First week of my grade 2 class in the new year, and they need a bit of … Training.

Some of the kids know each other, some know of each other and one or 2 are just new. I think my students have a good idea of the personalities that they all have. I teach my kids a saying from day 1 which I touch on at least twice a week; “You don’t have to like someone, but you have to respect them.” I find that implementing this at a young age is important. It prevents a lot of petty fighting, petty is relevent in this story.

Student 1: Teachhaaaaa! He said a bad word!

Me: Who did?

Student 1: He did! *Points to a student*

Me: What did he say?

Student 1: He said “Fuck” teachaa.

I get up and approach the student.

Me: #studentname, did you say a bad word?

Student 2: *slowly nods*

Me: Thank you for telling the truth, do you think it’s nice to say that to someone?

Student 2: But she annoy me.

Student 1: Teachhaaaaa, I don’t do anything. And he just say “fuck”.

Student 3: Yeah, he said Fuck you.

Student 4: I heard, he say Fuck you.

Student 2: I didn’t say fuck you, I only say Fuck.

Student 1: Yes, he only say Fuck to me.

Student 5 (on the other side of the room): Ah, Teachaa, she said Fuck!

Me: *I should really stop giggling inside*

Student 2: Yes, I only say fuck.

Me: Okay, thank you class. We all know that it’s not a nice word to say.

Student 2: *crying* I only said Fuck to her, not fuck you.

In the end, there were a few reflective moments and a few shuffling of seats. All students left my class happy and I left with a very funny story to share.

Jonathan: I really needed the toilet in the above photo.

Denise: I noticed the guy in the red.

Jonathan: Hoi An was a lovely place to just chill. We did nothing on our day off, and much of the afternoon was spent in the horizontal allowing for our bodies to just relax. I was also watching the first day of Dota TI9.

Denise: We decided to go for sun downers on the beach, we missed the sun go down but the appreciation of the evening was still there. The lantern festival was in ancient town at the river but we have seen it before and don’t like the crowds. It was a great move because we ended up meeting the lead singer from the Dirty Skirts, Jeremy De Tolly. The South African band that made it big around 10years ago.

Jonathan: It made me feel quite old. Omw, where is the time flying. 10years! What a cool evening though !Ness even went on stage to sing with Jeremy. I declined as I would probably wreck the sound system with my vocals.

Denise: We even went night swimming!

Denise: Fast forward to the next day (because the rest of the evening is none of your concern). We got on the bike and headed to Kon Tum.

Denise: We had an amazing stay at an ethnic minority family of Vietnam, we stayed at their homestay. A heads up, this was roughing it a little for me. No showers, no basins, holes in our reed floor and thatched roof so rain got through, not badly, but it made its way through.

Jonathan: I wouldn’t classify it as amazing. Maybe I just had the grumps from the day’s ride. We rode through our first intense rain and I was drenched through and through. My soul was even wet. Our hiking boots are waterproof….. So the problem comes in with the tongue of the shoe. Due to the splash back from the tires and the water running down my bike pants it absorbs into the shoe via the tongue. Also, because it’s waterproof the water in the shoe simply damns up. Yes, I basically had water up to my ankles which then overflowed at the shoelaces. It freaked me out and I…… Need counseling just thinking about it.

Jonathan: The homestay was nice and basic and also very cheap. However, I was more relieved to just be near a bed and some food. It was a downer that we couldn’t wash up properly. However, I promised Ness we would stay at a hotel in the next big town, Ban Me Thuot… Or something like that.

Denise: Which brings us to Jono’s next outfit.

Jonathan: The title of this day would’ve been ‘Fuck the Police (via Google translate)’… Yes, I got pulled over by the popo.

Denise: Well, Jonafin got pulled over because my Jono is English. Yup, Jono pulled a “Me no speak Engels”. Hahaha, so Google translate between Afrikaans and Vietnamese.

Jonathan: I was doing 55km in 50km zone. The cop was super kind and not aggressive. He simply reminded me to watch the speed limits. For those of you who are wondering….. Yes, I don’t have a license and yes it did occur to me I could be in big kak if push really came to shove. However, Vietnam works differently from South Africa. Anyhow, I only got off with a warning and a series of well wishes for myself and Ness for the rest of our journey, all on Google translate. Also, I had my black plastic bags on when I got pulled off.

Denise: Giggles through out the ordeal.

Denise: There were some beautiful sites on the way. We even stopped at a little Ca fé and there were harvesting peanuts….. Using a motorbike!

Denise: Yes, I got one in my eye!

Jonathan: We had an amazing lunch, Com Gá Quay…. Which is chicken cooked rotisserie style with rice. It was so delicious. We were starving at this point. I’m such a guy. All I remember is the food.

Denise: I remember the “hotel” being so freaking noisy! Who moves furniture at 2 in the morning?? FFS!

The next day, I dressed in my biking gear with a poncho, Jono however took the non-environmentally friendly route.

Jonathan: I wrapped myself up in plastic from head to toe. We only had like 220km. We could have an easy ride to Phuoc Long. It was supposed to be …. Easy.

Denise: We travelled up into the mountains and the views were STUNNING! We even stopped at a waterfall that was a little off route, but worth it.

Denise: The roads were so good throughout our whole trip, and continued to be in such great condition… Until they weren’t.

Jonathan: It was raining and I had all my plastic protection going on. And we rode through beautiful agricultural roads… Quiet…. peaceful. Icing was added to the cake when we rode along the border of Cambodia. The stunning jungle scenery spotted with agricultural plots made for another ‘great route’ . Until, we ran out of tar road. The logging trucks had mashed and damaged the road until it had become a mush of loosened mud. To add even more icing to the dark forest cluster cake, it was clay. Wet clay, in the mountains where it had been raining for who knows how long?

It dawned on me that we hadn’t seen any vehicles or sign or life for over 10km of riding. Also, we were travelling slower and slower to a point where we were navigating ‘snot’ pits at a whopping 5-10km/h. Also, the noob that I am, kept on clutching front brakes whilst navigating wet clay. And when I acted in desperation to stop the bike the tail slid out and we ended up spinning 90° to the road. Ness was laughing her way to the bank…. Until she didn’t.

Denise: It was funny because he had the bike in 1st gear and the back break on and we were just sliding down through the clay, there was nothing we could do, Jono had his one foot on the floor trying to gain control but his foot was even slipping. It got so hectic that I had to put my phone away and just hang on for dear life. We did a few 90° spins where Jono, like a pro, kept us from falling, until I was lying on the floor with the bike on top of me. Jono managed to get out, but I think the passenger pedal was on my ankle between the bone and muscle so I couldn’t wiggle out. It was very sore! It felt like we had fallen, I was pinned under the bike and Jono casually got up looked to the road and tried to figure out what happend before he remembered he had a wife that was on this trip with him.

Jonathan: I remember relaxing my concentration a bit and then lost traction with the road and did the whole clutch the brakes thing. We were going quite slowly, luckily. I got a massive fright and had the bike on top of me. While I was wriggling myself from under the bike, I kept on hearing Ness crying, “Ow ow ow ow …”, But in reality it was more like the following image.

Jonathan: At some point I realised that we hadn’t seen a house, humans or anything living for that matter for a good 1.5 hours or so. We also had no cellphone signal and no way of knowing how far the prevailing road conditions would last. Would we have to sleep next to the road in the jungle? What if we have an accident and do some serious damage? I had placed us in an extremely vulnerable situation. I had to focus and ride as carefully as possible.

Denise: Luckily there was only another 30 minutes of this “snot” before we hit the nature reserve that had paved roads! Oh My Word, Jono could have kissed the guys at the entrance of the park.

And I did not sound like a yapper when we came off the bike, thank you very much!

Jonathan: We were very fortunate to have reached the park. Thank goodness. The relief was as pervasive as the clay to that road. Here are some happy pics of relief shortly after the ranger station. Also, I would like to add that Ness was positive and ever supportive throughout the ordeal. I couldn’t have asked for a better companion.

Jonathan: This was not the last of the ordeals for the day. After exiting the park and riding through small towns just outside of Phuoc Long, it started raining. It was a dense downpour affecting visibility and making navigation difficult for Ness.

Denise: My phone got so wet from the rain that the touch screen didn’t work, it’s pouring with rain and Jono and I can’t communicate without shouting at each other over the rain.

Jonathan: Also, while entering Phuoc Long, the bike was losing power. I realised that due to the strain and extra work she had to put in on the snotty roads her range would obviously be shorter. I had underestimated that. So now, we had no way of navigating to a petrol station nor did we even have a hotel to stay in. Somehow, as things seem to work out we turned left onto the mainroad, on a downhill just as the engine tuned, “naaaaahhhh bru”, we freewheeled into a petrol station. And there was a hotel right next to it.

Denise: LMFAO!! The day we had, and it ends with us on a bike with no petrol, in the pouring rain, with no phone, free wheeling into this petrol station!!

Jonathan: Hahahaha…… How friggin amazing things sometimes turn out!!

Denise: We spent 1 night there, and before we checked out, we needed to clean this mess up because that chain was still playing stuck in the mud.

Denise: An “easy ride” to Phouc Long, took Phuck long!

Jonathan: Rest and chilling. That is all I had on my mind during today’s trip from Hué to Hoi An. It was a short 135km where we passed through the popular Hai Van Pass. It featured on the Top Gear special when they rode through Vietnam, except they put their bikes on a train ;). The pass seemed suffocated and crowded with modernity and traffic of tourists and vehicles with abnormal loads. It was… Meh… Compared to the untouched beauty we witnessed riding through the jungle of Phong Nha. Perhaps I am being too cynical. Maybe I just wanted to plant my arse on the beach in Hoi An.

Denise: I just deleted Jonos post and he had to start all over again! Woops. The ride felt long, but only in the beginning, before I saw the beach!

Denise: Then I was in my happy place! The white beaches and calm sea have a way of just making my heart smile. We went to our home stay and the bed is so comfy, I am very happy about that as the Nha Nghi had very hard pillows.

We decided to go to a spot we have visited before, a very comfortable, chilled spot with affordable food and drinks.

Jonathan: Here are some photos of the beach and us…. On the beach.

Denise: Tomorrow, we wake up without an alarm, so around 06h30. We’ll have breakfast, take a morning walk and swim. Sort the bike’s chain out again and then nap. Yes, nap! And then we go and explore some more of the beach.

Denise: There is no denying that I was brought up in a comfortable environment, even when we would go camping in SA, we had a caravan and we were fortunate to travel. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a spoilt brat, I am easy going, enjoy going out of my comfort zone and not one to complain easily, but I do enjoy my luxuries. Which brings us to tonight’s place of rest, a Nhâ Nghī, a low budget hostel/”hotel” which is sometimes pay by the hour for um…. well…. recreational activities.

Denise: It has aircon (I think it works) and a fan that complains as much as our bums, I’m okay with this.

In case you were wondering, this Nhâ Nghī is a mere 20 000VND per hour. I’ll let you Google how much that is in your currency.

Jonathan: Many may wonder why the hell did we decide to stay in a ‘love’ house. Well, they are often booked by travelers on a strict budget which align themselves with back packer hostels and the like. Whereas, Ness and I have been travelling and sleeping in comfy hotels yet riding on a motorbike. Thus, I got to the idea that we should rough it up a bit, you know, Nhâ Nghi style.

Jonathan: There are dodgy stains on the sheets and the room is grimy. Both of us decided not to shower, but rather use wet wipes to rid ourselves of the day’s sweat. And boy is it hot here! Shortly after settling into our ‘love’ room, I found myself back to booking.com looking for comfy accommodation in Hoi An tomorrow. By Jove, I will book it!

Denise: “By Jove”, haha!! That is some really old lingo.
Our bums are still upset with us, and my lower back is so sore now, I think it’s from the sharp breaking and acceleration of the bike.

Jonathan: I bought a bum pillow now too.

Denise: We WILL book ourselves in for a whole spa day once we get to Ho Chi Minh!

Today in Hue, we went to visit the Imperial palace where the only original throne in Vietnam still stands for tourists to see. No photo’s were allowed in the throne room but it was hard to appreciate the history when we were both so tired, fatigued and sore.

You are greeted by the highest flag pole in Vietnam before you even see the walls of the palace.

Jonathan: From my perspective, the palace was enormous and stunning to the well rested tourist passing through. It was hot, had/have the beginnings of gypo guts and moerse tired. The heat and size of the palace sent my body into a kind of lamentation. Eventually, we just decided to leave the complex all together to seek refuge in an air-conditioned coffee bar. Hells bells, did we enjoy that!

Denise: We felt as relieved as a pee that’s finally being set free after hours of holding it…. Incredible😋. We then made our way back to our “hotel” and assumed a horizontal position for about 2 hours. I googled a place for dinner called Nina’s Café, we took a right off the main road into an alley and then another right into a smaller, darker alley.

Jonathan: It was such a welcoming atmosphere and the food was great. I helped Ness with her desert which was ice cream, banana something and coconut milk. Soooo good and very new for me.

Denise: It was waaaaaaaaayyyyy too much food. As we end the blog, here is what we had:

Denise: Meet Gin, a very cute and friendly 3 year old we met in Phong Nha when we stopped to change the oil and lubricate the chain.

Jonathan: He is super cute. In a nutshell, he just randomly walked up to Ness for a hug when we had our oil changed for the bike.

Also, the ride…. Riding along the QL1, which is part of the longest highway networks in Asia, was horrible. The trucks and buses drive erratically and fast. The horns/hooters that are equipped were tinkered in the depths of a hellish insane asylum. When blown right next to us, our hearts stop, jump start and shimmy to the right side of our chests… And then strike off two years of your life. If you aren’t used to high pitched sirens from a horror film stay the hell away from Asian roads as a motorcyclist.

Denise: We were pushed off the road speaking of horrible. A bus was over taking a truck and we had to quickly pull of to the side, this nearly happened earlier in the ride so I had my camera ready. Jono is such a great driver, kept his composure but probably losing his shit on the inside.

Freaking crazy!

Denise: And over these 2 days we have seen (well, seconds after) an accident happen. Today’s was a bit more crazy, a guy over took us, going somewhere between 80km/h and fokof. We came around the bend and he had hit a truck, he luckily just grazed it but he was man down.

You can see the victim with his head between his legs in the background. He was lucky.

We also saw many churches the further we got south. Jono tells me that is because during the communist take over in the North, the monks and priests were expelled and sent south… Very interesting.

Jonathan: Yeah, much of the South has still has a strong Catholic presence as a result. The landscape is beautiful on this side of Vietnam. Here are two maps of where we rode.

Jonathan: The rolling karsts and mountains we had to traverse and wind down and up made for some amazing riding. The roads are in amazing condition and also…. Less and less trucks!

We were both so captivated by the stunning valleys and jungle landscape. Some of Vietnam is still yet untouched! One cannot help but think how the Vietnamese porters moved supplies down to the South and had to get it through this spiny and dense landscape. Wow!

Then we came into the beautiful and unexpectedly quaint town of Phong Nha.

Denise: Note the pillow😎. Yeah, that bad boy helped like you can’t believe. The only issue is that there is only 1 so we share it. Our bums are still so sore! Every pit-stop we do a few squats, stretches and even the plank. We hope this will help us, because right now we are horizontal in bed because our bums and backs are not happy. So next stop is another pillow.

Jonathan (eating humble pie): The pillow helps so much. I was very wrong. Admittedly, I’m getting one too. Well done on that call, Ness.

Denise: Phong Nha is home to the world largest cave, the Son Dong Cave. At a small change amount of $3800.00 you can go explore the cave for 3 nights and 4 days.

We actually ran into some amazing people by fluke. We were riding down the road and I saw a sign that said “Water Slide”. Jono saw 2 huge bombs on the property so we decided to go for a drink and met some really interesting people, one of whom discovered the world’s largest cave. Among those interesting beings was a guy with 3 nipples, a guy who make liquor, the owners of the property whom had 4 dogs and a goat named Mêh.

Undetonated bombs found on the guest house property

Jonathan: It was one of those chance encounters when travelling. The people you meet, EY. They were friendly and made for some interesting conversation. Stuart, one of the owners of the guest house, said that every year around TET they still detonate bombs found on the farms from the war. People, that was 50 years ago! It was an amazing fact, yet somehow also disgusting.

Denise: Our trip to Khe Sanh is home to the biggest battle fought during the Vietnam war. We went to the Military Air Base today and got see the original bunkers, some tanks, planes and helicopters to name a few. Here are some amazing photos that we took.

Some undetonated bomb shells

Some images from the museum

Empty piled up artillery cartridges at Khe Sanh

Jonathan: The highlight of today was riding out of Phong Nha through the nature reserve. Pictures cannot capture the absolute majestic landscape which unfolds as you ride. Beautiful, clean mountain air fills the lungs and ravines run in the dropoff next to the road. And I got to share that with Ness. Here is a photo of what we got to ride through.

We are going to post some pictures of the trip over the past few days on our Facebook page.

Denise: 259.5km on a bike. 5 hours on the road. Ouch, ouch, ouch!! Imagine your 2 bum bones, you know the 2 round like bones (they could not even be bones, I dunno), they have been put on the floor as you sit and dug into the earth in a rotating motion… For 5 hours.

Jonathan: And our lower backs… We are already googling old age homes in Ho Chi Minh City. Perhaps, we will enter as the youngest retirees in 2019?

Denise: We stretch our legs for about 45 seconds to 1.5 minutes every 50km and we stop for drink every 100km. After getting back on the bike for 2 minutes, the pain starts again. It’s a dull throbbing ache in your bum cheeks and all of your ass nerves are super sensitive. So, I decided a pillow or ring cushion could help with the long journey…. I had to settle for:

Jonathan: I have my doubts about this cushion. But maybe it’ll help if one of us develops piles or a flight overseas one day.

Denise: WHEN it works, I’ll gladly share my pillow when you are struggling. You’re welcome.

Denise: Something interesting on one of our stops, Jono showed me all these squashed cans along the road.

Jonathan: Yeah, the recyclers collect tins and throw them on the road for trucks and buses to flatten them on their way to the next destination.

Denise: We saw these before our 200km stop where Jono had a coffee and I had an Avo Smoothie.

Jonathan: So tonight we are in Vinh, which seems to be just another town in Vietnam. However, I’m expecting big things tomorrow.

1: We are driving through another national park which hosts the biggest cave know to man, Hang Sơn Đoòng. But, at 3800$ a pop we’ll just be driving through.

2: Ness’ ass is still going to hurt like hell.

Denise: We’ll see.

Jonathan: Tam Biet for today.

Denise: Before I go, here are some photos from today.

Duy fitting Sòh’s new muzzle. This is only worn during the night because the puppy eats everything while everyone is a sleep.

After sunrise this morning.

Saying goodbye to Pou Long Tree house.

Vietnam’s national dish, Phó Bò.

Denise: Tomorrow should bring some fantastic photos, and a more comfortable ass.

Denise: We are here! In a tree house, we’re sleeping in a tree house tonight! We have travelled from Hanoi to Pu Luong, it took us about 6 and a half ours to get here. MY ASS, MAN!! FFS! But then this is what the destination is, absolutely worth it.

Jonathan: The main roads were in great condition. And we were crusing at around 70km/hr for majority of the way. I think both of us had ants in our pants as our arses were burning. Hopefully we will be more saddle fit as the trip goes on.

Denise: The trip its self was beautiful, the scenery was great and we saw some mountains being mined so they were half-tains. Here are some pictures from the ride.

Denise: Our host Duy (pronounced Zwee) was very welcoming and spoke very good English. In the below picture, Duy is comforting his dog ‘Moon’ and telling us how she was attacked by another dog. Please note the Vietnamese Squat, it’s not easy to do. I have accomplished this potential yoga pose.

Jonathan: I end up on my bum if I try squat like that.

Jonathan: So we have a small washing problem. Our clothes aren’t drying properly. They are still slightly damp after leaving the hotel and are miff by the time we reach our next destination. Hmmmmmmmm… Commando tomorrow.

Denise: Hahaha! We managed to get a few nice spots on the tree house, but it’s raining now. No, it’s storming. Bitter sweet. If I could describe how we’re feeling lying here in the tree house, hearing the thunder, smelling the rain and listening to the drops. It’s like the ultimate relaxation bubble.

Denise: I want to take this moment to truly thank my husband for sponsoring this holiday. I cannot imagine doing this with anyone else and feeling this happy and in love. You blow my mind with your patience, positive attitude and ability to look more handsome every day!

Jonathan: Thank goodness we decided to ride to Hanoi today. The bike needed a lot of work and is currently ready for the trek to the South. Let’s not list all the work that was done to it as I’ll have little to no knowledge of what I’m talking about. Also, it makes me woefully self conscious of my ignorance. It’s causing a bit of anxiety about what we have gotten ourselves into, but sometimes to risk it is to add some chilli to the broth of life. Speaking of which, let’s talk about some interesting chow!

Denise: Ignorance is sometimes bliss, love!

Denise: The Chow… Wow, Vietnamese food is amazing! The national dish of Vietnam is called Phở, it’s a type of noodle in a very delicious broth. Do you get the pun in the title now??

Jonathan: Also, it’s pronounced (f….uhhh) like when you look in the mirror, face numb, taking a glorious pee and talk to yourself about how drunk you just got at a family affair. (Without the /k/).

Jonathan: So, I took a stroll around the block today at lunch time while Ness was napping, looking for some lunch. I ended up at a Vietnamese restaurant which had an extensive range of meals from all over. I started off with some craft beer and…. goat meatloaf.

Denise: I was then woken up from my nap to come and enjoy the exotic food with Jono. I am not complaining, this place was a hidden gem. The Menu… Wow!

Denise: The goat meatloaf was very rich and had quite a wild taste to it. We then ordered the catfish spring rolls, those were AMAZING! It was deep fried catfish, lettuce, some spicy mayo and wrapped in rice paper, it was an explosion of fantastic flavor with each bite.

Denise: We ordered some steamed vegetables but without the shrimp sauce, because Jono is allergic to prawns. They replaced the sauce with peanuts and sesame seeds.. very interesting.

Jonathan: I tried to push Ness’ adventurous side for some crickets and/or locusts, but to no avail.

Denise: I have no excuse…

Jonathan: Anyhow, after lunch we booked a street food tour at 5pm.

Denise: We started with some Veitnamese “Bun xeo” (pronounced bun zeow). It’s an egg pancakes with beef or shrimp with rice flower inside of it, they then cut it into 3 slices and give it to you with greenary and rice paper. There is also a fish sauce dip (It sounds gross but it’s not fishy at all) and you can create your own spring roll. One of my favourite dishes.

Denise: We then made our way to another Vietnamese type of pancake made with rice flour and stuffed with mushrooms and nuts or even shrimp. That was also served with fish sauce, chilli and garlic.

Denise: A funny story.. our guide was sitting next to a gentleman from India and she asked him if he likes spicy food. His response came with a very serious and confused face, his response was “I’m from India.” A short and sweet response that had everyone in stitches.

Denise: Our tour was coming to an end, So for desert we had fruit salad drizzled with coconut milk and condensed milk, I personally prefer the fruit salad on its own but each time their own, right? We had our last stop for coffee, not just any coffee…. Egg coffee.

Jonathan: The egg coffee shop’s history is quite interesting. It has been run by the same family for the last 65 years. Also, it was the very first shop in Hanoi to start selling it. So there we all were sitting on low wooden chairs, in a danky old coffee shop unspoilt by commercial advertising and vinyl finish, sipping egg coffee.

Denise: If someone didn’t take you, you would never have found it.

Jonathan: I can only imagine the hundreds and thousands of people who have passed through here during the secluded days of Vietnam. The oldness of the establishment looks down at us from black and white photos on the walls. And the grimy, dirty floors and walls hint at… authenticity. This shop is unashamedly proud of where it’s come from and I hope it never converts to the modern religion franchise and generic products. I loved it! I love Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh to Bai Chai

Denise: Another early morning… We took a two and a half hour flight to a brand new airport in the North of Vietnam called Van Don. The airplanes were new and the airport smelt just as new.We took a rocket bus (Yes, the kind a honey badger would take, the one where it don’t give a ****) it drives super fast on the wrong side of the road, while hooting.

On another note – OUR FEET STINK! These boots with socks in 27°+ weather with humidity that’s unspeakable is asking for attention!

Denise: We finally arrived to pick up The Byke, helmets and biking gear. Moldy March overstayed its welcome and claimed a victim…

Denise: I got to see Hung, whom used to be my chauffer/body guard/ shopping buddy. He got new teeth😁!

Jonathan: Hung is a ‘Xe Om’ driver. Pronounced ‘Se Om’. Not really helping here, am I? Anyhow, he is a great guy and one of the locals who used to take Ness to and from work. His common phrase was, “DeeDee numba one.” This proved to be true as he continued to be a reliable and considerate throughout our stay in 2018.

Jonathan: So time is a fucking bastard (pardon the expletives). It’s quick, cold and unjust. We haven’t seen so many of our colleagues and friends in Cam Pha for over six months now. And all we had was a lunch with them. It’s regrettable that it is so…. I wish we could have spent a few days. However, if time were infinite we wouldn’t appreciate small, fleeting moments such as today.

Denise: It was great seeing our friends again, everyone looks so great. It makes me feel nostalgic seeing our old home still in great condition, if not better. Thank you guys!

Jonathan: As we were walking to the teachers’ house we kept on saying how much we miss the town. “Tay Tay!!” someone shouts from across the street during our brief walk. And, yup, we even miss getting called out in public as a foreigner. Hahaha.

Jonathan: The ‘bak’ (if you’re Afrikaans then that is how I refer to our bike) isn’t feeling 100%, so we have decided to stop by a guy we know in Hanoi to take a look at it tomorrow. Sjoe…. Another ungodly early morning. Here we go! On the plus side…. If all is well and we leave Hanoi (one of my least favourite cities) early; we’ll be sleeping in a tree house tomorrow evening…. And…. Sleeping in late!

Denise: Woop, Woop!!

Jonathan: oh, the people you meet! We were waiting for a friend outside a restaurant, and on a bike next to us was an Austrian traveler. And as we got to wagging the chins we clicked super well. It also turned out that he was an Uncle Ho trail traveler too, except he had started in Saigon. We are in the North now, for those of you who didn’t check on Google maps where Cam Pha is. In the end, we had supper with Dominik and what a pleasant, fleeting and small encounter we had with another traveller. One to be cherished as time’s current goes ever faster.
Denise: Everything happens for a reason!