Day Fifty-Three - 12/1/26
We slept so much better last night. The extra blankets made a big difference. Less creaking, less rock-and-roll in the bunks, and everyone actually looked rested when we woke up. A good way to finish our time on the farm.
Our final morning job was animal duties, which felt fitting. We started the farm stay with animals and ended with animals. Up early again for a seven o’clock start and straight into the pens. Cleaning, feeding, hosing, repeating.
Maddie jumped in keen as always and tried to clean the pig pen before they’d been fed. That didn’t last long. The pigs were way more interested in nudging her around than letting her work, so she bailed pretty quickly and waited until food went in. Once they were fed, things settled down.
Kia and I tackled the cows together. She pushed the poo from one side while I pulled and scooped from the other, then we hosed everything out. The pigs were fed properly after a bit of chaos, with Kia stepping in to make sure food actually ended up where it was meant to go. The cows got their banana trees and other scraps, which they demolished happily.
We finished up with the goats, sheep and chickens. The chickens got rice, the goats got branches from some tree I couldn’t name but they absolutely loved it. Kia and I shared the goat pen clean-out and before we knew it, we were done. About forty-five minutes start to finish, with the kids helping where they could. That was it. Last job on the farm.
Afterwards, the group headed off for breakfast at the local spot again, then on to a day trip to nearby temples. We would’ve loved to go, but our next leg was already locked in, so we had to miss it. That’s travel. You can’t do everything.
There were goodbyes before breakfast, then more goodbyes over breakfast. Farm friendships are intense and fast, and then suddenly you’re all heading in different directions.
We rushed back to pack up properly, trying once again to squeeze everything into our bags and keep things as light as possible. We’d organised transport through the farm to the train station in Da Nang, as we were catching a train north to Dong Hoi.
It was about an hour and a half in the car. We arrived early, around an hour before departure, and stocked up for the six-hour train ride. Instant noodles, snacks, water. No one was hungry yet, but we knew we would be.
The train station chaos was something else.
The speaker kept announcing that our train was “approaching”, the screen showed the time counting down, and there was already a train sitting on the platform that matched our number. When I went out to check, I was waved away and told another train was coming. Something didn’t feel right.
I went back again, showed our ticket, and suddenly realised the train that was about to leave was actually ours. The announcements were wrong. We grabbed our bags, rushed out, threw everything up onto the train, hauled ourselves on just as it started moving, and then watched another train arrive on the opposite platform.
It genuinely felt like a movie scene.
We weren’t even in the right carriage at first and had to walk through several carriages, still half-convinced we might be on the wrong train. When we finally found our cabin and saw it was empty while every other one was full, we could finally breathe.
We had a four-bunk sleeper cabin to ourselves. Kids up top, Kia on one lower bunk, me on the other, with a small table in between. Hot water for noodles, space to sit, countryside rolling past the window.
The six hours went surprisingly quickly. Kia and I sat facing each other, talking about the trip so far, ideas for when we’re back in Australia, life stuff, nothing urgent. Just talking. Outside, the landscape shifted from hills near Da Nang to flat farmland stretching all the way north.
By early evening we arrived in Dong Hoi, then jumped straight into our pre-arranged transport up to Phong Nha. About thirty minutes later we were at our accommodation.
Hot showers. Proper hot showers. It had been days, and it felt incredible. Maddie and I are in one villa, Kia and Emmett in the other, plenty of space, clean rooms, gear finally spread out instead of piled up.
We had dinner onsite from a small menu. After so much rice on the farm, everyone went straight for noodles. Big crunchy vegetables, decent portions, extra meat. Exactly what we needed.
By 8:30 we were done. Straight from dinner to bed. A long day of movement, logistics and adrenaline finally caught up with us.
Day 53 was a full transport day. Farm to train, train to Phong Nha. A proper transition day, closing one chapter and opening the next. Tomorrow will be slow. Laundry, rest, and easing into whatever Phong Nha has to offer.