Archives for 2012

Goodbye galoshes.

We arrived in Hanoi on Christmas Eve feeling grateful for the dry weather. The temperature was a bit chilly but the sun was out and shining. It turns out that we picked a pretty great hotel. The room was a good size but felt cozy, the bed was large and comfortable, and the DVD player and computer didn’t hurt either. The only weird feature was the glass wall separating the bathroom from the rest of the room. Decorative etchings served to provide a little privacy, but it wasn’t much. Did I mention the toilet and the computer were right next to each other? If one person was on the computer and the other person was on the toilet, you’d be facing each other with only a slight blur of glass for separation. Thank goodness no one got the traveler’s d.

Moving on.

After a little rest we ventured out to Hoan Kiem Lake and visited Ngoc Son Temple. It’s not obvious from these photos but the temple is on an island in the lake. Visitors reach the temple by crossing a bright red bridge.

After the temple, Mike and the Lonely Planet led us on a walking tour throughout town. It was fairly fast-paced for the most part so I took most of my photos from the hip and on the move. A few still managed to turn out.

Hehe, butt shot.

Favorite.

Once we returned to the hotel we began to research and plan how to spend our Christmas Eve evening.

xo, jill

Three in one.

The afternoon portion of our tour in Hué involved three different tombs. I think. Once again, I’m a little hazy on how it all went and which photos belong to which location. I promise the rest of Vietnam isn’t so hazy!

So let’s get this wet and rainy Hué tour wrapped up.

We booked a late night flight from Hué to Hanoi but when we arrived at the airport it was empty. The flight was canceled due to thick fog. Our taxi brought us back to our hotel and we were quickly assured we’d have a room for the night… down the street. The hotel was full so we were sent to an “equal” hotel that was … um, not equal. Oh well, it was only one night. Our flight was rescheduled for early the next morning. Unfortunately, all the to and fro with the airport cost almost triple our hotel stay.

We were pretty happy to leave Hué for drier weather in the north.

xo, jill

A bit of a blur.

To be honest, the tour we took in Hué has begun to completely blur together. After visiting the Imperial City, I know we went to a garden house and a pagoda. And I know this all happened before lunch. But that’s about it.

I just realized I don’t even have photos of the actual house!

And here’s that pagoda.

xo, jill

“Hwey”

We left Hoi An and headed north to Hué*. The bus took about 5 hours and was quite comfortable. Inside there were two levels of seats that reclined into beds. Mike and I had never experienced that style of bus and enjoyed every minute of it.

Hué was definitely the wettest location on our trip. Our first afternoon we walked about town and the market until the rain drove us back inside.

Initially we came to Hué to visit the Vinh Moc Tunnels. Unfortunately, trips to the tunnels also included a slew of other military sites. We probably could have tired harder to arrange something, but the rain just made it all unappealing. Instead we joined a tour visiting all the major sites in the city.

The first stop was the Imperial City.

Photo by Mike

I was glad I wore my galoshes!

xo, jill

*I couldn’t find the proper Vietnamese accent. This is as close as I could get.

Little bits.

The return trip of our My Son tour included an obligatory stop at a woodworking shop. I always find those so awkward. I don’t want to be rude but I’m genuinely never in the market for whatever the shops are selling.

Trapped in the woodworking showroom.

The tour also came with the option of taking a boat back into Hoi An. How could we pass up a ride through such beautiful waters? Uh… so there wasn’t much to see and horizontal drizzle started up, but the lunch was surprisingly good.

It’s like school lunch!

We spent our last afternoon in Hoi An making final adjustments at the tailors (more on that later) and meandering through the streets. We missed the peaceful pace of Hoi An’s pedestrian streets as soon as we reached Hanoi.

Canadian flag

American flag

xo, jill

“Mee-Sun”

Our last full day in Hoi An we ventured out to My Son. Our hotel offered guided trips which seemed like the easiest way to do it considering the potentially rainy weather.

My Son is the site of several Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and 14th centuries. Some of the temples are in ruins from the American war, but many are still intact. The temples were used by the Champa peoples for various religious ceremonies.

The light was bright but overcast that day and I never felt like I got the photography quite right. Here’s a slew of photos none the less.

xo, jill