17th May 2015 Breakfast was curry today, and it went down a treat. In full daylight, we finally understood why our room seemed so spacious and the balcony was so plush; we had been upgraded again, this time to one of the best suites on the top floor. I’ve noticed that Asians often have an… Continue Reading

16th May 2015 After a decadent late start at 7:15 am, quite the departure from the usual early mornings, we found ourselves among the first at breakfast. The workers of Vietnam, already out in the fields, would no doubt be astounded by such leisurely Western habits! Once breakfast was done, our main task for the… Continue Reading

15th May 2015 Another early start had us breakfasted and in a taxi to ‘Mỹ Sơn’ (pronounced ‘mee-son’) by 8 am. After just over an hour of travelling, we reached the mountains and parked at this World Heritage Site. It was another scorching day, with temperatures soaring to 37 degrees! Leaving our driver in the… Continue Reading

14th May 2015 Again, our house alarm system decided to make itself known at 2:26 am, ringing persistently. Shortly afterwards, Charlotte sent a text to let us know that the system was also contacting her. After a flurry of emailed instructions and another message from Charlotte confirming that Suraj had managed to resolve the issue,… Continue Reading

13th May 2015 At precisely 1:16 am this morning, I received a text from Charlotte. The house alarm had been triggered by Jamie, who was unable to turn it off. A flurry of messages followed as I sent instructions, and by around 1:30 am, I managed to switch it off remotely. Relieved, I sank back… Continue Reading

12th May 2015 The alarms woke us promptly at 7 am, and before long, we were downstairs for breakfast. A thunderstorm had rolled through during the night, but while Sue slept soundly, I was roused by four or so concussions before drifting back to sleep. From our bedroom window, we could see that the streets… Continue Reading

11th May 2015 The knock on the door at 7 am came much too soon, especially after a night spent on the hardest mattress I’ve ever encountered. Sue was already in the shower when I groggily opened the cabin window. Outside, the sea was perfectly calm, and the breath taking islets were still in their… Continue Reading

11th May 2025 I woke at 6 am, showered, and packed my rucksack before Sue stirred. By 6:30 am, we were in the dining area, surprised to see so many others already seated and eating. What we hadn’t realised was that the hotel next door was linked to ours and shared the same restaurant facilities.… Continue Reading

9th May 2015 Our flight took off slightly late due to a backlog of BA flights ahead of us. Interestingly, despite UKIP’s recent failure in the election, air traffic control seemed eager to let British planes take off first, with foreign carriers following. The flight itself was enjoyable. With the plane less than half full,… Continue Reading

8th May 2015 We’ve just endured two days of relentless rain and wind, especially wind! I’d hoped last night’s forecast, promising calm and warmth, would be accurate, but it wasn’t. Over the years, I’ve played plenty of sports in some truly miserable conditions, but I can honestly say that wind is the ultimate game-spoiler. Both… Continue Reading