Jungalo Collection

20/03/2024

Foodie Travel Heaven.

https://amp.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jul/19/pub-with-cold-beer-vietnam

15/02/2024

The Arched Doors lead to action and adventure.
Busy, looking through the arched doors this morning. People riding motorcycles and bicycles off in all directions.
Jungalo Collection is at Phong Nha Farmstay.

22/04/2023

Two Pillars Remain.

22/04/2023

Report, from on the ground, here this morning. Things are starting to improve on the international visitor front. This lovely couple Laureline and Stephan, left Phong Nha Farmstay, this morning, with us delivering them to the bus stop.

22/04/2023

It that time of the year at

22/04/2023

When we built Phong Nha Farmstay, there were no trucks to carry materials. There were no buses to the area, there were only a couple of taxis in D**g Hoi, and no cars to take guests around. In this photo, we’re we’re getting timber milled at a sawmill, down the road, to make doors. I remember the whole project, being such an adventure. This photo was taken in 2009.

22/04/2023

The gates to Gypsy Villa
- Jungalo Collection, Phong Nha Farmstay.

22/04/2023

22/04/2023

22/04/2023

"Travel gives you a new perspective.. and lets you meet some great people along the way" -Richard Tinkler-

22/04/2023

22/04/2023

22/04/2023

Drop by for lunch, unless you are staying with us. In that case, you might like to just make sure, you are back, for dinner.

21/06/2022

A writing, a post, by James Erwin, when he visited 2 years ago. He stayed at Jungalo Collection during the tumultuous time of early summer 2020. We love his writing and follow his travels.

“NO PETS ALLOWED”

I sit on the patio of our villa as the sun rises, 5:23 am in the mountains of northern Vietnam, inland from the coast. It is our first morning here. We have escaped the large beachside city of Da Nang to explore the rural countryside, an attempt to slow the hourglass. This area is famous for massive caves, one of which calls our name this morning.

As I watch daybreak slowly creep over the rice fields, herdsmen walk behind massive horned beasts as they make their way into the landscape. Each playing its part in traditions long ago ingrained in their DNA. The beasts tails swat morning flies and they shake their giant horned heads of last nights sleep. Their skin is thick and rough, caked with patches of crusty mud.

Hazel snores from the comfort of the luxurious bed, i sit in a cushioned rattan chair writing and smoking as I gaze over a sparking private pool, the roosters roost, the beasts of the field eco thru the air. An occasional lizard peaks its head out of the fauna and scampers thru our lush secluded garden. My nemesis hides, waiting for our next encounter, planning, scheming....wondering what to expect from this giant who evades her territory.

The heat of the summer day has yet to come, a damp coolness hangs in the air. We arrived by train last night, a six hour journey thru the mountain passes along Vietnam’s coast. Spectacular views along the way. We climbed slowly thru
Heavens Pass on an older train, clean and comfortable in the “soft seat” section. The train bouncing and shaking, rattling a long the rails. These are not the bullet train of Asia.

The beaches fell away as we turned away from the coast and headed inland. We quickly discovered the kitchen car and traded our soft seats for wooden benches where we smoked and drank beer with the railway men. they rushed about periodically to do their chores, wave a flag out the window, load bags of fruits and veggies as they hawked their wares thru the aisles. An occasional passenger would venture back to have a smoke or buy some small snack, but we mainly had this car to ourselves, and 10 uniformed rail workers. The single food cart, not unlike what you see on an airplane, freely bounced around our small car unfettered, awaiting its next foray.

The instructions on the railways website stated “ NO PETS ALLOWED “, so I had to nonchalantly sneak Hazel onto the train. She was discovered an hour or so later when I let her head pop out of her travel bag to have some water. The workers were all surprised when they would bring another in the endless rounds of beer, to see this little dog asking where her beer was. Her sweet blind eyes soon won them over and we were not kicked off the train. We actually drank them out of beer an hour outside our destination, then we rolled into a tiny station and the railman leaned out the window and bought us more beer from an old woman who makes her living peddling snacks and such alongside the rails to weary travelers.

It now 6 :27 am and none of my fellow travelers but Hazel have stirred, the summer heat is making it’s self known, I have smoked too many ci******es already. I have consumed a cold Johnny Walker style bottle of water from our fridge. Life is so good, I am overwhelmed by the opulence and hospitality of this Farmstay in the rice fields.

I do believe Hazel and I will walk to breakfast and sit by the main pool with our wonderful hosts, an Aussie man, his mother and his beautiful Vietnamese wife and children.

An hour later now, 7:42.... fresh peach juice under a large vine covered veranda. She is going for a walk now , the owners mother, after a wonderful conversation of life, shared stories of travels, families spread over many continents, passions, hopes. She is a small woman, grey hair, wrinkled with bright eyes and a wonderful enthusiasm for life. Hazel and I order breakfast, still no signs of life from our fellow travelers. The veranda sits on the edge of the rice fields, we can see the giant water buffalos grazing, jungled mountains surround us, reminding us of our tiny speck of existence in this universe.

Fans move the air about us, butterflies dance on the breeze, Hazel sleeps in a comfortable rattan chair next to me as we await nourishment and smoke. Three hours from now we venture into the famous caves. I am told we will take small boats and float thru the caves today and hike some others tomorrow.

08/06/2022

The bathrooms are an adventure.

08/06/2022

The view, from our property.

04/10/2021

Kotchitecture

At

15/09/2021

Pets included.

31/08/2021

https://phong-nha-cave.com/restaurant/

Đùi gà nướng
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31/07/2021

Sunset, over the fields.
An afternoon game of chess and a snack at the Phong Nha Farmstay

30/07/2021

Standard Breakfast Fare!

28/07/2021

A map built into the wall of the Villa.

Jungalo Collection
🇻🇳