a bit in the morning so the roads were a little bit slippery. We didn’t think much of it. We didn’t really think about how dangerous the Ha Giang Loop was at all before riding it ourselves but apparently it was not that safe. I would find out soon enough. We were heading towards a sharp turn and my boyfriend and his easy rider were riding in front of us. My boyfriend had this strange feeling telling him to look back and see how I was doing. So he did and what he saw would scare the living shit out of him. My easy rider lost control over the motorcycle and we slipped. It’s funny because people ask me if it happened quickly but in my mind it didn’t. Everything slowed down, it felt like everything was in slowmotion. I felt the motorcycle slip away under me, I saw the easy rider falling to the ground and then I felt myself hitting the asphalt. I rolled a bit, I vaguely remember that. I was in utter shock, I remember that too. So my boyfriend was franticly tapping his easy rider on the back and shouting that they needed to stop. He told me this afterwards but in those few seconds he didn’t know whether I was alive or not. I was laying there on the ground but he said that I stood up with my arms in the air, screaming. He ran towards me asking me if I was okay, at the time I didn’t know if I was okay. I didn’t feel anything. I had peed myself, I knew that and I was crying. My easy rider only cared about me and my wellbeing, which was super sweet but afterwards I felt guilty as he probably hurt himself too. In the aftermath, I had contused my arm and ripped my clothes and (day) backpack. So I was lucky. But there was still a long journey ahead of us, there was no time to be afraid. I had to get back on the motorcycle and ride for 6 more hours. That wasn’t great but we didn’t have a choice. In the end, I did get a moment to ask my easy rider if he was okay too, which he was. All in all, the experience was a rollercoaster. It was amazing and scary at the same time. I still recommend the Ha Giang Loop to everyone as it was, besides the accident, the highlight of our Vietnam trip!
After a few days, I facetimed my mum and she cried when I told her what happened. I told her that she needn’t worry as I was still alive and kicking. Mothers, they are so precious! [...]
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maart 23, 2021When our plane landed in Hong Kong, all we felt was relief. We left Beijing and the drama that went with it behind. Before boarding our plane we quickly booked a hotel for the night. We decided to stay in this hotel for a few days before heading to our other accommodation. We lucked out on this one! The beds were so incredibly soft! In Beijing the beds were rock hard.. So falling asleep wouldn’t be a problem at all. Also, our hotel had a pool, a sauna and a steam bath. I was in heaven, which could’ve been possible seen how high the building was! Beneath the hotel was a mall and even a whole floor of restaurants, which was great for us! The first 2 days we didn’t even leave our building. We really had to recharge our batteries, so we just relaxed and lounged by the pool.
After our little getaway in the Panda hotel we left for our original accommodation. We knew it would be a little disappointing after the experience we had in Panta hotel but we were not prepared for this at all. We stayed in a guesthouse because as backpackers we did not want to splurge. But I think in hindsight we should have spent a little more on our accommodation. I will not name the guesthouse but it was horrible! It was too small, dirty, the water was always cold (and the showerhead was above the toilet), the sheets were stained and we didn’t even have a window. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why we chose this guesthouse but then it hit me, we chose it due to its location. It was in the city center and easy accesible. The silver lining was however that we saw a lot of Hong Kong as we left our guesthouse very early in the morning and stayed out as late as possible.
For instance, we went to Ngong Ping aka big buddha. It was pretty impressive but there were too many bloody tourists (as if we were not one of them..). We also visited Ocean Park. I loved Ocean Park! I really like theme parks and this was a theme park combined with animals. We rode the rollercoastes, saw a dolphine show and ate lots of snacks! We even rode a virtual reality rollercoaster, which was super scary but so much fun. Moreover we did lots of sightseeing in the city. We watched a lightshow above the skyline and strolled through Nan Lian Garden, which is designed in true Tang dynasty style. It’s absolutely beautiful and very peaceful. It’s weird to wander around such a peaceful place in the midst of a metropolis.
Besides discovering the city we also wandered a bit further. We hiked Dragon’s back, which is probably the nicest hike I’ve ever done. The views are spectacular and the hike is not that hard. It was around 8 kms and took us around 2,5 hours to complete. Our hike ended at big wave bay where we had a big lunch and went for a swim. Another great spot are the waterfalls in Sai Kung. We went there by bus and afterwards it was quite the walk and a lot of pathways were blocked. At first we didn’t understand why our journey to the waterfalls was so difficult as it was a popular spot. So we were wondering whether everyone had to endure all these obstacles. After some Google searches we found our answer. Typhoon Mangkhut had left havoc. So that explained a lot. When we finally arrived at the waterfalls there was nobody there, besides 4 British guys. So due to the typhoon the 6 of us were the only tourists there. That was a really cool experience as we were afraid that it would be too crowded.
I have to admit that Hong Kong surprised me. I wasn’t really prepared to go to Hong Kong after the debacle in Beijing but I loved every single minute of it. Leaving Beijing and going to Hong Kong 5 days earlier than planned, was the best decision we had ever made! The city is wonderful, the food is great and the city is surrounded by beautiful nature. In total we have spent 10 days in Hong Kong and I would recommend it to everyone. The experience we had in Hong Kong definitely made up for the one we had in Beijing. I fell in love with Hong Kong. It’s such a versatile city. [...]
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maart 15, 2021It was time to leave the USA and catch a flight to China! We flew from San Francisco to Beijing, which was also a first for me. I had never been to Asia before. Because you can’t count the time I had a layover in Hong Kong when I was visiting my sister in Australia. The flight was really long and due to the time difference, I felt so disoriented. We left San Francisco on the 3rd of October and arrived in Beijing on the 5th. So we lost a whole day due to the time difference. I think we arrived around 10 in the evening, keep in mind that we were already awake for 24 hours at this point! Before leaving home we calculated that we wouldn’t stay longer than 144 hours in Beijing. This meant that you can apply for a visa-free transit. So off we went to the visa-free transit counter. At the same time, a flight from the UK had arrived so the line was pretty long. We waited for approximately an hour and were very happy when we finally got to hand over our paperwork. We got our stamps and were too tired to check them (big mistake!). We just wanted to get to our hotel, which was an hour from the airport.
Finally, we arrived at our hotel and checked in. Everything seemed fine at the time so we went to bed. The next morning we had our first Chinese breakfast, which was amazing! I loved the Chinese breakfast, except the fact that they drink warm juice. That was really disgusting. We decided to explore the city. It was very foggy due to the air pollution, which resulted in me having brown snot. Beijing was immense, I don’t even know how to describe it. I felt uneasy in the city though. Everybody was staring at me, wanted to touch me or took photos of me. I didn’t really like that, it made me feel like an animal in the zoo. Most of the time I was just hiding behind my boyfriend. He said that walking with me was very odd as he was European too but no-one seemed to pay attention to him because he had this tiny blonde human by his side.
What also surprised me was the amount of police on the streets. And, what made me even more uncomfortable was that there were so many camera’s and security. Before getting on the subway you had to go through a metal detector and I couldn’t even decide on which side of the road I wanted to walk or where I wanted to cross the street. This was a very strange experience for me. But, it wasn’t all bad! I loved the Chinese cuisine. The food was so good. In our home country you can eat at a Chinese restaurant but the food is tailored to the inhabitants. I always disliked Chinese food, but I came to the realisation that it wasn’t the real Chinese cuisine. So, I was pleasantly surprised with the exquisite food. Especially, buns! I simply adore them. Stuff them with anything, I’ll eat it!
We tried to visit the Forbidden City but we had no clue that you had to book tickets in advance. So, we decided to wander through Jingshan Park and Tiananmen Square. At the end of the day we went for a lovely dinner and back to the hotel as we were still pretty jetlagged. When we arrived at the hotel, the guy at the front desk asked us if we “fixed our visa”. At first we were confused and we explained to him that we had a visa-free transit because we were already leaving in a few days. He didn’t agree with us and said that our passports stated that we only had 24 hours. We tried to explain it to him again and he got his manager, who looked at our passports as well. She came to the same conclusion. The customs officer stamped our passports with 24 hours instead of 144 hours. We slightly panicked at this point as they said that we couldn’t stay in their hotel anymore. They didn’t want to house “illegal” tourists.
At this point, we didn’t really know what to do so we tried to reason with them. We asked them to help us. The manager made a few phone calls but with no end. In the meantime, I contacted our home base and asked them for help. My brother in law called the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands but they didn’t even speak English so that was a dead end. My boyfriend called the Dutch Embassy in China but they were no help either. All they said was “you should’ve checked your stamp..”. Which was a pretty shitty thing to say, in my opinion. My boyfriend felt the same and said to the woman “that’s all you have to say to me right now? We are probably getting deported and this is what you choose to say?”. The manager and front desk employee were getting annoyed with us as they didn’t want to help us anymore. Neither of them spoke English so they translated, while talking, through Bing. The manager forgot that she was still translating everything that was being said. So this text appeared on her phone “I am so tired, I don’t want to do this anymore”. Well, isn’t that hospitable! As we had no place to go, they agreed to let us stay the night but we had to leave in the morning. You can imagine that we didn’t sleep much that night.
The following morning I had a good feeling. We had a plan, we were going to the airport and we were going to sort things out with customs. We packed all our stuff, just in case, and put it in the lobby. We told the guy at the front desk that we were getting everything sorted out and asked him if we could leave our bags here in the meantime. So we were walking towards the subway when all of a sudden I got this feeling in my gut. I turned to my boyfriend and told him that I didn’t think everything was going to be okay. He asked me if I wanted to go back and take our backpacks with us. I told him I had a feeling that we wouldn’t be back, so we got our backpacks and went to the airport.
At the airport there was absolutely no-one willing to help us. We even called a number which was called “the entry and exit office” but none of them spoke any English. There were some kind flight attendants from other countries who agreed to translate for us but once again with no end. My boyfriend decided that it was better if I’d stay with the luggage and that he would fix our problem. So I just sat there, all by myself and with no-one to talk to. After hours and hours of arguing and asking for help, we gave up. There wasn’t a single soul out there that wanted to help us or even spoke English. The only advice we got was to just stay anyway and face customs when you leave. I was texting my dad to keep him updated and he told me it was for the best to just leave the country as overstaying could lead to jail time. And going to jail in China was the absolute last thing you want. Furthermore, no hotel would take us in when they would find out that we were staying in China illegally..
So, we did the only thing we could. We left. We went to the Cathay Pacific counter and asked to reschedule our flight to Hong Kong. She asked us to when and we responded with “the first flight you got!”. The first available flight would be in an hour so all of a sudden we were on a plane that was headed to Hong Kong. So long Beijing. I don’t think we’ll be back. [...]
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