CHERYL EATING (again)

 Had an awesome dish which we hadn't  tried on our last Vietnam trip.

Cha ca comprises of deboned catfish fried on a hotplate in the centre of the table,together with a variety of herbs and greens, bowls of roasted peanuts,fish sauce and bean sprouts and spring onions and chili to add to taste. Delicate flavours washed down with a few local beers.

A really great combo,....in a fancy restaurant, but incredibly reasonable (around R250).

Our meals here at most places costs a lot less even,....around R150 for two.

DANANG

 We woke @ 5h30 this morning to catch our pre-booked flight to Danang,scheduled for 9h10 but delayed to a 10h00 departure. The hotel manager here has been great and  arranged a 6h50 taxi pick-up and an early breakfast at 6h15.

Yesterday,in response to my request for a good exchange rate on some leftover dollars,he offered to pop over (with me) on his bike for an exchange @ 26400 VND/$ ....a bit better than the official rate of 26000.

The taxi arrived on the dot and screamed through rush hour traffic,getting us there before 8am.So we had a 2 hour wait,followed by an hour flight on a pretty rickety old plane.

So here we are ,sitting in the lobby of our pretty plush hotel,waiting an hour till check in time at 2pm.Good time to blog!

Danang has a 30km uninterrupted beach stretching all the way down south to Hoi An...our next destination in a couple of days time.

This area was the favourite R&R location for the American troops during the Vietnam War. I wrote extensively about the war,and other observations  during our 2019 one month journey through Vietnam,from north to south.

Not gonna repeat so have a look down this blog to 2019 if anyone is interested. 

This time we're only coming half way down  during our 3 week holiday,to central Vietnam 🇻🇳. 

For the forthcoming 16 nights,until we return to Hanoi,it'll  be cycling, motorcycling,beaching,and eating  amazing food. Tough life but someone has to do it!

1st Day Hanoi

 Had a great breakfast and set out early to try  out an egg coffee and a coconut coffee.

Somehow we'd  neglected to have either on our last trip in 2019. Both are made with condensed milk and with a double shot of very strong Vietnamese coffee. The egg coffee is a bit like a creme Brule with  espresso lurking below. The idea is to spoon off some of the top,and then mix it up with the espresso. Coconut coffee is similar,with a coconut layer above the shot....both are delicious! Vietnam is the 2nd largest coffee exporter on the planet and the quality is amazing.

We fly early tomorrow morning to Danang, very much a beach city located 30km north of Hoi An....a national heritage French colonial town.

We'll be moving there 2 days later and staying for 12 nights at two places in Hoi An , one of which we'd stayed in 2019.

It hot as a monkey's bum here so looking forward to the beach!

 

Hanoi

 After 20 hours of travel we arrived at Hanoi Airport and took the very conveniently located bus No. 86 to just 500m from our hotel in the old quarter.

Took a quick shower and a walk around the old quarter and,after a bite to eat and a beer,landed up in bed by around 9:30 where Cheryl was gone within minutes.

Woke early this morning and got out for my jog around Hoan Kiem lake by 5:30am. 

When we were last here in 2019 I had been surprised at the presence,so early in the morning,of literally thousands of locals  taking part in all sorts of exercise around the lake. 

Runners,cyclists,Tai chi, zumba dancers of all ages doing their thing before heading off to work,and the street below the hotel already busy setting up their fresh produce for locals.

Hanoi

 

RETURN TO VIETNAM

 Just checking that I remember how to use this blogger app?

Last time we visited Vietnam was 2019 and the pic was taken  around sunset whilst enjoying a local meal at a place on the river.

We haven't  been able to travel internationally for close to 3 years now due to Cheryl's knee replacement 2 years ago,and consequent arthritic relapse.

We'd arranged a trip to Tuscany but were forced to cancel a few months before our scheduled departure.

Really looking forward to this 3 week holiday, in what is one of the most fascinating and affordable venues, with some of the best cuisine on the planet.

When we last visited the country we had traveled from Hanoi in the north,through to central (Danang/Hanoi/Hue) and eventually to Saigon in the south,from whence we returned home a month later.

This time we've decided to fly in to Hanoi for a few days,...then fly to Danang,where we'll  spend a couple of nights.

Then just a bit south to the amazing French colonial town of Hoi An with its amazing atmosphere and beaches located just a couple of km from our hotels.

I've landed up pre-booking virtually all accommodation,...some of which we had stayed at in 2019.

3 to 4 star accommodation for two,with breakfast included,for between R400 and R700 (in hanoi) .

Average accomm cost per night works out at a mere R500.

Virtually all of these hotels offer a huge swimming pool and free bicycles to get to town and the beach etc.

We'll be hiring a m/cycle in Danang and Hoi An and doing some exploring....and possibly be spending a night or two in HUE,just 2 hours by train from Danang.