Footprints in the sand

5 months after flying off into the unknown, we are coming home!

It's been an incredible journey; I've seen amazing places, met wonderful people and learned a lot about myself.

Before I left I could only dream about being on the road and hopefully living somewhere different for a change. I spent my days dreaming, not sure how to make it a reality.

Now, I can honestly say it takes losing everything to find out what you really want, and whilst a life on the road isn't for me, I've still had a wonderful time.

We are about to pack up our tired and worn out belongings for the last time, so I've been thinking about my best memories from our journey. There are a lot, but here is my top ten!

1. Mui Ne, Vietnam

Mui Ne will always be special to me as its where we recharged our batteries after a stressful and emotional start to our trip. In Mui Ne we found good food, cold beers and a very chilled out vibe. It was just what the doctor ordered.

2. Hoi An, Vietnam

Walking into old Hoi An was a magical experience and one I wasn't prepared for. It was quintessential of the orient and had everything I had been craving to see; ancient temples, lanterns and even a tea house.

3. Halong Bay, Vietnam

Sailing through the cliffs of Halong Bay is top of many peoples top ten, I imagine. Travelling by boat is a firm favourite of mine too and I can't imagine a better end to our time in Vietnam.

4. Angkor temples, Cambodia

The hot weather, bugs and incredibly early start didn't dampen our wonderful day at the temples of Angkor one bit. I loved exploring the ruins and seeing the sun rise over Angkor Wat.

5. Songkran, Thailand

Celebrating a festival with the locals from across the street! On Songkran we shared beers, food and laughs with the families opposite our beach bungalows and loved every minute of it! There was also a German man, but I don't know where he came from!

6. Pad Thai on Ko Phangnan, Thailand

Surprisingly the best Pad Thai we has was in a little hut restaurant on a quiet stretch of road near Haad Yeo beach. It was so ridiculously cheap and ridiculously amazing we went back for more!

7. Monkey forest in Ubud, Bali

Real monkeys stealing my bananas and sitting on my shoulder like I'm Captain Barbossa! Enough said!

8. Catching waves in Kuta Bali


I loved getting sporty (and an awesome tan) on the beach in Kuta. The water was deep and clean. There is nothing like the rush of riding a wave all the way to shore.

9. Eating pizza in Naples, Italy

7 days and I-dont-know-how-many pizzas! That was some very good eating and definitely the best thing about Naples.

10. Living like a local in Santo Stefano, Italy

Finding the real Italy after spending so much time in the cities. The life and culture in our corner of Piedmont is traditional and rich. I have always wanted to live in Italy and I'm so proud that I've had the chance to do so in such a wonderful place!







Thank you everyone for sharing the journey with me through this blog! I'll be posting about my future and past adventures as they come up so keep a weather eye on the horizon!

Hoi An

1 - 3 April

It was the earliest start yet. The alarm pounded my ears at 4.30am. We were up to get the train from Nha Trang to Danang, from where we would catch a bus to Hoi An, the ancient city that I had high hopes for. The whole town is a protected UNESCO World Heritage site, so you know it's got to be good!

The sun was just coming up as we left the station and the scenery was beautiful. Trains are a great way to travel (even though my tray got stuck and the toilets were a little scary)!

Once we arrived in Hoi An, we were quick to drop our bags and head into the town to get our bearings. I had so much anticipation that Hoi An would be good, but I was in no way prepared for what we found.

We knew we were onto a winner as we passed signs for 5,000 vnd beers (that's 15p) but then, like the opening of a dam, Hoi An overwhelmed us. The lanterns were bright like gemstones and the houses were all shades of honey and yellow. The whole town glowed in the evening light. Finally we were finding the Asia I'd been dreaming of.

Something around every corner!

We fell immediately in love.

The next day we were up and out shortly after 9am. We went straight to the ticket stand to get our entry into some of the historic sites. 

The congressional buildings we visited were stunning pieces of architecture. Each corner is covered in colour and intricate designs. Inside there are spirals of incense that travellers have sponsored. Their smell fills the air.

Incense spirals in the Cantonese Congressional

Later we had traditional tea in a tea house run by deaf and speech impaired staff. It's so peaceful inside and we sip our tea from tiny bowls in near silence.

Tea at Reaching Out Tea House

The whole town is so charming, it's like a Disney version of itself! Everywhere you turn there is something delightful to catch your eye and it's such a relief after 3 weeks of searching to find something just like this.

Over the Japanese covered bridge

We grabbed a banh mi for lunch (even that was off the scale yummy) before heading back to the hotel to do a little flight booking.

At dinner, we tried the local dish 'white rose' which is a bit like an open Chinese dumpling in the shape of a flower. We eat overlooking the river and a girl selling candle lanterns to be floated down stream.

Perfect.