On our first evening, we were pretty tired but took a stroll to find something to eat. We stopped at a Vietnamese restaurant called Madame Klein which was located next to the night market. We perched on a stool overlooking the market and watched the world go by before having an early night in preparation for a full day of exploring the next day.

The breakfast at the Silk Marina Hotel was the breakfast of dreams. So. Much. Food. I ate about 5 plates each morning - including my favourite - a freshly made omelette. I can happily say they did the best breakfast of any hotel I have ever stayed in and I would recommend this hotel for the breakfast alone.

For our first full day, we decided to rent some bikes to explore (we got our bikes from our hotel). We cycled through the town and along the river. During the ride, we stopped to take some photos of the beautiful buildings on the other side in the Ancient Town. As I was stood admiring the view I noticed a man coming over to me. He stood right next to me and my bike, and he just stared at me. The hotel had warned us to be careful with our belongings here, so I quickly shoved my camera into my bag and waited for him to say something whilst he was there, invading my personal space. But he didn't.

Me: Hello?

Him:

Me: What do you want?

Him:

Me: Are you mugging me? No? Ok. I'm really not sure what's happening here?

Him:

Me: Ok. Sam, I'd like to go now. Let's leave, please

Him:

And that was the time I think I almost got mugged in Vietnam. But I'm still not really sure.

We crossed the bridge to cycle around the Ancient Town, but the place was FULL of tourists and it was quite difficult to cycle (I'm way too British to keep dinging the bell to make people move) so we made the decision to return the bikes and return on foot. On our travels, we spotted another cafe opposite our hotel that sold egg coffee (my fave) so this became our daily pit stop on the way to the town.

In Vietnam,  a lot of houses are also businesses, so walking along the street next to our hotel there were a lot of family-run cafes, nail salons, laundry facilities, where you could also just see the family living areas.

The streets of the Ancient Town are lined with numerous leather shops, tailors, coffee shops and gift shops.  The town has some amazing architecture including a lot of French Colonial buildings that have been well-preserved.   Most of the shops sell pretty much exactly the same thing but getting a tailored outfit is a must in Hoi An. I got a work dress and a blazer made, and apart from the fact it's quite different to what I requested (I showed a picture of a purple Topshop waterfall blazer, and got a bright pink fitted blazer), I was very happy the end result, the fit and even how quickly they made them. I, to this day, have major regrets about not getting more.

For some of the buildings you require an 'Ancient Town Ticket' to enter - one of these being the Japanese bridge (see the very first picture of this blog post), however, we discovered that if you got there early enough it was accessible until around11am as there was no one there checking tickets. During this time, motorbikes and scooters are also not allowed to drive through the streets so it's a lot easier to walk around and explore without being beeped at every 2 seconds.

As well as the lines of shops, there were also plenty of street vendors. Some sat at little stalls and others wandering the streets. I loved that a lot of them were wearing traditional Vietnamese rice hats and some were carrying the baskets of food over their shoulders - Quang ganh.

We sat in a bar drinking cocktails one lunchtime (FYI - happy hour is a thing in Hoi An!) watching the world go by when a street seller came and sat with us and started showing us all his (overpriced) fridge magnets. He was desperate for us to buy one, and even when we told him we had no Vietnamese cash, he was looking at my other currencies to see if it was any use to him (he didn't fancy 10p worth of Indonesian Rupiah, unfortunately). Some can be very persistent but most of them are very friendly. A lot of them ask where you are from as you walk by to try and start their sales pitch, but one of them caught my attention as she said 'Kia Ora' to Sam when she said she was from New Zealand, and then when I said the UK she replied 'ooo Lovely Jubbly!'

In the afternoon, Sam decided she was brave enough to attempt another Vietnamese massage (after the horror of Ho Chi Mihn). I was not, so I went back to the hotel in search of food. I wanted to try some Pho, so I headed to the hotel restaurant to get some as I was still a little too wimpy for authentic street food. Sadly, when it came out and was full of peanuts which was heartbreaking. (I don't like nuts if you didn't know that).

After confirmation that the nearby spa was not as dodgy as the last one,  I decided to check it out for myself when the rain arrived. In Vietnam, you have to remove your shoes whenever you enter a spa and put their flip-flops on (even if you are just getting a manicure). This was difficult for me as I had pretty much bandaged my foot to my shoe to help me walk. My massage therapist (who I'm pretty sure was literally a 14-year-old boy, which was slightly weird) was traumatised when he tried to help me get my flips flops on and I almost kicked him in the face. So, we came to the agreement that I could just walk barefoot and I gave him a good tip when I left.  The spa was excellent and was a lot more professional that Ho Chi Mihn. So if you find yourself in Hoi An, be sure to check out Green Heaven Spa. They were great with discounts and bundle deals too, so I also had a facial with my massage and paid about $20 total.

As we were in Hoi An a little longer than the other cities, we had planned a day trip to the beach. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side for the beach so we decided to check out the Ba Na Hills near Da Nang - home of the Golden Bridge. We booked a driver through our hotel and the staff looked at us like we were a little bit crazy when we said we were happy to go in the rain. Little did we know the rain was not the same 1500m above sea level.

As we drove towards Da Nang the rain was getting heavier so we asked our driver if we could stop somewhere to buy rain ponchos. He pulled over beside a little shop and told us to wait in the car. He came back with 2 rain ponchos, each costing about $2*. He told us that as we were tourists, the shop owners would have charged a considerable amount more for those ponchos - probably about $7.  

We arrived at Ba Na Hills and arranged for our driver to meet us in the same place in 4 hours time (HA, we actually lasted about an hour and a half) The top of the hills were hidden in the clouds, but still, at no point did we think this would be a bad idea.

Before long we were beginning our journey in a cable car up into the hills. We had been given a map that showed all the attractions at the top. There would be two stops - the first would be where the bridge was.

This bit was hell. We sat in silence for a good 20 minutes whilst the cable car continued through the clouds. We were swinging side to side and rain was hammering on the windows. We had no idea how long we had left because we could not see a thing. The plus side was I couldn't see how far down I would be plummeting to my death if it had gone drastically wrong, but it made my trip on the Christchurch gondola seem like a breeze.

When we reached the first stop we were greeted by a lobby full of tourists. I assumed they were queuing for something but it turns out they were just looking out the window at the bridge because obviously, the weather was too bad to actually go and stand out on it.

No, not for us.

We were there for that bridge so we were going to walk across it - in flip-flops.

Within seconds we were saturated.

Makeup down our faces. Clothes wet through. My bad foot even turned purple.

But I have absolutely no regrets.

We walked all the way across that bridge.  - even got a couple photos.

This part of our day trip was actually one of my favourite things to do in Vietnam. I mean, if you google 'Vietnam Golden Bridge', you will see the view on most days is, in fact, a lot different to the one in my photo below. But it was still pretty cool to actually be on this bridge! Had it not been raining the views would have been incredible - but also it would have been jam-packed with other tourists.

After a trip to the bathroom to attempt to dry under the hand dryers (didn't work), we got in the next cable car and carried on to the top. When we got there, there was a waxwork museum (not quite Maddam Tussauds) and a large amusement area with lots of rides (reminded me of a larger scale seaside pier).

According to the map we had been given, there was also a French-style village at the top with a castle. In the pictures, it reminded me of the village from Beauty and the Beast. Our reality, however, was an even bigger storm, couldn't really see anything, and genuinely thought as I was wading through the flooded paths that I was going to fall over in the wind and get swept away again.

Again, other tourists were just stood in windows and doorways looking out. I'm really not sure why we didn't do the same. At first, it was pretty funny, but then in typical me style I slipped and hit my (now very cold and wet) bad foot on a metal sign, cried a bit, and decided it was time to leave.

Dramatic as always.

We spent our final evening exploring the night market. Hoi An gets even prettier in at night. We took a ride in one of the many boats on the river and admired the magical atmosphere that was created by the street lanterns and riverboat lights.  And, even though most safety standards in Vietnam are a little slack, they were adamant that we wore our lifejackets for this peaceful, slow boat ride (obviously, I gladly accepted mine after the number of near-death experiences I had encountered in the previous 2 weeks).

As our time in Hoi An drew to a close we just had one more maniac driver to survive on the way to the airport but we did it! I think we only had one or two emergency style stops, and maybe a couple more near misses with motorbikes.

Next stop - Hanoi, Vietnam

* $ = NZD

Remember when I thought Bali was intense - well that's because I hadn't yet experienced Vietnam.

The flight was dreadful - I cried the whole way because of bad turbulence, AND we were flying through a thunder and lightning storm - horrific. How I travel so much with my fear of flying I do not know. Sadly this was a 'dry' flight so I couldn't drink away my nerves.

The air hostess assured me that Singapore airspace was known for being a bit bumpy but that didn't really help. 

Here is a picture of my food. I think the bit that looks like weird slop was chicken, but can't be sure. 

When I arrived in Ho Chi Mihn City, I was collected from the plane by my new wheelchair companion. This made my trip through the airport nice and easy - he even pushed my suitcase at the same time he pushed me - incredibly talented man.

My driver was waiting for me outside the airport. He spent about 10 minutes texting and ignoring me when I greeted him, which I wouldn't have been too bothered about except the airport man had taken my wheelchair away and I was now stood awkwardly with a stranger that was ignoring me, whilst balancing on one leg like a flamingo. Eventually, he remembered he had a job and disappeared to get the car leaving me standing for 5 minutes wondering if he was already bored of me and had done a runner. 

The motorbike population had now tripled from what I was used in Bali, and I was sat in traffic with hundreds of people on their motorbike doing their daily commute. The journey took a while, but I was so fascinated by my surroundings that I didn't really notice. I was seeing whole families sat on one bike - including babies, women dressed very smartly in designer clothes and stiletto heels driving them, and I even spotted a few with kids that looked no older than 12 driving.

FACT TIME: Ho Chi Mihn City is also known to some by its former name - Saigon. The name of the city was changed in 1976 after one of the countries most famous leaders. The city is located in the south of Vietnam and is the most populated city in the country. 

Luckily I wasn't alone on this trip and my friend from New Zealand, Sam, was waiting for me at our first hotel. We stayed at the AHA Boutique Hotel. Despite the fact I had bandages on my feet, my driver decided that he was only going to drop me at the end of the road because the hotel was in view. So, I then found myself hobbling along a street with my massive suitcase (30kgs because I'm so high-maintenance) desperately trying not to get hit by a motorbike.

Turns out, 'Boutique' does not mean fancy like we had assumed, in Vietnam. Google even defined the hotel as 'elegant lodging' - not sure I would agree. There were holes in the towels and bath mat, a lack of toiletries and I wondered each time I got in the lift whether I would actually make it out again. The location was in the heart of the party street so we were listening to loud music until the early hours. I didn't mind this too much because it turns out the Vietnamese love a bit of Little Mix and Ariana.

Breakfast was on the roof every morning so we had great views of the city. However, of all the hotels we ended up staying in, I would say this one had the smallest choice of breakfast options. There was an interesting choice of eggs, toast and fruit but also rice, noodles and curry. I had an omelette every morning throughout the whole trip because I am ever-so original.

The heat in Ho Chi Minh was incredibly humid and could reach around 32 degrees each day, but there was also some occasional rain storms. Nightmare for my bandages. But, I could now fit my foot in a trainer as it had deflated a little. 

The first stop of our trip was the War Remnants Museum. An eye-opening museum full of photos and information about the Vietnam war. Admittedly, I didn't really know much about this war, but we came out a little horrified by what we had just seen. The museum has some very graphic and harrowing images of the war and even the post-war effects from the 'Agent Orange' - the chemical that the U.S Military sprayed over areas of Vietnam. 

Following our visit to the museum, we experienced our first time being ripped-off in Vietnam. I had been told repeatedly 'only get in metered taxis' - well that's great advice if they don't put the meter on the 'rip-these-tourists-who-don't-understand-the-currency-or-speak-Vietnamese' setting. We ended up paying about $20 for a 2-minute ride, even though we had paid $3 for the 10-minute ride to get to the museum. When I tried to question the driver about why he was charging us so much, he suddenly lost all the English language skill he had when we got into the car. Excellent.

We were visiting the Saigon Centre next - a huge shopping mall in the city. The mall included many shops from home such as Topshop and Pandora, something I wasn't expecting. One thing I forgot to mention, was that our first day in Ho Chi Minh was actually Christmas Eve, so the centre was full of great Christmas decorations and felt very festive - probably one of the only places in Vietnam that felt festive during our stay. We found a Vietnamese 'street food' restaurant (because I am way too unlucky in life to risk eating actual streetfood) for our first lunch, and it was pretty good - couldn't tell you what it was though.

Across the road from the Saigon Centre was the wonder of - Fake City (not it's real name - took me a few days to realise that my friend was just calling it that). Rows and rows of stalls selling fake designer goods. The place was so big/crowded/narrow that it was incredibly easy to get lost - but there was something fascinating about it. Although some of the items were quite obviously fake, most of them were pretty incredibly made (and still pretty pricey). 

In the afternoon we met up with another one of my friends who I had met on my Bali trip. We set off in search of a spa to get a massage. We found one that looked pretty legit from the outside, and before I knew it Sam and I were both lying on beds in a dingy/dirty area at the back of the spa (Maddi took the smart option for a facial). I was a little confused because our beds were almost touching each other and I wasn't sure how they were possibly going to give us a back massage - something I was just saying out loud when I suddenly found out.

There was now a small woman sat on my back.

 And, I could hear Sam wincing in pain and asking her masseuse to be a little more gentle so I knew there must be someone on her back too.

The next 30 minutes were a bit of a surreal experience and we all left that spa in silence (after being ripped off again as they demanded $10 worth of tips each). 

After dinner, we spent the evening drinking cocktails on a rooftop bar close to our hotel. The place was pretty dead because we were out far too early - but at least we had a seat and I was very content. From the rooftop, we could sit and watch the crazy traffic below. I could literally have just sat and watched the traffic all night. The plan was to see in Christmas Day but we failed at that and went to bed. 

In the morning, we took another trip to the shopping centre to get some cash from the safer looking cash machines. It seems in Vietnam, Christmas Day is to be spent at the Shopping Centre doing family photoshoots with the decorations. All the women were very dressed up in evening dresses and we watched them make their way around the mall in large groups, stopping at any festive decor for a few pictures. I felt very under dressed.

For lunch, we had a traditional Vietnamese Banh Mi.

Google define, please - a sandwich consisting of a baguette (traditionally baked with both rice and wheat flour) filled with a variety of ingredients, typically including meat*, pickled vegetables, and chilli.

* I had the vegetarian version because I'm a wimp. The Banh Mi cost about $1.50 and was delicious. 

Being Christmas Day we decided to be super festive and took a day trip to the Củ Chi Tunnels. These tunnels were used by the Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam war and were used for hiding, traps, storing supplies and even hospitals. It took about an hour and a half to get to the tunnels and we were on a group tour with about 10 other tourists. When we arrived at the tunnels there were lots of other tour groups there and it was all very disorganised. Our tour guide walked us around and showed us all the different areas - but also did spend most of the time on his phone which was quite annoying. There was an opportunity to get in the tunnels and experience it, however, due to my injuries, I wasn't sure I would be able to get back out so I gave it a miss - and judging by the faces from some of the people when they got out - I think I made the right decision. 

Halfway through the tour I realised I had lost my sunglasses (yes, those invincible Raybans) and went running off back to the bathrooms I had recently been in. As I rushed off, they fell off my head and I realised I hadn't actually lost them after all. So that was pretty embarrassing. 

But the Raybans live on.. again!

Being out on a tour bus gave us the opportunity to see a bit more of Ho Chi Minh City - as we only had 2 days there, and I was still pretty injured, we hadn't seen as much as I would have liked to. 

In the evening, I decided to go for a local delicacy for my Christmas dinner. New York Pizza. Takeaway, obviously, so I could sit in bed and watch movies whilst I ate it. Pizza in Vietnam is weird because they seem to use tomato salsa on the base instead of pizza sauce but it was still a delight and I was happy with my life decisions. 

On our final morning in Vietnam, we had one more important thing to do before we headed to the airport, and that was to try some egg coffee. I saw this on a Kara and Nate vlog so it was high on my Vietnam to-do list (I basically do anything they tell me to do if you hadn't noticed - particularly coffee based) We found a small coffee shop in an alleyway near our hotel that offered it on the menu and got two cups - it was delicious. It's hard to describe, but it tasted like fluffy custard and smelt amazing. That was the start of our egg coffee love. 

Next stop - Hoi An, Vietnam. 

So, I think I'm finally over my Bali PTSD enough to write about it.

Unfortunately, my phone was damaged/drowned on this trip and I was one of those people that didn't believe in paying for iCloud storage so photos are a little more limited than intended. FYI I now pay for iCloud storage. 

Desperate to go to Bali in 2018, I managed to slot it in just before Christmas. As all my friends had already been/weren't really interested in going, I booked a Topdeck tour. For those of you who don't know, Topdeck is a group tour company for '18-30 somethings'. So although I was going alone, I wouldn't actually be alone. Just to make this paragraph a little more confusing, I did actually end up going alone for a week beforehand as a last minute decision to get some relaxation in before a busy few weeks of travelling (I went to Vietnam straight after Bali).

A couple of days before my flight I received an email from Emirates with an upgrade offer to business class. It didn't take too much to persuade myself that it could be a Christmas present to myself because I probably wasn't going to have another opportunity to fly EMIRATES business class again.  and before I knew it I was boarding the plane and turning left instead of right. In an even more exciting turn of events, the whole business class cabin was empty and 'Miss Tarplee' had the whole cabin to herself.

8 hours later and I reluctantly had to get off the plane - who would have thought I would ever say those words. The airport was a little confusing but I finally found my way to my case and the exit. Being a British Citizen I didn't require a visa but I did get a new stamp for my passport which I was way more excited about than any other normal human being would be.

People had warned me about what was next, but I still found it pretty intense. Walking into the arrivals area there were hundreds of people holding up name signs and shouting taxi at me. Thankfully, I had booked a car through my hotel booking, and I eventually spotted my name and driver.

The roads were like nothing I had ever seen before. There appears to be no road rules in Bali, and SO MANY motorbikes. I was a little scared for my life instantly - one of many times this happened in Bali.

I had booked a week in Amadea Resort in Seminyak to begin my trip. I was no longer Miss Tarplee, I was now 'Ms Megan' for the duration of my stay. The staff were wonderful from the moment I arrived. I was shown to my room which was a nice size and just what I was after for the week. Unfortunately, I did have to complain then about the fact they had put me in a block that was having construction work done an there was drilling and hammering from about 8am to 9pm - not what I had been looking for when I booked my relaxing week in Bali. Thankfully the staff were, again, great and upgraded me to another room - this one had a bath, and was steps away from the quiet pool.

 Bali was a lot more intense than I had imagined. I was staying in a brilliant location right in the heart of Seminyak, but every time I left the hotel I found it very stressful. As a lone female traveller, I was very nervous about where was safe to go. I kept to the main streets and had a wander, but there was a constant stream of locals trying to sell me things and make me go into their shops. Every time a taxi went past (which was approx every 10 seconds) they slowed down and beeped at me to see if I needed a ride which made me jump every single time. 

On my first morning, I was really adventurous, and I went to ...Starbucks. I found a seat outside and just sat and watched the world go by. People seemed to leave me alone a bit more if I was actually sat drinking coffee. I took a little walk to Seminyak village and browsed the shops but prices were very much like prices at home, so there were no bargains to be found. I didn't feel ready to attempt the market alone just yet.

My conclusion from my trip down the road was that I wasn't very good at being a solo traveller in Bali, so I might as well try and relax for the week. But I'm not very good at relaxing either. So to help with this I took  quite a few trips to the spa. My particular favourite of these trips was mani/pedi day, where my therapist who didn't speak very much English was constantly trying to make conversation with me. Firstly, she had never heard of New Zealand, and then when I told her I was from England she was more fascinated by the fact I had the same name as 'Prince Harry's wife!'. To end the treatment she started pulling on my arm hair, telling me 'you very hairy, you should book arm wax'. Delightful lady. 

FYI my arms are not THAT hairy

I spent the next few days either floating like a starfish in the pool or sat by the pool reading the magazines. I even made a friend one day - a lady who started telling me we were all pretty much screwed if there was an earthquake/tsunami because our evacuation area was in a silly place. I then went on to spend the rest of the week a little worried I was going to die.

Towards the end of the week, some people that were going to be on my tour arrived in Seminyak so I was no longer alone. As soon as I stepped out with other people I instantly felt more relaxed and actually started to appreciate Bali a bit more. I worked out the taxis and even made it into the markets. We spent some of the afternoon drinking cocktails and floating in the W Hotel pool as one of the group was staying there. It was an amazing hotel located on the beach. I didn't even see the inside of the hotel, but from the outside areas, I was instantly jealous and wished I was staying there.

 For dinner, we went to Motel Mexicola. A popular location that I had never heard of. The food was delicious and the margaritas were dangerous. There was a great atmosphere and it was here that I discovered the Australian dance 'The Nutbush'. Personally, I would describe it as the Australian Macarena but I'm not sure they would agree! I've since seen Sophie Monk do it on Instagram, and feel like I'm now pretty much an Australian Citizen because I knew what it was.

We also took a trip to Potato Head Beach Club which was one I had heard of, and after visiting in the evening, I was disappointed I hadn't visited earlier in the week because it was completely not what I imagined. In my head, it was an all-day party on the beach, but it was like a huge chill zone and I definitely could have gone there on my own. 

The following day I took another trip to the spa (still trying to learn how to relax), and this was my first experience of a Balinese full body massage. An interesting experience given that 'protecting your clients modesty' doesn't appear to be a thing in Bali, but still very relaxing, especially when mid-leg massage my therapist decided to leave my leg hanging and go to the bathroom. 

Before our tour started, I relocated to the Grandmas Hotel as this was the pick up point. This was more like a noisy Travelodge, and not quite the luxury of the previous hotel (that wasn't even that luxurious for Bali) but it was a lot cheaper than most hotels and did the job (actually it didn't because it was noisy and I barely slept, but I'm trying to be positive).

In the morning our tour guide was waiting for us in reception and we boarded a bus. The tour was the Bali Island Hopper, and our first stop was Lembongan Island. The boat journey was another interesting experience. I'm not really scared of boats, but this little thing was flying in the waves and it was a little bit terrifying. I survived this bit though. All was still good at this point.

We headed to another boat to take part in some water activities first including a seawalker experience (walking under the sea with a big diving helmet on), a banana boat (did make a bit of a fuss about people breaking their necks on these - didn't. Another activity I shouldn't have really been concerned about) and scuba diving (best moment of my whole time in Bali). 

And then we got to Devil's Tear.

Real life account of the next half an hour

 "I bet loads of people die here" - Me, 16:30, Sunday 16th December 2018

"Everyone is getting way too close to the edge, they are crazy" - Me, 16:32, Sunday 16th December 2018. 

"I'm actually really excited for dinner. I think I really want a pizza" - Me, 16:34, Sunday 16th December

"That's a really nice photo that person is taking down there, too bad I'm never gunna get any closer to the sea to get a photo like that" - Me, 16:40, Sunday 16th December 2018 

"Actually, it seems pretty safe at this bit, shall we go an take a picture?" - Me, 16:46, Sunday 16th December 2018

Me, 16:52, Sunday 16th December -

During the afternoon we also had lunch overlooking Mt Batur - an active volcano near Ubud, we visited a huge temple, and our final stop was a Bali must - coffee. Not just any coffee, this was basically cat-poo coffee. I had seen this on a Kara and Nate vlog, and they said it was pretty good, so I was very keen to try it. Don't worry, they do roast the beans numerous times after they have 'been digested' by an Indonesian civet cat. The coffee is called Kopi Luwak, and is the second most expensive coffee in the world supposedly. And I actually thought it was really nice. No regrets.

Here is a really beautiful picture of me looking like an actual child and holding my cat-poo-chino.

To end the trip, I had to endure one more motorbike ride - this time to get my final bandage change and listen to another doctor try and persuade me my foot was not going to get infected and amputated, and then it was time to head back to Seminyak. 

I had booked my flight for the next day so also had another night in the Grandmas hotel. Enough time to squeeze in a McDonalds before I left - because don't we all like to try McDonalds in different countries to see if it tastes different? I can confirm this one tasted the same, but I was outraged because they didn't do Diet Coke - not even Coke Zero!!!! 

I booked a car to the airport for 10am, and for one final Bali fright, the hotel reception decided to call my room at 6:30am to wrongly inform me that my tour group were waiting for me. I picked up my New Zealand phone and saw the NZ local time of 11am and instantly freaked out and thought I was going to miss my flight. The poor receptionist (who only spoke basic English) was just as confused as me!

Needless to say, I was quite happy for this trip to be over. 

And yes, I did get wheel-chaired around the airport and to my flights.

Next stop: Vietnam