We went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast at 8am. It was an excellent feed in an elegant setting. The couple at the table next to us are travelling on the Scenic Tour. There are 14 people in the Scenic group touring Vietnam. We will be joining this group in Saigon when we start the river cruise to Cambodia on the Mekong River in several days time.
I took the opportunity to go outside to take photos of the hotel grounds including the pool area. The hotel is located near the river. In the foreground, there was construction work and on the other side of the river, there was a huge flag pole displaying the red national flag.
Our guide, Dung, was waiting for us in the hotel foyer and a driver was waiting outside in an Insider Journeys car. They loaded our bags into the car and we set off. I was admiring the scenery and taking photos out through the side window.
Soon after we passed through a toll booth, we did a U-turn and stopped near the river. We walked down a laneway towards the bay with a creek on one side and local houses on the other. In the creek, there we multiple timber fishing boats. On the shore near the path, there were fishing nets laid out on the ground.
We hadn't gone far when we came across people loading tubs of fish into a van being filmed by what looked like a TV camera. Further on, we saw people on shore sorting out their catches and on the creek there were still people bringing in their catches.
This was a completely natural setting in the local environment and we were standing in the middle of it. Most of the fish were quite small. However, there were tubs full of them and they we still flapping and squirming.
Some people wore traditional conical hats and others had baseball caps like mine. People were busy going about their business and were largely ignoring us. It was a warm and sunny start to the day with reflections off the water nearby, activity in the middle distance and green hills in the background.
By taking us to this small fishing village, our guide was clearly trying to show us how people live in this part of the world. It was a memorable experience and a great start to the day.
Back on the road, we travelled along major and minor roads including tunnels through mountains. Thee were mainly rural area where the houses were bigger and on larger land areas. Inland there were tree-lined hills topped by clouds.
Since it was now mid-morning, our guide took us to a cafe (Cafe Teria) for morning tea. We drove along a lake with various wharves jutting out into the water before stopping at a simple location overlooking the lake.
The cafe itself was fairly basic but then again what an amazing fabulous wonderful incredible location for a mid-morning break.
On the other side of the road, there was a spit of sand stretching out into the lake. Occasional fishing boats were moored close to shore or out on the lake. Beyond the tranquil water, you could sit and admire the hills and the clouds on the other side of the lake. It reminded me of Lake Como in northern Italy.
Annie and Allan had told us that the road trip from Hue to Hoi An had been frightening when they'd done the trip some years ago because of the poor roads and the wild driving habits of the locals. Things have obviously improved since then.
We drove past a very long bridge over the water that leads to a very long tunnel through the mountains. However our guide had decided to take us on the scenic route along the coast so we could admire the view.
Not far beyond the long bridge, we had to stop at a railway level crossing on the side of the hill. It was a good opportunity to take photos of the bridge and the bay before waiting to take photos of the train as it came through in front of us.
Having moved through that obstacle, we wound our way up to the top of the mountain range and stopped at the top which had a vantage point overlooking the city of Da Nang. The views were amazing.
Naturally, the Americans had set up a military observation point here during the war. We clambered up the hill and onto some of the remnants of the military structures. Along the road below us, people had set up shops for the tourists.
After winding down the other side of the mountain range, we drove through the streets of Da Nang that are wider and better organised than in Hanoi. There is a bridge across the river with golden aches (just like McDonald's except in was supposed to represent a dragon).
Our guide took us to the historic Cham museum. Before we went inside, he spent some time in front of a map explaining the history of this part of the world over recent centuries. Inside there were several rooms of stone statues.
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant (Ben Caing) across the road from the harbour. Our table was on the upstairs terrace overlooking the bay. I had their specialty burger and the local Da Nang beer, La Rue.
Next we stopped at Da Nang Beach which is also known as China Beach. This beach has golden sands and could be anywhere in Australia - or perhaps somewhere in the South Pacific because of the thatched roof huts along the sand for surfers.
It wasn't a long trip to the next destination, the Marble Mountains. This is an area of five hills south of Da Nang made from marble and limestone. They are named after the five elements metal, wood, fire and earth.
The mountain we went to (Water Mountain) has an elevator built into the side of the hill to get to the top - much easier than climbing the stairs. It's a great view when you get up there but there's lots more to explore.
As you would expect, there are plenty of Buddha statues, shrines, multi-storey spires, plazas, buildings, ponds and bridges. After taking photos of the obvious, I wandered around the back of the shrines to discover caves and monuments built into the side of the hill.
There was wildlife too. We saw various birds strutting around the area and in the ponds we spotted frogs croaking to advertise their presence.
It was hot and humid - probably 35C and I guess the humidity must have been close to 100%. Several times, I felt as though I was close to passing out and so I had to take it slowly. I was looking forward to getting back into the air-conditioned car at the bottom of the lift.
They don't call this area "marble mountains" for nothing because there are mountains of shops selling marble objects such as statues. Our next destination was one of these shops. Suzy obviously enjoyed going here whereas I wandered around looking like a bored husband who needed air conditioning.
It was a big relief to get back into the car and set off for our destination. Then again, we were driving in the traffic in Vietnam with the mad things that happen on the roads.
Our guide, Dung, was waiting for us in the hotel foyer and a driver was waiting outside in an Insider Journeys car. They loaded our bags into the car and we set off. I was admiring the scenery and taking photos out through the side window.
We hadn't gone far when we came across people loading tubs of fish into a van being filmed by what looked like a TV camera. Further on, we saw people on shore sorting out their catches and on the creek there were still people bringing in their catches.
Some people wore traditional conical hats and others had baseball caps like mine. People were busy going about their business and were largely ignoring us. It was a warm and sunny start to the day with reflections off the water nearby, activity in the middle distance and green hills in the background.
By taking us to this small fishing village, our guide was clearly trying to show us how people live in this part of the world. It was a memorable experience and a great start to the day.
Back on the road, we travelled along major and minor roads including tunnels through mountains. Thee were mainly rural area where the houses were bigger and on larger land areas. Inland there were tree-lined hills topped by clouds.
The cafe itself was fairly basic but then again what an amazing fabulous wonderful incredible location for a mid-morning break.
On the other side of the road, there was a spit of sand stretching out into the lake. Occasional fishing boats were moored close to shore or out on the lake. Beyond the tranquil water, you could sit and admire the hills and the clouds on the other side of the lake. It reminded me of Lake Como in northern Italy.
We drove past a very long bridge over the water that leads to a very long tunnel through the mountains. However our guide had decided to take us on the scenic route along the coast so we could admire the view.
Not far beyond the long bridge, we had to stop at a railway level crossing on the side of the hill. It was a good opportunity to take photos of the bridge and the bay before waiting to take photos of the train as it came through in front of us.
Naturally, the Americans had set up a military observation point here during the war. We clambered up the hill and onto some of the remnants of the military structures. Along the road below us, people had set up shops for the tourists.
The mountain we went to (Water Mountain) has an elevator built into the side of the hill to get to the top - much easier than climbing the stairs. It's a great view when you get up there but there's lots more to explore.
There was wildlife too. We saw various birds strutting around the area and in the ponds we spotted frogs croaking to advertise their presence.
It was hot and humid - probably 35C and I guess the humidity must have been close to 100%. Several times, I felt as though I was close to passing out and so I had to take it slowly. I was looking forward to getting back into the air-conditioned car at the bottom of the lift.
It was a big relief to get back into the car and set off for our destination. Then again, we were driving in the traffic in Vietnam with the mad things that happen on the roads.
For example, in Australia, when you want to turn right, you wait for a break in the traffic so you can safely get there. In Vietnam, when you are turning left (in this case because you are driving on the other side of the road), there is no point in waiting for a break in the traffic because it probably doesn't happen. You just steer the car into the oncoming traffic and everyone drives around you.
Another surprising thing about driving in Vietnam is that there's no aggro. People drive with straight faces and no emotion despite the chaos that is happening around them. Maybe they're used to it and think it is normal. Perhaps they are happy with people breaking the rules or perhaps there aren't too many rules here. In Australia, there would be lots of abuse and finger gestures.
On the way, we came across a traffic incident. There was a man lying on the road covered in blood. They'd put him on a white sheet and passers-by were tending to him. It's a wonder that ewe hadn't seen this more often.
Our hotel at Hoi An (Anantara Hoi An Resort) had real style. Porters were waiting for us at the entrance in a garden setting. Our room was very close to reception overlooking the river. It was a spacious room with a lower level sitting area and a few steps up to a bedroom area with a bathroom area beyond.
It had a large king size bed and a bench plus a stool for my laptop. The shower was in a sunken bath. Perhaps the item that surprised us most was the fish swimming in a small square bowl on the banister leading up to the bed area.
One of our first tasks was to get some washing done. Our guide escorted us to a tiny laundry (Anh Vu Laundry) across the road from the hotel which was much cheaper than using the hotel's laundry service. Their motto was "Very good. Very cheap".
This was the start of a walking tour though the ancient town of Hoi An. It was still hot and humid and so luckily our guide took us at a leisurely pace - even stopping and waiting while Suzy went into shops. Along the way, I admired the flowering bougainvillea trees and the Chinese lanterns.
The streets were lined with market stalls selling produce and other goods and, of course, there was plenty of activity with people, bicycles, rickshaws and cars. As we progressed, the sun was gradually setting and the Chinese lanterns were looking brighter.
Suzy went into various clothes shops and spent time with one in particular (AoBaBa) trying on clothes. I waited on a couch and Dung waited outside for most of the time. Towards the end she convinced me to look at ordering a couple of shirts made to measure.
By this time, it was dark and the streets were lit up by lanterns strung across the roads and in front of shops. In the centre of town, we came to a bridge across the river that was brightly lit. On either side of the bridge, there were timber boats with drivers looking for customers.
The streets were crowded with people. The place was buzzing with excitement on the streets, across the bridge and in the boats on the river. It was a fabulous setting.
Various people had suggested that we go to a restaurant called Mango Mango for dinner. It was in an ideal location just near the bridge and the plaza. Although there was a band playing upstairs, there were no tables available up there and we sat at a table on the ground floor terrace overlooking the street scene.
The wine was expensive again and so I had the La Rue beer again and Suzy had a G&T again. The food was good but the service could have been better. At least they chased after us when Suzy left a bag behind when we left.
As we walked back to our hotel, the streets were still humming with activity. The restaurants and shops were still open and brightly lit. There were lanterns everywhere. Small boats were travelling up and down the river with tourists on board. By now the market near our hotel was empty except for a few stalls.
Back at our hotel, the moon was rising over the river lighting up the palm trees in the garden area. What a wonderful location and what a wonderful day. People had told me that Hoi An is a wonderful place and they were right.
It had a large king size bed and a bench plus a stool for my laptop. The shower was in a sunken bath. Perhaps the item that surprised us most was the fish swimming in a small square bowl on the banister leading up to the bed area.
This was the start of a walking tour though the ancient town of Hoi An. It was still hot and humid and so luckily our guide took us at a leisurely pace - even stopping and waiting while Suzy went into shops. Along the way, I admired the flowering bougainvillea trees and the Chinese lanterns.
Suzy went into various clothes shops and spent time with one in particular (AoBaBa) trying on clothes. I waited on a couch and Dung waited outside for most of the time. Towards the end she convinced me to look at ordering a couple of shirts made to measure.
The streets were crowded with people. The place was buzzing with excitement on the streets, across the bridge and in the boats on the river. It was a fabulous setting.
The wine was expensive again and so I had the La Rue beer again and Suzy had a G&T again. The food was good but the service could have been better. At least they chased after us when Suzy left a bag behind when we left.
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