Almost Every Delicious Thing I Ate in Vietnam: PART 1

Mi Quang is mi fave.

People don’t talk about Vietnamese food as much as they should. Everyone’s all up for Thai and Indian and so-hot-right-now Mexican. Excuse me? Can we get some PHO up in here?! Maybe a fresh spring roll?! Some Banh Mi???!?!??!?!??! WHERE IS THE LOVE???!?!?!

I’ll tell you where the love is, and where my foodie heart will probably remain for the rest of my life: the glorious land of ‘Nam. Oh my lorde. The food in Vietnam was without a doubt the best of any of the countries I went to. It beat fresh sashimi in Japan and even everyones favourite; Thai. I loved it so much that I decided I needed to dedicate two entire posts to all the wonderfully amazing things I sipped and slurped and shoved down my gob while I was there. So, I hereby give you part one of almost every delicious thing I ate in Vietnam.

Coming Home After Ten Months in Asia

Me and my stomping ground.

Nine countries in ten crazy months all done and dusted! I know it might not seem like a long time, but part of me feels like I’ve been on this journey for years. I can’t believe in a couple of hours I’ll be checking in for my fifteenth flight of the year that will take me all the way home! Who would’ve thought I’d ever be back at all?! Asia has stolen a piece of my heart and it both excites and haunts me that my next meal won’t be eaten in a plastic chair on the side of a road somewhere with a dirty spoon. I feel incredibly lucky and very grateful to have seen and done the many exciting things this trip has brought my way. Our world is truly an amazing place and seeing even the small part of it that I have has been a very humbling experience. Massive hugs and thank you’s to the Niseko crew and to every insanely cool person that I met along the way in South East Asia. I have learnt and grown a lot this year, and it’s down to all of you. The lols, tears and hangovers I shared with you guys are what I will remember long after the memories of the beautiful places I’ve been have faded. I love and miss you all and can’t wait until we meet again. In the meantime, I’ll be busy planning my next big adventure! See you in the morning Brisbane!

I posted the above quote as my Facebook status the night before the morning I arrived back home. It got ninety nine likes and it is taking every fibre of my being to refrain from liking it myself to bring it up to one hundred. The shame.

So yes, long story short (which I will elaborate on soon), I have been home (yes, home!) from my great adventure for just over a month now. I’ve been neglecting my little blog for far too long so I thought I’d give my two cents on coming home even though I’VE NEVER FELT SO BORED IN MY WHOLE LIFE. 

Photo Diary: Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Trekking to Hill Tribe Villages in Sapa, Vietnam

There is no other word to describe Sapa other than breathtaking. I know it sounds a bit over the top and very soap opera, but seriously, this place left me speechless. The scenery is unbelievably beautiful, and as usual, my photos don’t come anywhere close to doing it justice.

I went on a three-day, two-night trek, in an all inclusive tour from Hanoi. I usually wouldn’t even consider a tour like this but I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got to Sapa, had I have just jumped on a bus and figured it all out when I got there. And I don’t know a single thing about trekking, so I thought I might as well just have someone else sort it all out for me. 

Beautiful Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An is gorgeous. The buildings are all traditional old-school colonial architecture, with picturesque river and rice field backdrops. Its a sleepy little place compared to the madness of Ho Chi Minh. It’s possible to cross the road without fearing for one’s life, and the constant beeping and revving of cars and motorbikes seems to be magically drowned out by the beautiful surroundings. By night, the river is lit up by market stalls and the magnificent glow of hundreds of colourful lanterns. The smiley locals are always saying hello, striking up a charming little chat before inviting you to their tailoring shop, their friend’s bahn mi stand, their sister’s shoe shop, their aunt’s coffee shop, their brother’s motorbike taxi, their cousin’s day spa, their grandma’s pho stand and/or their best friend’s uncle’s internet café.