Hoi An: White Marble Wine Bar/ Bamboo Buddha

We reached the ancient town of Hoi An. It was well preserved and so different than the previous cities we visited, with much less motor bike traffic.   Just enough time for cocktails and dinner at Bamboo Buddha and all walking distance from our hotel.

Da Nang and Marble Mountain

We drove through Da Nang, past the remains of the American Air Base and stopped at Marble Mountain.   Guest houses and resorts that are being built everywhere along China Beach home of the famous evacuation hospital, where American Soldiers came to recover. We took the elevator up ( an eye sore on the side of the mountain) to the first level.  At first we were a bit disappointed.  The view was nothing special and it seemed like just another pretty pagoda, but as we began to explore it became more interesting.  There were tons of little passages and caves.  Some tiny and some huge like the one with the big buddha.  We found out that the caves served as one of the bases for the Vietcong which has a good look right on to the beach.  The narrow, steep, slippery steps made us glad we opted to take the lift up but we used them on the way down. 

Hue/ Citadel

The Citadel was hands down our favorite place today, despite the various renovations going on. 

Hue/ Perfume River

We woke up at 3am to catch our flight to Hue, located in the middle of the country.  On arrival, we were greeted by the rain and our new guide "T". He was our most knowledgeable guide on this trip and lots of fun.  He finished every sentence with "yesss?" and started laughing hysterically when he told jokes.  He even left us a bottle of the local rice wine to try at our hotel.
 We headed to the Perfume River where the next boat awaited.  We were told it would be a one way trip and our driver would meet us at the end.  This time, the lady on board, in hopes of selling us something, gave us a complete fashion show with everything from dresses to PJ's in her french manicured toes.
Out first stop was the Thien Mu Pagoda, the tallest in Vietnam. Then several more stops...Hochen Temple, Ming Mang Tomb.

Our guide "T"

Hoa Lo Prison "Hanoi Hilton"

Not on our original itinerary, but because we had some time this afternoon we decided to visit Hoa Lo Prison. Originally one of the biggest prisons built by French colonists in Indochina.  It was later used to hold American prisoners of war who sarcastically dubbed it the "Hanoi Hilton".  Only part of the prison remains and it includes photos and displays of some of the "guests", including Senator John McCain. 

Toilet

Escape Route

Ho Chi Minh

This morning we were prepared to visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.  To view his enbalmed body visitors must leave all bags outside, speak in hushed tones and keep hands out of pockets.  Unfortunately, when our guide arrived, he informed us that although this visit was on our itinerary, the mausoleum is closed on Mondays.  We had to settle for a walk around the complex and a look at where he lived when he was alive.  We tasted the delicious "milk fruit"  and hung out with this year's graduating class who lined up to take pics with Raf.  On to lunch for a delicious fish fry specialty at Cha Ca La Vong.

Ha Long Bay

This UNESCO World Heritage site was truly impressive.  The drive from Hanoi was about 4 hours but well worth the trip.  Although the sun evaded us for most of the day, it was one of the highlights of our travels.  We made the mandatory stop disguised as a bathroom stop, at a marble, silk embroidery, Pringles factory on the way.  (We had made many of these factory pit stops in China where you are taken into see people working on local craft: sometimes kids, sometimes handicapped.)
Ha Long is a wealthy city that is developing rapidly.  The roads were devoid of potholes and we saw  many new, tall buildings.
Although our boat could have easily fit 30 people, we had it all to ourselves.  We visited several floating villages, shopped on the river and Bob got suckered into buying 4 large prawns for 800,000 dong($38)...after all, we are millionaires here, but I think we all need to work on our negotiating skills.  We had lunch prepared and served on board.  Boats pulled up along side of ours, and kids would jump on and try to sell us things.  We also had a sales presentation by the girl on the boat before we got off.  Communist or capitalist country?  Hard to tell.

Night Market

Saturday and Sunday nights are market night in Hanoi.  People sell their wares under tents.  It looks like they picked up their piles from the closed storefronts and moved them to the middle of the street.

Clean Air?

Lots of people here wear masks on the street.  The fumes from the scooters are overwhelming.  We had a masked visitor waiting for us when we returned to the hotel. Roger, who teaches at FIU and is a frequent guest in my classroom is traveling in the area and stopped by to visit.