Ahhhhhhh SUN!!

Well for about twenty minutes during our bus ride from Hue to Hoi An.  But it did feel good! From Hanoi we travelled south via an overnight sleeper train, a rough but worthwhile 12 hour ride! Upon arrival we were planning on getting a taxi to take us to the center of town where we would check out different hotels....easier said then done.  The taxi would only take us to Nam Lung Hotel, so we obliged and it worked out very well.  The owners of Nam Lung were extremely friendly and helpful, and the room was very nice with a balcony overlooking the river.  They set up our trek up into the Phang Nha/Ke Bang & Thien Doong Caves.  A personal driver picked us up early in the morning in a suped up Nissan Pathfinder, and we made our way up into the mountainous cave region about 70km from Dong Hoi listening to a mix of Vietnamese music and some US techno.  We had all three of the caves completely to ourselves!!!! 

Thien Doong, the lesser traveled to cave about 30km past the more popular Phong Nha Caves were by far the more spectacular cave system.  In December 2010 they opened up the first 1km of the 31km that they plan on opening to the public.  I think we were the first ones to go there!!  At the gate they put us on our own little golf cart (think Jurrasic Park) to the opening of the cave where we were met by a nice english speaking guide who showed us all the different formations throughout the caves.  Some of the rooms in the caves were 100m high, and the winding wodden bridges and neon lights were quite a scene.  From Thien Doong, we drove to the Phang Nha cave system that you access by boat.  These were no less extordinary, but I think we were spoled by the Thien Doong experience. 

We then took a 4 hour train to Hue, but almost missed our stop on the train! The train was a great way to see the countryside and the many, many rice fields of Vietnam.  Here we rented bikes from Mr Chu for a day to explore the ancient citadel & visiting the Thien Mu Pagoda.  Mr Chu runs an awsome little travel cafe where he serves up fruit smoothies and sells photos that he has taken from all around Vietnam (we couldn't resist buying one, along with a few postcards).  During the war he was a fireman for the US Army in Hue, which is only 20km south of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone).  Biking in Vietnam is nuts!  You basically close your eyes and use the bike/motorbike or car in front of you as a lead blocker and cross your fingers.  There are very few traffic lights at the intersections, and when there is one it is more for a suggestion of stopping or going; no one actually obeys the light.  And to add to the madness we had ponchos on that acted as blinders eliminating our peripheral vision.  But, nonetheless we made it thru the entire day unscathed and got to see many of the ruins and pagodas that made Hue a great stop on the way down to Hoi An.

We also got a little lost on our way to Thien Mu Pagoda and took about a 5km detour- woops! But luckily we stopped along the highway for some fresh vietnamese sandwiches - Can't beat a $0.25lunch!!

One word can only describe Hoi An= Beautifull!  After spending 7 days up in the northern parts of Vietnam it felt so nice to put on the shorts and explore Hoi An.  Hoi An, Vietnam lies right on the ocean allthough it is still overcast, the temperature is about 10 degrees warmer. We decided to spend about 4 days in Hoi An, 1) because we both got a bit of a cold and didn't do much but lay in bed for the first 2 days and 2) because of teh warm weather!  We spent a few days taking a boat ride to a bnearby island and walking through the beautiful streets of Ha Noi, where there are countless tailor shops, craft shops, and restaurants. A good meal runs 2 people about $10 (and that is the tourist price!).  We've made sure to sample all the local specialties including shrimp dumplings, fish in a banana leaf, fried wontons with a speacial salsa, and a small clam dish. We spent another day renting bikes and riding to the 2 nearest beaches (Cua Dai Beach and An Banh Beach). Biking around is really the best way to see the countryside and the local villages.  The people are really extrodinarily friendly and say hello to you everywhere you go.  Shaun was even so kind to ride a young boy back to his home by hopping on the back of his bike.  We can't say enough of how friendly the Vietnamese people are!

We spent our last day seeing the cultural ancient ruinsat My Son (pictures will be posted soon) and getting some fine silk tailored clothes made - It's the thing to do here in Ha Noi!  We are headed back up to Hue tomorrow and then into Laos to meet up with some freinds (Kevin & Hannah O'Brien).  The weather in Laos looks to be much more promising at 80 and sunny,so hopefully we will be able to post some sunny pictures soon! 
Below is the link again to the Vietnam photos - check out the new ones we posted!
http://picasaweb.google.com/rayann.torres/Vietnam#