12 hours touring in Hoi An

If this post truly represents today, you may have to read it in parts, as we had the longest very busy day! Thank you for ALL the comments and replies, I was surprised and thrilled to receive SO many. 🙂 We Packed in everything to see in Hoi An today as tomorrow is a relaxing beach day. To start at the beginning……

Breakfast Buffet at new hotel is huge and incredible. They have an omelette bar, made to order eggs any style you would like. I had 2, lol….they have dim sum, a huge fruit selection, fresh squeezed strawberry juice, finally normal yummy coffee. Its in a huge restaurant/dining room with floor to ceiling windows with the sun shining through and very crowded with families. This is a family kid friendly resort. After enjoying our meal we opted to take a bike ride as its early, 7:45 am and the streets are quiet. I love bike riding, Rachel is not as big of a fan but ended up loving it too. The traffic got a little hairy for her towards the end, as motor bikes were zooming by in a couple intersections. It did not compare to the crazy NYC traffic Danielle and I rode through during rush hour last summer. The majority of the ride was relaxing and peaceful. We took in the scenery and checked out the river side. We passed by locals homes, saw grown men playing cards sitting on the dollhouse size chairs, many stray dogs, rode over the beautiful bridge. We rode through where we hung out last night with the lanterns. A totally different look during the day yet Super colorful and still breathtaking. We are both in LOVE with this town. I totally recommend Hoi An be added to your bucket lists. 

Returned bikes, dropped off a bag of laundry to a laundromat and awaited our tour guide pick up for the day. A private guide named Tai and his counterpart who will be our driver. We are headed to My Son Sanctuary and Marble Mountain. Rachel has recently read the book Heaven and Earth, the love story war movie about Vietnam and really wanted to see both these sights. I had rented it for the plane but the movie was too graphic for me, I only made it through the first 30 minutes. To prevent this post from being too long I will summarize My Son. I actually felt like this would have been a tour site my dad would have dragged us to as kids as it brought back memories of visiting ruins in Ephesus, Turkey…..Jackie & Mom do you remember? It is another UNESCO site. So much Hindu history in this place with many temples dating back to the 7 th century. Bombs went off here in 1969, B52’s struck this spot and much was destroyed, no one expected holy spots to be bombed too. Some of the temples have been recovered and rebuilt bu the Vietnam & India governments. We learned about the Vishnu, Shiva, and the Prada g-ds, lots of signs regarding g-ds of fertility, a meditation room, lots of offerings with incense. These temples were created with sporadically one brick missing in a spots to show that life is imperfect. The cool thing about all that we learned to me was that it all has so much meaning on true life lessons that are important. There were butterflies flying around us during the entire walk, 💫and the jungle like green landscape surrounding us was beautiful. Our guide Tai takes his job very seriously, he wanted to tell us every piece of history about all that we were seeing. I definitely like to learn, but ruins are not my fav and in 99% humidity, my tank top was stuck to my skin by sweat. I could have walked through this place much faster. We listened and were respectful, but at some point Rachel was very diplomatic and let him know we were ready to move a bit faster. My Son means “ Beautiful Mountain”, as My Son is the english version and the vietnamese pronunciation is different. We started to walk back to the shuttle bus that will take us back down the hill and stopped to grab water. Rach had a fresh coconut water out of a big coconut, while I chose a corn popsicle. This corn sweetness is my new favorite thing, its truly the strangest flavors when you first start eating it and than it gets SO good. We board the gold cart like bus and this driver turned our ride into a Disneyland rollercoaster. Omg……a bit crazy yet the windy breeze from the speed felt so good!

We leave this place and have an hour drive to our next destination. Marble Mountain is next on the agenda. As we drive, we pass by the Seafood Market and see many Koreans on line, this place is packed as people want to buy the freshest fish from the morning. We drive by many cemetery’s again with Pagodas.  Rice fields are on both sides of the road….. we see a flock of ducks being lead by there owner. So much in these fields throughout Vietnam. Its cool to drive so far and see many different areas. Marble Mountain in back in Da Nang , the big city where the airport is located for Hoi An. Its near the ocean and we pass a few 5 star like big resorts. We enjoy lunch at a local restaurant with Tai. I had a yummy Chicken Vermicelli soup, while Tachel had a not so good Seafood Fried rice. We also shared a spring rolls order and each enjoyed fresh Watermelon juice. 

Marble Mountain was the coolest place I have seen yet on this trip. Danielle- this place would be right up your alley as I thought of you as we toured this Buddhist place. OMG! Its basically 5 mystical mountains each representing a different element: Metal, Wood, Earth, Water, and Fire. We initially climbed 123 steep steps to get to the level an elevator could have taken you. We have been eating that the more exercise the better. As we arrive to this level the most gigantic White Buddha made of cement is there to greet you. When I say it was massive, I mean ginormous!! A peaceful feeling overcomes me in these meditative induced type settings. Similar to the way I feel when entering the grounds of Swamis In Encinitas, CA….yet this place was over the top and on steroids if you compared it! Tai is telling us the most amazing stories, as he is a Buddhist. I had heard some of it before but, really enjoyed all the meaning and knowledge he had to share. We heard about Buddha being born out of his mothers armpit, the number 7 being so significant in buddhism. This fact intrigued me so much since 7 has so much meaning in Judaism too. I learned Buddha took 7 steps when he was born, there are 7 lessons- pleasure, love, greed, hate, happy, resentment, and delusion. They believe the soul lives forever the body is nothing special as the soul is most important. We passed by a symbol that looked just like a swastika, we both were taken back and inquired why this was here. Tai explained it was a backwards swastika….having the complete opposite meaning. This symbol represents Happy-Lucky-Prosperty. A very strange thing to see in such a peaceful place. Photo to be attached. The grounds of this place was mind blowing, we walked in and out of caves, each one with a shrine, buddha, incense burning, some with bats, water dripping from above. The outside sky could be seen through opening high above from the inside of these caves we entered. Very hard to describe and even hard to capture on camera. Another place to add to the bucket kist for when you visit Hoi An. 

Okay, now prepare to laugh…..another funny moment of the Laurie & Rachel show, to preface the story, it may be TMI. Lets just start with the vision I had after the moment had occurred. So Rach and I have been friends for 24+ years….met when I was 20 ish, we have exchanged many greeting cards over the years. I have a few with old ladies on the cover where we are each labeled as one of them and the card refers to being friends forever or until old etc. So today in this moment I definitely saw us as 2 old ladies in our future. As we had entered one of the caves it required you to go up through a very small space, mind you I had already did one cave that was a bit to claustrophobic for me but managed. This one had fear written all over it for me that after one look at the narrowness I asked how to meet them on the other side by turning around and going back. Mind you I do realize I am in a Buddhist place, I say “Buddha here have no fear”. Yet this is my deal and I requested they watch me make my way back through before they continue on. I make my way out, next thing you know……Rachel is coming back out like 5-6 min later with, Tai behind her and she is laughing SO hard. Apparently she got to the closed in space and immediately got stomach cramps, felt hot, and not well. She wasnt sure if perhaps my fear had gotten in her head or if her lunch was unsettling to her stomach, but they came out. The funny part was that Tai said to her do you have to go diarrhea? Please know Rachel is a modest bathroom talker, she was so taken back that Tai would ask this and assume it. He was on high alert for diarrhea and talking about it like ordering food. This caused a serious hysterics of laughter. We both are laughing that we are 2 old ladies, one with claustrophobias and the other with illness while both dripping in sweat on the tour. I have left out that Tai has been coughing all day, Rachel still has her cold and is coughing a bit too. She and Tai both make there way to the bathroom. No more details don’t worry. Just know Tai had some Vietnamese black pills he gave to Rachel. I still think it was my Aloe pills I had given her last night. Vicki, feel free to comment if your still reading 🙂 In any case, we make our way to the end of the tour. Had taken hundreds of photos again as the 7 story high Pagoda in the middle of red flowers and a buddha mountain and a sight to remember forever. 

We exit, and drive back to hotel. On drive I see a family of 5 on a motor bike, all kids sandwiched between parents, baby is soundly sleeping upright smushed. Crazy how a motorbike holds a whole family. As we return to hotel Tai requests to be FB friends as he must have taken 20 selfies with us today like we are famous. I have promised to review him on TA as he works very hard to support his family, 2 kids, his wife, and also his parents a sibling. Family is so important. I love this! 

Okay, so poor Rach is mot feeling 100% and we are set for a food walking tour that starts in 1.5 hour. Lol ….you know me, the energizer bunny….Go Go Go! This girl is a trooper and seriously rallied….she was feeling much better but as I write this she is sleeping. I sure hope this room wakes up later tomorrow, say a prayer! We made it via taxi to our Food group by 5 pm. Us, with guide named Gum and an Australian couple. Grab a fork, and chop sticks and a cold drink and finish reading. This part is yummy and this entry is almost over 🙂 Im finally getting tired just reliving it, LOL 🙂

Gum is yet another Libra, funny during Libra season, her birthday is Oct 5th, she will be 23 and is a bright, articulate, beautiful girl. We loved her so much! She lead us on the most delicious night yet. We started at a place called The White Rose, it was started by a couple , one Vietnamese and the other Chinese. Its a restaurant with just 2 items on the menu, dumplings, and Vietnamese Pizza made on rice cracker like a wont ton. The dumplings were amazing- stuffed with pork & Shrimp with a fish sauce. They have perfected this secret family recipe that they supply dumplings to many restaurants in Hoi An. They make 4-5000 dumplings per day. We watched them be made by hand. Like a factory. Reminded me of the place in the OC area, all my nieces & sisters  love. Next dish a special pork noodle soup- this too had many sweet and sour flavors and was finally not my boring chicken noodle soup, and Laurie liked it. 🙂 We than tried a balut, this was optional- Rachel was a for sure, hard NO, Australians were both a YES, i was on the fence until I saw there reaction….”you ask, what is a Balut?” Its a baby duck embryo that gets cracked from the egg before your eyes with many condiments, Scott Hurvitz would have loved this opportunity. After the Aussie couple went and convinced me it was ok, i tried it. Rachel filmed it like an episode of The Survivor Show. It wasn’t bad as it tasted like the yolk of a hard boiled egg, it just was way to spicy for me. I had 2 bites. To the next stop….the famous Pork roll on the light very good bread. We each had a half sandwich. Another party with your tastebuds. So many flavors inside your mouth. We than walked towards the old town area with lanterns…..found a cute coffee shop and i had a great Iced Coffee. Like the grandma in me, I have sweet n low in my purse to make it work for me, lol. Rach has a ginger hot tea. Ok……the second greatest experience on the tour, we are invited into the home of a local for a home cooked meal in their living room. I know, how can these girls eat anything else without exploding may be what your thinking. I was thinking the same but, could not resist a local opportunity in this village town. This is the mother of our guides friend. She prepared a tiny rice pancake with a quail egg, some fried spring rolls, and we learned how to roll rice pancake fresh spring rolls with veggies not fried. The best part was the dessert made by the mom. A warm banana tapioca coconut milk mixture. This was heavenly and a great way to end the meal. We all thanked her for welcoming us into her home with kids and relatives around. It was truly special. 

We all enjoyed the stroll to the main area near the river. The 4 of us tour participants got to board a boat on the river with all the lanterns lit up on both sides. Its a picturesque setting like you wont see anywhere else, but this charming town. We are each given a candle to make a wish and set our floating candle down the river for good luck. This may have been my highlight of the day. Quiet serenity floating down the river in a fisherman small boat being rowed by a tiny strong vietnamese lady, dreaming of my wish, staring into the night sky, pinching myself wondering how is this MY life. Amazed by the moments I am enjoying. The last activity is a Hoi An version of BINGO. We all get a board, its 30 different 3-4 letter words instead of letters. Lots of traditional singing is involved, its a high energy fun loving happy game played nightly from 7-9 pm in a main square. None of us won but it was super fun. Reminded me of the Kecak traditional Balinese singing, Steph.

We say our good byes to the group. We walk home back over the bridge, through the night market. We have seriously been out for 12 hours today. Rachel is beyond ready for bed. Im still wide awake……hence your getting this blog before my bed time. Its almost midnight here. Ill post some of my pics, but look for better ones on FB tomorrow. My camera is not as fancy as her new I Phone. I have to get some of hers before doing another FB post.

Tomorrow is a relaxing beach day……cant wait. Along with a Chabad Rosh Hashanah dinner, totally looking forward to that experience.

Stay Tuned…..
Love Laurie Sue
Aka Dora the Explorer