Rod at Rare Adventurers

19/05/2026

Today’s adventure was to Ninh Binh to do a ritual climb up 500 almost vertical steps around a mountain side to see the temple and get a photo with a dragon!

Doing it with a cold, before 9am, in 40c heat made it even fun. Then we were off to have a stroll around the ancient palace and a 90 minute boat ride through the limestone caves and waterways.

We even got Claire back in a bicycle !

That’s the last of our adventures in Vietnam, it’s been a brilliant trip and we head back home tomorrow into what looks like a heatwave - so we are bringing the weather with us !

Thanks to everyone for following us - we will be setting off again in a couple of weeks 👍

Rod Sowden

17/05/2026

This was a very Sowden kind of day - luckily we have not had many 😂

Firstly a hiccup with the hotels.com app meant we had a duplicate booking with the hotel, ie 2 rooms. The hotel was very good and could see the problem and cancelled one of the bookings when checking us in.

5 mins later Sam phones and says he would like to stay with us, so I went back to the desk to get the room back - but the price had gone up £30, so had to go back online to get the online price even though I was stood at reception.

Sam turns up and suggests we go to the Golden Hands Bridge, it’s only a taxi ride away he says. So when we get there an hour later we find it is at the top of a mountain in a massive amusement park, admission. £30 each, do over £100 to get this photo !

Anyway, the Ba Na Hills resort is a quite incredible place, like Disney but built on top of a mountain in a French theme for some reason, but very spectacular with cable cars, beer Keller and roller coaster.

Meantime I’ve picked up a stinking cold and just wanted to lie down. After battling through the crowds we make it back to Da Nang, went to the beach for dinner it lashed with rain !!

A very Sowden kind of day

Rod Sowden

16/05/2026

15/05/2026

Hoi An at night - explosion of colours

10/05/2026

Today was another 4am start for the main event in Cambodia, sunrise over the incredible Angkar Wat temple and then a tour of the big sites.

This was the setting for Tomb Raider and walking around the temples it is really like being on a Universsl Studios tour but the real thing.

It was 40c in the temples, and after 8 hours tramping around 4 different sites I probably don’t need to see another one for a while!

The temples are all built from sand stone and have been eroding over the last 1000 years, and some of it isn’t that stable, not sure UK H&S would allow these tours.

They took nearly 40 years to build and after various wars the temples fell into disuse and were overgrown by the jungle before the French found them in 1800s, some of the temples have huge trees embedded in them now.

Enjoy the photos Rod Sowden

07/05/2026

One of the highlights of our trip was always 2 day cruise around the amazing Ha Long Bay.

We went for the 5* option after all night travel we deserved it.

The cruise was like 24 hours full board a 5* hotel. Cruise was a bit of an exaggeration as we were only moving for about an hour in each direction, when they sell the ship it will be very low mileage !!

In truth, it didn’t really matter because the scenery was stunning wherever you went so why waste fuel going a long way 😂.

Took us a while to get used luxury after the Ha Gaing loop homestays, but a few cocktails helped us get used to the idea and watched the sunset over the mountains then off for a 5 course dinner.

Though it wasn’t quiet. Koreans have got to be the noisiest nation on the planet, in a group they just shout at each other - not to mention screeching into the karaoke machine !

This morning we were up at 4.30am for the sunrise, the clouds cleared on queue for a beautiful sunrise.

Then it was off to look at some caves before heading back to Hanoi for our night time jeep tour of Hanoi

05/05/2026

After a wet and windy first day, followed by a raucous night learning traditional toasts using their local brew made from corn, we unexpectedly ended up in a karaoke bar with all the young people and crazy Mr Happy, our guide.

Next day the sun came out and we have had two days of magnificent scenery along the Chinese border and over remote mountain passes, with some of the strangest scenery that seems to straight out of Lord of the Rings.

I took over the music in the car and we’ve had a lively time ever since.

The local tribes farming of the mountains is incredible, the mountains are covered in crops, in many ways it is as dramatic as the Incas in Peru but without the fortifications.

A second night of karaoke and drinking their fiery happy water, more stunning scenery and now it’s time for the coach back to Hanoi then on to Ha Long Bay for a 2 day cruise around the islands.

The dramatic landscape, endless dishes of food, Vietnamese toasts and karaoke will stay with use for ever.

04/05/2026

Amazing sight of the easy rider bikes on the Ha Gaing loop

04/05/2026

Vietnamese toasting with Rooksir after happy water