Snorkel trip to Cham Island

While in Hoi An, we decided to hire a speed boat to take us snorkeling off of Cham Island.  Well, the water was freezing cold, so we jumped back on board of the boat and headed for the island, where we soaked in the sun and island breeze for most of the day.  It brought us right back to our Thai island life, where isn't too shabby.

Speed boat to snorkel at Cham Island from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Days 84-88 Monday-Friday February 1-5 Hoi An, Vietnam

We took a quick 2 hour train ride from Hue to Danang, passing lush hillsides and glimmering coastal beaches.  The guy sitting behind me didn’t appreciate the fact that my seat wouldn’t sit completely upright, meaning I rode like a gangster in a low rider while my seat blocked his flip-down table from holding his train-prepared meal.  Even though he was pissed, I think he appreciated not eating it later in the day.  It looked pretty nasty.

A driver picked us up at the train station in Danang and headed towards Hoi An.  On the way, we stopped at marble mountain, aptly named due to the fact that they sell a ton of marble sourced from a nearby mountain.  Big and small and in any design you could imagine, you can buy it here.  But instead of purchasing a 12 foot tall Buddha and finding a way to ship it home, we opted for a marble egg for Anna Marie and a  pocket-size Buddha that I can use as a card protector during poker tourneys.

Comparing Buddha bellies at Marble Mountain

Also on the way to Hoi An, we drove past China Beach where a ton of luxury hotels and casinos are opening, meaning this beach is about to become a tourist hot spot, similar to what Biloxi was before Katrina.  It’s a far cry from being the initial stomping grounds for US troops almost 50 years ago. 

Once in Hoi An, we spent our time walking through the huge central market buying ban mis (Vietnamese sandwiches which are the cheapest and tastiest sandwiches this side of Bay Cities) and fresh fruit.  The market is a crash course in Vietnamese culture, so luckily we were accustomed to the local idiosyncrasies and weren’t too alarmed at anything.

We also spent some time adoring the riverside shops and restaurants, which come alive at night when the lights turn on and reflect off the river’s calm waters.  People flood the river banks, enjoying public plastic tables and chairs, sipping beer or tea, and either chatting with friends or their loved one as if nobody could see them.  It’s a magical place to be on a cool clear night.

 Tania making sure not a drop of her flambeed banana dessert went to waste.

We rode our bikes down to the beach hoping to renew our relaxing days in southern Thailand.  On the way, we stopped and walked through the rice paddies meeting locals and their water buffaloes (see the video previously posted).  We had driven by so many of these infinite green fields but never explored the inner workings of one, so this was our perfect opportunity.  Apparently not too many tourists venture into the fields because we were quickly approached by the field workers who wanted to chat and take pictures with us. 

 Our new water buffalo friend amongst the lush green rice paddies.

The beach wasn’t quite as relaxing as we had hoped due to the windy conditions and oily waters, but it was nice to be back under the sun in our bathing suits and laying on our towels.

Another day we hired a speed boat to take us snorkeling, again hoping to renew one of our Thailand loves, and to put our newly purchased snorkel gear to use.  Well, we were scheduled to swim for 2.5 hours, but we were back in the boat after 20 minutes due to the incredibly cold water and ferocious sea lice who bit us incessantly.  Luckily, the boat trip included an afternoon on Cham Island beach and a delicious lunch.  There we were able to soak up the sun and walk around the deserted island, so the trip wasn’t a complete waste.

 Craig's beard kept him warm in the freezing water while snorkeling, but the chilly conditions proved to be too much for the honeymooners.

All of that was fine and dandy, but the biggest hit in Hoi An for us (and for most visitors to the city) was the custom tailoring at incredibly affordable prices.  We had suits, shirts, pants, dresses, and even a winter coat all made of fabrics we selected, all custom tailored to our bodies, and all at a fraction of the cost it would be in the US.  Once we left Hoi An, we were geared up with improved wardrobes for the impending job hunt when we get back. 

And about that job hunt, we keep finding excuses to push it back as far as possible.  Now we’re planning on not only spending time with my family (especially little Ian who’s almost a year old!!), but we’ll be in Atlanta with Tania’s family while Patrick hikes the Appalachian Trail for 5 months.  What other excuse do we need to stay unemployed than to spend quality time with our families?  Exactly!  That’s what we’re thinking.

Rice paddies in Hoi An

We went for a bike ride to the beach outside of Hoi An, and stopped to explore the inner-workings one of the rice paddies that we had been passing in trains, cars, and buses over the last two weeks. Once inside, we quickly became friends with some locals and a water buffalo.


Rice paddies in Hoi An from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Phong Nha Caves

We drove 4 hours north of Hue to explore the Phong Nha caves.  One was only accessible by water, and the other after a treacherous hike.  He's a glimpse of our boat ride just before entering the water cave.  Pretty cool.

Boating into the Phong Nha Cave from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Days 80-83 Thursday-Sunday January 28-31 Hue, Vietnam

We hopped off the overnight train in Hue and immediately realized two things:

1)   1.  We were finally back in warm weather.  We shall never take it for granted again.

2)   2.  The haggling and pushy salesmanship by locals on the sidewalks is as prevalent and obnoxious as we had read.

Yet, after being lost in the cold, damp forest for the past several days, we were happy to welcome both of these points in exchange for a vivacious setting and being able to pack our jackets away.

Our first meal was at a restaurant frequented by our friends Dave and Brian back in the day when they lived in Hue.  The staff definitely remembered them, albeit by their Vietnamese names.  Dave told us to look for the BLT on the menu because he and Bri introduced it to the owners, and funny enough, it’s still on the menu.  I ordered it, and even though it tasted delicious, it looked nothing like a BLT that you’d receive in the states.  It didn’t matter, though, we still loved being in this place that our friends loved so long ago.  The art that they bought the restaurant still hung on the walls, too.  So cool.

We spent our first afternoon in Hue exploring the famous Citadel.  Basically a square shaped city with 2m-thick, 10km-long walls encompassing it, with a beautiful moat lining the outer walls, this site lies on the north side of the Perfume River.  It served as the residence of emperors dating back to the early 19^th century, but was basically leveled during the Tet Offensive in 1968.  Only the outer walls still stand, but the grounds inside make for an amazing stroll through the city’s glorious yet unfortunate past.

 Remains of the Purple Palace within the Citadel

The following day we toured several tombs of past emperors, exploring the beautiful grounds of these sacred sites.  Our tour guide, who was also friends with Dave and Brian back in the day, described the history of each emperor and the significance of each structure within the grounds.  If you go, don’t expect a cemetery-type attraction.  These tombs are basically gorgeous residences on which the rulers lived and were buried after their death.  Amazing landscapes which make for incredible photos.

We also stopped by the Thien Mu Pagoda, which is the unofficial symbol of the city.  Also lying on the Perfume River, these grounds are filled with colorful flowers and young monks wandering the gardens in their maroon robes.  This pagoda also houses the car in which Thích Quảng Đức and his fellow monks drove to Saigon on June 11, 1963, so that Thích could burn himself to death in protest against the persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam's Ngo Dinh Diem administration.  The image of him burning is one of the most famous photos of the 20^th century, which was made even more famous for our generation when Rage Against The Machine used it on the cover of their first album. 

We used our tour guide and car while we had them at our disposal to drive over to the beach and show us an authentic, local seafood restaurant.  Their insights into the city and knowledge of the area definitely helped us understand the city more than if we were to have explored on our own.

Having seen all of the sites Hue has to offer, and giving up on it being a good city to get a quality massage (the horror), we hired a driver to take us up to the Phong Nha Cave, about 4 hours north of Hue.  A wise person would have visited this cave on their way to Hue since we had just passed it a few days prior, but that wise person can kiss our asses because we doubt he’s ever tried to navigate through a strange continent without ever making a mistake.

Before we got to the caves, we took-in the picturesque rice fields and limestone mountains outside the car windows while listening to our trusty iPods.  Once inside the national park, we hopped on a private long boat and headed up river to the 400 million year old cave.  As we passed through the water threshold, the driver killed the engine and began to row us into darkness.  Beyond the first pitch black corner appeared brilliant karst formations backlit with vibrant neon lights of blue, green, purple, and yellow.  It felt like we were inside the It’s a small world ride at Disneyworld.  Silence was only broken by the strokes of our driver’s paddle and water pellets falling off of the ceiling.  

Once out of the cave, we climbed what felt like 10,000 steps to the Tien Son cave.  We weren’t sure what was more welcoming once we made it to the top and into the cavern;  the exquisitely backlit stalactites and stalagmites, or the cool, damp air to save us from the heat and humidity outside.  Either way, we got to walk amongst the rock formations this time, and were blown away by the immense beauty around us.  Crazy to think that this cave was used as Hindu sanctuaries by the Chams in the 9^thth centuries, and as a hospital and ammunition depot during the American War. and 10

Then it was back into our private car to drive past the DMZ and back to Hue so we could get a good night's rest before heading down to Hoi An the next morning.

Overnight train to Hue

Slap us and show us this video if we ever complain about our overnight train situations in Vietnam.

Days 76-79 Sunday-Wednesday January 24-27 Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam

Okay, we’ve previously reported how non-ideal the overnight trains in China and ferries in Thailand are, but the public bus and motor taxi from Hanoi to Cuc Phuong National Park make those look like first class flights on BA.  I mean we were exhausted when we got to the park, and all we had done that day was sit on our asses, albeit crammed inside a 12 person bus with 24 other people, and on scooters lugging our luggage on our laps.  At least we weren’t alone on these rides.  We shared the bus ride with all of the locals who sat next to us on bags of rope and on top of refrigerators.  We also picked up a few folks on the highway, and not when we stopped to get them…when we slowed down so they could run and jump onto the bus as it rolled by Indiana Jones-style.  These Vietnamese people are clever and creative if nothing else.

Before we got to the park, we drove through vast fields of limestone hills that harked back to our days in Yangshuo, China.  At that time, I stated that Yangshuo was like nothing else on the planet.  I was wrong.  And at the time, my friend Dave (What up Dood!?) told us not to count out Vietnam.  Well, he was right.  The limestone hills are just as beautiful here, and also stretched into the horizon by infinite paddie fields spotted with locals bending over at work, which was stunning to see.  We were just now getting to know how gorgeous this country was going to be.  And it got even more so when we entered the park.

We spent the first night in the lodge at the entrance of the gate.  There’s really not much to do at Cuc Phuong except hike, visit the botanical garden, and check out the monkey conservation center.  It was raining, so hiking was out of the question, and the botanical garden was too much of a walk to justify seeing something so similar to what we already have on the trip; plants and flowers.  Therefore, what better else to do than hang out with a few endangered langers?  They were such fun little creatures swinging with their body-length arms, but it’s sad to know how many people are hunting them just outside of the cages where we observed them.  It’s good to know that a group like these scientists are working to preserve species like the ones we had so much fun visiting.

The next day we drove 20km into the center of the park where, literally, we were alone in the middle of the forest, completely out of ear shot from anyone else.  Well, except for the three girls who work the restaurant and do each other’s hair all day.  And calling it a restaurant is being generous.  The electricity is only on between 6-9pm, and there’s only one item on the menu; whatever they feel like serving you, which is always some sort of fried rice.  At least they had cold beer in the fridge.  No idea how it stayed cold while the electricity was out most of the day, but who cares if the result is a positive one.

 

Trail to our little cabin, in the middle of absolute nowhere!

 

 Our cabin from afar.  Look at the misty hills!

We spent out days hiking to the 1000 year old tree and exploring a cave that seemed to go on forever.  The deeper we got, the more we felt like hard core explorers.  Tania loves caves more than anything, so it was fun to climb and crawl through the pitch black, guided by a small flashlight, next to my new wife.

 

Tania made it up 100 steps without fainting.  Victory!  Oh wait, there's another hour to hike.  :(

 
 

Gangster, Vietnamese forest-style!

 
 

At the base of the 1000 year old tree.

Hiding behind a mound of stalagmites inside the cave

We spent our nights watching episodes of How I Met Your Mother until the computer battery died (since there’s no electricity after 9), and then listened to the movements outside our cabin, which we were convinced were huge bears and other exotic beasts.  We surely knew they weren’t other people because there were none within miles, so the noises drove our imaginations crazy.  I can only imagine the expressions on our faces lying there in the dark.  Wide eyes jumping back and forth every time a bush rustled just outside the thin wood wall behind the headboard.  Hahaha.  Reminds me of trying to sleep as a kid after watching Nightmare On Elm Street.

Night monsters aside, the lush forest at Cuc Phuong made for an amazing escape, which allowed us to experience some of the natural beauty that Vietnam has to offer.  But we could only take so much seclusion after three days, so it was time to catch an overnight train all the Hue to Hue.  (wocka wocka wocka)