Where heaven and Earth date.

Every morning I look out the window and see Heaven so close.

And I haven’t even been outside the city yet!

Here in the mountains

Sometimes I have to allow myself a little geographical perspective in my writings to make it easier to understand where I am.

Sa Pa is a mountainous region in northern Vietnam, close to the Chinese border. The town is located at an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level, so its climate is much cooler than the rest of Vietnam. The area is made special by terraced rice fields, mist-shrouded mountain peaks and Fansipan, the highest mountain in Indochina (3143 meters).

The emphasis for me is on the “mist-shrouded mountain peaks”. The word “amazing” is not enough for me to express what I see here every day. I hope I will be able to show it with good pictures.

Another important thing about this place:

The region has been inhabited for centuries by various mountain peoples, including the Hmong, Dao and Tai communities. They still preserve their own language, customs and traditions, making Sa Pa one of the richest regions in Vietnam, not only from a natural but also from a cultural point of view. Most of the rice terraces are still cultivated by hand, just as they have been for generations.

I have seen this here in the city. I will definitely write about it in a future post.

On the square!

I’ll end my “China” post with the thought that if Ninh Binh is beautiful, then Sa Pa is beautiful on the square.

I arrived here on Tuesday from China. Today is Sunday.

In the past few days, I’ve only been in the city, and within that, only about a two-square-kilometer area.

This week, I focused on my work and my new project. I didn’t want to mess around, in a serious way.

I live in a hostel, in a four-bed room. Out of the 5 nights I’ve spent there, I’ve been completely alone for two nights, and I had a roommate for the other three. So, I can say that I now have a private room for the price of a shared dorm room. LOL.

My room is 500 meters from the main square of the city, 600 meters from Starbucks, where I’ve spent most of my days so far.

I walked around the city a lot. I got to know the surrounding streets, restaurants, the beautiful lake in the middle of the city. After a few days, I was greeted like an acquaintance in many places. So, nothing special.

I’ll show you a few pictures from the past few days.

Then, of course, life rewrote my plans again!

From this post, I managed to write the story this morning to the point that “and I haven’t even been out of town yet!”

Yesterday, as I was sitting here, I saw a Chinese guy several times. When I left here in the evening, he approached me, and we talked for a while.

He was looking for a place to stay, so I took him to the hostel where I live now. He booked a room for himself, and then he came to have dinner with me.

That evening, we agreed to have lunch together around 11 o’clock. I told him that I would be at Starbucks when he came, and we would eat.

Well, I had just written the above sentence when he came, so we went to eat at the KFC-like restaurant inside the mall building. I had already eaten there once this week, the chicken there is really delicious.

He went ahead because I had to pack up my office. By the time I caught up with him, he had already ordered lunch. For me too. Rice with chicken and chicken wings in a bun. He invited me to lunch. I happily accepted.

Then after lunch he asked me if I wanted to go to the first station of the mountain with him.

I told him I wanted to work today, thank you, but no. He didn’t insist, he just said he liked company much better. I thought about it and asked myself: Why not?

So we went to see the mountains.

He bought the tickets for the train, said he was so glad he didn’t have to go alone, that he wanted to host me.

One more thing about the guy is that I’m very grateful to him for diverting me from my original intention. We spent a very nice half day together. Today I got one step closer to Heaven, that’s for sure!

After we got back, he invited me to dinner. For the first time in my life I ate frog. Grilled. Many people told me it tasted like chicken. Now I know from experience that they were right.

After dinner we talked for a while, then he went to Lao Cai, from where I arrived here on Tuesday, and tomorrow he will go home to China.

And I will continue my day where I left off in the morning.

And in the meantime, all that happened was that I became richer with an experience of a lifetime, and now I was happy that someone with a grateful heart gave me half a day.

What did I see in Heaven today?

I met another friend in Laos, we spent a few nights together there. Let’s just say we drank a lot of beer. LOL. He’s coming to Sa Pa tomorrow. This will be the fourth time during my trip that our paths will cross again with somebody.

I learned from him that the train I was on today didn’t exist last year.

I’m lucky that I’m here now. Because the train ride up the mountain is an experience in itself. We rode in a full panoramic car. As it left the plaza building, an incredible view opened up before me.

Huge mountains above deep, incredibly beautiful, green valleys. And the tops of the mountains are shrouded in clouds. If there is such a thing (there is!) that takes your breath away, this is it. The only problem was that I didn’t know where to look. There was something amazing in every direction.

The train ride didn’t take too long. We only went up to the first station. From there, a cable train takes you up to the 3000+ meter altitude mentioned in the introduction. But today it was foggy on the mountain, so we didn’t go up. All due respect to the operators! When we wanted to buy a ticket up, the young girl at the ticket office said that the weather was foggy, the view wasn’t the best. She showed us the picture on her phone, based on which we decided to do it another time.

I will definitely go up to the highest point in Indochina in the next two weeks.

When I got off the train, the moments when the air was short just kept coming one after another. I enjoyed being in this place so much!

Gardens after gardens. Flowers in all kinds of quantities. Statues, flower sculptures. Lookout points everywhere. Selfie points. Walkways to the right and left. A swing here, a bench there. A Zen garden, next to it a pink London-style phone booth.

Everyone finds a spot where they can take their favorite photo. Alone, in company, with family. Everywhere there are happy people who are obviously very happy to be here. Just like me.

My Chinese friend was a good patron of my “Silence in Motion” project, because after a while he found a suitable spot everywhere for me to take a picture in a meditation pose. I let the pleasant flow of today take me, so today I took a lot of pictures in that series. I will soon post them on the page.

There was a temple on this part of the mountain. A majestic sight under the huge clouds.

During the nearly three-hour walk, it became clear how lucky I was. This was not the first time the guy had been here, but he had never seen what I had seen today.

A small village had been established at a certain point in the area. It was not for nothing that I mentioned in my introduction that Sa Pa is one of the richest regions in Vietnam from a cultural point of view.

For me, today was the highlight of the day, a folk dance performance. We arrived at the main square of the tiny village just as the folk performance with dancing, music and singing began.

It was a half-hour show, which I watched while sitting on the edge of the area. Everything happened right there in front of me.

The trio of music, singing and dancing was perfect. The dancers’ clothing seemed authentic. They performed the dances with a smile. Those folk dances that always revolve around the relationship between man and woman.

There was such elegance in this whole performance, it was so light that I felt it was very close to Hungarian folk dance. The play was understandable. There was tension, there was release. It was playful when it was next in line, serious when the situation required it.

They presented many layers of this culture. I saw the instruments they played. I could observe the game that was played in the background, while the main characters were in the foreground. They showed the separation and then the union of the male and female sides. There was a man singing alone, then a female-male duet. There was a pledge handover, parting, and reunion. You could notice the change of clothes during the performance.

And at the very end of the whole thing, they invited the entire audience to a dance game that required a bit of skill. My first thought was that I would go, surely no one would want to go. I was wrong. Many people went and enjoyed the game for a long time. So I watched the whole thing from the shore and I didn’t miss being there at all. It was so good to watch, to feel the game of so many people. That was my reward.

I really loved being a part of this wonderful performance.

If fate wills it, I will see it, here again.

I am very grateful for today!

I love Sa Pa.

The post 287. | Sa Pa first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

I arrived here in an exceptionally gentlemanly manner.

At 5:30 in the morning, a car came to pick me up and take me to the city of Ninh Binh. There I got on a minibus that was apparently just waiting for me to arrive, because we left as soon as I put my butt down.

I also fell asleep. They woke me up in Hanoi, where I got into another car. The driver asked where I was going. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, so I told him the old quarter of the city. The old quarter that I was already familiar with.

Then, before arriving, it turned out that there were probably more such old quarters, because he asked me which one I should go to. These unexpected cross-questions are slowly not putting as much weight on my shoulders as yesterday’s sigh. I showed him on the map the one I already knew.

So after 39 days I returned exactly where I left Hanoi. Hanoi – Hai Phong Cat Ba – Ninh-Binh – Hanoi. It was a very nice tour.

The day in Hanoi started out as an average one. Walking, food hunting. then a coffee shop so I could work.

The adventures came in the afternoon

When I finished work, I wanted to take a long walk around the city.

Passing by a small coffee and craft shop, a lady asked if I would like a coffee. I said no and kept walking. But after five steps, I changed my mind and sat down at her place. When asked what kind of coffee I wanted, I replied that it should be a surprise. So I managed to drink another delicious coffee, the name of which I don’t know.

In fact, I don’t even know the lady’s name, even though we talked for almost an hour. Unfortunately, I forget names quickly, it’s been that way my whole life. (Maybe that’s why I now have four first names? I’ll definitely remember one of them when I need it…)

I got the name! Hmong! I got a card from her, it’s on it. If you’d like to visit the shop, click here.

I also managed to talk to the lady about things that have interested me for a long time. For example, how Asian people think about us Westerners.

After the honest answers, my conversation partner said that I see the situation surprisingly well. Most Asian people will not give me a hard time if I behave inappropriately. They will smile. But they have their opinions. I have known this since I read James Clawel’s book Shogun as a child. LOL.

After a while, the lady’s daughter joined us

At the end of the conversation, I couldn’t pay for my coffee. I would have insisted that this not be the case, but the woman was adamant. Before I went to her, I bought a couple of donuts. At the beginning of the conversation, she accepted one from me with great difficulty and held it in her hand the whole time. She said she loved it very much, but she hadn’t eaten it yet.

It was a very interesting and good conversation, I left with a grateful heart.

After a long walk, I had a long conversation with a friend, so after the Starbucks during the day, I stood and talked for a long time in front of the one planned for the evening. I finally had to go in around 9:30 PM.

On the way to the train

It was time to order a taxi, because the train station my ticket was for was half an hour drive from the old quarter.

I had the usual problems with this order.

Although the name of the station was on my train ticket, and I even knew that it was not the main train station, and I even looked at the map to see where it was, I couldn’t order a taxi.

Because when I typed the name of the station into the taxi search engine, the site returned three results, and I had no idea what to choose because there wasn’t enough information on the screen.

The train was leaving on time, so I couldn’t afford to have the taxi take me somewhere else because of a bad choice, and then have to try to choose the right address again from there.

Luckily, the guys spoke English, so I asked for help. I showed my ticket to one of the young men and asked him to help me order a taxi. As proof that I wasn’t necessarily the one who was stupid, I have to say that it took him about 3 minutes to order a taxi for me.

He ordered it on his own phone. I wanted to pay him right away, but he said he would come out with me and tell the taxi driver that I would pay in cash. I thanked him for his help and asked where the bathroom was.

I started towards the place, going upstairs. But I had only managed to climb 3-4 steps when one of the girls at the counter jumped after me. She asked me if I had ordered yet. I said no, and I added to myself that I didn’t want to, because the taxi would be here in a few minutes. I’m sorry, she said, if you haven’t ordered, you can’t use the bathroom.

As I wrote, I had been standing outside for a long time and I should have peed the whole time. So, not expecting this new information, I told her that it was a problem, because then it could happen that spontaneous relief would happen here on the stairs. She didn’t laugh. Let’s say, neither did I. I asked her if this was serious. I told her that I had spent half my day at another Starbucks, maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal if… But, it was. That was her position and she left.

I got angry.

But this feeling hadn’t found me in a long time, so I immediately turned my attention to it. I thought about a few things very quickly.

On the one hand, I was arrogant, I let myself get carried away by the emotion. I have the right to do that, but I don’t need it. On the other hand, the girl was right. It’s not such a unique case that paying guests can use the bathroom for free, and everyone else has to pay for it. This option was not considered here. Thirdly, if I lasted more than an hour, I will last another 30 minutes, there will be no problem in the taxi.

Finally, I felt sincere gratitude. I have been saying for a long time that nothing is free on the road. You have to pay for everything. I forgot this in this situation. The girl simply reminded me of this with a repeated instruction.

So, 5 seconds after she left, I followed her. I put my hand on my heart, bowed and said to her, “Thank you very much!” I added to myself, “for the tecahing.”

Within a minute, the taxi driver arrived, and when he heard that I would be the passenger, he told me to show him the money before leaving.

This either means that I look really ripped and it doesn’t look like I can pay the bill. Or that he has had a lot of bad experiences.

Not only did I show him, I paid for the ride in advance.

I had the confidence.

On the railway station

When we arrived, my confidence was a little shaken.

The taxi turned into a yard where there was nothing but a lot of cargo containers and a closed and dark building.

Most importantly, there was no train station and no tracks.

Luckily, it turned out that the train station was not that far away. It is true that it was hidden behind a gate that made me think of the place as a garage rather than a train station.

I still had 1+ hours until the train arrived, so I thought I would sit on the platform.

As I went out, a lady in a uniformed railway employee very enthusiastically waved for me to come with her. I thought she wanted to sell me a ticket. But she just ushered me into the waiting room to sit down.

Well, I sat down.

At 10:45 PM, I asked when the train would arrive. It was scheduled for 22:58 anyway. She said it would arrive between 22:55 and 22:58. For a moment, I thought I was in Japan because of that precision.

I told her that I would go out to the platform now. She pointed to the door delicately. Which I couldn’t open.

Because it was locked from the outside. But, I think – so that I wouldn’t feel like she was messing with me, she quickly went around the building from the outside and opened the door. When I wanted to go out, she said that since the train wasn’t here yet, I should continue to rest my feet inside. That’s what Google Translate literally wrote. LOL.

The train arrived. She motioned for me to follow her and her colleague. Two of them greeted the train. She motioned for me to stay by the building about five times. Don’t even think about going near the moving train.

So when the train stopped, I was immediately ordered to run, and as soon as I got on, the train had already started.

Perhaps this pace is the secret to punctuality.

On the train

There were two conductors already waiting on the train.

One of them had a prepared English message waiting for him: “When we arrive, please do not order a taxi for yourself, I will order one for you from a friend in Sapa.”

This was a red flag for me. There is no reason to take an overpriced taxi in an environment where I am not aware of the prices. I had made a long-standing decision to only use an app if I could.

I didn’t feel like explaining myself to him, so I simply told him that I was not going to Sapa, but to China.

Then his next business proposition came. Would I like to be alone in the compartment? The train has four-person sleeper cabins, and I bought a lower bed in a compartment, knowing that I could count on three more people there.

This offer did not sway my previous decision. Although he didn’t say how much he wanted me to pocket for this, it wasn’t important, because I wouldn’t have given a bugs forint for a private compartment.

I told him that I had a ticket and that I wanted the bed I had already paid for, nothing else.

I think they wanted something else, because two of them escorted me to the compartment. There was such a narrow corridor in the car that my backpack got stuck and I could barely turn around.

When I opened the compartment, I was greeted by a very peaceful sight.

On one of the lower beds, two little girls were sleeping, snuggled together, with their little blindfolds over their faces. On the other lower bed, two women were lying in their sleeping clothes.

In my initial surprise, I said that I had bought a ticket for a lower bed. But at that moment I realized that it didn’t matter at all. I don’t want to wake the kids up, nor would I want the two women to sleep upstairs while the kids are downstairs.

So I said right away that it was okay. But the guide started talking really badly to the two women. I wonder what he said to them. I had to tell them three more times that it was okay.

At the end, we stood there for 15-20 seconds in awkward silence. I think the guide was still trying to figure out how I could make extra money from me today, but he finally left us.

I climbed onto the top bunk.

It was small. Hard. There was no power outlet, so I decided to lie down right away. I took off my T-shirt and lay down.

Expect good things in return!

One of the women stood in front of me with a smile. “You,” she said and pointed to the blanket on the other bunk.

I loved all the teachings today.

I fell asleep quickly and peacefully.

The post 282. | Hanoi and the current teaching first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Several people told me they missed my posts.

So did I.

I missed writing.

But this time – by making one very simple decision – I chose to spend my time differently.

First, I will show you the place I have just left and the circumstances around it.

Then, in a rather unusual format, I will summarize my experiences as a list.

Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh is the 27th place where I have stayed during this journey.

However, this is the first time I did not simply choose a place to live – I arrived there with someone.

We met in Cat Ba, and continued our journey together as friends.

I have encountered this style of travel before. Two people of the opposite sex travel together and spend their time together, but the foundation of that relationship is friendship, not a romantic partnership.

After a long time (278 days), it felt exciting to arrive somewhere with someone and know that the shared bus ride would continue beyond the moment we stepped off the bus.

So this time I was not exploring this beautiful corner of Vietnam alone.

At the same time, I did not spend my free time writing.

We walked.

We rode bicycles.

We relaxed in the hostel pool.

We went on excursions.

We watched movies together.

And many other things.

So where exactly am I?

The guidebooks provide the important facts, and I do not want to skip them:

Tam Cốc is a natural attraction in Ninh Bình Province, famous for its limestone karst mountains, winding river, and caves surrounded by rice fields. Often called the “Ha Long Bay on land,” Tam Cốc is part of the Tràng An Landscape Complex and one of Vietnam’s most picturesque river destinations.

If I look at it more closely, however, things become a bit strange.

It may sound odd, but I am not entirely sure where I actually am.

This is not the first time in Asia that I have been surprised by geography.

I set off for a place called Ninh Binh and spend several days believing it is a city.

Then I discover that Ninh Binh is both a province and a city.

Meanwhile, every second business seems to have “Tam Coc” in its name: Tam Coc Café, Tam Coc Boat Rental, Tam Coc Restaurant.

At that point I begin to suspect that tourists are not really coming to Ninh Binh City at all. They are coming to the Tam Coc area.

And that is still not the whole story.

Because then it turns out that although Google Maps and most tourists refer to the area as Tam Coc – much like we Hungarians say “I’m at Lake Balaton” – even that is not technically correct.

Geographically, my current situation looks something like this:

• Tam Cốc – where I am actually staying
• Ninh Hải – the official name of the commune
• Hoa Lư – the district
• Ninh Bình Province – the province

So yes, I came to Ninh Binh like everyone else.

But within Ninh Binh I am actually staying in Ninh Hải, which everybody simply calls Tam Coc.

Simple, right?

Let’s leave it at this:

I am in a beautiful place in the heart of Vietnam.

The Accommodation

I am starting with this because even after a week it still feels unbelievable.

We are staying in a place called Tam Coc Central Bungalow, spread across a large property.

The entire place is magnificent.

It looks exactly like the sort of place Europeans normally pay serious amounts of money to experience.

Huge limestone cliffs provide shade during parts of the day.

There are countless plants, palm trees, colorful tropical flowers, and enormous trees everywhere.

All of this sits beside a beautiful river.

Just a few steps from the river there is a large swimming pool, sun loungers, and tables shaded by palm leaves.

The rooms are surprisingly high quality.

Every morning I wake up and have to remind myself that I am not in an expensive European hotel.

It is simply an excellent place to stay.

My bed, by the way, stands in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling glass window.

Even now I can look out across the lake located in the center of the U-shaped building complex.

Our room has twelve beds.

The price is 1,360 HUF (4.25 USD) per night.

Included in that price is a breakfast that once again reminds me of some of the best hotels I stayed in during my travels across Europe.

Two large tables are covered with all kinds of delicious food, and we can eat as much as we want.

A walk of just a few hundred meters takes us into completely different worlds.

In one direction lies the center of town.

In the other direction there are beautiful lotus ponds beneath towering limestone cliffs, separated from us only by the river.

Step outside the hostel grounds and you immediately find yourself beside a stunning rice field.

Rice fields everywhere.

That is one of the defining features of this place.

It was harvest season while we were here, so we had the chance to observe every stage of the process.

Cat Ba was beautiful.

But the area around Ninh Binh – especially when explored from this accommodation – is far more beautiful.

It is no coincidence that over the past few weeks I found myself thinking that, so far, Vietnam is the most beautiful place I have ever experienced.

Another Week in Paradise

What can you do here?

I never begin exploring a place with that question.

Still, it feels good that after just one week I could already list an impressive number of experiences.

I think the numbers say a lot about this town.

We originally planned to stay for four days.

Those four days became seven.

And seven might easily become twenty-two.

(By the time I continued writing this post, it had already become ten…)

Well…

As it turns out, it became twenty-two.

And although I started writing this post several times, I never managed to finish it.

By now it would have become so long that I no longer see the point in describing everything in detail.

I would never finish.

And perhaps nobody wants to read a book about twenty-two days of my life.

So now – with tears in my eyes – I am deleting the thoughts I wrote over the last three weeks and starting again in the form of a diary.

May 27, 2026 – Wednesday

• A shared journey and a completely random decision to get off the bus. We started looking for accommodation exactly where the bus stopped. It turned out to be an unbelievably good choice.
• Our first evening in town. We watched a performance by local dancers.
• I got to relive the experience with the little girl, the sunflower seeds, and the keychain that I mentioned in my post About Cafés.
• We claimed ownership of the foosball table. I won the very first game. Then, over the following three weeks, I lost every single match except two. The lady proved to be a worthy opponent.

May 28, 2026 – Thursday

• Workday.
• Exploring cafés.
• Wandering around town in the evening and discovering local restaurants.
• A long conversation by the beautiful riverside that lasted late into the night.

May 29, 2026 – Friday

• A full-day motorbike trip exploring the surrounding area. Two people on one motorbike.
• Discovering a quiet temple.
• A pleasant surprise in a restaurant. After ordering a smoothie and a coffee, we were later given fruit as a gift, followed by Vietnamese tea. It is an incredible feeling when an experience arrives simply as an act of kindness.
• Photographing rice fields for the first time. A breathtaking display of colors.

• Visiting the ancient capital of Hoa Lu and learning a great deal about its history.

• Seeing the Bái Đính Pagoda, a spiritual and cultural center, from the outside. I will write more about this place later.
• Sitting on the steps of a pagoda still under construction and enjoying the sunset.
• Simply enjoying the freedom of riding a motorbike without any serious destination.

May 30, 2026 – Saturday

• Continuing our motorbike adventure.
• Watching the rice harvest for the first time.
• Visiting the historic Thai Vi Temple.
• Exploring another beautiful temple built among the rocks, including a bit of climbing.
• Watching the sunset over a rice field glowing in a thousand shades between the mountains.
• Discovering an insect that flew like a hummingbird.
• Taking a quick look around Ninh Binh City.
• Avoiding a head-on collision with a motorbike that was coming toward us in our own lane after dark.

May 31, 2026 – Sunday

• Making up for the workday I skipped on Friday.
• There was still time for foosball, table tennis, dinner, and enjoying the warm water of the pool.
• Photographing the full moon.

June 1, 2026 – Monday

• Workday.
• A classic boat tour through rice fields and caves. Here, the rowers propel the boats with their feet. The river is busy enough to feel almost like a highway, yet the scenery is absolutely stunning. We stopped at three beautiful temples along the route and passed through several river caves.
• Celebrating Children’s Day by eating the two handfuls of candy we received at the hostel while relaxing beside the pool.

June 2, 2026 – Tuesday

• Workday.
• A long walk late at night.
• Listening to the music and chanting of a new moon ceremony at Thai Vi Temple at half past midnight. Sitting in the moonlight at the gate of a temple was an unforgettable experience.

June 3, 2026 – Wednesday

• Workday.
• A cycling trip, this time joined by a third travel companion.
• Crossing a river on a bamboo ferry with our bicycles. Adventures everywhere.

June 4, 2026 – Thursday

• Workday.
• An evening spent looking at rice fields, watching rice stubble being burned, and wandering through the countryside long after dark.
• I won’t mention every day that I was getting absolutely destroyed at foosball.

June 5, 2026 – Friday

• Workday.
• A very long evening walk.
• Learning about harvesting machines.
• Exploring local cemeteries.
• Enjoying Vietnamese hospitality and tea.

June 6, 2026 – Saturday

• Workday.
• Visiting the local rice museum.
• Trying traditional farming tools.
• Tasting four different kinds of rice wine.
• Visiting a farm and learning about local gardening practices.

June 7, 2026 – Sunday

• An electric scooter adventure.
• Visiting Catholic churches in a town about 30 kilometers away.
• Discovering a remarkably harmonious church complex – a Catholic church built with Vietnamese architectural elements. We listened to chanting, then Vietnamese Christian hymns accompanied by an organ.
• The church garden itself felt like pure Zen.
• A slow journey through extreme heat and wonderful sights.
• More wandering late into the night to unwind.

June 8, 2026 – Monday

• Just another ordinary day in paradise.
• With beautiful photographs.

June 9, 2026 – Tuesday

• A full-day cycling trip.
• Riding on little-used roads and through wonderfully chaotic traffic.
• In the evening, meeting a talented Indonesian singer-guitarist and discovering a new favorite bar.

June 10, 2026 – Wednesday

• Workday.
• Followed by a three-hour boat trip in the Tràng An area.
• Passing through ten caves by boat, visiting three beautiful temples, and traveling through the landscape of King Kong’s world – an unforgettable experience.
• In the evening, we watched one of the King Kong movies together.

June 11, 2026 – Thursday

• Workday.
• After work, we went for a long walk around the area.
• We headed for a viewpoint in the nearby hills. For some reason, I decided to do this hike wearing flip-flops. Climbing rocks and ladders was quite an adventure – especially since it had been raining all day and everything was slippery.
• In the evening, we watched another King Kong movie together.
• Up until this point, we had been extending our stay three days at a time. Moving on came up regularly in conversation, but every time we reached the same conclusion: this place was simply too beautiful to leave.

June 12, 2026 – Friday

• It was supposed to be a workday.
• I decided otherwise.
• We rented bicycles and ended up cycling 40 kilometers while also walking another 11.
• We finally visited the magnificent pagoda complex that we had only seen from a distance back on May 29.
• We knew it would be a long day. In the end, it turned out to be even longer than we expected.
• After twenty kilometers of cycling, the next challenge was deciding how to explore a huge complex that combines modern and traditional pagodas.
• The actual visitor area begins one or two kilometers from the entrance. Walking there is not allowed.
• You basically have two options: take an electric shuttle and explore the grounds on foot, or let the shuttle carry you around the entire complex. We chose walking.
• We also bought tickets that included access to the tallest pagoda in Asia.
• I could easily write for hours about this place, but I will spare you that and simply list what we saw.
• A gigantic temple known as the “Three Gates,” filled with enormous statues and extraordinary grandeur.
• At the entrance, two monks asked our names and where we came from. They immediately wrote the information on three pieces of paper, handed them to us together with two bundles of incense sticks, and marked three temples on a map. Our task was to place the papers, light the incense, and spend a little time meditating at each location. We treated it as a fun treasure hunt because at first the map was not easy to understand. In the end, we completed the entire little ritual.
• We walked through an open corridor lined with thousands of Buddha statues. The walls were filled with small alcoves, each containing a stone figure. Every statue was different. The sheer number of them was breathtaking.
• We saw Vietnam’s largest bronze bell, weighing seventy tons. Incredible.
• Next came another enormous temple. Unfortunately, photographs cannot really capture the experience.
• There was also a lake – or perhaps more accurately, a giant pool – where we spent some time sitting by the water.
• Another temple measured 2,000 square meters, with a ceiling height of thirty meters and gilded bronze Buddha statues weighing one hundred and thirty tons. We felt very small standing there.
• My phone simply cannot capture that kind of scale.
• As a small contribution, I bought a roof tile and wrote my name on it. In a tiny way, a part of me will remain there forever.
• We visited a beautiful viewpoint within the complex. One of the attractions was a mirror placed on a table, allowing visitors to create fascinating optical illusions with the towering pagoda in the background.
• Then came yet another massive temple with a thirty-five-meter ceiling and fifty-ton statues. By that point my eyes were already dazzled by all the gold surfaces I had seen throughout the day.
• Finally, we reached the pagoda itself. We took the elevator up and descended through a deserted staircase that was still under construction. And what happened in between…
• The view was unbelievable. From the 13th floor we could see in every direction for miles across the beautiful landscape. Lightning flashed in the distance. It was one of those moments that simply stay with you.
• Slowly, darkness arrived. The complex remains open until 9 PM, but once evening came, everything closed and everyone left. From seven until nine, we wandered through the enormous grounds almost completely alone.
• We discovered another cave temple.
• We visited countless smaller pagodas, all beautifully illuminated.
• Bats flew above our heads along the stone pathways.
• The evening portion of the trip was every bit as magical as the daytime one.
• We still had a twenty-kilometer ride back ahead of us, after stopping for dinner.
• Along the way we stopped at a small shop to buy water. A Vietnamese boy approached us and asked if he could practice speaking with us. Once he started talking, he never stopped. His English was remarkable, and he fired question after question at us without hesitation. He spent about ten minutes talking with each of us. At the end, his father gave us both an ice cream. I loved that moment. I hope the boy heard what I told him: keep going, buddy – you’re doing great.
• Back at the hostel, we finished the day with a long foosball session.
• Naturally, I lost every game.

June 13, 2026 – Saturday

• Hang Múa.
• I am taking that name with me.
• A realization was born there. I will write about it another time.
• For the previous two weeks we had been looking at this mountain temple almost every day from around our accommodation. It was always either too early, too hot, or another program got in the way. Today, we finally climbed it.
• We walked there. Just a few kilometers.
• Before the climb, we visited the famous lotus fields stretching out below the mountain. The sheer number of lotus flowers growing there was astonishing.
• After climbing five hundred steps, we reached one of the crowded viewpoints, then climbed even more steps to reach the other one. There were crowds there as well. LOL.
• The view made me forget all about the people. At the top, I climbed onto the back of the dragon statue. Soon others started copying the idea. As we say in Hungary: one fool makes a hundred.
• We also found another cave that had already closed for the day. Apparently, around here everyone leaves after sunset, but the sites themselves remain accessible.
• On the way back we stopped for dinner. One item on the menu immediately caught my attention: burned rice. Not fried rice. Burned rice. As it turned out, it is a Chinese dish. I have absolutely no regrets about trying it. The crazy Chinese lady cooked it wonderfully. LOL.

June 14, 2026 – Sunday

• Workday. I swapped it with Friday.
• We spent a slow and peaceful day together.
• A long walk.
• A good dinner.
• A good conversation by the river.
• We were spending our final days together.
• During the night, we watched a World Cup match. Germany won.
• I was cheering for the other team.

June 15, 2026 – Monday

• My last day in Ninh Binh.
• I worked during the morning.
• After lunch, we set off on one final adventure.
• Another three-hour boat trip through Tràng An. We wanted to see the alternative route as well.
• This route included the longest tunnel beneath the mountain. Nearly one kilometer of ducking your head while drifting through darkness under solid rock.
• We even saw the exact rock formation that almost certainly appeared in one of the King Kong movies.
• We shared the boat with a very friendly Vietnamese couple. It was a pleasure talking with them.
• We celebrated our final day of cycling and boating with a pizza together.
• Later, we visited our favorite bar, where I said goodbye to my Indonesian singer-guitarist friend.
• We watched the second half of a football match.
• And then we said goodbye to each other.

I took 2,876 photos and videos in Ninh Binh.

Writing about so many experiences afterward – and selecting photographs for the galleries – turned out to be surprisingly difficult.

I feel that I have not managed to do this beautiful place justice.

But I hope I managed to bring at least a little of its atmosphere to you.

The post 281. | Ninh-Binh first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

With pleasant memories.

With a ton of photos.

I’m leaving this beautiful island tomorrow.

But the last two days want me to write their story. Well, my story.

Movie night

We didn’t go go-karting on Sunday, because they were having a movie night at the hostel.

It was very professionally organized. You could vote on which movie to watch using a link.

There was an extra opportunity that whoever wrote a Google review would be richer with a portion of popcorn.

I write reviews “professionally”, and I haven’t finished my article about Secret Garden Hostel yet.

I quickly made two videos, 33 pictures and wrote my novella-length review. I got almost 200 points for it in Google’s system. I could honestly praise this place and the people working here, because I got to know a very professionally organized, very friendly accommodation here. And most importantly, I already know every member of the staff.

The movie and my company were good, the popcorn less so, and with these thoughts this great week ended.

Let’s find out what this has to do with Monday!

Monday

I woke up early, planning a long day at work.

After breakfast I headed to one of my two favorite cafes.

I walked down the street in front of the motorbike rental business and greeted the lady owner. She stopped me and thanked me for the review I had written about her business yesterday. It was nice to see how happy she was.

Happiness vs. Monday: 1:0

A few meters later I reached the cafe when my phone rang. Someone responded to my review of the hostel last night.

I am copying this verbatim here.

That honestly means a lot to us. Really happy Secret Garden could feel comfortable enough to become part of your time in Cat Ba for so long. Thanks so much for all the kind words and for being part of the good vibes here with us and also thank you for every single “Xin chào”/ “Goodmorning” days

It’s natural for me to be who I am. As well as greeting the staff. Every morning. With respect.

I am grateful that they appreciated this!

Happiness vs. Monday: 2:0

After that, I entered the café. I will write about cafés in the next post, so for now I will just say that – as every morning – we had a little chat with the lady at the counter.

Lychees came up. She told me that this year there were not many on the island, they had to be imported. Then – since I chose something new from the offer every time – she asked if I would like to try the lychee lemonade.

Of course I would. And she offered it to me as a gift from the house. “On the house”. I never thought that someone would say this to me. Nor that it could be better than the already incredibly delicious lychee lemonade.

Happiness vs. Monday: 3:0

And at this time I usually say that I haven’t put my ass to work yet, but my life has already scored three goals.

The rest of the day was spent working until late at night.

Then in the evening we did the go-karting that we had swapped for a movie night yesterday.

This game was really fun!

First of all – today being a holiday – there were a lot of people everywhere. On the seaside promenade there were not only pedestrians, but also cars, motorbikes, minibuses, cyclists and of course a lot of go-kart drivers racing everywhere.

The whole area was chaos. I even got hit once. We were haggling over the price with a go-kart driver when two guys knocked my leg out from under me. It didn’t hurt either. I was really just nervous that I almost fell on the two little boys. Although I had lost a lot of weight, they certainly wouldn’t have been happy to experience the rest of my weight.

As soon as I jumped on the go-kart, the fight for survival began. Everyone was racing everyone. Everyone was playing with everyone. Overtaking, drifting, sometimes flipping over and falling. All this while smiling a lot. Go-karts have three wheels: one in front, two in the back. Somehow I quickly found the feeling of how to blast on two wheels. Practicing this, I received many signs of appreciation, which is how I knew this could be something special.

For me, this city is the city of lights. And to top it all off, every go-kart is oozing beautiful neon colors like a modern Christmas tree.

It was great that this fun didn’t end up missing out. It was nice to be one of the colorful Christmas trees that evening!

On the boat!

I woke up early on Tuesday morning so that I wouldn’t miss the bus that was due to arrive at 7:45.

Then at 8:00 I received a message telling me to have another coffee because today’s program was delayed. They’d pick me up at 8:30. This is Asia Baby! This is how it’s going!

The bus picked me up at the indicated time. My preliminary information was that the tour guide spoke good English. Compared to that, there were already problems with my name. On the other hand, I was the only Westerner in the group all day.

In what kind of group?

The bus stopped 4 minutes from my accommodation at the port, from where we took a boat to the eastern half of the island.

Among 1000 islands.

It was a beautiful boat trip.

I’m not sure I saw 1000 small islands, maybe there were only 500.

I often thought during the trip that I would have a hard time writing about this experience. Because I can’t really find the words to describe this Tuesday’s beauty.

Of course, I don’t want to do it by “letting the pictures speak for me.” On the one hand – I often feel this way – the pictures can’t even convey what I saw, and on the other hand, there was a story to the day beyond the view.

There was only one person on the ship who spoke English. A retired 76-year-old doctor. I talked to him a lot, we took photos together, he asked me to take a few pictures of him. Then I gave in to his urging, so he took a few of me too.

The trip also included an excellent lunch. I had it with him, his wife, and three other Vietnamese people. They were so kind: everyone showed me what to eat, helped me with food from the shared portion. They prepared the spoon in front of me, then watched me eat with chopsticks.

I spent a good part of the time alone on deck. Strictly in the shade. The deck was so hot that when I walked across it without flip-flops, I immediately regretted forgetting to wear them.

Fortunately, I survived the crawl.

There were so many things to see. For example, the 500-1000 islands. Then the beautiful green, crystal clear water.

The boat stopped at one place for a longer time. Here you could swim, jump, ride a banana boat on the sea and kayak.

I was waiting for the kayaking. I was assigned to a Vietnamese lady. At first I thought about saying that I would prefer to kayak alone, but then I said that I would swim. Not only with the kayak, but also with the flow.

So we spent a funny fifteen minutes rowing in a boat. I rowed a little by myself – as befits a gentleman -, we pulled together, and after all, I didn’t come today to do some exercise, but to enjoy the day without any expectations.

I admit – I hope no one is offended – that when I lay down in the air-conditioned cabin on the roof to admire the view from there, I fell asleep a little. This day was all about relaxation. I could use a little sleep in paradise.

After a long anchorage at sea, the ship docked on the eastern side of the island. From there, they took us to a small village – in the interior of the island – in electric cars.

Actually, it was the surroundings of the village, the jungle, that really captivated me. And the road leading there. The small village, in its peacefulness, was nothing more than a street where – I felt – everyone was just waiting for the moment when a customer would come. Several people approached me to buy something. But I didn’t need anything.

Well, yes, for one thing, with this I was able to bring mutual happiness to one of the vendors and myself. I asked for a pineapple drink. This looked like the lady squeezed a whole pineapple for me. It was incredibly delicious. 40,000 VND (500 HUF, 1.7 USD).

The only thing that stood out from the flow on my day was the seasickness.

When we set off, the boat was rocking wildly. Standing on the top of a three-story boat, you can feel the waves. I immediately started to feel the warning in my head and stomach: you are the seasick type!

I decided then and there that I would deal with this now. I refuse to give in to this feeling. When we drove the electric cars on the island to the small village, I deliberately sat with my back to the direction of travel, as I did on the way back.

The car was going pretty fast, the road was winding, and I simply reminded myself that I was not willing to give in to the attack.

And that day, I simply avoided seasickness.

This doesn’t mean that I’ll never have a problem with this feeling again. Maybe I was just lucky today.

But I’ll definitely try to handle this issue this way next time.

On the way home, we sailed through a fishing village. It’s a bit modern, a bit old settlement on the water. I saw that people really live there in their floating houses among the fishing equipment. You could feel in the air that they work hard for a bite to eat. And this world showed itself in a very interesting and colorful way.

My last working day on the island

Since the bus dropped me off at the hostel before 3am, I still had time to take a quick shower and go to work at one of my two favorite cafes.

The owner was happy to welcome me, and we had time for one last chat and goodbye.

I’m not a fan of goodbyes, I’ve said it many times.

But others do, so of course I’m participating.

I really love this island, that’s for sure.

My goodbye was easy, though.

See you next time!

The post 278. | The last days on Cat Ba Island first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

As I stood there and took one picture after another, a new idea came to my mind.

I’m going to make a photo series of the sunset!

I’ve never made a photo series, so-called time leaps shots before.

It was “simple”.

First of all, the ground was very hidden. Second, there was a waist-high concrete railing around the place. Of course, it was narrow and with a round top. So you couldn’t put anything on it.

So first I had to find a place for my tripod to put my phone on. For lack of a better tool, I pulled the trash can next to the concrete railing. I put the phone holder stand on top of it. But I had to put something under one of the legs so that it would stand relatively straight.

This is how my power bank ended up on top of the bin. However, the whole structure was unstable, so I had to hold the stand almost the entire time to keep it from being knocked over by the wind.

Then came the really easy part.

I stood next to the bin for 63 minutes and took a picture every minute from the same position, without moving my phone.

When I started, I thought that 15 minutes would be enough for the sun to set. It quickly turned out that it would be more like 30 minutes. It’s okay, if I can do 15, I can do 30.

But the sun wasn’t even over at 30, so I figured I could still stand next to the bin for a quarter of an hour.

In the end, it was 63 minutes. Every minute I pressed the remote control on the phone holder. Then I just counted the seconds so I could press it again.

In the end, the hour was neither longer nor shorter than usual, it was just a little more uncomfortable. In the last 5 minutes, the mosquitoes woke up too, so the ending wasn’t funny anymore.

But, I did it!

I took 64 pictures.

I hope you enjoy the gallery as much as I did this exceptional hour.

I also made the series in video format.

It was a special meditation.

And I managed to really get to know the sunset.

De, megcsináltam!

64 képet készítettem el.

Remélem, neked is olyan örömet okoz a galéria, mint amit nekem szerzett ez a kivételes egy óra.

Elkészítettem videó formátumban is a sorozatot.

Egy speciális meditáció volt az az idő.

És sikerült igazán alaposan megismerkednem a naplementével.

The post 277. | Sunset over Cat Ba first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Or days? Now I’m still saying, “who knows?”

I decided to write this post while I was on the road.

Because I’m finally on my way to Cat Ba Island.

The wait

I would have liked to have been on this road days earlier, but it turned out that I had an exceptionally high workload in the past few days.

I was tempted by the idea of ​​setting off despite this, but the temptation was not enough now. Besides, it had been raining for days. Every night, and often during the day. And when it rains here, it rains a lot.

At night, the rain makes an incredible noise on the roof. I am lucky because it doesn’t bother me, but I really like to listen to it. During the day, it is nice to watch the rain pour from the sky and the water flow on the streets.

But no matter how beautiful the sight is and how much I enjoy hearing it, I only want to be in it in exceptional cases.

So I waited patiently for Saturday.

I got up. I had breakfast. I extended my stay at the hostel for the third time. I got a compliment one day because the girl at the reception said she had just noticed that my beautiful eyes were completely blue. It had been quite warm this morning, that must have been the only reason I almost melted…

She asked me what my plans were for today. I told her it was a wonderful day to ride a motorbike. We’ll see if she’s right. She said yes, it’s beautiful now, but it’s going to be hell at noon.

Get on a motorbike!

I got a recommendation for a good place where you can rent a motorbike at a fair price, and the owner is very nice.

I was not disappointed. She was very nice and spoke good English. She asked where I was from. When I told her I was from Hungary, she replied: “Oh, Hungary, the land of roses!”

I had never heard that before. I didn’t want to question or refute her idea.

But I was curious why she said that. The answer is not clear. Either she knows this based on a simple misinformation, because in Asia countries are often associated with flowers. Or she simply confused the country with Bulgaria, which is often called the “land of roses.”

Anyway. I’m here for my own dreams, not to destroy others’.

Silence is golden.

And sometimes it pays off. When I asked how much the motorbike cost, she replied: “120,000, but 100,000 for you, because I like flowers.”

Maybe from now on I will think of Hungary as the land of roses too?

On the path of butterflies

I set off towards the northern port of the island. Cat Ba is in the south, so I had to travel across the entire island. To give you an idea of ​​the distance: this is 20+ kilometers by motorbike.

An incredibly good quality road has already welcomed me. The little red Honda (120 cc) that I was given is a very reliable vehicle. As a result of these two facts, I had almost nothing to do while driving slowly, but to admire the incredible view.

I was driving between huge rocks covered in green. I just stared at the giants. With a wide smile on my face. I enjoyed the way the wind caught my clothes and caressed my face.

And then I saw the butterflies!

I could admire them for long, long kilometers while riding my motorbike. To tell the truth, I had never seen butterflies flying en masse before.

I discovered the patterns they followed when flying. They were moving in rows. Interestingly, they were all heading towards the city I had just come from.

The chaos they were dominating the space above the road seemed orderly to me. They were moving forward with effortless elegance, yet purposeful.

I tried my best not to harm them. To be honest, dodging butterflies while riding a motorbike is a completely different dimension than fighting potholes.

When I saw a 10-meter-long line of them flying towards me in a huge S-shape, my breath caught. For some reason, this moment happened in such a way that I arrived in perfect synchrony in this S-shape: as the huge line surrounded me, I had no choice. I laughed out loud. It was an unforgettable moment.

Most of the butterflies were white. Simple, unadorned, light creatures. I saw a few huge black ones among them and a red one. So I wasn’t the only stranger in the crowd.

When I thought about how nice it would be to fly over the road with them, the idea suddenly occurred to me. But that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m flying among butterflies.

After all, I’m a butterfly myself. I’ve written about that before.

It was amazing!

Cat Ba North Harbor

I arrived at the North Harbor.

It was a huge sight.

Here too, the view is framed by huge rocks. Everything is incredibly green. The peaceful harmony of nature welcomed me here.

The sea was very peaceful. Large ships were resting in one half of the harbor, while the other half was more of a harbor for smaller boats.

I saw a few small boats moving on the water. Exactly as this scene is usually depicted in movies or books.

One man was steering the boat. The other stood in the bow of the boat, looking ahead. With that Vietnamese hat on his head, which I think is iconic no matter where you look at it.

This sight is beautiful even in a movie, but I felt an immense gratitude in my heart that I could now see it with my own eyes!

I arrived at low tide. This gave me the opportunity to walk on the land of the receding sea and see what was otherwise hidden.

The crabs

In addition to the incredible amount of shells, I was able to observe a lot of tiny crabs.

It is incredible how fearless these little guys are. At the slightest movement, they immediately hide back in their little holes dug in the sand. And do this very quickly! They move at an incredible speed.

That is why I waited motionless for them to come out into the sunlight. I saw many tiny crabs, and quite a few larger ones, up to 5 cm. My favorite is the one with a huge pair of scissors on its right leg and only a tiny one on the other.

I also discovered the remains of larger crabs, up to the size of the palm of my hand.

My nature diver self really enjoyed this little look.

Finally, I sat down on the beach and simply enjoyed the sunshine, the softness of the sea breeze, the smell of the sea and the incredible view.

I spent half an hour where normally, when you get on the ferry, you would only have minutes to see something.

Coffee in Italy

On the way back, I saw a sign. Sam’s cafe.

I stopped to have a coffee, but I had to discover that only the sign existed. Neither Sam nor the cafe was in sight. But at least I had a walk in the incredibly humid jungle.

I had no reason to despair this time either. A little further away, I sat down in a street cafe in a small village.

I drank an incredibly delicious and tastefully prepared coffee, along with my favorite watermelon juice. I wrote this post so far.

While writing, I stopped several times and admired the peaceful harmony that this small village shows in the shadow of the huge rocks.

The layout of the building, the peace and harmony somehow reminded me of being in Italy. That’s where I experienced this peace for the first time.

For some reason, I find it difficult to leave this peaceful silence here. But the journey continues.

My bike is waiting.

Cat Ba West Port

Sitting on the motorbike, I was suddenly overwhelmed by a cavalcade of emotions.

The wind caressed my face, while the wind tore at my body. The air hugged me warmly, but the sun burned and scratched my skin. The air was cool at the same time because of the moderate pace, while the heat of the enormous humidity almost pounded me into the ground.

My sense of smell also rode on this wave of feeling to surf. One moment I was still riding in a cloud of naturally concentrated and magnificent flowers. The next minute, the artificial freshness of freshly washed clothes awaited me in a small village.

This duality of emotions released incredible energies in me.

That was when I first thought that the receptionist was wrong.

This is not hell. This is heaven itself.

They were perfect moments.

I realized that I love this island. Everywhere I looked, I thought I saw the hut where I would spend my old days.

A perfect place.

So, feeling refreshed, I arrived on the road that I had already seen once on my first day here.

Sitting on a motorbike, the road was a little different, it showed me much more of itself. I stopped often to take pictures.

The sea water (not sure if it was the sea!) stands in small parcels on both sides of the road. On one side, huge rocks frame this road, on the other, the infinity of the sea.

I feel like this is a day of dualities.

Motorcycling and flying. Italy and Vietnam. Dual feelings. A mass of rocks and infinity.

What else can come next?

First of all, a good lunch on a cool terrace. Red Bull in a Vietnamese can, made in Thailand. I think with the knowledge of the Austrian owner.

It is half past two. I leave the familiar port behind me.

The island is waiting.

Let the mystery remain a mystery!

Leaving the restaurant, I stopped by the water plots.

My intention was to find out if the water was salty or sweet.

I thought I would lick it and then it would be revealed. As I got closer to the water, I realized that my common sense could not lose to curiosity.

Seeing the water and its shore up close helped me a lot in my decision. The goat and cow shit covering everything did not strengthen my intention to lick it.

I think my life is better without a dysentery experience.

This mystery will probably remain a mystery forever.

But at least I was able to spend an unforgettable quarter of an hour sitting with my back against the wall of a small ruined house.

The view that the island presented to me today is indescribable.

I spent the quiet minutes solving other mysteries. I tried to figure out what the story of the nail lying next to the old door might be. Or the abandoned key lying not far from it.

I couldn’t figure it out. Instead, I put them next to each other. Let others think about it too!

Palm Grove

I didn’t get far from here.

I noticed a small road leading to the sea, so a minute later I parked at a slightly hidden spot on the beach.

I spent an hour here.

I walked along the beach and looked at the sandy, brown waves. The 3 locals swimming in the sea far away. And the huge cargo ships sailing one after the other in the distance.

I studied the little crabs again. I walked a little further from the shore.

That’s when I discovered the small palm grove.

I immediately felt that I wanted to go there. I set off.

Then suddenly a thin strip of sea blocked my path. It was wide enough that I simply couldn’t cross it.

So I made a detour so that I could get to the other side with dry feet. My shoes are already in pretty bad shape, and they are pretty clean now, and I didn’t want to change that.

I reached the place where I planned to cross the river on dry land, through an exciting stretch of sand, dotted with rocks and crab holes, which was a bit wet even at low tide.

Here it turned out that the sand was wet enough to swallow my feet, so I turned back. Following my own footprints, I returned to where I started from.

In the meantime, a thought occurred to me. Why don’t I cross the small body of water barefoot? Often the easiest solution comes to mind last. LOL.

A closer examination of the water convinced me that I didn’t want to cross this water barefoot. The many – sharp – shells were not very friendly. Now that the wound on my hand from the zombie fight had healed nicely, I really didn’t need another one on my sole.

Then I saw a plank. I built a bridge over the small body of water. Well, okay. That’s a poetic exaggeration. I carried it to the water and elegantly threw it into the middle.

Of course, after that, the dry-foot crossing didn’t work. The bridge was short. Or the water was wide. Whatever. But the palm trees were so inviting, I had to go.

So finally – in wet shoes and socks – I stood there under the palm trees. Or rather, I sat.

It was very romantic. For a while, I could imagine myself as Robinson Crusoe again. I felt like I had been thrown onto a deserted island. Just the sea, the palm trees and me.

And then there was the lot of trash on the sand.

Suddenly, I noticed an interesting object. That’s how I started photographing objects washed up on the shore.

I saw a lot of bottles with shells on them. I realized that all the bottles here were closed. This is how well-meaning people throw their messages written on invisible paper into the sea with invisible ink. So that they can definitely reach their destination.

I found and photographed a lot of interesting things. I managed to create a rather impressive collection of images of treasures washed ashore.

It’s an exciting sport, I think I’ll practice it again.

On the way back, I washed my shoes again, waved goodbye to my little bridge and the hidden stretch of beach.

Resting at a lookout

Today I had a very slow ride.

A few kilometers away I stopped at a beautiful lookout.

I dried my shoes and socks. I listened to some music.

Then I noticed how tempting the beautiful marble floor was. So I lay down on it and slept for a peaceful half hour.

Sunset

After a restful sleep, I jumped on the motorbike and arrived here after 3 more long kilometers.

A small restaurant-like place. Here I wait for the Sun to show me how beautiful it is when it disappears.

Here I finished the third of the five books in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. Since I mixed up the books, I read the third one after the fourth one. I think the order is as random as life.

From here I’m just going home to continue exploring the island tomorrow.

Hike in the forests of Cat Ba

A beautiful sunny morning awaited me on Sunday.

I woke up a little late (9 am). Breakfast is available until 9:30 am, so I quickly got over it.

I had an urgent webshop problem waiting for me since the evening. It took me 45 minutes to solve it.

So I started today’s hike a little late.

But time is the least important thing today.

The island was waiting.

I didn’t resist.

Electric motorbike

A new friend of mine recommended an electric motorbike.

I definitely wanted to try it.

The other reason I chose this type today is that I planned to do less road traffic and more walking today.

I rented one at the place I visited yesterday and set off on my journey today.

An electric motorbike is another dimension of travel.

It doesn’t go faster than 40 km/h. On mountain roads, twenty is good.

And it’s silent. This and the low speed allow for a different kind of presence. The motorbike also just shows: time is not important today.

Cat Ba National Park

My first goal was the National Park.

I had already passed by its entrance yesterday, but I had other goals then.

The park offers two hiking routes. A short one and a long one.

Of course I wanted to do the long one. But I found out that it takes 4 hours there and 4 hours back. So I quickly changed my plan.

The hike begins immediately after leaving the park entrance. So all I can say about the park itself is that it is nicely furnished for its age. It is obvious that it is cared for and maintained with love. It is exactly 40 years old, so there was time to find the right place for everything.

After a few hundred meters, I discovered a once beautiful accommodation complex. Cute bamboo houses were lined up around a small artificial lake that had seen better days.

I looked at them. Each one had the equipment, but some had already had their roofs blown in. It was as if everyone had suddenly left on a sad Tuesday.

I found two bars, the prices there showed that the place must have been abandoned for years.

I liked it anyway. I walked around thoroughly before starting the real tour.

Ngu Lam Peak

Climbing this mountain was a real challenge.

It’s not that hard, but I had to hold on until I reached the top in 45 minutes.

Now I’m here, enjoying the silence and solitude. Since I’ve been here (about half an hour ago), no one else has come up here.

A little further down there is a lookout point with a small building. I hear everyone else only came up until that point.

On the other hand, a beautiful spider came up with me, and here I noticed that it was playing stowaway on my backpack. I also met a blue lizard and a huge blue butterfly all up here.

When I sat down, my mouth was shut at first, because it simply remained open from the sight. This peak rises in the middle of a valley. And all around me are peaks of the same height as this peak. 360 degrees.

I feel a bit like I’m sitting in the middle of the world.

There’s nothing here, “only” the view. But it’s incredible.

I immediately decided that I just wanted to enjoy the sound of the wind, the noise of the insects, the singing of the birds. And I wanted to drink the view. Quietly but generously.

A few minutes after I sat down, I read the text on the big sign next to me. I smiled. It advised me exactly what I did.

Finally, a couple arrived at the top. We chatted for a bit. Then it was time to leave, because I was super hungry.

The way back was easier, although not easy. Those few kilometers really worked my legs. I like the feeling when my muscles tremble from the strain. It’s true, it’s not that fun to walk down the stairs on legs that aren’t completely stable. But that’s part of the game.

I remembered what it was like to climb mountains in Indonesia and Thailand. And a few times, what it was like in Hungary and Austria.

Every mountain is different. Every mountain is beautiful. I am so glad I got to know this mountain today.

Trung Trang Cave

However, this cave is definitely not a question for me.

I have seen many beautiful caves, but this one is definitely among the most beautiful for me.

At the entrance, they wrote that this is one of the most important caves in the world for observing and preserving bats. In fact! They also wrote that I should be proud to be one of the few who can see this unique cave.

Whatever these words mean, the cave was beautiful.

There was only one narrow path leading through it. In many places it was so low that you almost had to crouch down.

I saw very beautiful stalactite forms. And what perhaps made this cave stand out from the other caves I have seen was the lighting.

This was the first cave in my life where I finally managed to take nice pictures. In my opinion, the most important thing in cave photography is the light. Here, somehow, everything was set up well.

I was able to photograph not only beautiful stones and shapes, but also ferns. The place was special because it had plants in it.

Then there was the water. It was dripping in several places, honestly, I haven’t seen that in many places.

Finally, the bats. I’ve seen groups hanging from the ceiling before. But now they were only a few meters above my head. They were huge. Plus, one of the big ones was constantly circling around my head.

It was nice to watch and listen to them. You just had to endure the smell of guano.

The sign was right. It really was a special cave.

On the edge of the forest

I went to a place recommended by a friend to walk in another part of the jungle.

When I got there, I realized that I was tired.

So this time I did not accept the call of the jungle.

I simply sat on the ground on the edge of the forest, under the rocks and enjoyed the silence.

It was a quiet and slow day. With few but beautiful experiences.

I realized that I just wanted to sit for a while in the city. With a soft drink and a chocolate.

So now I am sitting here in the heart of the city. With a raspberry Pepsi that I have never tasted and a small box of Kinder chocolate.

I have finished writing today’s story.

But the day is not over yet!

The battery of the motorcycle is still 70% charged.

I will put in a few kilometers here in the city. Just for the feeling.

And in the evening I’ll probably try one of the electric cars here in the park.

It’ll be nice to end this “very serious” weekend like a child.

I love this island. It’s already given me a lot.

And I have one more experience waiting for me next week before we say goodbye.

The post 276. | Cat Ba and the center of the world first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

I mean, with multiple people – typically complete strangers.

There I lived in an eight-bed room, enjoying the company of familiar faces for a few days.

Now I live in a 12-bed room. And I don’t know anyone.

What does a room like this look like?

So I have lived/live in a room like this in two places so far, and I can describe my experiences based on the days I spent here.

The first thing that comes to mind is that the air conditioning in both rooms is on at zero to twenty-four. I can’t imagine how the machines can handle this. Nevertheless, I’m not against it. 8-10-12 people could definitely heat up a room that isn’t cold anyway.

Accordingly, the rooms have a basic noise level. I’m not bothered by noise, I can sleep anywhere and in any conditions, if I put my mind to it. At the same time, it’s good that these rooms are quiet all day long.

Since we never know who is in the room and what they are doing, so far I’ve seen everyone come in quietly and do their thing. At any time of the day, it can be assumed that someone is sleeping.

So far, I’ve only seen rooms with bunk beds everywhere. Of course, I’ve seen more on the web. But these accommodations are built on cheapness, so every space counts.

Every bed must have a curtain. This gives the bed a private character. Or rather, it hides the person sleeping. That’s why you can never be sure how many of us are in the room at the time.

Every room also has a locker dedicated to each bed. You can lock your most valuables here. In the first room, I locked my laptop here several times. In the current place, however, I always take it with me, since I went to work every day.

Most people we shared our experiences with about these shared rooms talked about complete safety. There was only one girl who told us that something was stolen from her once, and that a strange guy molested her once.

I haven’t had any unpleasant experiences yet.

Private room

When we draw the curtain, we really find ourselves in a small private room. I say this because I am not bothered by any noise that may come in at all, so drawing the curtain really feels like closing the door to my room.

There is always a power outlet and a light in this small room. I feel very comfortable because of that.

My roommates usually keep their things on the floor and under the beds. But I feel like everyone does this with caution, so I don’t have to fight my way through backpacks to get to my bed. Everyone is aware that there are more of us here.

For some reason, the first time I stayed, I put my backpack on my bed. I remember it because the first room was a little smaller than the current one and I thought it was unnecessary for it to take up space on the floor all day.

Then when I went to bed, I left my backpack next to me in the bed. In fact, as I wrote before, I unpacked them on the bed next to the wall in a row.

I have kept this practice ever since. Maybe I didn’t emphasize enough last time that I fit very comfortably in a bed by filling the edge with clothes and other things.

I think that not only did my snoring stop with losing my excess weight, but also my tossing and turning. I couldn’t have imagined sleeping on a bed with objects on it before.

However, no matter how I look at it, my closet and my bed have become one.

A few days ago, when I tried – for the first time – working in this mini-room bed, my desk actually merged with the bed.

Minimalism Again

I have written many times, and I have said even more often, that I live a minimalist lifestyle. I discovered a long time ago that I don’t need much to function in my daily life.

A bed to sleep in. A desk to work on. Optionally, a shelf to store things on. This recent experience has shown me that all of this can work for me on a bed.

Now I feel like I could function perfectly well with a 1.6 m2 private cave.

Assuming, of course, that I occupy the bed alone.

While I was writing in bed one evening, someone suddenly pulled back the curtains. A very beautiful girl stuck her head into my room. Anyone who is reading this expecting an adventure is like me. They will be disappointed. All they wanted to ask was to turn down the music. I like to listen to music loudly with my headphones on. I don’t usually think about it coming out.

Well, I just found out.

Other things related to the room

These cheap hostels are typically filled with young people. Like me.

Well, a little younger.

So, if you go to a hostel like this, it’s good to be prepared for a few things.

For example, everyone goes to bed very late. That’s me too. But everyone else usually sleeps late.

There’s always a lot of social life going on in the common area of ​​a hostel. This usually means that people are there from morning till night. They’re loud. They drink. A lot. And there’s usually always at least one person smoking weed. So, if you don’t like the smell of weed, for example, you should think about staying in a hostel like this.

I’ve seen a lot of people here who really did nothing but drink beer and smoke weed all day.

Because of the presence of so many people, I think they take cleanliness seriously, which is why the toilets and shared showers are always clean.

So far, both of my two stays in this type of accommodation have included breakfast in the room price. I think that’s something you can count on everywhere.

Typically, laundry service is also included. I really enjoy that. It’s not like I have to go very far to find another one, but it’s super convenient.

If I were BB from Forrest Gump, I would say this now: I think that’s all I can say about shared rooms.

I like this type of accommodation.

The post 274. | About the shared rooms first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

More precisely, on an island in the sea.

Cat Ba is the island where I live now.

And Cat Ba is the city too. As if they didn’t want to overcomplicate it.

On an island again

I started on an island in Asia. As if I had a little nostalgia!?

I looked at the map because I was curious how big this piece of land was from a bird’s eye view. It’s not very big. But still, it’s about a quarter bigger than Koh Samui.

Out of curiosity, I marked on a map the main areas where I had already been in Asia. I did all this in one picture.

Then I thought I’d stop for a moment. After all, I’m just an IT professional, or what!

So on Sunday evening I did something that I could have done before.

Until now, I had a map on this site. I suddenly made two more today. All three are available in the menu, but I’ll show you here how they look now.

• My Map: This map shows where I have been with pictures and markers.
• My Way: On this map, dots connected by straight lines show my journey since I arrived in Asia
• My Globe: On this page, I show what is shown on the first map on a 3D globe that can be rotated as you like.

Just for fun and journaling. LOL.

My trip to the island

When I woke up on my last day in Hai Phong, I wasn’t 100 percent sure whether I would leave that day or not.

By the time I brushed my teeth, the next decision was made. Heading to Cat Ba Island!

I really like that these decisions can be made in minutes at this stage of life. Obviously, the fact that I finish packing all my things in 3-4 minutes makes the decision easy. In other words, 10 minutes after waking up, I closed the room door behind me.

I was on the road again. In full gear.

I didn’t have to walk much, I was at the city bus station within two kilometers.

Miraculously, I quickly managed to find out when, where and which bus leaves in the direction I need to go.

A local bus left 20 minutes later. From there, I traveled for an hour to a port for 15,000 VND (172 HUF, 0.5 USD).

From there, a ferry for 13,000 VND (150 HUF, 0.48 USD) took me to a seemingly imposing island. The boat departed 10 minutes after I arrived.

I really liked that the island, which is about two kilometers away, showed me its beauty right from the boat. I saw majestic mountains and lots of green forests in front of me.

This trip went so smoothly without any planning.

On the island, I immediately got a taxi offer to take me to the city. They asked for 100,000 VND (1,149 HUF, 4 USD). I thanked them for the offer and said that the bus was cheaper than that, so I would take it.

As I got around the bus (the driver was sleeping in the back seat), the same offer came. Both taxi drivers said that the price was 300,000, but now it will be 100,000. Well, of course!

Then two tourists came up to me. They explained more clearly that they needed me. Because the taxi really is 300,000, but if I join them, it will only be 100,000 per person. From the price, I guessed that the distance would not be small, and maybe I would do better not to wait until the driver wakes up, but to immediately head to the city.

So I accepted the offer. And with that, I practically got from my room to Cat Ba city as smoothly as possible.

First glances at the city

I immediately saw that it was a very bustling, very touristy town.

The past few days have shown that it is at once a backpacker base, a seaside resort with a seaside atmosphere, and a slightly chaotic Vietnamese town.

In my own story, I would say that it is a city of aquariums and neon lights.

The backpacker character is given by the fact that there are a lot of young tourists and a few older holidaymakers bustling in the streets.

The seaside resort atmosphere is also reinforced by the places. Before I came to Asia, my daughters and I went on holiday in Croatia. For some reason, that holiday always comes to mind. I feel a bit like I did there. I have been thinking for days about living my everyday life in a perfect seaside resort.

There are a lot of minibuses cruising the streets. The main road and 4-5 streets in the area are packed with hotels, hostels, fishmongers, restaurants, small shops, travel agencies. And cafes. I especially enjoy this now.

The restaurants and fishmongers are packed with aquariums. These are set out in rows, rows of several meters long, on the street.

So, walking the streets in recent days, I see lobsters, crabs, horseshoe crabs, moray eels and all kinds of exotic sea fish everywhere. I love looking at them. It’s like being a participant in a permanent exhibition.

However, my favorites are the neon lights. There are lots of string lights strung on trees. The lights are stretched in dense rows above the streets. The buildings and shops, from the basement to the attic, are bathed in light as darkness approaches. Wherever I look, a riot of colors delights my eyes. For some reason I can’t get enough of it!

When I arrived, it was still early afternoon. I caught myself and – for the first time – looked for accommodation by stopping by a few hotels. I asked if there was any. There was one everywhere, even though they suggested that the options were running out.

The price was 450,000 VND (5,200 HUF, 16 USD) per night. I told them everywhere that this was a lot for me. At one place they asked how much I thought. I said we could agree on 300,000. They just told me to look around. And good luck.

After 3-4 hotels, I saw that it was pointless to try, that was the offer everywhere.

So I came to a hostel. I took a bed for myself in a 12-bed shared room. The price is 160,000 VND (1,800 HUF, 5.75 USD) per night and I even get breakfast.

I will write about these shared rooms soon.

The cofes

I planned to stay here for 4 nights, so I’m writing this post on the fifth.

And I’ll definitely stay for two more.

It just so happened that… (Here – at 2:43 am – the cute cat introduced in yesterday’s post looked at what I was writing. At the same time, she walked across my keyboard and wrote a letter u here. The letter doesn’t remain in the writing, but I wanted to capture the cat’s footprint.)

It just so happened that I had a lot of work in the past few days. So I couldn’t do the planned sea cruise, jungle walk and possible motorbike exploration of the area. But I don’t want to leave here until I’ve seen a little more.

Oh, and by the way, there’s a national park nearby.

That’s why I stayed here.

I haven’t yet explored the experiences around the city, but I’ve explored the coffee houses more thoroughly. I spent the last few days in 4-5 different coffee shops.

I really enjoy being greeted as a returning regular for the second or third time. It’s not for nothing that I sit in each place for several hours.

Good wifi, and even better drinks.

There are two special Vietnamese coffees that I wanted to try in Haiphong, but I had to wait until I got to the city.

I can’t say which one is my favorite. They are so delicious that I wish everyone could taste them.

One is egg coffee. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like. Then I found out that they beat egg yolks with sugar until they are very frothy and put it on top of the coffee. In Hungary, we make cookies with this solution. Here, they froth the coffee. It’s a divine orgy of flavors. I don’t think I can get enough of it.

The other specialty is salty coffee. They whip cream until it’s as light as a cloud, and then add sugar and salt to the foam. Despite its strangeness, it’s a very special experience.

But I’ve had matcha tea with corn syrup (and corn kernels). Blueberry yogurt smoothie. I had to try the banana coconut smoothie twice today. The fruit drinks are fresh. For breakfast, I get coffee so flavored that I could drink 3 buckets of it every morning.

And they also have my favorite fried rice.

I’m in the perfect place.

Maybe I shouldn’t leave?

I’m kidding. Who knows? The usual easy last day will come soon.

But before that, I still have 2-3 days on this wonderful island.

PS: I’ve been to a massage before.

I gave in to the call tonight at 10:15 PM.

It was really good.

They folded me up again, but in ways that made me just stare. The older lady knelt on my back the and literally pounded me into the bed a few times.

When we were done, one of the beautiful girls had the store manager translate that she thought I was handsome.

Unfortunately, she didn’t speak a word of English, so our relationship ended that night.

The post 273. | Cat Ba first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

I finished the previous post about Hanoi today. I’m going to write this post about Haiphong, since I’m not there anymore.

Where I am will be a surprise for the next post.

In this post, we’ll be in Haiphong.

Why?

After 5 nights in Hanoi, it’s time to leave. I want to explore more places in Vietnam.

Just two hours ago, a friend of mine asked me how I decide where to go next.

It just so happened that all I knew was that I wanted to go to Ha Long Bay.

I don’t know much about this place, but the numbers I knew called me here. 1,500-2,000 km2 of area, a 434 km2 UNESCO World Heritage Site and about 1,600 limestone cliffs and islands.

And of course, the sea.

It was clear that I would not miss this area.

I woke up on Saturday, looked at the map of this large area and decided to come here. There was no particular reason. Because there didn’t have to be a reason.

On the bus again

I bought a bus ticket. The three-hour journey seemed like a child’s play after my previous trips.

The bus left from the old quarter, which I had already visited in Hanoi. This part of the city was just as chaotic as the first time.

The experience was different this time, in that I tried a fried, sugar-coated dough ball cake. The best experience of my two visits to the old quarter was this cake.

The bus left at 2:30 PM, and the taxi dropped me off at 1:05 PM. So I still had more than an hour to walk around here.

The term “more than an hour” is inflated very hard here in Asia. Half a minute after I left the taxi, I received a message. Today’s bus leaves at 2:00 PM, please be at the boarding point at 1:50 PM.

I knew I shouldn’t come here at the last minute.

The bus was professional. Friendly staff, air conditioning, chilled bottles of water and double-checking the number of people.

One hour after departure, one of the group leaders came to me and asked where my accommodation was, because they would take me there when we arrived.

It turned out that this bus doesn’t actually go to Haiphong, where I bought a ticket. This road leads to where I finally arrived 5 days later.

He is very sorry – the young man said – for the inconvenience, the bus will stop a little further away. But he will help me, he will call me a taxi in advance. I did not accept this with thanks. I will solve it where it is necessary. In any case, I appreciated the gesture.

The bus stopped at a huge roundabout on a highway. They apologized here too, but tis is the end of my bus trip now. LOL.

I hadn’t even set foot on the road when a taxi driver was already there and said, somewhat intolerantly, that we could go.

I also used this somewhat intolerantly way. I was sure that he didn’t understand a word I said, but it didn’t bother me. Moreover, if I remember correctly, I didn’t make it any easier for him, because I said the words in Hungarian. And only in my head. There, too, only silently.

I signaled to him with my eyes that, man, I’m getting off now, you can go because of me. Then – to the amazement of many taxi drivers – I sat down on the roadside. I looked up where I was. A little far from the city meant about 25 kilometers. I also looked up where my accommodation was.

Then I called a taxi using my app and left the roadside taxi drivers behind.

After half an hour, I arrived in Haiphong.

My room

Yesterday a friend asked me how my room was now.

Comfortable. That was the first word that came to mind.

Then I said clean, actually just a little dirty, but that was absolutely within healthy limits. Three things stuck with me. The hair in the drain. The soap dish with soap relics. And the toothbrush cup.

I never thought of using this, but now for some reason I looked into it. I realized that it hadn’t been washed in a long time.

I don’t mind these kinds of inconveniences at all. This genre is like that and that’s it.

There was one more strange thing about this accommodation. The entrance hall was locked every night around 11 o’clock. Since I was out in the city all four nights, I had to wake the doorman every night. He didn’t take it badly. He slept there 4 meters from the lock. Therefore, it was a bit incomprehensible why the gate had to be closed, but just like choosing the next destination, this also doesn’t need to be understood.

However, the fact that the door leading to the staircase was also locked could be a real headache. The lock was turned outside from the door. Every room had bars on every window.

In other words, in the event of a fire, we would have been faced with severely limited options. I bet if the doorman didn’t open the lock and we couldn’t break the thick glass of the door, we might get fried.

I think a European fire safety facility manager would have a heart attack if he stayed in this hotel.

The city

AI said about this city that it doesn’t really have a lot of attractions.

It considered a single old wooden pagoda to be worth mentioning.

I visited it the next day. Sights ticked.

It was a really old building. Very peaceful, a bit overcrowded with objects. However, the wooden structure and the roof gave it a special atmosphere. The apparently old plaster on some parts of the walls contributed to this.

And the beautiful garden. With quite a few statues and a small pond full of goldfish. The garden was so friendly that I started meditating while sitting on one of the benches.

The mosquitoes voted down my plan. So I looked around for a while longer.

Then I concluded that this was a hospitable city. I had to realize that the difficult escape route mentioned in the hotel was probably just a tradition.

Because while I was looking inside the temple, everyone else quietly left the area. And then someone locked the exit.

I immediately remembered how great it was to live in a Buddhist temple for 10 days in February. Well, maybe this will be the opportunity again. I shuddered a little at the thought that if I slept here in the courtyard, the anti-meditation insects would eat me till the morning.

I even wondered a little about how many points from a cultural perspective the stunt of climbing over the fence would be worth. Luckily, a monk appeared at that moment, whom I had politely greeted with a bow and a wai a few minutes before.

Maybe that was my luck? LOL. He was let me outside. And we didn’t even need a fire to do it.

Anyway, I walked around the city a lot in the next few days.

In summary, I think I managed to get to know a very nice town on my chance trip.

The city center, located a few kilometers from my accommodation, was bustling with real city life. Lots of shops, gyms, restaurants, street vendors.

And my favorite, the many cafes.

I spent the next three days in the city center from morning to night. I tried quite a few cafes. The coffee was delicious everywhere, the wifi was excellent, and the chairs were comfortable.

This city surprised me with a really special experience. In one of the cafes, they didn’t speak English, the drink menu was in Vietnamese. So I chose a drink pointed on the picture.

I love the courtesy with which they treat me here. I point to a picture with the clear intention of wanting to drink it. But they always ask for confirmation whether I’m sure of my choice. This was the case again. The only problem is that they definitely want everything to be in Vietnamese. Since I don’t understand the question, I usually just give a thumbs up to indicate that the choice is OK.

It’s a simple process. I point to the picture. She’ll probably repeat what I ordered. I use an international sign to say that I want to drink what’s in the picture, but whatever you bring, it’ll be good.

Now the lady really wanted that confirmation, not just on a symbolic level, so on the third try she said two very interesting words: avocado smoothie.

I think she saw from me that from now on she wasn’t getting the confirmation that it won’t matter, but that I really want to drink this.

We both won.

I’ve never had an avocado smoothie before. But here I had two. I think if I don’t say more about it, the quantity will say for me how delicious it was.

I will tell you: it was incredibly delicious. The soft creaminess that made it melt in my mouth, the softness of the avocado, its raw yet ripe flavor, the right amount of sugar, and the excellent foam on top.

For some reason, I didn’t care how many calories it had. I just had to have a second one!

The Belarusian connection

There will be one more person who will remind me of the city, not just the isolation and the avocado.

Arriving at my accommodation, I saw a – presumably – European guy, with whom I greeted each other.

Then I retired to my room for a couple of hours. Then I set off to explore the surrounding evening streets a bit.

At that point, we ran into each other again. We introduced ourselves to each other, got talking. After a few sentences, he asked where I was going. I said I had no destination, I just wanted to walk around the area.

His next question was, “A beer, maybe?”. With that, we established our habit for that day and the next three evenings.

That day, we drank beer and talked for two hours before going to bed.

On the following days, we would gather in the city or around the accommodation around 6-7 pm and have dinner together and drink draft beer.

The record was set the next night, when we both drank 5 large jugs.

I think the beer here works as an energy drink, because even with the four liters per night consumption, I didn’t feel much in my head, but I could hardly fall asleep.

After we repeatedly passed the padlock at his place.

Evgenij (I don’t even know why my blog is anonymous for such acquaintances) first came to Asia 20-25 years ago, and has spent many years here since then.

I learned a lot of linguistic, historical and cultural interesting things from him.

Apart from all this, we said goodbye to each other this morning, saying that we were both very happy about our chance meeting again, because we appreciated the conversations.

We also parted ways with him in a way that we would keep in touch and we were almost both sure that we would meet again.

There was nothing left to say:

Бывай, Хайфон!

The post 269. | Haiphong first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

I decided to watch only one of them.

The program I missed would have been very interesting, but I don’t feel any regret that I didn’t watch it.

The experience I did not miss, I would forever regret not seeing, now that I know what it was like.

Coffee and photo

This story is about a working Friday, mostly the end of it. I spent the morning in my small 19 m2 room.

When I went to have breakfast, I took my laundry from my room on the 5th floor to the reception. I waited patiently for 10 minutes for someone to come there, but then it seems the lady had something else to do.

So I looked for a pen on the counter, saw the hotel business cards and wrote on the paper “please wash my clothes. Room 502.” I added a smiley face next to it, indicating that I was sorry that I couldn’t tell you my request in person.

Around lunchtime, I went out to become an attraction.

There are a lot of cafes in the area. I try to visit more of the cafes if I can. That day I went into a small cafe at the end of a small dead end. I welcome every experience with joy, so I wasn’t put off by the fact that the young waitress told me they didn’t have coffee Americano, but they did have Vietnamese.

I hadn’t had one anyway. I thought it was about time. It was a very delicious coffee. With milk. Those who know me a little better know that I don’t like or drink milk. However, in this form I got a really tasty drink. I don’t know what had made her crazy, but it was insanely delicious.

So, I was drinking my coffee peacefully when suddenly the young girl appeared next to me. With a Polaroid camera in her hand. And she very kindly, a little shyly, but terribly politely asked if she could take a picture of me.

It was such a cute scene. Of course, that’s not why I agreed. After all, that kind of thing has never bothered me. To tell the truth, in Laos and Vietnam, a lot of people want to take pictures with me, the Western foreigner.

She took the picture, then handed it to me, which became visible when I held it in my palm. For fun, I made a video of how this little photo was born.

And the little girl immediately pinned it to a cork board – which I hadn’t noticed until then – where she already had quite a few photos of the guests. But there was no picture of a Western foreigner on it yet.

As a small cultural digression, I have to describe the following.

In Thailand, I was a farang, in Laos, I was a falang. This is not a pejorative adjective, it means something like a Western foreigner. Not simply a foreigner, but a Westerner. The origin of the word is the word Frank, which refers to French people.

The word Western in Vietnamese is Tây, which is pronounced “taei”, but you can also hear it as “thai”. This is me too, I sometimes hear people talking about me and using this word.

So, here in Vietnam I am both a Falang and a Thai! Haha. Okay, I know this is a linguistically abused pun, but I couldn’t help it. And, if I want to be really delicious, I’ll be pad thai.

The clothes were not waiting in my room. For a moment, I imagined that I would live in the last T-shirt I had for the next few months. Then I quickly realized that I was not living in 502, but in 501.

I tried to make sure that the person in the other room did not have to enjoy my used clothes for long. I went back to the reception and corrected the mistake. I received my clothes shortly after.

X Space Immersive

I waited for it to be late afternoon so I could leave. I walked to a huge plaza a little further away.

I went to see the X Space Immersive experience exhibition.

I enjoyed the experience through several rooms. Leaving one, I entered the next. I could also say that I went from one world to another.

The first room was my favorite. It was a room with an endless space filled with mirrors. All the walls were made of mirrors. With the help of LED light strings, a small park was arranged in the approximately 4×4 meter room. A little way around a silver tree – standing in the middle of the room. Such strings also hung from the ceiling. And they constantly changed their color.

As I entered the room, my breath caught. The atmosphere of the room was so wonderful that I simply stared out of my mind for a long time and thought about how nice it would be to sit in such a world.

I took a lot of photos, it was very interesting how the room was endless in different directions. Then I sat down on the glass floor, leaned my back against the “tree trunk” and was simply there on this super planet.

Elephants, tigers, and buffaloes roamed the walls. In colors dreamed up by their creators, not in their natural habitat. Birds showed their grace. Snakes slithered in the grass on the floor, scaring other small creatures with their presence.

My movement, touching the wall, conjured up a multitude of butterflies.

The sounds of the jungle made the experience complete. I really liked the atmosphere of this room too.

To be honest, I could have imagined such an environment as my natural habitat.

So it was especially nice to dive into the sea in the next room.

And watch a whale, a shark, or a school of rays swim around me.

Here I was the one who scared the living creatures. When I tried to touch a jellyfish, they quickly disappeared in alarm.

I spent quite a bit of time in this room too.

And the best part was that I didn’t even have to think for a second about how I was going to breathe underwater.

Space was waiting for me.

Next came a room where short 3D films were projected on a small dome. Under the dome, there were quite a few beanbags inviting me to rest on them.

I lay down on one of them and enjoyed the world spinning and turning around me for half an hour.

First, I visited a space station. It was an incredible experience to see it inside and out. The experience must have been like flying freely in space. I was completely captivated by the atmosphere that only space can create.

In the next story, I visited a special planet with the help of a flying car. We were driving among dinosaurs while I was neither an adult nor a child, simply a traveler enjoying the journey.

Two more rooms were waiting for me.

One of them seemed simple because it only had lights in it. But because of the mirrors, the musical effects, and the atmosphere created, this room was also beyond imagination. I loved being there.

Finally, I found myself in space again, but now I could see the spaces from the perspective of stars and entire universes.

This was on a larger scale than before. I felt happy to be here. I didn’t feel small or lonely among the stars. I was simply a part of it all for a long time.

Until a dragon chased me away.

Well, no one chased me away. It was simply time to leave this exhibition.

I was just getting ready to leave when a family came into the room. Up until then, I had been completely alone in all the rooms.

It was really cool to see how the children immediately took possession of the entire universe. It was a stark contrast to my slow steps and inquisitive attention to see how the young people were conquering the space by running and jumping.

They had the same interest – I felt – as I did, only they were discovering it all at a faster pace.

Other adventures awaited me

I left the exhibition.

I returned a few minutes later.

I wanted to listen to music, but I realized with regret that I had lost my earphones.

Again.

The good news is that there was only one place it could have been. I was almost certain that the messy thing had left me lying on the beanbag.

The guys were helpful. But they didn’t have the device. There were already two families in the room. Not suspecting anyone, but not trusting sublimation in this case, I gave up trying to find it.

One of the guys asked if I was okay with it not being found. I told him that on the one hand there was nothing I could do, and on the other hand I could. It was just okay. I try not to get too attached to things.

At least not so much as to make a problem out of something like that.

I was already very hungry, so I had dinner in the mall.

Slowly it was closing time, people started to file out. I simply followed the crowd.

That’s how I arrived at the garages, where there was nothing to look for.

I went back to get lost in the huge building.

Because only the emergency exits were marked with signs. Of course, there was definitely a sign saying where the exit was, but I couldn’t read it.

After walking around the entire complex two or three times and spending half an hour looking at the same closed shops and restaurants over and over again, I finally met a security guard. He rescued me from the endless mall.

Headphones plus, keychain minus

My time in Hanoi ended the next day.

I packed my things in the morning. I threw all my new memories with them and left the hotel.

The old quarter, which I had already gotten to know, was waiting for me to take a bus from there to leave this exciting city.

But before that, I was lucky enough to find a large tech store where I could buy my third pair of headphones this year. I bought the same ones I left the first time, for the same price I bought the second one for.

So I actually got a better quality device again for a very cheap price.

I didn’t even regret that I lost my previous one yesterday.

While I was waiting for the bill in the store, a small family appeared around me.

Two very cute little girls were playing around me.

I unhooked my little plush keychain and gave it to the older girl. No words were needed. She didn’t understand why, but I showed her to take it. She took it and thanked her without words.

I was very happy for her that I could leave Hanoi without the key ring.

I will take much more valuable memories from here.

The post 268. | Hanoi asked for another day first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.