When we booked and organised our trip to Vietnam, Laos and Thailand we hadn't planned on spending a few days in Malaysia. But, after a couple of very rainy days in Laos, stuck in the hostel, we decided to head somewhere with a bit more sun, enter Kuala Lumpur. We flew from Luang Prabang to Bangkok, and then from Bangkok onto KL.

We landed at about 12am and went down to the ticket office to buy tickets for the KLIA2 Sleeper bus. With our tickets bought we waited on the ground floor for our bus to arrive, which, can I just say, was very nice indeed. By far the best bus we'd taken the entire trip. Anyway, when we arrived we booked a Grab and headed to our hostel in Chinatown. When we arrived to check in, the lady on the desk could not have been more rude and unhelpful. She spent 40 minutes faffing around and telling us we'd made the wrong booking when we very much hadn't and then finally checked us in at about 3am. She took us into our communal room, turned all the lights on, showed us to our beds - waking up all the other people in the room. What a way to make friends on your first night, huh? Sorry fellow hostel dwellers.

The following morning we woke up very leisurely and went for a wander around Chinatown. I had sizzling pork and mushroom noodles for lunch and they were delicious. From there, we walked to the Butterfly Park, had a wander around, and then walked to the Orchid Park - which was kinda disappointing - definitely not a must do! After that, we continued our impromptu walking tour and headed to the National Mosque. After wandering around we then headed to the Jamek Mosque. From there, we took the train to the Petronas Towers. Wow. What a sight. They really really really are impressive. There's even a mall inside one of them which is equally as impressive. It's full of all sorts of shops from Chanel to Gucci and even an M&S! That evening we headed back to Chinatown for dinner before jumping into bed after a very busy day indeed.

After a very uncomfortable night's sleep, we walked to the nearest 7-eleven to grab croissants before catching a train to the Batu Caves. There are lots of stalls on the way to the caves, many of which offer henna. We had ours done for about £3 and then climbed the stairs to the top! The views etc were a little disappointing, but the entrance was free and it was a very very nice escape from the bustling city.

We then went back to the mall and actually had a Nandos for lunch. When in Malaysia, hey? It worked out as about a fiver for a pitta, drink and 2 sides - amazing. After lunch, and another wander of the mall, we went back to the hostel, got all dressed up and headed to the Petronas Towers. But, they were shut. So, we had dinner at the food court in the mall before heading to a skybar for drinks. It was ladies night, which is essentially just free drinks for girls night... Hellooo 7 free tequila cocktails. After an eventful night - more on that another time, maybe - we headed back to the hostel.

For breakfast, we treated ourselves to another 7-eleven croissant and then got a taxi to Sunway Lagoon: a waterpark come theme park. It had a very Disney/Universal feel about it with all the rides and theming and I loved it. We did the 360 degree pirate ship before spending the rest of the day in the waterpark. After an afternoon doing the slides and swimming in the wave pool, we jumped in a taxi back to the hostel. We grabbed our bags and then got back into the taxi and headed to our next hostel - Sky Society. A girl we'd met in Laos had told us all about this hostel and told us that we HAD to visit and she was right.

The hostel itself was within a load of really nice apartments and had an infinity pool on the roof - it was incredible. A little pricier than our other hostels but worth every single penny for those views. We had a swim in the pool on the 37th floor, took some photos, and then got ready for the evening. We attempted to go up the towers once again but, unfortunately, they were sold out... Just our luck. So, out of convenience, we headed back to the food court for dinner and then went to the Helipad Bar for their ladies night. Which, as the name suggests, has a helipad on the roof. We drank free wine and free pineapple and lychee cocktails to our heart's content before heading back to our hostel that didn't look or feel anything like a hostel.

We slept like absolute babies, the beds were AMAZING. If you're ever in KL I'd highly recommend staying at Sky Society, it was fab. We then took the bus back to the airport to continue with our travel plans after an impromptu few days in Kuala Lumpur... Bangkok, you're next.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

THINGS TO DO 
- Butterfly Park
- National Mosque
- Petronas Towers
- Wander the mall
- Batu Caves 


TIPS AND ADVICE 
- KL was far cheaper than we were expecting - a very nice surprise
- Lot's of the locals kept filming us and trying to take selfies with us... Yeah...
- Take the trains, they're so quick, cheap and go everywhere!

WHERE I STAYED & REVIEW

After about three weeks in Vietnam we flew to our next destination: Vientiane, Laos. Now, we hadn't heard too much about Laos but considering we were in the area and the photos we'd seen were gorgeous we decided that we couldn't not make a stop there. So, we flew from Hanoi to the capital.

We took the public bus from the airport to the city and thankfully our hostel was very near a bus stop. It was, however, incredibly hard to spot so we did walk up and down the same road multiple times cursing at google maps for not being much help. (Note to self; have a proper look on street view at where your accommodation is before you arrive. It's always hard to navigate a new place, but it's even harder when it's dark.)

We checked into our hostel, which was the most basic of our trip thus far - mattresses on the floor - and headed out for dinner. I had a pork and vegetable stirfry and it was delicious.

The following day we took the public bus to Buddha Park. It took about an hour to get there but was definitely worth it. We spent a while wandering around the park and then climbed up inside the huge Buddha which provided a great view of the entire park.

We then got back on the bus and headed to the mall/market. Here, we had lunch and a bit of a wander before heading to the Patuxai Monument. We paid our entrance fee and then climbed to the top, and oh my, it was a great view of the city.

Following this, we took our first tuk-tuk of the whole trip to That Luang Stupa, where there is a huge gold sleeping Buddha. We then took our tuk-tuk back to the hostel to have a quick nap before heading for dinner at Tyson Kitchen. Here, the food was delicious and the cocktails even better! After dinner, we headed down to the riverside where we came across a huge night market and each bought a few absolute bargains.

Once we'd woken up the following morning, we took a tuk-tuk to the COPE visitor centre. There is still lots of unexploded ordnance in Laos, which, unfortunately, still goes off and injuries many people every year. COPE custom makes (for free) prosthetics for individuals affected by this unexploded ordnance. Wandering around their visitor centre was both a humbling and upsetting experience. We then headed back to the hostel, had some lunch, checked out, and boarded our minibus to the next stop: Vang Vieng. The journey to Vang Vieng was the worst drive of the whole trip. I have never been on roads like it... One girl on our minibus was vomitting out of the window and those sat in the back seats were being absolutely thrown around. But, after four hours we'd made it to our next destination.

We checked into our hostel, and then headed for dinner. In a weird turn of events, we ended up going out clubbing in a club called Sakura. Vang Vieng is a very popular holiday destination with South Koreans, and so all of the clubs play K-Pop. So, we ended up dancing to K-Pop (neither Toria nor I know any songs), drank the worst tasting vodka of our lives and stumbled home at 2am with a souvenir Sakura vest in hand... Not quite the night we had imagined for our third night in sleepy Laos.

The following day we woke up to rain that was NOTHING like we had ever seen before. I know our summertime in the UK is the rainy season in Southeast Asia, but, oh my, does it rain and then some in Laos. We spent the morning chilling before braving the weather for some lunch. We spotted a really cute looking restaurant that ended up being a stoner's paradise - there was a 'happy menu' featuring opium shakes and weed fries. It's safe to say we stayed very clear of allllll of that and opted for some pasta - the ultimate hangover cure.

The rain didn't ease the entire day, and nor was it due to on the forecast for the week, so, after a quick google of the places with the best weather in Southeast Asia we booked some very spontaneous, last minute flights to Malaysia. We figured that we'd rather spend a bit more money and go somewhere that we could properly explore rather than waste the next week or so sheltering from the rain in our hostels... For dinner that evening, we had the most delicious Thai food at Happy Mango, it was incredible! If you're ever in Vang Vieng I would highly recommend paying a visit.

Once we'd woken up, we headed to buy snacks for our upcoming 5 hour bus ride to Luang Prabang. Thankfully, this one wasn't a school minibus and the journey was far more smooth. We did, however, drive through a quarry, a landslide, fog, sun, rain - the lot. We checked into our hostel before heading for dinner at one of the local restaurants. We then headed for drinks at Utopia having heard so much about it both online, in guidebooks and from other people we'd met on our travels. Now, it was nice but it certainly wasn't life-changing...

Breakfast at the hostel the following morning was incredible. We had banana pancakes and they were the best I've ever had - 10/10. We'd booked to go to Kuang Si Waterfall through our hostel, and so after breakfast we were picked up in a minibus and taken there for a few hours. If you google Kuang Si it is absolutely stunning. The most gorgeous turquoise waters, it looks like heaven. What we saw when we arrived was definitely not that. Due to it being rainy season there was just brown water EVERYWHERE and I mean everywhere. The footpaths themselves were waterfalls whereby the water was kneedeep... It was hard to picture it as a calm, serene spot, but it was nice to get out and do something having been trapped in the hostel the previous few days.

That afternoon I took a solo mission to the Royal Palace whilst Toria napped. It was pretty and a good way to learn a lot more about Laos history and culture. That evening we had dinner - I had the best mushroom fried rice ever - and then wandered the night markets. The markets were huge and there were so many different things to look at. Whilst lots of the products were the same as the other markets we'd seen there were also so many other things too. We then headed back to the hostel for an early night ahead of our early rise the following morning.

We set an alarm for 4.50am to go and observe the monks receiving alms and to climb Mount Phousi in time for sunrise. Now, we were most definitely in the wrong place but we did still see a few monks and it was nothing like I'd ever seen before. It really was eye-opening. We then clambered the steps to the top of Mount Phousi but unfortunately, it was really overcast so we didn't really see much of a sunrise. A bit defeated, we headed back to the hostel to sleep some more before setting an alarm for breakfast; a second round of the delicious banana pancakes.

From our hostel, we walked to the UXO visitor centre - another on the unexploded ordnance - before having our last meal in Laos. I had sweet and sour pork and my first Beerlao of the trip - I couldn't leave the country without having one, could I? We then flew to Bangkok, switched planes, and flew onto Malaysia...

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

THINGS TO DO 
Vientiane:- Buddha Park
- Patuxai Monument
- That Luang Stupa 
- COPE Visitor Centre
Vang Vieng: 
- Tubing (which we decided not to do because of the horrendous weather)

- UXO Visitor Centre

TIPS AND ADVICE 
- Avoid Kuang Si if it's the height of rainy season 
- Be more covered up, the dress sense is far more conservative in Laos 


WHERE I STAYED & REVIEW
Avalon residence, Vientiane
Very basic but there were cornflakes for breakfast, woop woop

Real Vang Vieng Backpackers Hostel
Good location, has a pool but not the cleanest of hostels

We couldn't go to Vietnam and not visit Ha Long Bay, could we? Toria and I opted for the Hideaway Tour as it had lots of daytime activities as well as really good reviews from other people we'd met whilst travelling. Now, if you've read my Hanoi post (linked here) you'll know that we had a bit of a messy night out the day before our trip. So, you'll be unsurprised to hear that we were feeling a little worse for wear when our alarm went off at 6am and we had to embark on our five hours of travel to the private island. We stopped halfway there and had a buffet lunch on the boat, did some boat jumping and swam in the sea.

Once we'd arrived on the island we were allocated our rooms. We were put in a room for eight with four other girls and as it turns out, we all got on really really well. That evening we had a buffet BBQ, which received some mixed reviews. I wasn't a massive fan of the food, but some of the other girls really loved it. That evening there was a really big thunderstorm, so we spent the evening hiding away and getting ready before heading to the bar for happy hour.

We woke up at about 8 the following morning ready for what was to be the most exhausting day of the entire trip. The day started with a boat ride, and then a cycle to the start of the jungle trek. Now, let me tell you, I have never sweated so much in my LIFE than I did on that bike ride. It was really hot and humid, which combined with a lot of uphill cycling, resulted in a lot of sweaty, hungover backpackers. Now, we'd been told by a girl we'd met at a hostel earlier on in the trip that the jungle trek was a bit of a breeze and nothing to worry about. SHE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG.

The walk was an hour uphill through the jungle, climbing rocks and mud, in 30-degree heat. Now, I cannot even begin to tell you how many times the girls in my room and I wanted to give up and just head back down to the start. But, after quite a few rest breaks and pep talks between ourselves we made it to the top. Now, this was very anticlimactic. We were expecting really gorgeous, panoramic views and it's fair to say we were underwhelmed, particularly after all that effort. Alas, we had a quick rest at the top before heading back down on the descent.

We then had lunch on the boat, and a quick swim off the side, before heading back to the island. We had another chilled afternoon swimming in the sea before having our second buffet BBQ. We then got glammed up and ready for our second night of drinking on the island. It was far better than the last and involved alllll sorts of drinking games.

The following morning we were all feeling nothing but exhaustion... Perfect when a morning of kayaking is ahead, hey?  It was really good fun but oh so tiring. After this, we had our final meal before heading back to the boat to head back to the mainland. Overall, we had a really good time, but definitely needed a few days afterward to recover. Hideaway isn't for the fainthearted. If you're thinking of going, definitely do the 3-day tour - it's a long way to go for only one night and really is worth the money.

Our bus to Hanoi from Tac Coc only took three hours, so, we grabbed our bags from the bus and headed to our hostel to check in feeling all sorts of peachy. We were shown to our room and had alllll sorts of conversations with the people in our room on things like Brexit, peadophiles, you know, the standard small talk (?!?). That evening we went for dinner with one of the girls we'd met from our room and decided to eat at the restaurant Obama's. Which, yes, is named in honour of Barack Obama... When in Hanoi, hey? Although, I just wanna say that the food there wasn't great at all and the staff were particularly rude, so maybe not one to add to the must-visit list.

That evening we went for cocktails at Beer Corner which was really good fun. I don't want to spoil it for anyone that is planning on going, but Beer Corner really is quite the experience. So, essentially the bars and restaurants aren't legally allowed to have tables and seats out on the road but still do it anyway. Every hour or so there'll be a huge mad panic as all the restaurant staff whip chairs from underneath people and fold up and throw tables inside just before the police make their visit. Then, as soon as they've left the vicinity, the furniture comes back out and the customers can sit back down to eat and drink. It's hilarious to watch and really is a domino effect.

The following morning we went on the free walking tour provided by the hostel. This was actually really enjoyable and the only walking tour we did the entire trip. Our guide was really friendly and knew everything there was to know about Hanoi. We were wandering for a good few hours and then finished with an egg coffee. Yep, you read that right. I personally don't like coffee, so settled for an egg hot chocolate instead, which, can I just say, tastes way better than it sounds. After this, a group of us from the walking tour all went for Banh Mi together at Banh Mi 25. I had the BBQ pork and would highly recommend - not quite sure it beats the one from Highland Coffe though, just saying.

We then trekked to train street (which was much further than we expected) and waited to see the train coming from HCMC pass through the very narrow residential street. This was quite the experience and another thing that was nothing like I'd ever seen before. That evening we had a Domino's for dinner - yep that's a thing - and then went on the club crawl being hosted by our sister hostel. This was actually really good fun, the drinks were cheap and it was just an all-round fun night. The following morning we had our Hideaway tour (more on that coming soon) and it's fair to say we weren't feeling fantastic.

After the trip, we had a few more days in Hanoi before flying to Laos, and decided to stay in the same hostel as before in the hope of getting some peace after the three day bender. That evening we had another Domino's which did not agree with us in the slightest. (Note to self: stick to the local food next time). The following morning we headed for full body massages - they were great. The in-between the toe rubbing, not so great.

We then hunted down a tattoo shop that we'd read was really good and Toria got her first tattoo. The staff were really friendly and it was done really well, so a win-win all round. Next up on our Ha Long Bay recovery, peace and tranquility, agenda was a manicure. We went and had gel nails done at a salon near the markets before heading for a bit of shopping. Dinner that night was at Little Vietnam and the food was INCREDIBLE. So delicious. I had black pepper pork and it was amazing!! We woke up leisurely the next morning, packed up our stuff before checking out of the hostel and heading for a final wander of Vietnam. We had our final Banh Mi at Highlands Coffee before taking a taxi to the airport.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

THINGS TO DO 
- Train Street 
- Walking tour of the landmarks 
- Try egg coffee 
- See a water puppet show (which we didn't end up doing but is meant to be an 'experience')

TIPS AND ADVICE 
- Visit Beer Corner solely for the entertainment value
- Don't order a Domino's
- Plan a lazy day or two for after the Hideaway Tour if you choose to do it
- If you haven't already, have a Banh Mi at Highlands Coffee

WHERE I STAYED & REVIEW
2/3 days - if you plan on going out, if not 1/2 will suffice.

Our bus arrived in Tam Coc at about 5am so we just sat around in the lobby of a hotel which, fortunately, was open. When 6.30am rolled around we headed to our homestay as this was the time they opened. We weren't able to check in, but they did allow us to leave our bags in one of the dorm rooms and Toria had a nap. I headed out for breakfast on my own and sat in a cafe watching the world go by at such an early hour. During this time I discovered that pineapple jam is a thing and was blown away by how good it was.

Following this, we went for the famous boat ride through the limestone mountains and in the caves. Now, the interesting thing about these boat rides is they use their feet to steer and paddle the entire time. The boat ride lasted about 2 hours and was £6.50 each. The scenery really was stunning, and fortunately, we were early enough to miss the crowds so it was a really peaceful experience. As we were leaving there was just a constant stream of boats one behind the other, which sort of ruined the tranquility.

We then headed back to the room for a nap after our night on the bus and the early start. Can I just say how good it was to have a comfy bed AND A DUVET. I think this was the best nap of the entire trip. For lunch, we had vegetable noodles before hiring bikes and cycling to the Mua Caves viewpoint. Now, I was not prepared for what was ahead. 500 extremely steep, uneven steps. It's fair to say we took quite a few breaks on our ascent. But, when we got to the top, the view made it all worth it and more. There was even a wedding shoot happening at the top, with a bride in her gorgeous dress. Honestly, the things you see in Vietnam.

After making it back down safely we cycled to a nearby temple to have a look around. On the way home, we spotted a hostel in the middle of nowhere so stopped there to have a sprite to cool down. Whilst there, we met a couple of Aussies and ended up going for dinner with them. We went for an Indian, and let me tell you, the food was AMAZING. By far one of the best curries I've ever had. I had a chicken tikka and a garlic naan, incredible.

That evening we played pool in a bar and had a few drinks before heading to bed. The following day we woke up and had the free breakfast at the homestay. We then went for a wander and had smoothies, followed by lunch, and then boarded our minibus to Hanoi. The journey was only about 3 hours, so by far the easiest of the trip so far. The minibus itself was also really nice, so no complaints at all here.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

THINGS TO DO 
- Boat Ride

TIPS AND ADVICE 
- Do the boat ride as early as possible to avoid it being too busy

WHERE I STAYED & REVIEW
Ha Trang Guest House
1/2 days - there's not a lot to see and do

Our bus left Hue at 1.30 in the afternoon meaning we arrived in Phong Nha at about 6.30pm. We checked into our hotel (it sounds fancier than it was, it was a hotel, but we were in an 8 bed shared room) and dumped our bags, then headed for dinner. There are quite a lot of restaurants on the main backpackers street in Phong Nha, but we settled on 'Bamboo' for our first meal there. It's an Eco Cafe, and was absolutely packed, so we took that as an indicator of how good the food was, and oh my, we were not disappointed. I had the chicken curry and it was AMAZING. It was one of the first meals in Vietnam I'd had where the chicken actually resembled and tasted like chicken. We then headed back for an early night having spent the majority of the day on a tiny minibus.


The next morning we woke up early, had breakfast at our hotel, and then headed to the lobby to wait for our bus to the caves. We'd booked a whole day tour through our hotel, and the day started with a trip to the 8 Ladies Cave and the memorial. This was really interesting and is part of most of the cave tour packages.

Following this, we drove to the next stop and climbed 700m worth of steps to the Paradise Cave. It was huuuuge, really cold (amazing after that sweaty climb) and beautiful. I've seen a few caves in my time but nothing that compares to that - it truly was stunning. If you're ever in Phong Nha, you HAVE to go and see it. Our trip included lunch, so we drove to the dark cave and were provided lunch there. This was the usual buffet style with all sorts of dishes to try. I opted for the veggie version and it was really tasty.  After this, we queued up for our harnesses and headed to the start of the zipline. At the Dark Cave, you take it in turns to zipline to the mouth of the cave. They take photos for you mid-air, which are freely available on their Facebook page the next day.

We then swam to the entrance to the cave, and realized just how necessary the head-torches were. It's not called the Dark Cave for nothing. We trekked through the cave until we reached the mud bath, which, can I just say was the weirdest sensation ever. When you're in the mud, you just float. I'm talking Dead Sea, floating without even trying kind of floating. We went down a natural mudslide and then headed back out of the cave to civilization. There were kayaks waiting for us, so we kayaked in pairs over to the water sports area. Here, there were swings, assault courses, the whole shebang. We then had a rum and coke before being driven back to the hostel in the minivan. All of the above was included in the price (£45), so I'd highly recommend the Cave tour if you're not on a tight budget.

That evening we had a night out - nope, we weren't expecting Phong Nha to have any nightlife either. But, it was good fun and we were surprised by just how many other backpackers were in Phong Nha too - you never see anyone in the daytime. We had drinks at the Easy Tiger Hostel and then headed to Andy's Disco Club.

The following day was a very relaxed one, spent in the pool and laying around in the sun. For lunch, we went and had an incredible pizza at Capture Vietnam. That evening we had dinner at Bamboo again and I had the chicken curry for a second time it was that good. We then waited for our night bus and saw our first proper Asia-style torrential rain, thankfully we were waiting inside. The bus arrived an hour late, was overbooked and had the WORST smelling toilet on board. Sleeper buses... You win some, you lose some.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Very very quiet but with restaurants as far as the eye can see.

THINGS TO DO 
- The Caves 

TIPS AND ADVICE 
- Look around for your cave trip, some are significantly more expensive than others
- Take plenty of bug spray, the caves are in the jungle

WHERE I STAYED & REVIEW
Heritage By Night Hotel

HOW LONG TO STAY?
2 days - the cave trip takes an entire day, and with the bus timings 2 days is perfect

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Very quiet, but lots of restaurants and friendly people

THINGS TO DO 
- Imperial City
- Thien Mu Pagoda
- Tu Duc Tombs
- The Beach

TIPS AND ADVICE 
- Read up on the Imperial City before you visit
- Hire a scooter to see all the sights
- Order the lemongrass pork skewers - amazing !!!

WHERE I STAYED & REVIEW
Sunshine Hostel.


HOW LONG TO STAY?
With the bus timings, 2 days worked well for us

 FIRST IMPRESSIONS
A prettier city with a much slower pace

THINGS TO DO 
- The Beach
- The Old Town
- Shopping in the markets
- See the lanterns in the evening
- Have some clothes tailor-made

TIPS AND ADVICE 
- Use Grab to book taxis, they're much cheaper than the usual taxis
- Buy things from the market stalls that are slightly further out, they tend to be cheaper

WHERE I STAYED & REVIEW
Vietnam Backpackers


HOW LONG TO STAY?
3/4 days - there's quite a lot to do, and it's more relaxing than other places

Whilst I absolutely sing the sleeper buses praises, the worst thing about them is the time that you arrive in the new city. They leave between 7 and 9pm and hence arrive at various destinations at 4/5/6am. Whilst the latter isn't too bad, the former is a bit of a hassle when the hostels etc don't allow check-in until late morning. Now, the bus stop in Nha Trang was very near the beach so we decided to head down there to see the sunrise, backpacks in tow, and were surprised by how many other people were already at the beach. Lots of the locals head there really early to exercise whilst it's not too hot, and there were all sorts of activities going on.

We headed to our hostel and just sat around until a more reasonable hour of the morning playing on our phones.  We got talking to a big group of boys and ended up spending the day with them. They were heading to the nearby waterfall, so we decided to go with them and all ordered a minibus. This worked out at a really decent price, so it's definitely worth sharing transport with other people at your hostel!

Now, climbing the waterfall was not a walk in the park. I, being me, wore my sturdy 90p Primark flip-flops blissfully unaware of the climbing and scrambling ahead of me. The waterfall had three main pools, and arrows showing you the route to each one. I got to the second pool and gave up - I'm not sure how a broken neck would've gone down with my travel insurance provider. Quit while you're ahead people, quit while you're ahead. The rest of the group continued to the top so I just sat chilling in the sun, watching a Vietnamese family have a BBQ. The pools were really refreshing to swim in and the views were incredible - the waterfalls are definitely worth visiting!

That evening we all went for dinner and cocktails together and then ended up at a beach club until the early hours.

When we finally made it out of bed the following day we headed to the ticket office to book our next sleeper bus. Unfortunately, the bus was fully booked for that day so we ended up staying in Nha Trang an extra night. After some lunch, we headed to the beach, despite the dark grey clouds, and lasted all of about half an hour before it started to rain. For dinner that night we wandered out of the tourist hotspot and down some sideroads into a more residential area. We got a few funny looks - I don't think tourists frequent that part of town very often. The food was delicious and well worth wandering to find. Once we'd paid the bill we walked down to the beach and on the way stumbled across a huge shopping mall full of an eclectic mixture of shops. It's fair to say it would be easy to kill an afternoon or two in there.

The following day we went on a snorkeling trip that we'd booked through our hostel. The trip included three different snorkeling stops and lunch on the boat, and it was fab. We saw loads of different fish and coral, even if the latter was a bit dead and discoloured. Once back at the hostel we showered and napped, and then had dinner on the hostel roof, followed by a few Saigon beers on the beach.

We were a bit stuck as to what to do with our extra day, after not being able to take the bus the day we'd planned, so ended up at the cinema of all places. Mamma Mia 2 was at the top of my to be watched list, and after finding a cinema online that was showing it that day in English, it felt only right. After the film we had some dinner and then got ready for our second sleeper bus experience.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
A not too busy city with lovely beaches

THINGS TO DO 
- Climb the waterfall (not in 90p flip-flops)
- Go snorkelling
- The beach

TIPS AND ADVICE 
- Choose a hostel with breakfast included as it makes life so much easier
- Book sleeper bus tickets asap to avoid being disappointed if they're fully booked
- Take a fair amount of money with you if you're going on a night out, drinks aren't quite as cheap as you expect

WHERE I STAYED & REVIEW
Mojzo Dorm
Again, this hostel was in a fairly good location, was very clean, and the beds were really comfy. Each bed came with a lockable drawer for your belongings too. Breakfast was included - and was delicious - and the staff were really friendly. Can you tell I loved this place? I'd highly recommend.

HOW LONG TO STAY?
3 days would have been perfect for us, our fourth day felt a bit of a waste