In the morning we are heading to our final country in our February expedition: Laos. We couldn't be more excited as we have hit a wet spell. 30 minutes into our bus ride from Nha Trang, the rain started to fall and hasn't stopped since. But Hell, we are Oregonians and a little bit of rain can't put us down! Plus we checked the weather for Laos and it's 10 straight days of 90 degree + weather!
Our first stop was Hoi An. This city is a Unesco World Heritage site which preserves it as a historical landmark and is a favorite among tourists. Of all the hustle and bustle going around in the major cities of Vietnam this town plays by it's own tune. The streets in this quarter are mostly filled with pedestrians rather than motorbikes. The buildings have a unique architecture style, a mix of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese; and there are tailors on every corner that are eager to make you a custom fit suit or dress in less than 3 hours! With a ticket purchase you get a behind-the-scenes look of the city's treasures. We checked out the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Tan Ky House, the Quan Cong Temple, the Hoi An Art and History Museum, and the Tran Family Chapel. We realized shortly after purchasing the ticket that you can sneak into most of the sites but the money is reinvested in the community so at least it is for a good cause. It was unfortunately to rainy to head towards Cua Dia Beach.
Japanese Covered Bridge: Can you spot Michelle?
Hoi An and the river that runs through it
Periodically Hoi An is spoiled with flooding. The white marks in this picture indicate how high the water rose in the Tan Ky House!
Mich praying in the Tran Family Chapel
The following day we took another bus to Hue. This city used to be the capital of Vietnam between 1802 and 1945 as it is home of several royal tombs and ancient government structures. At this point of the trip both Michelle and I have seen so many ancient structures that are heads are spinning. We were freezing so instead of seeing all the historical landmarks we headed straight to the My An Hot Springs Resort. The sulfur water tapped out at 42 degrees celsius and was a pleasant distraction from the unsightly weather. For $7.50 we spent the day in the hot water and got a nice massage. We decided to drive by a few of the landmarks on our way home.
The weather was terrible but I think that inspired us to try some unigue Vietnamese culinary treats. Enjoy! We found a nice place in Hoi An called Karma Waters that served vegan dishes!
Noodles, Lettuce, vermicelli beef, and corn spring rolls
Vietnamese salad w/ tofu
With the French being such a strong influence in Vietnamese history, these baguette sandwiches are around every street corner and will only cost 10,000 -15,000 dong ($0.50 - $0.75)
Tofu Mushroom Burgers
Shredded tofu w/ mint, lime, and chilis
GOOD NEWS!!! We just made plans with Michelle's parents to visit Indonesia as well in mid-March!
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