#4NamBlondes
My final round of visitors came during my final month of Remote Year.
When THE RJGould and Lomo told me they wanted to visit, I had a pretty packed itinerary of visitors. But we decided on and agreed on Vietnam, though I demanded they come in the first or second week since I knew I’d want to spend my last 2 weeks with my Cousteau crew.
Rachel’s roommate Erin joined as well (also blonde), and so with Lomo’s creative ingenuity, the hashtag #4NamBlondes was born.
We did this trip WELL. Mostly because everyone else did more planning than I did. All of the other visitors I had, I mostly played Cruise Director, but four really did prove to be more powerful than one.
We spent our first night in Hanoi doing an incredible food tour. It was on par with the superb food tour I did my first day in Belgrade and I’d definitely recommend it. You eat a lot of Vietnamese dishes you’d otherwise never hear about.
The next day we drove out to Halong Bay for an overnight cruise to experience one of the Natural Wonders of the World. We used Bhaya Cruise and I liked them fine, though if I were to do it again I’d explore the bay via sea plane.
The next day we drove back to Hanoi for one more night before flying to Dong Hoi the following morning. It’s the airport closest to Phong Nha National Park, which is home to endless fields of rice paddies and really cool and beautiful caves. This was probably my favorite part of the trip. We stayed at the Phong Nha Farm Stay (definitely recommend), rented motorbikes with drivers, and rode an hour to Paradise Cave. Though the cave is giant and cool the drive through the park was even better.
The next day (yes, we keep a very rapid pace), we took a tour/private car to Hoi An, stopping off in Hue along the way. It was a beautiful drive and definitely better than the multiple cars and trains we would have had to take to get from Phong Nha to Hoi An.
In Hoi An we explored the beautiful town, ate their specific, regional cuisine, and I bought everything. You can get handmade silk items there and I pretended like I was a millionaire. I’d definitely recommend Bebe tailors for your clothes, but DO NOT go to Rin Go for your leather goods. Two out of the three shoes I had made are broken already.
Finally it was time for Rachel and Erin to say goodbye. They only got one week off for work, which is why we booked it through northern Vietnam so quickly. Lomo and I stayed one more night in Hoi An before we both returned to Saigon.
I’ve had a lot of visitors this year, which I’m grateful for. Thank you to all my friends who graced me with your presence and love and helped stave off, only slightly, the homesickness I felt this year. Because when you work while you travel, you still feel very tied to your life back home, which makes you miss the life you built for yourself.
