Hoi An & Nha Trang, Vietnam

From small markets to high rises. Down south has a completely different feeling from up north. We finally made it back to the sandy beach scene. We met up with our friend Earl who we met in Hue. He's a curly headed Australian guy out to see the world just like us. I was fitted for a gray suit in Hoi An. This Is the town who specializes in tailoring. You walk through a neighborhood and peer into a household not to see a Vietnamese family but instead a dozen sowing machines with sweaty workers behind each one. 

In Nha Trang there are many Russian tourists. When I'm walking the streets even the flyers the locals hand out are in Russian. The food is a bit more because of it, but for accommodations, we found a place with such soft beds for $12 a night. The ocean feels warm with large waves. We rented a couple paded chairs under a straw umbrella for a $1.50. I needed shade after getting a little red that first day. We ended up renting these chairs everyday after that. It's funny watching locals or most all of southeast Asians because they wear jeans and dress shirts or whatever they have on for the day into the water. They don't really have or wear swimsuits.

There's this sky tram that takes you across the ocean to a fantasy island called Vinpearl. Vinpearl is made up of a massive water park, amusement park and aquarium. While waiting in line to enter the park they entertain you with Tom and Jerry. It was actually fun. We went with this guy, William who approached and befriended us the day before and happened to be going the same day as us. William was quite terrified of the rides. He wouldn't go on any of them. I guess even the sky tram scared him. I can proudly say I now hold the new record for hammer slam on Vinpearl Island. Pretty stoked about that.

 We found a fast food restaurant called Lotteria. It has happy hour from 10am-2pm. So what do we do? We make time to go there twice within that time period. Happy hour includes a complete combo meal for $1.70. We also found a mall and cinema whom the same complex. Movies were less than $2. We watched Hercules. 

Hue, Vietnam

This is a much bigger city than the last place we stayed. The imperial enclosure that was bombed during the French invasion and again during the Vietnam war was more or less decimated. Not a lot to see, but they have been restoring it for quite some time now. This "fortress" housed some 148 buildings once upon a time. Built in the early 1800's. With a 20 foot wall surrounding the entire lot and a moat dividing the property from the rest of the town, it's no wonder the emporer resided right in the center of it all. We met some friends out here that we knew from Cambodia. It was good to catch up. They are both from England and both named, Jess. They work as nurses and both took a leave of absence. The town is populous but a lot going on for tourism.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam

We took a night bus to Dong Hoi. Arrived at 4:30am, slept for a few hours and caught a bus towards the national park. Our driver had a pitcher of beer he was drinking so right away I knew we were in good hands. The town was only a few kilometers away from the entrance of the park but the road that outlined was around 40km. We rented a motor bike and started driving toward paradise cave. We passed small towns on the way while a pretty green river ran alongside the roadway. There was so much to see while often gazing up at the enormous mountains. When we arrived to the park gate, an older gentleman came out, had us pay, then lifted the road bar to let us pass. People have been friendly around here. Once at the we entered the cave it opened up big enough to fit a naval airship carrier. Each cavern had its own uniqueness but all were incredibly massive in openness. On the way back to town we stopped to climb in a few other "uncharted" caves to explore. We even found a storm drain to pass through to get to the river. One thing I really notice with the people here and back in Hanoi is so many of the wear hats with the letters, FBI. Not sure why but they are certainly popular. After we got back to town we returned the bike and took a boat to where the river runs directly into the cave. It was so cool to see it open up once inside. I guess this is where they hospitalized victims, stored artillery, and people took refugee during the Vietnam war. This cave was called, Phong Nha. Stalagmites ranged high above while we sat on the boat down below receiving water droplets every so often.there were sand hills within that led to the waterway. The boat ride was so relaxing and the cave so deep that I even fell asleep. Food was a bit more here than Hanoi and our options limited but so far this place takes the cake. 

Sid, from Ice Age

Entrance to the park

Hollywood

Yes, we went through there

Hanoi, the capital, Vietnam

Long journey, but we made it! Not quite as busy as Jakarta but still a busy city. Street vendors around every corner. Being in the capital I would think prices would be cheaper but I guess it's the other way around. You can still find deals if you look in the right area. We stayed in the dorms the first night at a very popular backpackers. They have a nice tv area where we relaxed and watched a couple movies on some worn out couches. The next night we stayed across the way for the same price but we were able to have a private room. We were in and out of museums in the city since there wasn't much else to see unless you took a taxi a couple hours outside of town. At dinner a woman sat a nice small alcohol bag down and kept peering into it. I thought maybe she was excited to drink but turns out there was a small dog inside. We sit on what looks like child seats at all the restaurants. Our butts to our ankles. I bought some "Armani" and "Burberry" pants today. I think I've entered a new phase. I've been trying a lot of new foods. For breakfast I had this chicken flavored porridge. Sounds gross but it was very good on a cold day. We actually saw a KFC here, which is rare in a communist community. 

The prison was interesting. Built by the French to hold about 400 prisoners during the indochina war, but would sometimes have nearly 2000 inmates at a time. Later it was used to house American soldiers during the Vietnam war. 

The history of Vietnam museum was very.. anti-American. A lot of the pictures and headlines were out to make the US and its inhabitants not such a good place. A sense of animosity. Thus the reason we tel most people we are Canadien.

The day markets

Communist monuments

Historic bridgeway

They bike you around, but i would feel like a jerk having someone do that

They would shackle the prisoners at night

Vietnamese soldiers pulling John McCain from the sea after shooting down his plane. He was a POW here

John McCain's fighter piolet suit

An oak tree where prisoners would hide letters until the revolution

They teach evolution

Wood buddha from the 7th century

President Ho Chi Minh's armored vehicle

Bikers carry just about anything