The 4th Lockdown in Vietnam seemed never-ending. They started social distancing and restrictions on a few activities from the end of April. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there. The government placed more restrictions on the people as the numbers increased rapidly. By Mid July, they had no other choice but to restrict everyone’s movement, no travel across municipal or provincial lines unless authorised to do so.
Finally, the government lifted restrictions on the 15th of October and granted free travel between green zones. Relief at the idea we could escape, and I immediately took to google to find a getaway on the outskirts of Hanoi. We had to Escape our bubble. We were becoming stir crazy looking at the same scenery day in day out.
I found a quirky little retreat situated on the banks of Đồng Đò lake, a mere 1-hour drive from the city. The well-appointed container home featured all the self-catering facilities with a bonus of a sandwich shop and bar situated on the roof terrace. Offering us all the amenities we would need to enjoy a peaceful getaway.
The weather was perfect, sunny, NO HUMIDITY with a cool breeze. It felt like the ideal South African weather I love and certainly miss, giving it the extra home-away-away-home feeling. A bit nostalgic, lazing next to the dam, enjoying the peace, tranquillity in a beautiful setting, chilling with the family.
Wherever we go, we always miss our country and people, so whenever we get the opportunity to light a braai, we pounce on it, rain or shine, we will braai! This holiday was no exception. Good meat, Salad and toasty garlic bread hit the spot! It was fantastic to hear the Little Rascals reminiscing and laughing about all our funny moments and adventures we have had, bonding around the fire, memorable moments we will always cherish together.
As much as the scenery and bonding were fabulous, our fishing was not. The giant finned slippery creatures still elude us in Vietnam. I believe the scale suckers know we are not Vietnamese and laugh at our lines, taunting us all the way. Regardless of the fishless fishing, everything was perfect, exactly what we needed.
If you are looking for a quirky, peaceful and relaxing getaway, you will love Gisy Lake House. The hosts are friendly and accommodating and offer a unique eco-friendly experience in a beautiful setting. Look them up when you need some fresh air and tranquillity.
It’s that time of the year again. We were in serious need of another short getaway. The destination of choice was Mai Chau Hideaway, situated on the banks of the Hoa Binh Reservoir.
We had an early start Monday morning waiting for our driver Mr Phong to transport us to Mai Chau, which was only 135km Southwest of Hanoi. As in all road trips in Vietnam, they seem to take much longer due to slower speed limits and not many highways allowing you to travel at high speed. The average travel was 60km/hour or less hence the 3.5 hour-long drive. We snaked along the scenic Thung Khe Pass through villages, rice paddies and sugar cane fields. Mr Phong kindly stopped a few times to look at the spectacular view of the reservoir, which is comparable to a land version of Ha Long Bay.
The Rascals were happy when we finally arrived at Mai Chau Hideaway. What a sight as we left the car, stretched our legs and caught a glimpse of the spectacular view from our balcony—a true hideaway, far away from the busy streets of Hanoi.
Mai Chau is a small town surrounded by by many ethnic villages. Set in a valley between tall mountains, tropical forests and lush green rice paddies. I was hoping to see the beautiful, Plum, and Peach flowers which are suppose to be visible during the months of March, April. I was hoping to find them over the next few days.
The birds singing outside and the gentle chugs from fishing boats as the fishermen tend their traps and set out nets was the perfect wake up call to start our day. But first, a quick stop for breakfast. There was something for everyone and no one went hungry, not the normal buffet spreads we have come to enjoy. The kids tucked into bacon and eggs and hubby enjoyed a hearty chicken Pho whilst taking in the lake view.
I arranged a private guide to take us round the local area and sights. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen due to miscommunication between bookings and reception department. Whatever it was we were not going to let this ruin our holiday. The hotel scrambled and arranged a taxi to shuttle us round and back to the hotel.
First stop Go Lao Waterfall, only a 6km drive from Mai Chau Hideaway – a beautiful hidden gem, not many visitors know about it. The Rascals were relieved to hear they would only had to tackle 40 steep steps to reach the base of the falls. Well, someone couldn’t count. Of course, if I give the kids a number, they have to count it out. By the time they reached 40, they were only at the halfway point. I can now confirm if you want to visit the falls, you will only have to conquer approximately 80 steeps steps down to the base of the falls. The water flows down to Hoa Binh lake and was flowing relatively well considering its not rain season. I would recommend a visit. Pay for parking and head down to the falls. I only wish people would take their litter with them. Then it would be a pristine sight.
Our taxi driver patiently waited for me to take my pictures before heading to our next stop Lac Village and Pom Coong Village. He dropped us off at the entrance and agreed on a time to meet and head back to the hotel. It was a pity we didn’t have an English speaking guide to show the Rascals around, to understand the villages way of life. It would have been insightful to watch the villages weave, make their tools and other handcrafted items, as well as explore the history behind their beautiful wooden houses built on stilts, continuing traditions as they did centuries ago. The villages live upstairs and work below. You can opt to walk, cycle or, better option on a hot day, jump into a golf buggy to ferry you around. You can take in the scenery as you pass all the rice paddies and mountains, watching the farmers hard at work. It’s a tranquil area as you take it all in #simplewayoflife.
After a refreshing drink, the Rascals were ready to head back to the hotel. Their tummies empty, and they couldn’t wait to sit down on the balcony for a light picnic lunch and delicious plums for dessert. The hotel kindly offered a daily plum basket which was a tasty treat.
Tummies filled and rested it was time to dive into the infinity pool to cool off. Late afternoon we headed down to the lake for a spot of fishing. Unfortunately the only thing we caught was flip flops caked in mud. Regardless it was a perfect way to end a day.
Every evening we went out to the Bamboo Restaurant for all our evening meals and breakfast. The view from their terrace is amazing.
Another early morning wake up. We headed down to the lake and boarded a metal tug, which slowly and noisily chugged along the lake. We passed some floating fish farms, loads of lime stone cliffs and islets. Enjoying a magnificent water view.
The rest of the day was as chilled as the morning. We enjoyed another picnic lunch with a view, a long afternoon swim, stone balancing and a spot of fishing on the rocky side of the resort away from the mud.
Mai Chau Hideaway offers every guest a peaceful spot to unwind. It is secluded relatively far from the city and towns, forcing you to slow down and take in the beautiful views, kick back on your balcony, watching the fishermen, boats, and birds pass by.
Too excited to sleep, I stayed up wondering how our first travel adventure in Vietnam would be? Would everything be open as it was the TET holidays on the 5th of February 2019, or should I say Vietnamese Lunar New Year? I managed to drift off for a few hours before my alarm woke me up. A work colleague organised a private car to take us to the Green Bus pick up point in Hanoi. We booked a sleeping bus, whatever that meant, but it sounded good!
Well, it turns out our sleeping bus was more than I expected. When you enter the bus, the staff provided a plastic bag to store your shoes. With your shoes off, the staff usher you to your seat. The sleeping bus has three columns of double-decked beds. The children were ecstatic, the first-time adventure on a sleeping bus, never seen one before. If you have long legs, it does feel a bit cramped, especially trying to get into the top deck bed. Thankfully we were all seated on the lower level and settled down for the 6-hour drive to SaPa. I do like a road trip, taking in all the scenery as you drive by. The road was a bit hairy after it left the motorway and the bus snaked around numerous tight bends sometimes taking up the entire road to make the turns. But oh, wow! The scenery was breathtaking.
Our return journey, the bus seemed more spacious and more comfortable
Pit-stop to grab a snack and use the loo. No eating on the bus
Scenic drive
Finally, we made it. The bus dropped us off at the entrance to the town. Armed with Google maps, we pulled our suitcases along to find our accommodation. Down tight streets and alleyways to reach, The View Hotel. We arrived at our hotel, but it was closed? I was a bit disappointed as it was not what I expected. We dialled all the numbers on the door and waited for someone to arrive and check-in. Funny story, we were at the wrong hotel 🙈 this was Sapa View Hotel, but, we were booked at The View Hotel. Easy mistake. Poor staff, we disturbed them on their holiday 😂😂. Red-faced and embarrassed, we laughed and giggled as we made it down the last few streets and check-in at The View Hotel.
It was a fair walk, thankfully down-hill, but we were glad to settle into our room and drop our bags. The room was spotlessly clean, with everything we would need, including free wifi, aircon and mini bar fridge to store some food we brought for my fussy son.
Staff at The View Hotel organised a taxi to take us on a tour of the mountains and wait for us to explore before continuing onto the next place. It was surprisingly affordable considering he spent the whole afternoon driving and waiting for us.
First, stop Heaven’s gate a 15 km Drive along the Tram Ton Pass from the hotel. It’s like you are on top of the world with spectacular views of Hoang Lien Son mountain range situated about 2047m above sea level, the highest mountain pass in Vietnam.
Heaven Gate, you are on top of the world.
We turned around and headed back towards SaPa stopping at Love Falls about a 2km Drive from Heavens Gate. To reach the falls, it’s an easy 30-minute walk on a well-paved path from the entrance. It was great to see crystal clear water, unlike Hanoi dirty, polluted streams.
Our last stop Silver Waterfalls, you need your walking shoes to tackle the steps it goes up, up and up! Silver Waterfalls is 3km from Love falls. Regardless of all the steep steps, it was well worth the view. Feeling rejuvenated back in a familiar happy place, surrounded by fresh air, mountains and waterfalls, reminded me of South Africa.
Weary, and tired the taxi driver dropped us off at the Skyview Bar and Restaurant, he must have thought these passengers need a drink! We enjoyed a cocktail on the deck overlooking the town and mountains before heading inside for a well-deserved meal.
Vietnamese Lunar New Year, we spent the day at Sun World Legend exploring Fansipans spiritual sites. From the town centre, we caught the funicular to the Cable car station. Then hopped on a cable car taking us over the mountains, valleys and rice paddies to the reach the top of Hoang Lien, Son mountain, commonly referred to as the “Roof of Indochina.” From there we visited Bich Van Thien Tu and Thanh Van Dac Lo, admire the gardens and took in the breathtaking views.
The View Hotel Staff invited us to join them at midnight to bring in the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, the year of the Pig! I am glad we joined their festivities. It was an excellent way to learn a little more about their culture and traditions, as strangers sat and cheered each sip, whilst explaining how they usually have the whole family come together. It’s always a happy time; no family disagreements take place on the last day of the year. The head of the family conducts a 10-minute meeting at 11.50 pm to discuss the past year and hopes for the new year. They treated us to some of their traditional snacks and drinks, and the hotel owner gifted the children with ‘Lucky money’. The money placed in little decorative envelops and opened the next morning—an eye-opening and enjoyable night.
Last day in SaPa we ambled down the road to find Cat-Cat Village nestled at the bottom of valley only 3km from SaPa Town. I enjoying the walk downhill taking in the beautiful mountains, terraced rice paddies and watched the grazing water buffalo as we passed. Cat-Cat Cultural Village was formed in the 19th century. It was suppose to offers tourists a glimpse into the daily life of local ethnic people. Learn about their traditions, watch them weave beautiful fabrics and purchase some traditional souvenirs and handmade items. I think you need to do this with a guide and not alone as we had no information available. I would definitely revisit the village with a guide as it was fascinating and I would love an inside view into the villagers ways of life.
Blessed with unseasonably warm weather on our trip to SaPa; we had a wonderful time, a great start to our Vietnam adventures to come.
SaPa should be on the everyone bucket list when visiting Vietnam; you won’t be disappointed.
How did we land in Vietnam? A place I would have never considered as my temporary home. To be honest, it wasn’t my first choice for even a holiday destination. How wrong and closed-minded I was!
My husband and I were on a mission. We desperately needed to emigrate and leave South Africa for the second time. We kept kicking ourselves at how stupid we were to have returned to South Africa in the first place after we had successfully managed to make a great life for ourselves in the UK and then Spain for nine years between 2000 and 2009.
My husband had his ten-year Spanish residence card. Next would have been a passport. Why did we give it all up? It started when the recession hit Spain, and it became exceedingly difficult with many companies closing down, a record number of redundancies and friends forced to return to the UK. We had just welcomed our beautiful daughter into the world, and we began to convince ourselves to give our beloved country a second chance. The only country we would unconditionally love like a toxic love affair impossible to end. We tried to pretend all was good and tried to forget all the wrong as we were willing it to become a country where we could feel safe, be close to our family and make a comfortable life for ourselves and our children. With heads in the clouds, we hoped ‘Mzansi could stand together as one and fight all evil’. I mean South Africa is a beautiful country, from scenery to culture and cuisine, not to mention our great climate and the big five, the number of talented sportsmen and women to name but a few. Unfortunately, the brutality is just too ghastly to accept. We had to get it out of our system. We had to accept, we would never have the freedom and security to enjoy its full beauty without fear. We could never be free from the bars we had to hide behind each night.
In September 2018, my husband accepted a position in Vietnam. It was unexpected as we never imagined a job opportunity in Asia, and we were excited to explore a world we had not encountered before. An excellent way to share it with our children. We finally realised we were living a semi-nomadic lifestyle. We were unable to settle down in one particular country or place, we seemed to be moving every 3 to 4 years. Looking for a new opportunity and new challenges. So why not embrace our lifestyle and explore a new part of the world. The experiences our children have world schooling, learning to respect different cultures, their ways of life and belief systems they come across as they interact with people of all ages
Everything steamrolled quickly. We had to give in our notice at work, sell our home contents, cars and source the countless documents required to be authorised, apostle stamped and then translated. My husband needed to be in Vietnam in October, which didn’t give us enough time. We decided that he should leave ahead of us while we remained behind to finish all tasks, and the children could complete their academic school year.
I need to give myself a big pat on my back. I did it all on my own. Ok, it wasn’t my first rodeo. We had relocated from Johannesburg to the UK, then the UK to Spain, Spain to Johannesburg, Johannesburg to Mosselbay, Mosselbay to Cape Town and now Cape Town to Hanoi. The only difference this time was the added pressure to sell the entire contents of our home, assist my daughter with her first year-end exams, organise a joint pool birthday/farewell party, and plan our final road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg with our worldly belongings piled high in the car.
The day arrived 1 more day till we left our home in Cape Town. My wonderful mom flew in to join us on our road trip. One last night sleep in an empty home, with two beds and a washing machine waiting for collection on departure day. We enjoyed a final walk on Fish Hoek beach and finished our day off with a fabulous dinner in Kalk Bay.
With the sun shining bright we were ready. Last items dropped off at salvation army, car packed to the brim every inch of space taken up by worldly belongings. We waited for the final buyers to collect beds, washing machine and head out of Cape Town on our 1450km road trip.
Just enough space for everyone to sit
Our first stop a hidden gem off the N1 Matjiesfontein! It is only a two and a half hours drive from Cape Town. The perfect pitstop and an excellent excuse to explore the restored little Victorian street. We stopped for a bite and stepped back in time.
Tummies filled and legs stretched we continued onto Beaufort West another 230km drive for a well deserved night sleep. We book the Greys House through AirB&B, the accommodation was spacious, clean and exceedingly comfortable, with indoor pool and garden to keep the children entertained.
After a restful sleep, we were ready for the next leg of the journey, approximately 500km drive to Kimberly, to visit the worlds largest diamond mine and the deepest man-made pit in history. We decided to stay two days as we wanted to explore the town and its history.
We chose to stay at Jungnickel Gastehuis in Kimberly. The guesthouse service and English breakfast were excellent. Thankfully they had a pool and shaded outdoor space for my mom and I to relax and keep an eye on the children as they cool off after a busy morning in the Karoo heat.
Our final leg and feeling very cramped in the car we couldn’t wait to see our family in Johannesburg. I needed a holiday and spend quality time with my mom, dad inlaws before flying to Hanoi.
Final dinner
D-Day, 20th December 2018, we were ready to start our new adventure but oh how I dislike saying goodbye! There were no dry eyes at the airport. Filled with mixed feelings of excitement, sadness and guilt as we left our loved ones behind. We had to look forward and board the Cathay Pacific flight, looking towards the unknown future, but eager to reunite with my husband. It was the longest separation we had ever had to endure, but thankful it was coming to an end.
Tired of waiting in the long queue to check-inJhb to Hong Kong, short layover and connection to Hanoi
As challenging and as stressful as our move was, we managed it! We all settle into our new home and the children have adapted well to their new lifestyle.
If you are lucky enough to be given a chance to move to a new country, don’t look back, don’t live in the past, but be prepared, as every country has its pros and cons, and the 1st move is never easy. The reward for trying will be making a new life, exploring a new country and enjoying the adventure along the way. I can admit our 1st move was the hardest and took about two years to settle down, but with each move after that, it has become notably easier.
Lil Rascals Travel Adventures 