Well here we are in Hoi An, Vietnam. We had hoped that blogging would be easier but the internet connections have not been all that great so have not been able to get online.
We have thoroughly enjoyed the trip so far. Laos was wonderful and we saw some great sights. After leaving there we flew to Hanoi and that was sure an eye opener for us. There are 87 million people in Vietnam and 45 million scooter/motorcycles!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, they must all be in Hanoi too as the traffic is something to behold. Crossing any road is a real adventure. They told us to just start walking - DON'T STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD - and all the vehicles will weave around us!!!!! That is hard to do when there are buses, cars, trucks, motorbikes, bicycles and every other moving thing roaring towards you at a horrendous pace. We thought we might be limited to just walking around a square block as crossing the road seemed far too dangerous. Our guides are tremendous and got us through some scarey situations. There is no road rage or fist shaking between the drivers. They all seem to be so carefree and polite. There is some horn honking here but it is a type of signal system that they all understand but it baffles us. Two honks mean one thing and six or seven short honks mean something else. Quite amazing to see. We could sure learn from these people.
We went out to Halong Bay and that was a beautiful trip on a junk. Floated through the limestone islands - there are several thousand of them - and enjoyed the views. We got off on small boats and then climbed through some caves and loved it.
We went to Dien Bien Phu to the site of the French & Viet Minh (hope I've spelled everything correctly) battlefied. Visited several museums and memorials. Dien Bien Phu doesn't see too many tourists yet so it is quite quiet compared to Hanoi. The locals look at us as if we have arrived from Mars.
Went to another open air fruit, veggie, meat and live animal market. Tried to keep our bare, sandaled feet out of the fish and meat juice that had formed puddles on the ground. Not really too appetizing but it is all so interesting. Seeing some of the meat products - like boar - with the hair still on it didn't make us want to take it home to the BBQ. We also saw Roast Dog - whole and including teeth - which turned our stomachs. It is a very different culture here, for sure.
Hoi An is lovely and a beautiful little town. Today we have a free day - our first - so we are going to have a nice, quiet day walking around and looking at the sights. The vendors are very aggressive here, as everywhere, and it is a constant fight to keep ahead of them. They all have something to sell and can't believe that you don't want to buy it - over and over and over. How many bracelets can I buy - Dave won't wear any of them. When you buy three they think you should buy twelve more!!!!!!!!
So off for some walking, beer, more walking and probably more beer. Sure tastes good in this hot and humid weather. Oh yes, we had our first rain shower yesterday.
All for now. Hope I haven't made any spelling mistakes. If I have well that's what happens.
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