Hoi An was a quaint little coastal town in central Vietnam. Previously colonized by the French, the colonial architecture and style is still very apparent. The first thing we did on arrival was to head to the tailor to get some clothes made. Cat got fitted for two dresses, one of which is to be her bridesmaids dress for Sara and Pat's wedding. I decided to get a couple of suits and was helped out by the minuscule, but fiery Bich (that was her name). Over the next few days we had to return for several more fittings and we also decided to get some nice leather shoes made at the cobbler next door.
Hoi An had a great selection of food as well, our favorite which was Cau Lau (pronounced Gow Lao), a local specialty. It is a noodle dish with special wide noodles said to be made specifically with water from the local well.
The Full Moon Festival coincided with our visit to Hoi An and it was a fun experience. No electric lighting or cars were allowed on the main street along side the river so the area was aglow from candles and paper lanterns. We sat by the river and watched the myriad of floating lanterns drift downstream.
After a couple of days, we headed north along the coast for a short distance to the city of Hue. We spent the first day seeing some of the local sites, including the massive walled citadel built sometime in the 1800's. Many parts of the walled palace had been destroyed by the Vietnam War and is still being rebuilt. The outer wall encompassed some 10 KM and there were two walled areas within. It was quite impressive.
We then set out on a day long journey to visit the newly discovered Phong Nha Paradise Cave. It's thought to be the largest dry cave in the world and visitors can explore the first 1 KM. Despite the long journey (8 hour round trip), the cave was incredible. There were stalactites and stalagmites of all types and sizes. The cave itself was massive.
That night we took another horrible sleeper bus north to the capital city, Hanoi. Hanoi was a very enjoyable city and we were surprised by the relative order and cleanliness. The local food options were boundless and we tried many new foods and developed a couple favorites. Along with eel rolls, snail soup and grilled dog, we tried Xoi Yen, yellow sticky rice covered with savory toppings, and Bun Bo Nam Bo, a
bowl of noodles with beef, fried onions and a delicious, almost sweet, broth (this was Cat's favorite). We also had some of our favorite our favorite coffee in Vietnam in Hanoi, including coffee with beaten egg whites and our favorite, coffee with yogurt.
Another amazing experience was the Bia Hoi culture. All over the city there are small Bia Hoi shops with dozens of laughably small plastic chairs and tables outside, selling Bia Hoi. Bia Hoi is a locally brewed beer that is served by the glass instead of the bottle. It is cold and refreshingly delicious and costs next to nothing (about $0.25 per glass). During our time in Hanoi we spent many enjoyable hours squeezed into a tiny chair sipping cold brew and watching the local life.
There are endless things to do in Hanoi from Temples to museums, so we did our best. We visited the Museum of Fine Art, the National History Museum, the "Hanoi Hilton" prison, the Temple of Literature (Vietnam's first national university built in 1070 that is now a temple dedicated to Confucius), and, of course, Uncle Ho at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Of these we really enjoyed the prison and seeing the living conditions of the inmates. The prison was originally built by the French and they used it for years to detain "enemies of Imperialism". When they left the Viet Cong used it to imprison their enemies, including captured US pilots. They even put John McCains flight suit on display and pictures of him while he was held there.
Our visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was interesting. It is free to go inside, but under very strict conditions. They literally march you in a single file line inside while armed and uniformed guards keep a close eye out to make sure you aren't wearing a hat or putting your hands in your pockets (one of the many rules). Inside, completely and utterly against his wishes, they have put revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh on display for the public. You might picture a skeleton or something, but no, the Vietnamese have embalmed their former leader so that when you look into the glass case and see him peacefully lying there he could be sleeping. Supposedly he is shipped to Russia for a couple months every year for "repairs and Maintanence".
Our next venture was to Cat Ba Island in the picturesque Lan Ha Bay, directly adjacent to the famous Ha Long Bay. After two buses, a boat and a third bus, we finally arrived in Cat Ba town, which turned out to be the Vietnamese version of the strip at Hampton Beach (NH). We had been hoping for a quite laid back town...
The following day we decided to go check out the bay. Instead of the uber touristy tour boats we thought that renting a kayak would be fun and more relaxing. It turned out to be a big mistake. We spent the first couple of hours trying to make our way out of the maze-like harbor and into the bay. Once we finally got out into the bay, we found that the waves were larger than we anticipated. Already exhausted, we decided to make for the first deserted beach we saw which ended up being covered in trash and debris (including a used syringe). Totally burnt out (literally and figuratively) and very frustrated, we headed straight back to the harbor.
The next day we opted to pay more and check out the bay the easy way. So we boarded an overcrowded tour boat and set out for our second day on the Bay (one day is probably enough). The scenery was incredible, with thousands of small islands of limestone (karsts) jutting out from the sea everywhere you looked.
While on the cruise, we met a traveling duo from Aus and the UK who were touring Vietnam on motorbikes. Their trip sounded amazing and we became inspired to do something similar. We decided to ship home our bags and get a pair of hybrid mountain bikes. It took us several says in Hanoi to get everything we would need for the journey, but after a bit of stress and a lot of interrogation we finally settled on what seemed like sturdy bikes. Cat ended up getting an Asam (we think it's made in Taiwan, but not sure) and I got a Giant bike built for me by a local bikeshop (which ended up not being the most reliable place).
We then headed to the Canvas and leather street of Hanoi (every street in Hanoi is dedicated to selling one thing. You will find entire streets with shoes and every store next to each other have the same exact things. We don't understand how they make money). On this street we found the perfect bags (panniers) for the back of our bikes. After a few adjustments and strapping a plank of wood on the back of the bike to hole the bag we were ready to go.
Our next stop was to head back south before crossing the border into Laos. We stopped in a small town called Vinh where we felt much more welcome and less exploited than in other parts of Vietnam. People seemed genuinely friendly and you could tell that few tourists passed through.
Hoi An had a great selection of food as well, our favorite which was Cau Lau (pronounced Gow Lao), a local specialty. It is a noodle dish with special wide noodles said to be made specifically with water from the local well.
The Full Moon Festival coincided with our visit to Hoi An and it was a fun experience. No electric lighting or cars were allowed on the main street along side the river so the area was aglow from candles and paper lanterns. We sat by the river and watched the myriad of floating lanterns drift downstream.
After a couple of days, we headed north along the coast for a short distance to the city of Hue. We spent the first day seeing some of the local sites, including the massive walled citadel built sometime in the 1800's. Many parts of the walled palace had been destroyed by the Vietnam War and is still being rebuilt. The outer wall encompassed some 10 KM and there were two walled areas within. It was quite impressive.
We then set out on a day long journey to visit the newly discovered Phong Nha Paradise Cave. It's thought to be the largest dry cave in the world and visitors can explore the first 1 KM. Despite the long journey (8 hour round trip), the cave was incredible. There were stalactites and stalagmites of all types and sizes. The cave itself was massive.
That night we took another horrible sleeper bus north to the capital city, Hanoi. Hanoi was a very enjoyable city and we were surprised by the relative order and cleanliness. The local food options were boundless and we tried many new foods and developed a couple favorites. Along with eel rolls, snail soup and grilled dog, we tried Xoi Yen, yellow sticky rice covered with savory toppings, and Bun Bo Nam Bo, a
bowl of noodles with beef, fried onions and a delicious, almost sweet, broth (this was Cat's favorite). We also had some of our favorite our favorite coffee in Vietnam in Hanoi, including coffee with beaten egg whites and our favorite, coffee with yogurt.
Another amazing experience was the Bia Hoi culture. All over the city there are small Bia Hoi shops with dozens of laughably small plastic chairs and tables outside, selling Bia Hoi. Bia Hoi is a locally brewed beer that is served by the glass instead of the bottle. It is cold and refreshingly delicious and costs next to nothing (about $0.25 per glass). During our time in Hanoi we spent many enjoyable hours squeezed into a tiny chair sipping cold brew and watching the local life.
There are endless things to do in Hanoi from Temples to museums, so we did our best. We visited the Museum of Fine Art, the National History Museum, the "Hanoi Hilton" prison, the Temple of Literature (Vietnam's first national university built in 1070 that is now a temple dedicated to Confucius), and, of course, Uncle Ho at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Of these we really enjoyed the prison and seeing the living conditions of the inmates. The prison was originally built by the French and they used it for years to detain "enemies of Imperialism". When they left the Viet Cong used it to imprison their enemies, including captured US pilots. They even put John McCains flight suit on display and pictures of him while he was held there.
Our visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was interesting. It is free to go inside, but under very strict conditions. They literally march you in a single file line inside while armed and uniformed guards keep a close eye out to make sure you aren't wearing a hat or putting your hands in your pockets (one of the many rules). Inside, completely and utterly against his wishes, they have put revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh on display for the public. You might picture a skeleton or something, but no, the Vietnamese have embalmed their former leader so that when you look into the glass case and see him peacefully lying there he could be sleeping. Supposedly he is shipped to Russia for a couple months every year for "repairs and Maintanence".
Our next venture was to Cat Ba Island in the picturesque Lan Ha Bay, directly adjacent to the famous Ha Long Bay. After two buses, a boat and a third bus, we finally arrived in Cat Ba town, which turned out to be the Vietnamese version of the strip at Hampton Beach (NH). We had been hoping for a quite laid back town...
The following day we decided to go check out the bay. Instead of the uber touristy tour boats we thought that renting a kayak would be fun and more relaxing. It turned out to be a big mistake. We spent the first couple of hours trying to make our way out of the maze-like harbor and into the bay. Once we finally got out into the bay, we found that the waves were larger than we anticipated. Already exhausted, we decided to make for the first deserted beach we saw which ended up being covered in trash and debris (including a used syringe). Totally burnt out (literally and figuratively) and very frustrated, we headed straight back to the harbor.
The next day we opted to pay more and check out the bay the easy way. So we boarded an overcrowded tour boat and set out for our second day on the Bay (one day is probably enough). The scenery was incredible, with thousands of small islands of limestone (karsts) jutting out from the sea everywhere you looked.
While on the cruise, we met a traveling duo from Aus and the UK who were touring Vietnam on motorbikes. Their trip sounded amazing and we became inspired to do something similar. We decided to ship home our bags and get a pair of hybrid mountain bikes. It took us several says in Hanoi to get everything we would need for the journey, but after a bit of stress and a lot of interrogation we finally settled on what seemed like sturdy bikes. Cat ended up getting an Asam (we think it's made in Taiwan, but not sure) and I got a Giant bike built for me by a local bikeshop (which ended up not being the most reliable place).
We then headed to the Canvas and leather street of Hanoi (every street in Hanoi is dedicated to selling one thing. You will find entire streets with shoes and every store next to each other have the same exact things. We don't understand how they make money). On this street we found the perfect bags (panniers) for the back of our bikes. After a few adjustments and strapping a plank of wood on the back of the bike to hole the bag we were ready to go.
Our next stop was to head back south before crossing the border into Laos. We stopped in a small town called Vinh where we felt much more welcome and less exploited than in other parts of Vietnam. People seemed genuinely friendly and you could tell that few tourists passed through.
Glad to hear things are well with the traveling duo, e-mail me about when you guys are starting your volunteer work.
ReplyDeleteKevin