Well, we spent the last few days at Hoi An. The town is very small, mostly shopping to do there (Jim’s favorite thing to do–HA!).
We got some tailored clothes made, it’s inexpensive to do here & an interesting experience. Our hotel was on the beach, we had to take a taxi or hotel shuttle 10 minutes to town for each fitting (about 4 times)…so it wasn’t too relaxing in the end.
We got to know the town pretty well. It’s quieter than Hanoi, or even Hue. Cute river restaurants and shops.
Waiting for our plane to board, will post again later. Next stop: Thailand.
You’d never get me on a motorcycle at home. But here in Vietnam there are more motorbikes than cars, so it feels much safer. It’s the most common mode of travel.
We needed a ride from Hue to Hoi An (about 3 hours by car) and we heard from some other travelers they had done the pass on motor bike over the Hai Van Pass (the highest pass in all of Vietnam) & said it was nice.
We went with a tour guide company called www.HueEasyRiders.com, they take people on a tour, stopping at destinations along the way so the usual 3.5 hour motorbike ride takes all day from 8a.m. to 4p.m. Here’s a clip of us first meeting with the Hue Easy Riders:
One of our stops along the way to Hoi An was at a place called Elephant Springs, an amazing spot. It’s a hidden trek, we wondered where they were taking us at first! But you have to trust your guides and go with the flow. We took a dip in the water, it was cool & refreshing. Here’s a few pics:
Elephant Springs 1
After resting and refreshing here for about an hour or so, we resumed our trek. Here are some pics from the pass itself, the scenery was breathtaking:
Hai Van Pass 3
We finally made it to the other side, tired after a long day, but it was the best way for us to see the sights and also make our destination in Hoi An. Multi-tasking at its best! 🙂
The ride itself was very safe, the Easy Riders went easy on the bumps and curves, and we felt safe the entire way. We highly recommend this trip for anyone coming this way. Our guides, Loc & Nho were wonderful, and they were very passionate about showing us their country.
We debated whether we should see the Citadel before leaving Hue. With limited time in each town, it’s hard to decide what’s worth doing & what to skip. We could see the Citadel from our hotel, it was right across the river and easy to walk to by crossing the bridge a few blocks down. We were getting tired of sight seeing, it’s been non-stop since we left LA…but then again, that’s what we came for. So we decided to wander over, thinking we’d be in and out in an hour.
Turns out, the place is huge and it took us 2 hours to explore (would have stayed longer, but they were about to close the place + we were starving). We were amazed how interesting it was. I think we were more intrigued by this than Angkor Wat, maybe because we didn’t know what to expect inside.
It was a fascinating place, many areas to explore, something new to discover with every doorway and archway. Here are a few pics:
Gone to Asia! 
