Paul Alton MBA

Vietnam Tour - Continued

Spend the day at leisure discovering all the delights of Hoi An independently. Walk through the Old City, stopping at one of the city's many museums, or see artisans using age-old techniques to fashion a variety of crafts. Of special interest are the colorful and elaborate paper lanterns created by lantern artisans for which Hoi An is well known. Or, join the optional boat trip on the Thu Bon River visiting the Organic Village, including lunch. The boat trip begins at a local pier in the Old Town. You'll cruise along the streams, passing fishing areas before arriving in Kim Bong village, home of traditional woodworking and boat building. Return to the mainland and drive to the Traque Organic Village for lunch. Here, you'll learn about the many vegetables and herbs that are organically grown to sustain the people of Hoi An. After a Vietnamese culinary lesson and tasting, return to Hoi An
Optional: Boat Trip on the Thu Bon River & Organic Village with Lunch
Overnight: Hoi An
Meals: Breakfast

We went down for breakfast at the usual six am to discover that breakfast here is at 6:30. We came back later.

The tour bus left at 8 and took us to a boat on the river. The boat went as far upstream as the low-level pedestrian bridge we walked by last night, then it turned down river. We passed fish boats ranging from ones that went to sea for months at a time and fed their catch to a mother ship to one person boats with the fisherman standing in the chest deep water and using a dip net.

When we were downstream past a resort with a large dinner cruise ship docked we reached a large net that was suspended over the river on poles. The net is lowered into the water at night. Lights are turned on to attract sea life. After a period, the net is raised with its catch. Back upstream we went to island that traditionally had woodworkers that would build boats, houses and furniture. On that island we visited a workshop with many items carved from wood. All were available for sale.

Then we stopped by the house of a young couple that made matts from dried, dyed sedge grass. A few of took turns operating their loom. It takes the two of them five hours to make a full-sized mat.

Then we visited a shop where they make noodles. Rice is soaked, milled into flour and then added to water to make a paste. A ladle of the paste is spread on a steam heated muslin cloth, covered and a minute later a second ladle of paste is applied and covered. The heat to generate the steam comes from burning rice hulls. The smoke from burning rice hulls is surprisingly bland.

The thin disk of steamed paste is peeled off the muslin cloth and cut into strips. The octogenarian owner of the noodle shop demonstrated the slow traditional cutting of the noodles with a cleaver. Then much faster with a small, hand-operated machine.  

We walked back to the boat with a pit stop at the wood shop on the way. The boats took us back to town to board the bus to an organic farm. They dressed us up in aprons and hats and demonstrated how to cook Vietnamese pancakes. I thought if we didn’t cook, we didn’t eat so volunteered to be one of the first of the group to try cooking a “pancake” (chicken, bean sprouts, and rice gruel with a bit of egg) in a small skillet over a a propane burner. The ball of flame when you add the bean sprouts to the oil is a feature not a bug.

I misheard Juanita when she said she didn’t want to do it. I heard “Let’s do it”. Oops. Neither is likely to be hired to cook Vietnamese pancakes. Fortunately, the servers brought professionally produced pancakes and waves of subsequent courses of food. I was reminded of attending an Italian end of Lent feast. Not knowing how many courses were coming, I had seconds of the first three.

A bunch of our group, left on a separately booked side trip to the Golden Hand bridge. The balance of us returned to our hotel. As we disembarked the bus a young woman was touting massages at the spa across the street. She quoted me $US 14 for an hour. I said I’d think about it. Back at the room I got caught up on some daily on-line rituals as I dried off in the air conditioning.

Juanita isn’t keen on massages but was fine with me having one. I pondered if I misunderstood the fourteen and it was really forty. I left the room saying I’d be right back if it was forty.

Scooters don’t stop for pedestrians they serve around them, I stood on the sidewalk, waiting for a thinning in the flow of cars and scooters enough for me to attempt to cross. The woman from the spa saw me and came across with a calculator in her hand. She confirmed the fourteen. Then she led me through the traffic to the spa.

I sat in a comfy chair soaking my feet in hot water with some veggies and a flower until the masseuse showed up and kneaded my tired old muscles. The owner took me back across the street to the hotel. I was probably too relaxed to make it through the stream of scooters on my own.

Juanita was napping when I got back to the room. I keyboarded until she woke up.

We went to Grandma Kitchen for Cau Lau noodles, a local treat. I had expected noodles in a broth, but it is a bowl of cooked noodles with sliced BBQ pork on top. You add greens and pour sauce over the mixture. Yummy. We dined in the area of the restaurant looking out on the pedestrian traffic and the colourful river boat traffic.

Back at the room I did the daily laundry, had a shower and sorted stuff for tomorrow’s early morning. I copied my emailed notes for yesterday into Word but couldn’t focus. I had hit a wall. Nine o’clock bedtime to wake at one am to blog for an hour and a half before hitting another wall and going back to bed.

My “Which one is bigger” in Vietnamese is getting better, maybe one in five understand what I am asking now.

This morning, travel to Da Nang, with stunning views of bowl-shaped Da Nang Bay. Drive by the Marble Mountains, a cluster of five limestone and marble hills that are home to ancient caves and temples. Journey over the towering mountains to Hue, home to a wealth of palaces, temples, libraries, and museums. Take an afternoon tour of this former imperial capital, modeled after the Forbidden City in Beijing. Enter the Ngo Mon Gate, the principal entrance to the imperial enclosure and the central passageway reserved for use by the emperor. Continue to the Thai Hoa Palace with its spacious hallways and ornamental roof, the Halls of the Mandarins, the Nine Dynastic Urns, and the ruins of the Forbidden Purple City, once home to the royal family. Tonight, spend time at leisure to explore on your own or join the optional Cyclo Ride with Dinner at the Citadel. Enjoy a panoramic view of both the daily life and the architecture of Hue with a trishaw (cyclo) tour. Later arrive at a family-run restaurant within the Citadel and savor a multi-course dinner, a replica of the Royal Feast
Optional: Cyclo Ride with Dinner at the Citadel
Overnight: Hue
Meals: Breakfast

We were up at 5:30, placed our bags outside the room, turned in the key to check out and at the breakfast buffet by six. The bus wasn’t scheduled to leave until 8. I went up to the lobby to identify our bags so they could be loaded into the bus. Returning to the breakfast area I set up the laptop for some keyboarding. The laptop battery was at zero percent charge! I moved to a table with an outlet within reach and got in a few minutes of constructive work.

First stop on the trip was a marble statue shop near Marble Mountain. Marble Mountain is limestone not marble, despite its name. The carved statues for sale are made from marble quarried elsewhere.

After a chance to wander among the statues and check out the smaller carved stone pieces for sale the bus took us to Eastern Beach in Danang. During the war the American servicemen men called it China beach. It is forty kilometers of sandy beach that goes as far south as Hoi An.

The road to Hue passes through a tunnel through the mountain built with Japanese help. It is quicker and safer than the old route over the mountain.

We stopped across from a lagoon where they farm oysters, raising them on old scooter tires suspended in the water. There we bought our first salt coffees. Juanita’s favorite coffee in Vietnam so far.

We arrived in Hue at lunch time and had lunch before touring the Citadel. We ordered two dishes to share. A chicken dish and a pork dish. We started on the chicken which was pretty good. The pork was not to our liking. There is a distinctive spice used locally which would never be our favorite. I didn’t get fat by being fussy, however. I finished the pork. Juanita finished the chicken.

The Citadel was home to the emperor until he resigned in 1945. It was occupied by Viet Cong forces during the Tet offensive. Many of the buildings on the site were destroyed in the process of recapturing it.

We arrived at the hotel a couple of hours before the scheduled departure for dinner. I asked the hotel desk to call me a cab and went to the Go! Supermarket to look for some tape and glue. The cabbie let me use his phone as a hot spot so we could share WhatsApp information. After a confusing time orientating myself to the layout of the three-story supermarket I had only managed to find a roll of packing tape probably unsuitable for the intended use. I bought a box of packets of lemon cookies. Not on my list but comforting. I used the store’s Wi-Fi to message the cabbie on WhatsApp.

Gate1 had arranged a squadron of Cyclo pedicabs to carry us for an hour through the streets of Hue on our way to dinner near the Citadel. We had a ground level view of the rush hour traffic. Interesting. Can’t figure out why we have not seen any traffic accidents. In my recent two months of commuting near Edmonton there were more days with a traffic accident than days without.

Dinner was in an historic building near the Citadel. If I understood the hostess correctly, the restaurant was begun by a chef of the former emperor. We were served in a classic wooden structure. The presentation of each course was phenomenal. Some of the dishes had the same spices as the pork at lunch. Unfortunate. Wouldn’t choose Hue as a place to hang for long time.

My “which is bigger in Vietnamese” is approaching fifty percent comprehension.

Today is at leisure to explore Hue independently. Or, participate in the optional boat excursion on the gentle Perfume River, which explores the life along the banks of the ancient royal capital city. The river, with its shimmering blue color is dotted with a poetic landscape of boats, gardens, pagodas, towers, and temples. The tour continues to the legendary Thien Mu Pagoda, on the north bank of the Perfume River, built in seven successive tiers. Then, a drive to the Tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, the final resting place of Vietnam's longest reigning emperor and to Khai Dinh, the last monument of the Nguyen dynasty. Here, a vegetarian lunch will be prepared by the Buddhist nuns of Dong Thien Pagoda. Return to Hue
Optional: Perfume River Boat Trip and Lunch at Dong Thien Pagoda
Overnight: Hue
Meals: Breakfast

Awake at 1:30 dozed off and on until 4:30. By the time we leave for home I think my internal clock will have adjusted to Indochina Time. Then we'll be home and trying to adjust back to Central Standard Time.

Got up to keyboard until time to go for breakfast.

We picked up an umbrella from the front desk on the way to the bus. The bus took us to the boat where we cruised up the Perfume River on a dragon boat. Those of us who wanted, dressed in kimonos and posed for pictures next to the one of the dragons’ heads. They served us tea and a few treats. Of course, there were silk goods and trinkets and baubles for sale on board.

The boat let us off at the pagoda mentioned in the itinerary. Pagodas are dedicated to a Buddha and have vegetarian offerings. Temples are dedicated to a national hero and have meat offerings.

There was a French speaking tour nearby. Most of them went into the pagoda. Their tour guide was talking to one of his group. I asked them which of the curved illusion tracts was “plus grand”. When his group was out of the pagoda I noticed he was presenting the curved illusion tracts to them, so I handed out a pair to each of the group. “Voici un cadeau pour vous, est pour vous, est…”

It started raining. We were glad for our umbrella. It covered us for the rest of the pagoda tour and got us to the bus for the trip to the first of two tombs. At the first tomb the tour manager mentioned that I was having trouble with people understanding my question about the curved illusion tracts because I was copying his accent. He is from the south and people in the north have a different accent. I started copying the intonation of the bus conductor and understanding rate went up.

After the first tomb the bus stopped for coffee before the group walked to a second tomb. I had enough of steps and crowds. Juanita and the umbrella went to see the second tomb. I stayed by the bus to read and drink a second cup of salt coffee.

We had time in the schedule to add a stop at a shop that demonstrated the fabrication of incense sticks. Basically, they are a paste of sawdust added to a dyed bamboo stick. They showed how conical hats are made by hand. I suspect that at the prices of conical Vietnamese hats most that are sold are machine made. The hand making process takes too long for them to be sold as economically as they are.

Back at the hotel we vegged for a while then I WhatsApped the cabbie from yesterday. We stopped at a hardware store on the way to the three-story Go! Supermarket. I bought a pair of needle nose pliers, a tube of crazy glue and a roll of electrical tape to make a temporary repair to the handle of Juanita’s carry-on suitcase. You can’t use it to pull the bag, but it is all together with the actuating wire inside the handle. I was concerned if I left the wire loose it would be confiscated at airport security. It is a precise length and bent just so. I’d rather not try to recreate a replacement, especially without the original to use as a sample.

At the supermarket we bought some snacks for flights and a couple of savory buns for supper. I messaged the cab. He was pulling up as we came out the front door of the supermarket.

After we ate Juanita had a shower and packed. I went for a haircut.

I had seen the barber shop sign between the corner and the hotel. I walked to the corner but missed it. On the way back from the corner, I looked closer and saw the sign at the entrance to a narrow passage with a kitchen and a couple of tables. I walked the passage, turned the corner and found myself about to enter somebody’s living room. One of the occupants came out and directed me to a set of stairs leading up to the barber shop above the passageway. The barber shop was the width of the passageway below it. Barely wide enough for the row of barber chairs and the barbers behind them. I received an efficient haircut and beard trim for a hundred thousand Dong (about four bucks).

Back at the room we sorted out stuff for the morning. I did a for now repair to the suitcase handle. I had a shower and spent a couple of hours writing this and editing yesterday’s notes.

Goodnight.

Depart Hue on the flight* to sparkling Hanoi, the cultural center of the country. Upon arrival, travel overland and through the lush Vietnamese countryside to picturesque Halong Bay, considered one of Vietnam's most celebrated attractions. As you approach, you'll see thousands of limestone islands rising out of the sea creating a truly magical scene. Arrive at your hotel in Halong Bay for overnight
*On some departures, the flight Hue-Hanoi may be changed to depart from Da Nang-Hanoi. Details will be provided locally by your Tour Manager
Overnight: Halong Bay
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Up at 4:30.

I had a quick shower. We finished packing and dropped bags in the hall outside the room.

We had checked out and were at breakfast by 5. We all loaded onto the bus. The tour manager started relaying queries from the hotel, “room number xx still has the safe locked”, “Room number yy didn’t return the key”, “I lost it”, “Four bucks, please” And others.  Despite the queries, the bus rolled at 6:45 to drop us at the local airport for a seventy-minute flight to Hanoi.

Hanoi airport is about forty minutes outside of Hanoi. We drove away from Hanoi to Halong Bay, stopping for lunch along the way. Juanita and I took a pass on the “Weasel” coffee at ten bucks a cup. Weasel coffee is also known as Civet Cat coffee. The animal eats the coffee beans which it later excretes. The coffee beans are recovered from the excrement, then cleaned, roasted and ground. The procedure is said to mellow the harsh flavour of robusta beans. I’ll take their word for it. I might try a sip at a buck a cup, but not going to pay ten bucks for a cup even though it sells for fifty bucks a cup in some locations. The Aussie burger came with an egg. As did the egg coffee. Egg coffee has an egg yolk whipped with sugar added to it to give creaminess. It was invented during a time of dairy shortages.

We arrived at our hotel in Halong Bay at three. Our twelfth-floor room with a balcony has a stunning view of the bay. It would be easy to just stay there, looking out. However, after a brief stop in the room, we shared a cab to the cable car station. The cable car took us across to an amusement park where we rode the Sun Wheel and walked through the Japanese Garden. When we exited from the return cable car, we hailed a cab to take us back to the hotel. We had time for a shower and to change before the multi course group dinner.

We went to sleep with the pounding bass from the rock concert vibrating from the beach half a kilometer away. Fortunately, we had ear plugs plus my sleep mask with built in speakers. 

Incredible views await you today! Halong Bay is considered one of the most breathtaking places on the planet, added to the list of UNESCO Heritage Sites and declared recently as one of the "New Seven Natural Wonders of the World." There are over 3000 islands in the emerald waters and over 1000 have their own names. Numbers of caves and grottos of all sizes and shapes are filled with small waterfalls, stalactites, and stalagmites. Sail on a traditional wooden boat across the tranquil bay with lunch served on board. Visit one of the caves. Afterward, drive to Hanoi, Vietnam's vibrant capital and check into your hotel. This city's history is tied to French colonialism - its architecture, cuisine, and local culture still bear evidence of the French influence
Overnight: Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast we put our luggage outside the door before going downstairs to check out. When our bags arrived, we identified them and they were moved to the load on the bus pile.

The bus took us to the dock where we boarded a boat and sailed between the islands in the bay. Spectacular. All it was billed to be.

After a stop at “Surprise Cave” with it’s three chambers, each bigger and better the previous we reboarded the boat and dined a multi course meal as we sailed among the islands.

Back at the bus we rode to Hanoi and a check in to out hotel in an older district of Hanoi. After a guided walk around the area to get our bearings, we were free to explore or find a place to eat supper. Juanita and I went to the French Bakery that had been pointed out. It was a disappointment with not much more than a few buns and a bunch of sliced bread on offer.

We walked back to sit down in a restaurant across the street from the hotel. After reading the menu we left. The meals were more elaborate and pricey than we were in the mood for. We had had a large, late lunch and stopped for a snack on the way to Hanoi. We headed back away from the hotel past the French Bakery to find a hole in the wall sandwich shop. Their BBQ pork on crisp, hoagie type rolls were perfect for what we wanted in quantity, quality and price. Juanita washed it down with a Coke zero. I had an egg coffee.

Elevators at the last couple of hotels require you to scan your room key card before they will let you select a floor with guest rooms. And, it seems to have to be the floor associated with your key card. We planned to take the elevator to the thirteenth floor to check out the city view from the top of the hotel. The elevator next to our room only goes to floor eleven. Taking that elevator down to the lobby, we walked to the other elevator, the one near the hotel entrance. It goes to the twelfth floor. Not quite what we wanted but worth a try. Exiting on the twelfth floor we found ourselves in a bar/restaurant. There were windows with a view of the city and stairs up to the top level with its panoramic view. Some tour group members were sitting a a table. They invited us to join them, explaining that the top level was closed to access until 8:00 for a private party. We glimpsed out the window at the city at night. Declining the invitation to sit down with the group we returned to our room. Scanning our key card allowed the elevator to stop at our floor. No need to go to the lobby and cross the lobby to the other elevator. Good to know, since the breakfast buffet tomorrow will be at the penthouse minus one level.  

Juanita settled in I went down the block for a massage. Relaxed from that and tired from a long day, the egg coffee did not seem to prevent me from falling asleep soon after returning to the room.

I did wake up early and write up the day but couldn’t connect to the internet on the laptop for some reason. If you’re reading this it got posted eventually.

Random thought from a note early in the trip – Pickleball seems to be a big thing in Vietnam. We have passed many pickleball halls, including one named “Live, Love, Pickleball”.

Today, visit the Museum of Ethnology, center for the preservation and exhibition of the cultural heritage of over 50 ethnic groups in Vietnam. In the evening, attend a performance of the world-famous Water Puppet Show, accompanied by a traditional Vietnamese orchestra and Cheo (a form of opera). The show depicts a series of ancient Vietnamese folktales, acted out by puppets over a pool of water. Tonight, at dinner, bid farewell to your Tour Manager
Overnight: Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Woke up early and stayed up for a while to keyboard. For some reason the laptop couldn’t connect to the internet through any of the available wi-fi connections the hotel offered no matter how I tried sneaking up on the problem. Unable to be posted to our web site, the updated narrative stayed stuck on the hard drive for now.

We kind of remembered being told breakfast would begin at 6:30 but the itinerary issued at the start of the tour said 6:00. The staff scurrying around to prepare the breakfast buffet told us 6:30 was the correct time, to come back later. I took the laptop to the hotel desk. Nobody there was any more successful than I had been. IT comes in at 7:30 and will be there until 6:00 pm.

Breakfast with a view was pleasant except the view was of rain. Today I will be carrying the umbrella from the closet in our room. The main entrees are a la carte, a server takes your order and returns with your selection. The rest of the breakfast items are buffet style. After breakfast it seemed like it would be too much of a time crunch to try to fit IT into the slot between 7:30 and the 8:00 toour bus departure.

The first stop on today’s touring was the Museum of Ethnology. There are over fifty distinct ethnic in Vietnam. The main group accounts for 85% of the population. We spent about an hour being shown around the museum grounds while the tour manager described the features of replica buildings representative of several ethnic groups. We then had an hour on our own to tour inside the museum building. Juanita and I did an eighteen-minute walk through the two levels before retreating to an onsite cafe for lime juice and egg coffee.

After the museum the bus took us another half block to stop at an open-air restaurant where the served pitchers of fresh beer. Juanita and I joined in on the snacks of peanuts boiled in the shell, deep fried cubes of tofu and deep-fried frogs legs.

We toured the Ngoc Son Temple dedicated to an ancient war hero and listened to the legend of a turtle taking his magic sword. The were given a bit of an overview and on our own for an hour to find lunch. We followed the tour guide to a French Bakery but it has become a beer and burger joint since he did a tour here last tourist season.

Juanita and I found a sandwich shop. I had a baguette with BBQ pork and an egg coffee. She had a mango smoothy and watched a person tending to his caged birds in a couple fo cages hanging from a tree over the sidewalk.

We met up at the meeting point and took the bus to the hotel. The IT person got the internet working on my laptop. I didn’t see what he did as a final fix. It was gratifying that he took a while and the initial stuff he tried was stuff I’d tried.

We freshened up. I did my daily laundry before we boarded the 4:30 bus to the water puppet theatre. Water puppets are operated by people standing in waist deep water behind bamboo screens. The genre began from rice farmers homespun entertainment at the end of a harvest season. It was great fun. Lots of laughs. Very clever.

The bus took us to a multi course farewell dinner then back to the hotel. We said our goodbyes in the lobby and headed to our rooms to pack. We all head back home tomorrow. Shuttles are arranged according to our airport departure times. Our shuttle is at scheduled for 8:00 for a 12:20 flight.

I did some daily digital stuff and most of my packing. I emailed some blog notes. Tomorrow. Maybe. Then I stayed up too late to finish a novel above a Russian physician and his out of body experience.

Some blog notes that didn’t fit anywhere:

Toilets have hoses next to them with spray nozzles on end of the hose. I don’t know if this to clean the toilet or a redneck bidet.

You see warning signs in strange places with warnings that would seem to be too obvious to mention. Urinals have pictographs showing to stand close and not so far away thet things get sprayed. Toilets have sign to not stand on the seat and squat to do your business. Our hotel with a balcony had a sign advising not to hang laundry on the balcony railing and not to drop things from the balcony.

Bye for now. Will talk later and maybe circle back for typos.

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight
Meals: Breakfast