Nowhere in Particular

In February, time spent in Sapa lets you experience three seasons in a matter of minutes. It took us a few days to realise the town was much bigger than first anticipated because the mist only lets you see a few metres ahead. We are both wide awake during our 4:30 am minibus taxi ride in north-eastern Vietnam from Lao Chai to Sapa. 18-Wheeler trucks emerge from the misty white out honking their horns as they pass the on the narrow mountain pass. We find ourselves saying our goodbyes to each other just in case, and smile nervously at the other 13 passengers jammed amongst the luggage in what feels like eight-seater vehicle. At 6:30, the taxi drops us off at our hotel, which was locked up tight. Once we are eventually in, the sleepy receptionist is very pleased to offer us the room with the best view of the mountain (except when you can barely see your hand in front of your face that is not really a perk). Exhausted from our overnight bus trip and taxi ride, and having climbed five f...

We have had our first noteworthy injury on our round-the-world trip. While dishing up some breakfast, the paper serviette that Schalk was holding under his plate caught fire. It is worth noting that breakfast is served early at our current location and Schalk only fully wakes up by about lunch time. So when a sleepy Schalk was told he was on fire, he may have reacted a little slowly to put out the fire. Three fingers got slightly toasted with a great big blister forming on one finger. All in all, we think he was lucky as he quickly got his hand under cold running water. Two travelling chefs were also quick to come to his rescue with burn cream and dressing for the fingers (it is nice to see how strangers are willing to help fellow travellers in a difficult situation without a second thought). We will watch the fingers as they heal to check that they don’t get infected but luckily it seems Schalk got off lightly. Advice directly from Schalk: “Beware the open flame when serviette...

In the movie Braveheart, Stephen to William Wallace says that the island (Ireland) is ‘mine’. This feeling of belonging and possession is how it felt at times on Nam Cat island – one of the many tiny islands surrounding the larger Catba island off the coast of Hai Phong, Vietnam. From about 9 am to about lunch time, we had the island to ourselves with all the comforts you would need. These precious morning hours on our island could be spent on the foggy days taking photos of the mist and rain rolling in over the island mountains dotted around us. The sunny days allowed you to see all kinds of fish right from the jetty. Sitting alone at the end of the tiny pier watching the boats pass in the distance could be described as the idyllic vacation. It is my island - Nam Cat, Vietnam But the island was not ours for the whole day. In fact, this little resort is a very popular stop for tourists passing through the area that want to spend a night on a private island. From midday a new g...

In Hanoi, there were ATMs around every corner. This gave us the impression that we would be able to draw cash more easily that originally anticipated. In general, we also have enough cash on hand to get by as we draw the maximum daily allowance each time withdraw, but when you are on an isolated island, you could be caught in a tricky situation. The only thing on Nam Cat island is Nam Cat Resort. You need to pay 300 000 VND to get off the island (40-minute boat trip) and while on the island you are limited to the food and drink available at the resort prices. Normally this would be fine as you would simply settle your bill using your credit card at the end of the stay. But when the island has poor cell reception and no Wi-Fi, credit cards are not an option. In an attempt to solve this problem, we caught a boat into Catba Town to draw some cash only to find that all the ATMs were out of order. Together with a handful of Dollars and Euros we have stashed away, we may be able jus...

Within hours of arriving in Vietnam, I either lost my iPhone, or another commandeered it. I had it in the pocket of my sweatshirt which I took on and off as we moved inside and outside of terminals and buses, but before we reached the city it was missing. Most of today’s generation Xers are like me, pretty attached to their phones, sometimes without realising how much. We check what everyone is up to on Facebook, see what today’s weather is going to be, taking photos of anything interesting, staying connected to contacts via WhatsApp, finding your way around using the maps, and knowing what transactions are coming off your bank accounts. I also use my phone for listening to audio books and managing our Expedia travel bookings. Not having a smartphone, is quite devastating. Separation anxiety set in quite quickly and my husband was kind enough to let me just hold his phone for a few hours. We quickly realised this was no solution. Besides my habitual dependency on the device, one re...

As we get ready to fly out to Vietnam from South Africa at the end of the week, I can't help but remember this humorous song, Aeroplane Jane, by South African musician, Karen Zoid. It is all about the frustrations of flying and how you miss those who are not traveling with you. In this final week before we leave for our round-the-world trip , we are now homeless, unemployed and have moved back in with mom. Many of our amazing South African friends have been carving out precious time to spend with us. Those we have not been able to see have been sending encouraging messages and wishing us well. Although the song by Karen Zoid makes you laugh, it also captures how we will feel about leaving all these wonderful people behind: "You're a million miles away, and I miss you so today!"