The journey from Chiang Mai to Vietnam begins…..with a brief stop over in Bangkok We loved Hoi An! And whilst most people, I think, are less likely to stay here a whole month we found the easy pace and the friendly nature of the locals blissful. We lived in a non touristy area sandwiched somewhere between the beach and the delightful old town. The best of all worlds! As long as you can handle the behaviour on the roads,
The journey from Chiang Mai to Vietnam begins…..with a brief stop over in Bangkok
We loved Hoi An! And whilst most people, I think, are less likely to stay here a whole month we found the easy pace and the friendly nature of the locals blissful. We lived in a non touristy area sandwiched somewhere between the beach and the delightful old town. The best of all worlds! As long as you can handle the behaviour on the roads, for it is crazy, this is an idyllic spot on the planet.
For us, these are the highlights……
Our beautiful home (and unexpected guest) for a month!
The clear, clean skies and open spaces of our rice paddy neighbourhood
A constant sight are the ornate cemeteries
With the aid of our trusty scooter and bicycles we braved the heat and ventured further afield to experience a little more of local life.
Thankfully we only met harmless critters!
Weird, wonderful and I would add delicious food. The famous Banh Mi (sandwich) is not featured in my photos. We had usually eaten them before the thought of taking a photo had even crossed our minds. Needless and shamelessly to say we probably had a sandwich most days. Bread this good cannot be left in the corner – baby!
And the beach, the perfect beach! You can walk this beach for hours….and we did
(Pssst – that’s Ol playing above!)
And if one area of water isn’t enough there are the rivers and estuaries
Art and creativity everywhere!
Our main monthly shop to Big C in Da Nang (which we did but once) meant a free ride in the shuttle bus. Reassuringly starting with an engine overhaul whilst we all sat waiting to leave. If you have a penchant for theme parks and rollercoasters then this journey is for you. Da Nang traffic sure gets the heart pumping even if you’re not the driver! The food courts are a little different too.
Oh that old UNESCO town! Despite hoards of tourists at the weekends it feels like you’re wonderfully stepping back in time to a place true to its culture. Sure you can buy a gelato there (and we did…..quite a few times) but the town, and Hoi An in general, doesn’t feel like it’s sold out. Fabulous!
And finally, the night skies which on many occasions were filled with flashes of spectacular lightning (which I failed to even capture once) but also breath-taking splendor. What a way to close the day!
