Now this is more like it! Hue, Hoi An and An Bang, Vietnam

HUE, Vietnam

The drizzly, dreary weather of the north, along with the hard-faced, no nonsense people of Hanoi were killing our joy, so we decided to head south in search of some sun and fun. We boarded a plane in Hanoi and an hour later, found ourselves in the ancient royal city of Hue.

The Perfume River (hard to tell these days what that's named for) divides the city north and south, and we found one of the best guest house deals so far on the trip at the end of a lane way off a main drag complete with a large-balconied room and a pool, all for about $15 USD per night. Breakfast was $1/person extra!

The old walled city on the north bank of the river is impressive, especially so if you see photos of the damage that the walls sustained during the fighting of the Tet Offensive in 1968 and compare with how they have been restored. The river banks have been maintained as park areas all through the city, which makes Hue a very pleasant town to pass some time. The beautiful sunny and warm weather was a pleasant change as well, so our spirits perked up right away. We braved Vietnamese traffic (which is not as manic here as it was in Hanoi) and rented bicycles to get around, and had a dose of mall time at The Big C plaza where we did some grocery shopping and caught an English language movie in a surprisingly comfortable theatre. 

Crossing the moat on our rental bikes to visit the walled city.

Lunch at an island restaurant in the middle of a small lake. We wonder whether some of our lunch came from the waters below.

The eastern gate to the old royal city. Bowen is enjoying the ride.

The ancient walls make a popular site for wedding photos.

Vietnamese gargoyle.

River tours on these dragon-headed catamarans are popular (but look a bit dull, truth be told).

The family that owns our guest house also has an Italian restaurant nearby so we had to try the pizza. 

Our pizza connoisseur shows us how it's done. Approval rating on the wheel was high. 

Our digs in Hue. Remy and Liz had the room on the top floor while the three boys were in a large studio at the other end of the hotel - an ideal situation. Good thing the pool was only 5' deep or the boys would have been tempted to try the jump from our balcony.

A German bride and her Viet husband taking wedding photos at a monument on the river dedicated to women.

The entire river front through the city is a park area - very pleasant.

Banh mi by the pool - a delightful lunch.

Making a splash at our guest house.

What Hollis is to pizza, Connor is to the cannonball. His form is perfect right before going into the tuck.

Roughing it by the pool over breakfast. Note the "laundry sausages" on the ground ready for cleaning.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (Although the boys all prefer to say that they have big dong.)

HOI AN/AN BANG

Our next stop was Hoi An, which we reached by way of a beautiful (if slow) train ride. The Reunification (good bit of propaganda there - the war was not a civil war, according to the Communists) rail line runs along the coast most of the way, offering some fantastic views. We were still being affected by the Tet holiday (how long does that last?) so were lucky to get seats at all, having left booking tickets until the last moment. Travel tip - don't do that.

Hoi An is an old port town, on the estuary of a river down which produce from the interior plains used to be shipped. That is, until the river silted up and the port transferred to Danang, about 20 km north. But that meant that Hoi An was preserved in the period style in which it had its heyday, making it similar in many ways to Melaka, Malaysia. The UNESCO World Heritage Site part of town is a large collection of old Chinese shophouses on the banks of the river, now converted to funky shops and restaurants.

The covered bridge is a popular photo op.

 Silk is king here, with the Ancient Town illuminated at night by thousands of silk lanterns strung across the streets, which so inspired Liz that she bought five of the things to lug around the rest of Vietnam until we can send them home with the older boys. The effect is quite magical, causing Hoi An to be voted by us the most beautiful town we have visited on our trip so far.

Hand-made silk lanterns- 5 of them are destined for the Tompkins house!

The only frustration is that in order to preserve the old town, the burden has been placed squarely on the tourists, who are asked to pay an entrance fee for the privilege of entering the old town. This does buy entrance to a number of exhibits within the precinct, but that fact is not well-advertised, so it seems like (and probably is) a shameless cash grab. Instead of collecting a tax from vendors who benefit greatly from the tourism the old town generates, this effort is made to further fleece the tourists directly. It is this unrefined attitude to tourism in Vietnam that makes what would be some otherwise wonderful experiences in this country occasionally galling to us. Entrance to the old town is not controlled, so we ignored the fee and spent our money directly in the shops.

These girls sell floating candles which are launched for "good luck".

Typical street seating. The little plastic seat can be found all over SE Asia.

Vietnam is a very photogenic place.

Our guest house in Hoi An was a gem. We paid a slight premium, but in return got beautiful rooms in a very modern home with generous hosts. It was worth it to get things like hand towels and complimentary snacks, and they locked up our rental motor bikes for us at night! We did a cooking class in the home which included a fascinating market trip for ingredients (we were introduced to the miniature snails that they to snack on here like sunflower seeds) and learned a couple of secret recipes which we will use to entertain with at home. We produced a delicious lunch for ourselves as well.

The makings for fresh salad rolls.

Learning to roll is the hard part

Mrs Cup and Connor taking a cooking break

The other thing that Hoi An is renowned for is tailors - there are reputedly 450 tailor shops in this small town. The sister of our guest house owner is a seamstress, so attended her shop and ended up having made a couple pairs of shorts for each of Remy, Liz, Connor and Bowen, while Liz had a replica of her favourite Lululemon tank top made. For less than half of the original cost, too!

Loving our new threads!

On a foodie note, Hoi An is a highlight for us. We tracked down Banh Mi Phuong in the market (and a second location a couple of blocks away), made famous by Anthony Bourdain in a "No Reservations" episode. We ate there every day that we could, it was that good. Cau lau, which is pork on yellow noodles, is very good, and we ate that often for breakfast and dinner. Bun thit nuong (grilled pork on vermicelli) is easily found, cheap and delicious. And the pho - another breakfast staple. Not to mention all sorts of delicious and cheap street food!

Family photo at An Bang beach. Remy is getting his Asian on.

The beach vendors are refreshingly low key and sparse at An Bang.

One of the many bridges spanning the river in Danang. Every Sunday at 9:00 PM, this one spews fire from the dragon's mouth.

The light of Remy's life.

We are never sure when a game of da cau is going to break out between Connor and Bowen. Guaranteed that within a minute, they will be joined by one or more Vietnamese in this popular pastime. 

This is typically how the dishes you will have just finished eating from are washed at the street stalls. Don't be fooled  by eating at restaurant, things are just the same out back. Travel tip - don't fret, enjoy the food.

The famous maker of our delicious sandwiches.

Eating one of Anthony Bourdain's declared "best sandwiches in the world" at Banh Mi Phuong in the market. It was the best we ever had, and we ate at least one a day.

How Remy and Liz like to roll - homemade G&T's with a fantastic sunset view from the sidewalk of a heavily traveled bridge in borrowed sippie cups from the corner store's kid.

The beautiful candle seller.

We love this kid

AN BANG

We had discovered An Bang, a small village right on the coast about 5 km outside of Hoi An, on a day long motorbike tour we did with the boys to visit Marble Mountain, which is midway between Hoi An and Danang. We were conscious of the fact that Connor had not had a beach experience on this trip, and we recognized An Bang as being the ideal situation for that. We poked around all the guest houses and hostels, but they were all too expensive or primitive (respectively). We persevered until we contacted a restauranteur who happened to have a rental house just off the beach. We arranged a two bedroom house with kitchen that included 10% off at the restaurant and free use of beach chairs thrown in for $35 USD per night, so it was ideal! We could have bicycles or motorcycles delivered right to or house when we needed them, and Hoi An was just a twenty minute ride away for re-supply. We explored the local area or made forays into Hoi An in the mornings, and spent the afternoons at the beach, playing frisbee, working out and honing body surfing skills in the water. It was a relaxing week at the beach, and a nice break from the hard core tourism of the past six weeks. The only hiccup was that the bathroom sink broke down and took three days to repair, but that prompted Remy to give growing a beard a try.

Remy doing his best Popeye impression at the outdoor shower of our beach house.

The beachfront in Danang - beautiful, but a bit sterile. As you can see, the Vietnamese do not go to the beach while the sun is shining.

This is how the Vietnamese women dress, but out of vanity, not modesty as in the Muslim countries. Light skin is prized here, but we are not sure when it actually gets seen. It must be highly prized, because it was about 35 degrees C when we took this photo. Meanwhile, Western tourists are sizzling on the beach.

We never did get to try out these basket boats.

Frolicking in the surf. Good thing the frisbee floats.

On our way from Hoi An to Nha Trang on the bus. No toilet on board, as promised (and paid extra for). It is an overnight trip  and this is our bed for the night at the back of the bus. You can't help but make friends, and we did. That is Judith, traveling solo from NYC, and Eduardo, who is from Spain but working for the UN in Laos and who went to university in Edmonton. Small world. small beds

View of the front of the bus from our berths in the back. Bowen is popping up from the lower berth, and you can see the individual semi-reclined sleeping pods arranged in upper and lower trios. The bus was oversold, and some people had to sleep on the floor. 

We are heading south down the coast to Nha Trang to continue our Vietnamese beach experience. We had a great time in Hoi An and area, and managed to arrange a dinner meet-up with Ted, Tina and Elliot ( from our neighbourhood in Calgary) who are staying longer in Danang. They will be wrapping up the South East Asia leg of their journey there before heading off to Italy, while we continue our travels in SEA. Next time we meet will be back in the 'Hood!

~Remy