We got up at 5:00, thrilled that we'd had a decent night's sleep.
Hội An, also Faifoo, is a city of Vietnam, on the coast of the East Sea in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam. It is home to approximately 120,000 inhabitants. It is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Hội An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. --Wikipedia
The buffet breakfast under the trees was fabulous.
We also watched some tai chi being done.
Quite a few of our tour friends opted to get a bag full of laundry done at a local laundry that Hoa knew. The cost was by the pounds and extremely reasonable. Art and I didn't have enough to do.
I know Hoa said there was a law in effect that only three people could ride on a motorbike. They were also supposed to wear a helmet.
Ummm...
Hoa told us that when we're crossing streets teeming with motorbikes, we shouldn't run or stop. We should simply walk slowly because bikes don't stop. They just swerve to avoid you.
We went to the Chinese Community Center (Phuc Kien Assembly Hall) and saw a statue of Thien Hau (Heavenly Queen Lady). In China, Thien Hau is known as Mazu.
Thiên Hậu is a deity of traditional Chinese religion, who is revered in the southern maritime provinces of China and in overseas Chinese communities. She is not specifically a deity of Taoism or Buddhism, though she has been brought into connection with figures and themes from Taoism and Buddhism. -Wikipedia
I loved seeing this lady watching her dogs and puppies.
It was really funny to see bulbuls hanging from cages as pets. They may be pretty, but are such pests in Hawaii!
Hoi An Artcraft Manufacturing Workshop
It was interesting to see this woman creating lanterns to be used for their festivals .
We listened to Vietnamese music.
This woman was selling Chinese horoscope pendants and hanging ornaments.
Japanese Covered Bridge
(16th - to early 17th century)
It was built by the Japanese to connect their side to the Chinese side of town.
Lunch was at the Morning Glory Street Food Restaurant and Cooking School.
We thought their food was the best we'd had on this trip so far.
The menu listed this as Tofu & Tomato Soup and a Crispy Pancake.
The crispy pancake had green bananas, green mango, bean sprouts, cilantro (coriander) and mustard greens.
I know North Face is made in Vietnam, but I still wondered if what we saw in these little shops were the real thing or knock-offs.
I was having a hard time getting used to Vietnamese money which is called Dong.
The exchange rate was $1.00 = 21,000 dong.
The many zeros totally confused me!
In the late afternoon, I took a rest for a couple of hours while my energizer bunny, Art continued to explore the town.
Dinner at the hotel was restful and lovely.
Several tour friends had already gotten sick so a little rest was helpful.
Hội An, also Faifoo, is a city of Vietnam, on the coast of the East Sea in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam. It is home to approximately 120,000 inhabitants. It is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Hội An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. --Wikipedia
The buffet breakfast under the trees was fabulous.
We also watched some tai chi being done.
Quite a few of our tour friends opted to get a bag full of laundry done at a local laundry that Hoa knew. The cost was by the pounds and extremely reasonable. Art and I didn't have enough to do.
I know Hoa said there was a law in effect that only three people could ride on a motorbike. They were also supposed to wear a helmet.
Ummm...
Hoa told us that when we're crossing streets teeming with motorbikes, we shouldn't run or stop. We should simply walk slowly because bikes don't stop. They just swerve to avoid you.
We went to the Chinese Community Center (Phuc Kien Assembly Hall) and saw a statue of Thien Hau (Heavenly Queen Lady). In China, Thien Hau is known as Mazu.
Thiên Hậu is a deity of traditional Chinese religion, who is revered in the southern maritime provinces of China and in overseas Chinese communities. She is not specifically a deity of Taoism or Buddhism, though she has been brought into connection with figures and themes from Taoism and Buddhism. -Wikipedia
I loved seeing this lady watching her dogs and puppies.
It was really funny to see bulbuls hanging from cages as pets. They may be pretty, but are such pests in Hawaii!
Hoi An Artcraft Manufacturing Workshop
It was interesting to see this woman creating lanterns to be used for their festivals .
We listened to Vietnamese music.
This woman was selling Chinese horoscope pendants and hanging ornaments.
Japanese Covered Bridge
(16th - to early 17th century)
It was built by the Japanese to connect their side to the Chinese side of town.
Lunch was at the Morning Glory Street Food Restaurant and Cooking School.
We thought their food was the best we'd had on this trip so far.
The menu listed this as Tofu & Tomato Soup and a Crispy Pancake.
The crispy pancake had green bananas, green mango, bean sprouts, cilantro (coriander) and mustard greens.
I know North Face is made in Vietnam, but I still wondered if what we saw in these little shops were the real thing or knock-offs.
I was having a hard time getting used to Vietnamese money which is called Dong.
The exchange rate was $1.00 = 21,000 dong.
The many zeros totally confused me!
In the late afternoon, I took a rest for a couple of hours while my energizer bunny, Art continued to explore the town.
Dinner at the hotel was restful and lovely.
Several tour friends had already gotten sick so a little rest was helpful.
so many wonderful sites and foods you've enjoyed. it's been so nice having a view inside of your trip. hope all is well. have a great day~
ReplyDeleteI'm doing OK... Just a little stressed out trying to get all my posts and trip album done. Thank you so much for your encouragement.
DeleteYou are an excellent tour guide, Kay. I loved seeing all you showed us today. I especially like the photo of the lady with her dogs.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jeanie! I'm so glad you're enjoying the trip. It makes all this posting work worthwhile.
Deleteyou are the energizer bunnies...lol!
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed I survived this trip OK.
DeleteI was just wondering if anyone got sick. The food looks worth tasting, yum!
ReplyDeleteLots of people did get digestive and respiratory ailments. Art and I were very lucky.
Deletei am SO enjoying this trip. that food looks so good!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad! Thank you!
DeleteI am now hungry for some of that food! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm still thinking about that pho.
DeleteAmazing scenery and activities. You are indeed brave to travel to southeast Asian countries. Although I have no desire to travel outside of the United States, southeast Asian and African nations are the scariest to me. We have missionary friends in both nations and hear all the stories. I am no where near brave enough to go there, especially with my digestive issues. You and Art have strong constitutions.
ReplyDeleteOh no... my tummy is not all that strong. I'm surprised I survived that trip unscathed... well... tummy wise anyway. I did get knicks and scratches.
DeleteI note that the streets in Central america are much like these. Much of what we saw was cleaned up for the tourists. It's wonderfull to travel here with you. Now that I know that my heat problems are still with me, I probably will never go there. Just lovely. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they were only taking us to tourist appropriate places, but what we saw was lovely.
DeleteWow, Vietnam is so visually colorful and interesting. The travelers I know, including my granddaughter, all seem to love Vietnam. I can see why.
ReplyDeleteIt's truly not a place I had any intention of visiting. I have too many terrible memories of the war. It was a revelation to see how the country had prospered.
DeleteI would also find the money confusing, I hope you don't get sick too!
ReplyDeleteIncredibly, my stomach survived the trip. I was really worried though. I did get a bit feverish on the third day back, but I spent the entire day in bed and was better the next day.
DeleteSo many interesting sights, and that food . . . I want to dive in!
ReplyDeleteI know. Me, too. There was so much to see and experience.
DeleteYou are wise to take a rest in the late afternoon to recharge your batteries. The lanterns are so pretty, were they for sale when you were there? If yes, did you buy any?
ReplyDeleteOh yes! They were for sale, but I didn't buy any. It was bad enough that I bought a bunch of the fragile bamboo dragonflies. A couple of them broke in transit.
DeleteSo sorry to hear about the poor bamboo dragonflies.
DeleteI love seeing the really old things, like that bridge, and the everyday people, like the lady with her dogs.
ReplyDeleteThat bridge is really famous and often used to represent the town. Seeing that smiling lady with the dogs really lifted my spirits that day.
DeleteI'm sure those scooter riders are uncomfortable
ReplyDeleteYou know what? They really looked quite comfortable and used to that kind of travel. Boggled my mind.
DeleteIsn't it a pity we don't have World Heritage Sites in this country! You have such a wealth of information here and so many pix that I'm going to have to look your postings over carefully tomorrow. Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteWe most certainly do have a whole lot of World Heritage Sites in the U.S. Here is a link to the U.S. sites:
Deletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_the_United_States
Wow! I just looked and there's a bunch we haven't seen yet. We'll have to save them for another trip.
Oops! The link thing didn't work. You'd have to cut and paste the address onto your browzer. Otherwise, you can just google World Heritage Sites in the U.S.
DeleteHoi An is such a colorful, festive town. You can tell the weather is warmer, adding to the relaxed atmosphere. Look at the clothes being worn, compared to jackets in the north. It was wonderful to have breakfast outside under the trees. Hotel had that resort feel, like being in west Maui or Kona. Blink
ReplyDeleteGosh! I really liked that hotel too. I've been wearing my Bambou t-shirt that I bought there.
DeleteYour pictures are so very excellent. The colors are bright and vivid. The food appears inviting. Notice the mototbike riders who do have helmets are the adults and not the children. Yikes! If the other tour members are sick, what caused it, water or food?
ReplyDeleteI'm really not sure what caused the problem. We were all pretty careful about the water and ate the same thing. I'd venture to say only 60% of the people actually wore helmets.
DeleteIt's wonderful that you show us pictures of the everyday people living in Vietnam. These are great insights into the Vietnamese lifestyle. The photo of the old lady, gently smiling as she watches her dogs, is my favourite.
ReplyDeleteI did love that photo too. I would have stood there and taken more photos if I could.
DeleteGreat views from my armchair!
ReplyDeleteMy crude concern is what happens to the lady with her doggies: are they really eating dogmeat a lot, or keeping it from tourists?
Would superglue gel work on your broken dragonflies?
The food does look yummy!
I didn't know NorthFace products were made in Vietnam...
DrumMajor
Gosh, I have no idea about how many dogs are eaten. I'm thinking those dogs were all pets. She was very loving with them.
DeleteWe tried Superglue. Unfortunately, it made the dragonfly off balance. Sigh...
And yup, I checked my Northface clothing and they were made in Vietnam.
hoi an was one of my favorite places but not enough time to really enjoy the town. very charming. lunch at the morning glory was one of the best, i agree with you. dinner at the resort hotel was good too, i especially enjoyed the banana flower salad and a slice of chocolate cake. carolyn
DeleteThank you so much for writing, Carolyn. I think that was one of the best hotels we were at. I loved that rice paper wrap. We had such a great time with you both.
DeleteWhat a wonderful journal of your trip you have put together. You should publish it once it's all finished... It will be something for generations to come to read.
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter.
Hugs,
Betsy
I'm working on our personal trip album now, but it's such a long process and should take about three weeks+ to do.
DeleteGreat shot of the lady and the dogs. Loved the lanterns. The food looks incredible. I'd rest too!
ReplyDeleteMore great photos. I love your posts.
ReplyDeleteNow that pancake is something I would like to try.
ReplyDelete