Monday, food tour day 2, was Hanoi street food day. We started off with a quick bus trip to La Sante Hotel and Spa which turned out to be only about 3 blocks from the hotel we first stayed in. From there our first stop was Pho Huyen for a delicious bowl of chicken soup.
After that Anh showed us a number of small fruit and vegetable markets where we were introduced to products such as Dragon Fruit and Milk Apples (both shown in the photo below) along with many more items strange to us.
Continuing on a route similar to the one we took on Saturday, we slowly made our way via numerous side streets and large markets to the center of the Old Quarter. We stopped at several street food vendors sampling as we went. All delicious.
The group walking tour ended early afternoon and we were all turned loose to our own devices. We decided to take a GRAB across the city to the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum. Wonderful place with a nice little gift shop and a very nice patio cafe in which we enjoyed a couple of excellent mocktails before heading back to our hotel.
That night we went out for dinner on our own. Found a seafood place but the food was just so-so :-(
Tuesday, food tour day 3, was the start of an overnight excursion to Ha Long Bay. Quick breakfast at the hotel then onto a bus for the 4 hour drive to the coast. A stop midway at a charity center where they sell goods made by people with a variety of handicaps. The people are trained and produce exquisite arts and crafts however none came home with us. Around noon we arrived at Ha Long Bay, boarded our small craft that was just the right size for our small group and off we went into the bay. Fabulous scenery floating between the large number of rock outcroppings rising from the water (more photos in the
album).
The food on board was excellent (and too much) but the presentation was beautiful. For example, the baked oysters...
It was a beautiful evening even with the dozens of other boats anchored in the same area. Lots of karaoke heard acreoss the water but everything went quiet by 10:00 PM so a fairly good night's sleep was in the works. The following morning we stopped at a small island where people could climb to a pagoda at the top. Our guide and 4 of our group did the climb. Three of us relaxed on the boat. Soon we were back on shore aboard a bus back to Hanoi. We collected our luggage from the Adonis Hotel before heading to the train station for our overnight train to Hue.
Our train departure time was in the evening so by the time we left the outskirts of Hanoi it was already dark so not much too see until the morning. There were 4 of us in each compartment. Dan and Sam were nice enough to take the upper bunks (a bit awkward getting up there) so we both had lower bunks. The cabin was quite comfortable but the wheels on the train must have been a tad off round. That was the bumpiest, rocking back and forth night we've ever had on a train. Come morning we saw endless rice paddies north of Hue.
Thursday, food tour day 5, we arrived mid-morning in Hue and got settled in the Villa Hue Hotel, our stop for the night. No time to rest though as we were quickly off to the
An Nhien Garden Restaurant for a wonderful lunch in a lovely setting. Here's the menu of items we shared (pics of food plates in our
album).
After lunch it was a busy afternoon of sightseeing. First stop was the
Thien Mu Temple which housed, among other things, the car driven by Vietnamese Buddhist monk
Thich Quang Duc to a busy Saigon intersection in 1963 where he died by self-immolation. He was protesting the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government.
Next up was a stop at a touristy place where they made the stereotypical Vietnamese conical hats and also made incense sticks. Here's Lara showing off her new souvenir hat and incense.
After that brief respite we visited the
Royal Tomb of Tu Doc, a large complex where there are a number of members from the
Nguyen dynasty, the last Vietnamese dynasty before the French took power.
Friday, food tour day 6, after breakfast, we started with a stop at a place that specializes in
salted coffee. Ok, a bit different. Quite good. Then we were off to the
Citadel and the Imperial City of Hue, a large walled and moated complex within a large walled and moated complex.
Leaving the Imperial City, back on the bus, it was time to venture farther south, via a very scenic drive, to
Hoi An, an ancient trading port.
Along the way, we stopped for a lunch break at
Lap An Lagoon, a beautiful setting. We had a wonderful lunch, which included baked oysters along with some very tasty deep fried oyster filled spring rolls. Ever since, Kris has asked the question "we live in oyster central, why don't we have those spring rolls where we live???".
Continuing on after lunch we drove over the
Hai Van Pass, a very scenic drive, into Da Nang and on to Hoi An.
When we were checking into the Sincerity Hotel in Hoi An, Anh handed Brian our key and said "there is a surprise for you". Hmmm wonder what... well we had forgotten that Brian had mentioned, the other day, that this trip was our 50th anniversay trip. This was the surprise...
That night we went out for a group dinner, a seafood hotpot at a place along the river. The company was good. The meal was ok. We passed on the frog's legs.
Saturday, food tour day 7, started with an excellent breakfast at the hotel Huge selection of Asian and Western items. Nice. The tour day started with Anh showing us around the Old Town, suggesting places to go to have clothing made, leather goods, eye glasses etc etc (they make everthing here). The first highlight stop was the Chua Phuoc Kien, an assembly hall being decorated and offering gifts for Tet.
There were large coils of incense hanging from the ceiling. These were lit and would take about 2 weeks to burn out near the start of Tet.
First rest stop was the Reaching Out Tea House, a non-government organization that supports the local deaf and dumb community by providing employment and vocational training. Sshhh, very quiet and serene, no talking! After the rest we met a guide who showed us around the marketplace.
Then it was time for our first group cooking class.
After lunch, our bus headed back to the Old Town where we were free for the afternoon. A few people in our group were here to get both casual and business wear outfits custom made along with a couple of beautiful leather bags. Kris got a couple of casual tops made while Brian followed Liz' lead and ordered up a pair of sunglasses, with a slightly better prescription than his normal glasses, and they will be ready tomorrow. These folks work hard and fast.
That evening our group attended a showing of
Teh Dar at the
Hoi An Lune Center. an absoutely spectacular show in the vein of a Circ de Soleil show. No photos allowed but check out their website for a sample. For dinner we all met at the Morning Glory Restaurant in Old Town. Lovely.
Sunday, food tour day 8, was a total free day. Some in our group went on a banana boat tour on the river. We went to the hotel spa and had, at best, mediocre massages :-( For dinner, we took a GRAB to Old Town and after wandering around a bit, decided on the
Secret Garden Restaurant finding it through a maze of alley ways and finding the name has changed to Avocado. A lovely setting in a true "secret garden" and a very good dinner of contemporary Vietnamese dishes. Nice.
That's it for this week.
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