A bit wild and a bit wonderful. Retirees Sarah Lea, 59, and her husband Mike, set out on a three-week journey through Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand to rediscover their youth. But they found that retirement is the next great adventure.

We were exhausted after 16 hours of travel and, when we arrived at our hotel in Hanoi, we looked at one another, thinking the same thing. There are two choices: either we sit here and be English and have a cup of tea. Or we go out and explore. To be true to our aims – to relive our youth (but in a slightly more luxurious way) – we walked to the Old Quarter where we were consumed by the smells, the noise, the colours and the roaring of thousands of mopeds. Did we feel a bit of trepidation? Perhaps for the first ten minutes, and then you have to cross the road. Once you realise the mopeds aren’t stopping, you have to go for it, step out into the traffic and survive the experience. That was the moment the journey began.

We found a street food café. The waiter helped us order: soup, rice, noodles, salad and crispy pork. It sounds boring but what arrived was fragrant, zingy and fresh. The waiter even came back to show us how to eat it. That’s one thing we’ve taken away from the trip – everyone wanted to show us the best of their culture and love for their country. We sat there with a beer, feeling like the luckiest people in the world.

Beyond the bucket list

The next morning, a guide arrived at our hotel with a big smile and asked: “What would you like to do today?”. He created a bespoke tour for us, which included a pedicab tour around the Old Quarter, so we saw things you’d never see by car. We saw a woman cooking on the street. Behind her, kids played in the living quarters. We passed shops loading mopeds and bicycles for delivery. I have never seen a bicycle carrying so many bouquets of flowers. We sat on plastic chairs and ate dumplings with a beer and saw local life going by. Kuoni had suggested that on the first full day of each stop on our itinerary, we did a tour with a local guide to help us find our feet – and that tour guide empowered us for the rest of our trip.

Next on our itinerary was Halong Bay. Kuoni was spot-on at suggesting things that we wouldn’t have done otherwise, but a cruise wasn’t something I was sure about. However, the small group tour of Halong Bay was one of the highlights of the whole trip. Seeing the colour of the sea at different times of the day, being close to huge limestone rocks rising majestically out of the sea. Just wow.

We explored caves glistening with all the colours of the rainbow. Practising tai chi on the deck. And learnt how to make spring rolls. But most of all we were learning to throw off our cloaks of caution.

Next up was the ancient city of Hoi An. It’s an exceptionally well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port, shaped by a blend of cultures. There are ancient Chinese houses with stunning beams and carvings, then Japanese carved bridges over the canals and French colonial architecture. It’s a delightful melting pot. And it was walkable, in an easy, unhurried way. At night it’s lit up by the dazzling colours of every shape and size of lantern.

The atmosphere of the night market here was extra special and we got carried away with the joy of other people sitting outside, the lights and boats on the water. A group of young backpackers enveloped us in their enthusiasm, and we just felt so filled with happiness and life.

Off the beaten track

But it wasn’t just about enjoying ourselves. On every trip we go on, we try and plant a tree to offset our carbon. In Hoi An we planted spinach instead! We cycled on gravel tracks through the verdant paddy fields to a locally run farming collective, and an 89-year-old woman who had been digging these vegetable patches her whole life took us under her wing. It was remarkable and joyous.

Afterwards, the family gave us wonderful green tea, brought us two buckets full of ginger, lemons and all sorts of green leaves, and told us to soak our feet. Then we had a foot and neck massage. We weren’t expecting that, but I credit it – at least partly – with us now feeling ten years younger! Afterwards, we had a cooking lesson with the family, making crispy pancakes and a mackerel dish with a spicy sauce.

Ho Chi Minh City is a big, bustling place studded with skyscrapers. Not only did we visit the food markets and try delicacies like bánh xèo (crispy Vietnamese pancakes), but we took in atmospheric temples and pagodas wrapped in tranquil gardens, as well as a sobering visit to the War Remnants Museum. Whenever we could, we used buses, trains and tuk-tuks to get around – a fantastic way to soak up the city’s energy and daily rhythm. From here, we explored the Mekong Delta, where we got even closer to local life on a homestay. We were the only guests there, an incredible privilege.

Reboot with a view

We spent a few days in Cambodia. Of course, we visited all the temples, including Angkor Wat, an incredible high. Our guide took us along a dirt track that seemed to lead to nowhere, and then we turned a corner and the three minarets of Angkor Wat were glittering in the sun. It was complete silence apart from a bird singing and we just stood there agog and honestly, tears pricked my eyes.

Finally, we travelled to Thailand, where we spent a few days exploring Bangkok, before heading to Phuket to relax and take stock of all we’d seen and done. But there was more to come: we visited an elephant sanctuary. It was magnificent to see them in the natural surroundings of the rainforest. We also went out to Phi Phi Islands – it really is pure white sand and gin-blue ocean. And so our last afternoon was spent swimming on Bamboo Island, with prehistoric-looking monitor lizards in the same sand around us.

We’ve gone from: “Oh we’ve retired. This is the beginning of the end,” to: “We’re retired, this is the beginning of a brand-new chapter.” And we’re already planning our next trip – to India.