After making a spreadsheet of potential locations--taking in factors like cost of hotels and flights, the length of flights, probable activities and the potential weather situation--we settled on Central Vietnam! We knew it would still be the rainy season but were hoping we would get lucky and booked a place on the beach in the hopes it would be dry enough to enjoy it.
Dress up day before school break
There was a hitch the week before we left when Brandon got sick and, yup, tested positive for Covid. Luckily, it was a mild case and, although his sense of taste didn't quite come back until the end of our trip, he was fine.
burgle
Of course, international flights all take place at night, but we had plenty of time to nap since we had a four-hour layover in Bangkok. We found a part of the terminal that was empty, but soon figured out why: the air conditioning was blasting! When none of us could sleep, we gave up and moved to a more crowded--but warmer--area of the terminal to nap.
And then we arrived in Da Nang! I'll just say this up front: we weren't lucky with the weather. The driest day of our trip was probably the day we left, so we were often wet and sometimes had to change our plans last minute. So even though it wasn't at the top of our list, we went to the world heritage site, My Son. Before looking into Da Nang, we had no idea that there was history between India and Vietnam, but these Hindu temples were really cool. And it was fun to spot the stray chickens along the road and in parking lots as we drove.
Loved all the Soviet-style propaganda!
It didn't take long for Brandon to buy ponchos for himself and H.
With a price of 14000 dong (63 cents), it was worth it.
The rain could not bring this girl down!
We didn't see many reminders of the war on this trip, but here was one
When we saw there was a Turkish restaurant not far from our hotel, we couldn't help but get a taste of Turkey again--and it was just as good as we remembered!
There was a chebureki-type dish on the menu, so we had to order it. Even after visiting, we had no idea Turkey had its own version!
The next day, we took a day trip to some nearby sties. First we stopped at Lang Co Lagoon to see how they farm oysters using old inner tubes from tires, and then harvest them on shore.
Then we stopped for lunch; it was a fixed menu full of cakes ('cakes' in Vietnam can be sweet or savory little bites), pho, lemongrass skewers, fresh spring rolls, fried stuff--basically, it was a dream! We'd never heard of half the stuff we were eating, but I can't emphasize enough just how great it is that we have kids who are willing to try all different foods.
This group of ladies were rehearsing for the upcoming New Year's performance
Our last stop was the Thien Mu pagoda and gardens, before the long drive back (these folks keep to the speed limit!) to Da Nang.
The next day we went to the famed Ba Na Hills. We read about this place beforehand, but I don't know if we were adequately prepared for what it would actually be like. It's like if you couldn't leave Vietnam, but wanted to experience travelling to a bunch of places around the world--France, in particular (thanks colonialists!)--you could just spend a day here. It's an amusement park/French village/Versailles gardens/hand bridge/everything else. It was cool, but parts of it also felt really fake. We had fun, but also kinda weird. Not sure what I mean? You'll see.
So initially going in, you get dropped off at the lower entrance and then have to go up and up and up through a series of escalators. We treated this like an amusement park, so we were hustling to get up before the crowds around us--even if that meant sometimes taking the stairs. And I do feel like we got to the top in record time, even if no one else seemed to be racing. Once we got there, it was just a short wait in line to the world's longest non-stop single track cable car! Yes please!
This line went by in a flash
Eventually we were travelling in a cloud and you couldn't see anything!Pretty cool!
The temperature was 10-15 degrees cooler at the top, and misty. After exiting the cable car, we walked right into the "crystal world," the fake French village.
We zipped through the village and went straight to the park rides. We were sad that the alpine slides were closed--although with the fog, you wouldn't be able to see anything anyway--but the other rides were fun. And it was nice that it was all indoors so we didn't have to worry about the weather.
And then then the pièce de résistance: the Golden Bridge! The bridge wasn't as long as I had imagined, but it was still just so cool. I mean, look at this!
On the other side of the bridge were other body part statues.
Then we went in search for the hedge maze. I think we saw all the gardens everywhere before we finally found the right place on the other side of the sculpture garden.
After seeing all the things and having lunch (including winter melon soda--we were not fans) it was time to head back. We timed the return ride on the cable car, placing bets among us on how long it would take, and it was a whopping 17 minute ride! Too bad the car didn't have a glass bottom, like our cable car ride in Hong Kong, but it was just as thrilling going down.
After getting back to the hotel, the weather was dry, so we went on a walk on the beach. Apparently we wouldn't have been able to swim regardless.
The next day we had another day trip, but first we stopped at the Marble Mountains, so named because of their once plentiful marble (no longer plentiful because of how much they've exported). There wasn't much hiking involved (we paid an extra 60ish cents/person to take the elevator up instead of the stairs), but there was some, and lots of temples and caves, so we were so glad that the skies were clear for this part of the day. Many of the caves were used in the war as places to hide, and with all the nooks and crannies everywhere, it was clear why.
Like any good tour, they take you to a marble shop to show you "how it's made."
A sculpture was the last thing on our list, but they were cool to look at
In front of the elevator
View from the top
We got there just as the monks arrived
Next was a ride on the famous basket boats! It started to rain just as we got into our boats, but it couldn't dampen (pun intended) our experience.
I loved my hat! So comfortable and kept me dry!
Next we drove into Hoi An for some lunch, first to
pick up some
banh mi, and then for pho at a shop down the street. It was so cool to watch how quickly they made the sandwiches, putting who knows what inside. (It's too bad I didn't get a video!) We had banh mi and pho three different times at three different places on this trip and they were delicious--but different--each time.
Then we went to someone's home to try a variety of cakes, all different, some better than others, and at least one green bean filled. We were full from eating so much lunch, so we shared the cakes instead of each having our own. Those purple ones were my favorite.
Then we walked to the
Ba Le Well, which is still used for water today. Honestly, we probably could've skipped this stop.
Then we walked to another house to try their famous
black sesame soup. Using the term 'soup' was a little deceiving because it was more like a sweetish sesame-flavored pudding. Again--props to the kids for trying all the things because it did not look appetizing. I thought it tasted pretty good for the first bite, but it got progressively worse. Brandon thought the opposite and was the only one among us that finished their bowl.
Then we walked to see the
Japanese Covered Bridge. If it weren't for the rain, Hoi An would be such a charming city!
That blue line marks how high the river got when it flooded in 2009
We stopped into a shop so the girls could learn how to make fabric lanterns. This would not have been on the agenda, but since it was raining, we went for it.
As we walked down the street, our tour guide pointed out a
balut vendor. We weren't interested in trying it, but he bought one for himself, with all the trimmings, so we could see.
CJ was at eye level. When we told her what it was, she wasn't thrilled.
We had some time to kill before the night market began so we wandered around Hoi An for a bit before the rain started to drive me crazy. We got some gelato and called it a day.
And then it was time to go! One last walk on the beach to say goodbye to Vietnam!
Even with the weather, it was a magical trip! Cảm ơn Việt Nam!
