Vietnam, Part 5, Hoi An

After an all-day motorcycle tour from Hue, I arrived in Hoi An. I took a little wander around town and then crashed. My room was adorable; I could have moved in. I was excited to explore the next day and stay the rest of my break here.

A cozy spot for the week

Hoi An is a beautiful town, which is well-known for its windy streets, river canals and tailors. It has a European touch to it and I loved all the coffee shops and restaurants with al fresco dining options. Its lantern festivals are also famous. It just so happened I would get to experience one of these magical evenings during my week here! If you can adjust your travel plans to be in Hoi An for a lantern festival, I would recommend you do so!

Colorful lanterns on a Hoi An street

Sampling coffee and deciding what to bring back!

Downtown Hoi An is car and motorbike free, but there are a lot of bicycles. I rented one for a day and enjoyed cruising around. 

Hoi An Canal

Panorama of the main canal

Historic Brid

Banana flower salad... did you know that bananas have flowers? And, that you can eat them?

A sample of what a local tailor can do...

Dusk in downtown

Most of the teachers travel away from Yangon when we have school breaks. I love living in Yangon, but I also love getting out when we have a chunk of time off of school. As it turns out a friend and colleague, K, was also traveling through Vietnam at this time. I met up with her, and her visiting parents, for dinner and the lantern festival.

The four of us ate at a restaurant near the water as the sun set. After finishing our meal, we made our way towards the canals. Hoi An limits electric light on these special nights (the 14th day of each lunar month) and with just the flicker of lanterns, the town takes on a magical glow. It was easy to purchase paper lanterns and hop in a boat. Our captain rowed us out, where we released our lanterns, watching them as they drifted out until they mingled with the rest. 

Selfie from our rowboat

My lantern on its way out

Moon over the canal

Lanterns on the water

I ended my time in Hoi An by picking up a few new custom-made items from tailors and relaxing at the beach. The beach is absolutely lovely; it has enough development to be comfortable (beach bars, ice cream stands, seafood restaurants), but not enough to take away the calm and charm of the place. 

Beach near Hoi An

We've made it to the end of my Vietnam saga! I am sorry that my posts lag so far behind my adventures.

I am going to continue on my Tuesday publication schedule until the holiday break...so keep reading! Hopefully, this will let me catch you up on my goings and goings (if that is even possible - I have been in Yangon 1 out of the last 5 weekends...).

Favorite sweet treat:

A friend make these gluten free vegan cookie dough balls for a recent potluck and they disappeared FAST! I haven't tried the recipe yet, but it looks pretty easy and not too unhealthy.

Podcast Recommendation:

I don't follow many podcasts, but I have become hooked on Tea with BVP. It focuses on second language acquisition and it has been shaping how I think about what I do in the classroom.

Another Blog Recommendation:

One of my former students is studying abroad in Spain this year. Follow her journey and live vicariously through her adventures with El Mundo Loco.

Ha ha, this is what my backpack looked like when I got home! I took carry-on only for my two weeks in Vietnam!

Vietnam, Part 2: Phung Nha and Vinh Moc

Like I said in Part 1, after a few days in Hanoi, I was ready for a change of pace. My friend, P, had recommended this Farmstay, near Phung Nha. Getting out of the constant noise, action and traffic was exactly what I needed. I miss the green of the Pacific Northwest and the relative closeness of so many wonderful outdoor activities near Seattle.

I hopped a very early morning flight and then was picked up by a van, making it to my Farmstay in time for breakfast, served with plenty more of that delicious coffee.

Panoramic view from my terrace...not a city in sight!

Wow, an intense and very real sign!

Sunset over the rice paddies

I had booked a cave tour, but the main "plan" was to relax. The Farmstay has an onsite restaurant and bar, small pool, loads of lounge chairs, bikes and plenty of information about the area. I spent a lot of time reading, lounging by the pool and just hanging out.

The Farmstay also organizes movie nights, projecting films about Vietnam on a big screen outside. The films they cycle through are: The Quiet American, Heaven and Earth and Good Morning, Vietnam. I saw The Quiet American while I was there. 

One excursion involved an "easy" bike ride to the Pub with Cold Beer. This place is a local and international legend; they have a simple menu and the main, er, course is the chicken, which you get to pick out, have killed and then prepared for you. This free range fowl is served up with sautéed local greens, peanut sauce and rice (of course!). 

The ride was not easy, short, relaxing or cool. The day boiled, my borrowed bike lacked any gears and it felt more like torture than vacation, but I eventually found the pub, chugged cold water and settled into a hammock. 

A lovely couple from the states who had just finished med school offered to share some of their chicken with me, so you will see a tiny bit of meat represented on this pescatarian's plate below. 

If you are interested in learning more about this spot, Huffington post did a nice write-up.

The world famous meal

Morning caffeine at the Farmstay - Vietnam has AMAZING coffee!

The cave trek was probably the most memorable part of the trip. Being able to step off the end of the wooden platform with a small group and experienced local guides felt so exciting. The beginning of the cave was beautiful, but the 7 kilometers we walked into is something that not many people get to see.

Selfie just before I had to put on a helmet and step off the boardwalk

Sparkling stalactites 

Our brave group of explorers

It was like being on another planet!

The trek included swimming across an underground river! Eventually we made it to the end of the cave, where a magical opening from above let in streams of sunlight. Here we settled in for a picnic before returning. It was a long day, but I highly recommend this experience if you are in this part of Vietnam.

One of the fish that lives in the cave. They have no color and no eyes!

Oh, I really hope this video works! I took my (waterproof) camera on the swim across the underground river. :)

The end of the cave. Yes, it felt magical.

So, speaking of that Vietnam history, here's an example of how things can happen, even when you don't plan a history tour. I booked a shuttle from my Farmstay to Hue. I thought this would be a tourist van, which would take us from point A to point B. As it turned out, the trip included a stop and tour at the Vinh Moc Tunnels.

On our guided tour we learned about the people who built and lived in these tunnels during the war. The central part of Vietnam is the skinniest and the US was trying to cut off communication between the north and the south, so this area was heavily bombed. This entire community (of men, women and children) sought shelter underground. Babies were born here and the community continued functioning. 

Exploring the underground tunnels...can you imagine living down here for years?

Touring through the tunnels

And this is what the coast looks like outside of the tunnels.

While it was a somber reminder of history, I'm so glad that this stop was included as part of our transport.

One thing that struck me many times on this trip, is that the Vietnamese are happy, open and welcoming. Not once did I feel like my country's past was being held against or over me. I think that says something pretty special about Vietnam's people.

Stories from Hue and Hoi An in the next posts as we continue south in Vietnam!

Blog Recommendation:

Are you interested in reading other blogs? Do you speak Spanish? Well, this one might have a limited audience, but my students and I are participating in an international blogging project this year. A teacher in the U.S. is organizing the collaboration, which includes schools from across the states, Peru, Paraguay, the Caiman Islands, and of course, Myanmar! Follow our journey of sharing stories and culture here.

Favorite TED Talk of late:

One of the questions that we all ask and hear a lot is "Where are you from?". While I'm pretty sure which country to answer that question with, if someone prompts me further I feel confused... I either need to explain a LOT, or say an answer which is inaccurate or incomplete. Taiye Selasi has an even more challenging where-are-you-from situation and she makes some important points about this question here.

Big News in Myanmar:

Maybe you have already heard, but Obama has announced that the US is ready to lift sanctions on Myanmar.

The background noise from the press in this video is insane, but it's a good clip of Aung San Su Kyi and Obama together.

You can check out the CNN clip also.

See you next week! :D