Our reunion after a week apart could not have come soon enough. It was a happy moment for us celebrated with wine and catching up. Natalie had decorated the room with items purchased from the party supply street in Hanoi. After some well deserved time together we set off for our next destination, Dong Hoi. We decided to take the night train and were a bit apprehensive as our night train experience in India was not ideal with; dirty beds, hole in the ground toilets, and mice scurrying past our feet. The night train in Vietnam was a welcome change from this however, with 4 beds in the same place as 6 had been before, a door to shut out some of the noise, and comfier beds. We hopped off the train hoping to be able to check into our hotel early as it was only 7am and we craved a shower. Our hotel was generous and gave us a room and let us know we could take a shower and be back down in the lobby by 8am and make the day trip to the two caves we had planned to see. Our timing worked out perfectly and before we knew it we were already in a van heading towards our first destination, Paradise cave.

On the way to Paradise cave we stopped at what was apparently a tourist attraction, the name of the national park in giant letters on the side of a mountain resembling the Hollywood sign. We smirked as all of the tourists took pictures in awe, including us. The locals must been looking at us the same way we see tourists amazed by the Hollywood sign back home. We then entered Paradise cave which we had been eagerly looking forward to. The inside of the cave was truly massive and we couldn’t help thinking what it would have been like to be the first person to discover it. The stalactites and stalagmites were remarkable, adding to the feeling of being transported to an alien planet. The second cave was a water cave that started where a river magically disappears into a mountain. We were quite disappointed with the boats that took you here though, as they had a low roof that, until they took the cover off, made it nearly impossible to see anything. Once we entered the cave they took the cover off but the support bars forced us to awkwardly stick our head and shoulders between two wooden bars. This made viewing this amazing cave a challenge and much less enjoyable. Nevertheless, we did enjoy floating slowly through this massive cave with damp air and dim lighting resembling the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland (one of hundreds of Chris’s Disney references this trip). Once back at our hotel after our two cave excursions, we were treated with something we had not yet seen in our trip, a thunderstorm that lit the night sky with bright lightening bolts every couple of seconds.

We took the day train from Dong Hoi to Da Nang and the ride was beautiful. It started snaking through rice fields. Then, close to Da Nang, the train hugged the side of the mountain with the ocean and rocks below to our left. Definitely one of the most beautiful train rides we have been on thus far. Da Nang was simply a stop over to catch a flight to Ho Chi Minh city the next day. However, we made the most of it. We walked from our hotel along the beach stopping for some beers at a beachside bar. Followed by dinner at what was rated a very good restaurant, although our limited options made it just a mediocre one. Next we went to a local bar filled with dozens of locals blowing off their Monday steam. Again, we were hard pressed to find some food that we could order. In Hanoi we had a hot pot which is a delicious, savory, spicy, broth brought to you on a burner that you cooked various ingredients in. We tried to ask 5 different waiters if they could make one for us vegetarian, but to no avail. We eventually got a server to agree to make it. But he came back with a couple vegetables in hot water, not even close. We asked for some spices to liven it up a bit and he returned with some ground black pepper in a bowl. We have noticed that some locals are fascinated by us and a very drunk local at this bar made that apparent. He could not speak a word of English but tried everything he could just to converse with us. He even called what we imagined as his friend who knew the best English just to talk to us and translate. After turning down a late night karaoke request from our new drunk friends we headed back, thankfully as we had to wake up at 4am the next day to catch a flight.

We have decided that early flights are not for us, not to mention after a night of drinking. But, we made it to the airport and looked forward to Ho Chi Minh city as we had enjoyed Hanoi so much. We headed to our hotel which we unfortunately hoped would be just as good as our one in Hanoi. It was still nice, clean, and cheap, but the service was not the same. We were allowed to have their breakfast buffet and check in early at 9am, but the buffet had nothing for us besides a banana and a hard boiled egg. We were quite tired and after realizing there was not much to do we opted for a nap before we set out for the day. Once we recouped a bit we headed to the local indoor market. These markets had all the same stuff we had been seeing for the past 2 months and had lost some of their luster especially when its hot and stuffy. That night we continued our quest to find a hot pot, or at least some good vegetarian food. But we were not so lucky. What we did find was the local tiny plastic chair street drinking area and we enjoyed watching the squid and jellyfish vendors hawk their wares sipping on some local brews. The next day we headed to the War Remnants Museum. They had truly moving exhibits including; weapons, bombs, tanks, and photographs of the atrocities of the Vietnam War. Most moving was the pictures of those affected by agent orange during the Vietnam War, all the way up to disfigured children born a few years ago. After this sobering experience we could use a little pick me up and we found it right next door at a vegetarian restaurant. We sat in a courtyard surrounded by plants, little ponds, and fountains. Our first dish was spring rolls. Over the course of our 2 and a half months in South East Asia we have had A LOT of spring rolls. So much so that Chris has been trying to avoid ordering them. But these spring rolls were special. They were served much differently. They came as two squares cut in half with basil leaves, noodles, and sauce. We combined them all in our bowl and could not eat them fast enough; they were delicious. Next we had red curry which we had not had since Thailand and we dearly missed. It was up there with the best red curries we had in Thailand and made us reminiscent of the amazing feasting we had done there. Although Vietnam overall has impressed us and exceeded all expectations with its beauty, we have been disappointed with the food. In Vietnam vegetarian options are quite limited, and coming from Thailand, where we were spoiled with incredibly delicious food, it was difficult. We are currently in midair flying to Singapore, were we have a couple hour layover to catch a plane to our week vacation in Bali. Spending a total of seven nights in our Bali hotel, we cannot wait to unpack our backpacks, as this is the longest we have stayed in one location 3 and a half months, a true vacation. After checking our weather app this morning, unfortunately it tells us there will be thunderstorms the entire week, a stark difference form the beach sunbathing and surfing we had imagined. We are hoping for the best, and for the weather channel to be wrong. If not, we will make the most of it, as always!