Ok – maybe I just wanted to make the ‘Walking a-Hue’ joke but still its a well timed photo taken in a beautifully rustic part of the Imperial City.
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I had two different opinions of Hue – the first time we stayed in what I guess could only be called the tourist district, where the majority of hotels, backpacker hostels, bars and restaurants are found. We knew that we would be back in a couple of weeks with Jess’ parents who were visiting so we stayed away from the Citadel and I didn’t enjoy my couple of days there. After spending a day walking the ruins of the Imperial City a couple of weeks later I can see what the fuss was about.
Between 1802 and 1945, it was the imperial capital of the Nguyen dynasty who dominated the South for more almost three centuries. In 1802 the dynasty gained power over all of Vietnam, making Hue the nations capital until 1945. Because of the city’s location in the middle of North and South Vietnam over the years it has sustained a lot of damage during war but there is still plenty to see inside the Citadel itself. Jess’ parents opted for a cyclo tour with a very charasmatic and funny guide and Jess and I walked through the ruins ourselves (our budget is slightly tigheter). Both are great ways to see everything that lies inside the walls. Another great sight in Hue is the Thien Mu pagoda, the largest pagoda in Hue and the unofficial symbol of the city. It has a great view of the Perfume River and is close to the Citadel so both can be seen in a day.
The best part of Hue though is a vegetarian restaurant called Lien Hoa. It is a little outside of the main tourist district next to a monastery, if you visit during the day it is often filled with monks enjoying lunch. The food is ridiculously good – I think the best Vietnamese food we have tasted, and we like food… It is also really cheap – not like other restaurants that get a good review in Lonely Planet and then triple their price. A table full of food can be between $5-10 AUD depending on what you order and there is unlimited free and delicious jasmine or green tea.
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I love seeing the form that water takes in a splash! This is our second ‘splash’ photo but I like this one even more because of how brave Jess was taking her camera so far into the ocean – tough nuts!
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The best time to explore the city of Hoi An is at night – after spending the day lounging on the beach overlooking the beautiful blue water of the Vietnamese east coast. There is plenty to do here for the relaxed traveler, not so much for the adventurous. At night the lanterns are lit and a red glow descends upon the streets. The shopfronts are very authentic and exactly what I imagine Asia to look like before modern and western influences – it feels as though you are stepping back in time when wandering through the streets.
Most travellers here must have the same idea, beach by day and wander at night because the population of the city seems to triple after dark. Restaurants come alive – our favourite was Morning Glory which comes highly recommended and was even booked out on the first night we arrived. They run cooking classes too which we heard from our new friends Joni & Kirsty was really good. The restaurant serves ‘street food’ but with a restaurant finish and is quite reasonably priced considering the prices at other tourist traps in the main quarter.
Another popular thing to do in Hoi An is have clothes made – you can’t walk 10 steps without seeing another tailor, particularly on Le Loi which is the street we stayed on. We went to the central market and bartered with one of the tailors there to have two dresses made for Jess and a jacket for me. The quality of the clothes was great but we disagreed a couple of times with them regarding price so we didn’t get anymore made. The price in the tailor shops is a little more expensive but you get to see what you are getting (they have numerous clothes on display) and the material is often a better quality. Bargaining at the market is good if you have something you want copied or a strong idea of what you are after and can choose from thousand of available fabrics!
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All along the river in ‘old’ Hoi An you will find beautiful young girls and charismatic and irritatingly persistent old women wanting to sell you a decorated paper float with a candle inside. The idea is to make a wish and float it down the river – the skeptic in me thinks that I am paying for a float that has floated down the river with a few different peoples wishes but the young girls are hard to say no to.
We had heard mixed reviews about this trip – the Lonely Planet guide says its a party boat with lots of drinking, music and people to meet but the Trip Advisor reviews tell a different story, mainly Asian families and no fun. We decided to go anyway and had a great time. Yes, it was mainly Asian families – only one girl from Chicago who we made friends with, but we made our own fun with the help of the ‘Funky Monkey’s’ onboard.
Our first stop was at a very strange aquarium in the shape of a ship with a very sad selection of marine life but the outdoor aquarium at the back was awesome. It was filled with huge turtles and big circling shark-like fish. There was food available to buy and feed the animals and stairs down to the water. We fed the turtles and I walked down the steps to give one a pat – do you pat turtles?
The boat trip also took us to an island where you can swim, jump off the boat, snorkel and has a couple of water activities to try. Then we were taken to a fishing village where we had lunch on the boat and afterwards jumped into the water to drink from the floating bar. There was free shots, singing and about 20 of us in the water all clinging to each other and the bar so as not to float away in the current. The last stop was to another island where us and our new friend went on a Banana Boat ride around the islands. Even though we seemed to be the only people ordering beers, singing karaoke (apart from another little boy) and staying awake for the entire trip we had a great time.
We followed these tracks along Highway 1 on the way to Ba Ho Falls in Nha Trang. Train tracks run all along the coast of Vietnam, through mountains and rice paddy fields, even through cities and between houses. We have had some of the most amazing views of Vietnam looking out the window of a train.
We love waterfalls! We have done a day trip to a waterfall in almost every city in both Thailand and Vietnam but this is our favourite so far. The Ba Ho Falls are located an hours motorbike ride north of Nha Trang, on Highway 1 and then through a rural village on a bumpy, rocky, wet road. A little difficult to find and get to but totally worth it.
There is a short walk up to the base of the falls and that’s when the fun begins. There are three swimming holes on the way to the top and the path can sometimes get a bit crazy. We visited these waterfalls twice, the first time was dry so the water holes were shallow and stagnant and we could walk all the way to the top. The second time it had been raining so the water holes were full, the waterfall raging but we weren’t allowed to hike past the first water hole because it was too dangerous. It was much more fun the second time and we would recommend going after it had been raining as we could swim right up to the base of the waterfall and jump into the pools from high up on the cliffs. What a great day out!
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This is so far our favourite photo from our 6 months away. It was taken on the beach at The Sailing Club in Nha Trang. This could also double as an AYM Drinks as we had a really great afternoon here. My friend Cassie was visiting from Brisbane, the weather was perfect, there were swings at the bar on the beach and there was a special on beers. It was also nice after some of the backpacker dives and cheap restaurants we have been frequenting to have a luxurious, fun afternoon.
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Why not? Why not drink coffee that has been ‘pooped’ out by a weasel first?
Apparently its better than regular coffee for two reasons:
1. The weasel is picky, they will only choose the best and tastiest coffee berries to eat, therefore the beans they choose will in theory be of a better quality.
2. Digestive processes inside the weasel may also improve the flavor profile of the coffee and stimulate enzymes to seep into the beans.
But, because of the high demand of the weasel coffee a lot of producers are opting to keep the weasels in cages to mass produce beans. This means the weasels are force fed beans and therefore aren’t naturally selecting the best beans and reducing the quality. There are organic forms of the weasel coffee available which means better conditions for the weasel and in turn better coffee but there is no real way to tell if it is the real deal.
Either way the coffee is quite nice, more bitter than most but an interesting experience!
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A Year, Maybe? 