Hoi An, Vietnam Part 2

Xin chao Everyone...

We have had a lovely few days here in this very beautiful town. It has been so much fun hanging out with old friends again. We are all heading off in our separate ways today.

Yesterday we went to My Son, which was the religious and political center for the south of Vietnam - the Champa Kings occupied this site from the late 4th century until the 13th century. It is particularily interesting because the kings went to Java to study, marry and trade. So there are Indonesian influences everywhere. It has been pillaged over the centuries and the Americans heavily bombed it during the war. It is a beautiful sight to see.

On our way out to visit My Son, our driver took us to see a family who makes rice paper crackers. They are remarkably similar to pompadoms (sp?) that we eat at home. The girls each had a go at making the crackers. They are made with rice, which is ground into a powder then added to water to make a liquid. The sheaths of the rice are used to keep the fire going under a large caudron of water. Over the pot they have stretched a membrane and on that they put the rice liquid in layers. Once it is cooked, they cracker is just like a thin wet sheet. It is placed on a drying rack that is placed in the sun. Each cracker is made one at a time. The mother makes them and the husband takes them to market. They were very poor. Their pigs were a huge hit.

Making rice crackers.

Aren't we cute? Still want bacon Kate?

Late month's high water mark during the typhoon - inside the house.

Souvenir?

We moved on to marble mountain. The girls thought maybe we should buy a souvenir and have it shipped.

We then spent the rest of the day at the beautiful China Beach made famous during the Vietnam war by the large American Army base here. It is a huge stretch of beach and the waves were perfect for body surfing. The girls had a great time. Mira was catching quite a few big ones and we spent lots of time catching Kate. The showers were a great when we were finished and only cost 5000 dong (30 cents). I think they were built during the war?

Cheers sharon

Hoi An, Vietnam

Mira's favourite so far...

Hi all, I am not have great luck with my photos tonight but here goes my third try...

We are here in sunny, hot and very humid Hoi An, Vietnam, just south of Da Nang and close to the famous China Beach. We have met up with our friends Krista, Ray, and Lily. We are staying a wonderful hotel thanks to Krista; it even has a pool. This is the first pool since Bangkok and it is great. The pool offers some welcome relief from the humidity. Mira wanted me to show you the room when we arrived. The girls were very excited.

We have rented bikes again but unlike Laos where the passenger seat was padded, here the back is just a wire rack. The girls quickly found a more comfortable way to travel - they stand on the rack and hold on to our shoulders. They attract lots of attention.

We have wheels: (l to r) - Ray, Mira, Sharon with Kate, Krista, Lily

Our new way to transport kids.

Once we had wheels, we headed to the beach. It is about 5 km out of town but well worth the effort... kms of sand and warm water. The ocean is warmer than a bath. We are all enjoying the fun and break from the traffic and pollution.

Mira at Cua Dai Beach

Paul and Mira doing tricks in the surf.

Kate - 'nough said.

We are taking advantage of the claim to fame here in Hoi An - the tailors. The girls are getting clothes and who knows, maybe we will indulge too.

We love your comments and don't hesitate to send us an email. cheers. sharon

Hue, Vietnam

Hi everyone , Guest Blogger today is Mira,

We went on the Green Train today from Hanoi to Hue. It was 14 hour train ride. In the cabin there are four bunks. In another wagon, there were 6 bunks per cabin. Kate and I slept on the top bunks and Mom and Papa slept down below. It was fun. I slept well on a really hard mattress. The toilet in the front of the train was a two footer (I DON'T USE THEM!) and there was a 'western' toilet at the back. It was ok for noise but the tick tick tick of the tracks was annoying.

It was very hot today. We walked all over town to find the Emperor's Forbidden City. We missed the main gate and eventually found the back door but they wouldn't let us in soooooo we had to keep on walking to the front. When we got to the Imperial Palace, it was even hotter. It was very interesting. Lots of the buildings got bombed by the americans in the Vietnam war. The walls and only 17 building remain out of 100 or more.I learned that EmperorTu DUc expected 50 dishes to be prepared at every meal by 50 cooks and served by 50 servants at every meal. ....

Imperial Palace, Hue

I fed the gold fish in one of the ponds at the Imperial Palace. When I throw a pellet in, all the fish went crazy over each other scrambling for the food. Cool.

Hungry?

We have a 2 hour train and a bus to get to the beach tomorrow in Hoi An.

I will write again soon, Mira..

Hanoi, Vietnam, November 7

Ricksaw riding....

Having fun yet Papa?

Hey Hey or should I say Xin jow,

We had a busy day. We wondered around the impossibly crowded streets of Hanoi after we checked out of our hotel. We decided to take a ricksaw about town. It is a slow but steady way to see things up close and personal. We could do whole blog on just stuff we have seen transported by scooter... we have seen a mattress, flour, a 12 foot storefront sign, fridge, t.v. and mirrors and the list goes on.

Man riding with mirrors and glass on the back... driver on other side of glass.

Laundry?

We saw the water puppets in Hanoi today. It is a traditional art form for Vietnam. The puppets are all in the water and present daily life and festivals from Vietnam. The kids thought it was delightful.

We caught the 7:30 train and got to experience our first all night sleeper. I know Mira wants to tell you all about it so I will only say that when we booked we couldn't get a cabin for all of us so we booked two berths in two different cabins... A lovely Australian couple saw our smiling kids and gave us their berths and took two uppers for us.. that is a sacrifice. I am sure they didn't want to spend 13 hours with our kids. We paid for 'soft sleepers' but there were very hard. Paul is suffering with a cold and this was the icing on the cake. We are now in Hue, home to the Vietnam emperors until 1945 and then off to Hoi An to meet up again with friends.

ttfn sharon

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Hi all,

We have just returned from two beautiful sunny days on Halong Bay. It is an area in Northern Vietnam, where over 3000 limestone islands are clustered in a turquoise water bay. There are hundreds of Vietnamese Junks waiting to take tourists around the bay. Halong Bay means descending dragon.. the legend says that the giant dragon came down from the mountain swinging its tail to create the valleys and mountains and when it jumped in the ocean it created all the islands. It never returned to its heaven but stayed here to protect the Vietnamese.

We heard about legends in the caves and did some kayaking. The highlight had to be Mira, Paul and Kate jumping off the roof of the junk into the ocean... very brave. I jumped from a lower deck. We enjoyed the relative quiet compared to the city.

The drive back was long as an accident added on two hours to our trip. The driver managed to weave in and out and through very, very tight spots to get us home.

The connection is slow this morning so you only get a couple of photos.

Paul and Mira are fighting colds and we are off on the sleeper train to Hue. Ta ta for now.

Hanoi, Vietnam, November 4

Hanoi...

This blog is acting up.. so I can't place the photos where I want them to go.. so you will have to jump around. Good luck.

Paul and Mira at West Lake.

Mira, Kate and Lily

Sidewalk? Can you see Paul, Mira and Kate?

Hanoi... We were warned about the traffic from friends but one has to see it, live it, feel it to believe it.

Motorbikes lined up at a red light.

Ok, cross...NOW.

Hanoi is traffic traffic traffic. You can't imagine.. to cross on a crosswalk.. you just walk straight ahead, keep your speed and don't look at the drivers and somehow you manage to get across while thousands of motorbikes honk and weave around you. I hold on to the kids with a tight grip. Then to complicate matters, sidewalks when they are there, are completely covered with stalls, outdoor or parking for the motorbikes so you are forced to walk on and off the curb which isn't a straight angle curb but on a slope - slippery then.. the gutters are full of who knows what (lots of snot that is for sure)... so Mira gets back to the hotel after a 6+ km walk like this and says "whew that was stressful!"

Mira and Kate getting good luck from the 13th century scholars' tablet at the Temple of Literature.

We met up with our friends, Krista, Ray and Lily last night from Peterborough. We have already spent more time together here, half way round the world than we have in the last couple of years in Canada. We had lots of laughs, drank a few Vie and got great tips from these seasoned travellers. We hope to meet up again in Hoi An in a week or so.

WE went to the Temple of Literature today, built in 1070! It has the names of the PH. D scholars from the 1400s on on big stone tablets mounted on turtles. The current students believe if one touches the turtles then one will get good luck during their exams.

New souvenirs... face masks.

With Krista's expert bargaining skills, we got the kids masks. Tons of folks wear them. No wonder - the pollution is hard on the throat. People seem to buy them to match their clothes too.

We are heading off to Halong Bay tomorrow and looking forward to some quiet which is not available here in Hanoi... they even broadcast the news on loud speakers at 7:30 and 5:30 everyday.. very noisy.

ttfn. s

Vientiane, Laos - October 31 - November 2

Vientiane, Laos

City scape in Vientiane, Laos

HI all!

Swimming during Visiting Hours?

So we had booked a hotel through the internet before leaving Luang Prabang. IT was the only budget hotel with a pool. During our long, hellish trip south on the bus, we kept promising a swim in the pool to the girls. We arrived after dark to an old French colonial style hotel with verandas around the second floor, large wood shutters and high ceilings. The rooms were a little old world and tired but generally clean. Paul wasn't crazy about the gecko we found in the unplugged fridge but it had clean sheets and a pool. When we headed out to the pool, we found tents all around and people chatting and visiting. I thought wedding. NO, funeral. The owner of the hotel had passed away that morning. Needless to say, we couldn't stay if we couldn't even use the pool... so we moved into town and found a lovely modern, cheaper hotel that even had internet... yah.

Festival That Luang in Vientiane

It is the holiday, That Luang right now. We went to check out the temple where most festivities take place. It was very noisy - kind of fair atmosphere. People come with gifts for Buddha and lots of candles. It was crazy with fair games, rides and a carnival really. Full of garbage and really crazy noise.

Pataouxai and hot girls wishing for a swim...

We headed off to the Patouxai, the Arc du Triomphe for Vientiane. It is also called the vertical airstrip because the US government gave the Laos government $ to build an airstrip during the Vietnam war and they build a monument. We climbed to the top and got a great view of Vientiane. The boulevards are very French, as is some of the architecture. The French bread and croissants are great too. We are enjoying this laid back capital even if there isn't much to do.

The holes in the street are dangerous. Apparently, the scrap metal sales make stealing man hole covers and sewer grates worth the risk which in turn means walking is a bit dicey... fun.

A view in traffic from the tuk tuk...

We have booked tickets to Hanoi and leave tomorrow... we will meet up with friends there. :) s