Hue and the heat...

Hue, the Imperial City is so underrated and I feel guilty for generally only recommending stays of 1 or 2 nights at most to my clients in the past.  It is such a pretty city and so relaxing by comparison to some of the other cities.  I'm so glad that I finally went...
The only negative was that it was hot...so hot.

I booked myself a private transfer from Hoi An to Hue with Hoi An Private cars as I needed to work in the morning and had a booked a food tour for the evening in Hue so the buses and train (both considerably cheaper but longer and less flexible options) times didn't work.  On the way you drive pass the beautiful My Khe beach in Danang - A stunning stretch of beach formally referred to, during the war, as China Beach.  We stopped at the summit of Hai Van pass for me to take some photos before driving pass the lovely Lang Co beach and onto Hue.  It's a good 2.5 to 3 hours drive and the roads are pretty good and with the exception of the odd dodgy overtake on corners it was a great drive.

 



I had booked myself into the Hotel Saigon Morin which is in a great location in the heart of Hue, with fantastic views of view of  the Truong Tien Bridge (which is lit up at night with changing colours) and Perfume River. The Morin is a lovely colonial style hotel originally built in 1901 and refurbished in 1997.  Huge rooms and in my case a balcony looking out to the river.

I had booked myself on Urban Adventures 'Royal City Street Eats' which is an evening food tour by cyclo where I sampled some of Hue's best local dishes and ended up at the Tu Phuong Vo Su Pavilion for coffee (inside the Citidel) which was just stunning. 
The following morning I met up with Van (who also took my tour last night), and did a Hue city tour (again with Urban Adventures)which included a walking tour of the Citadel, a visit to the Dong Ba Market, a vegan lunch at a local monastery (Pagoda), a visit to the  seven-tiered Thien Mu Pagoda, and a relaxing cruise back to the hotel along the Perfume River.  I also tried making incense sticks -its safe to say I won't be giving up my day job!.
Van, spoke very good English, was knowledgeable about the history and culture and made both tours interesting and enjoyable.

On the second night I had a nice meal at Stop and Go Café which was just around the corner from the hotel and on the last night I ate along the riverfront at Ancient Town Restaurant.  A lovely spot away from the stalls and shops along the walking street.

While I was in Hue I went and looked at a few other hotels - Eldora, Scarlett Boutique Hotel, Alba Spa Hotel, La Residence and Indochine Palace.  All lovely hotels with their own unique selling points.

I booked a transfer back with Stop and Go Tours (same place as the restaurant) and my driver Hung would have to have been the best driver I have had in Vietnam to date.

Back to Hoi An in time for the full moon but I opted to avoid the Ancient Town after last month and ate around the corner, complete with a lion/dragon dance put on.

That day and night were incredibly hot and the next day it was already 33 degrees at 8am.  We had a power cut for 30 minutes and I thought I was going to die (from the heat).  Normally there is a great breeze off the balcony during the day but it was so still.  (pic of my house - 3rd from the end/bridge)

I was comforted by the fact that everyone was feeling it including the locals but I was desperately in need of a pool and some 24/7 air conditioning so I booked myself into Hoi An Trails Resort for a few days.  I had wanted to check it out so it gave me the perfect excuse.  My room included breakfast (obviously as most Vietnamese hotels do) and a daily 15 min food massage and a cooking class which I naturally made the most of.

While I was this end of town I checked out Dingo Deli for lunch, which is a favourite hangout spot for expats.   I had dinner at Son Restaurant (232 Cua Dai), where I had eaten 4 + years ago on a recommendation from the then chef at the Nam Hai.  The food is still great.
And I had a night out with the one of the owners and sales manager for Wide Eyed Tours (who have a great product) at Soul Kitchen on An Bang Beach - a great spot and a great night out.

Hard to believe I have just over two weeks left...

The house, the bat and the dog....

Well I moved into my lovely place along the river, close to the Central Market and all seemed good.   After the influx for the full moon, Hoi An has gone back to the charming, pretty, mainly chilled little town that I recalled it being...(FYI that it a pic of the Ancient town now my house)

Moving was significantly easier than any other more I have ever done (only one suitcase) and I set my desk up looking out over the river and with the balcony doors open it gets a great breeze.
However on my second night here, while chilling on the couch watching a bit of TV, I noticed something fluttering near the roof in the lounge.  Given that I am not good with moths and other flying things I opted to go down the path of denial and just take myself off to bed....much safer than investigating further!
The following day I noticed quite a few mouse like droppings on the floor which I believed could only have been made by either a mouse, gecko or bat.  I was pretty sure it wasn't a mouse or gecko so that only left a bat or bats...given the amount.  I spoke to the landlords daughter who informed that there were 3 but they had caught two....excellent I thought - lucky me!  The landlord put up some fishing netting across the balcony but sadly it wasn't completely covered and I woke up the next morning to about 5 dead bats that had got in but couldn't get out (including the one in my lounge) - all very traumatic!  After a night of being bombarded by the distressed bat after me trying to swat it with a broom (I felt like I had played a complete game of tennis at the end of it) , I did what any logical person would do and booked myself  3 nights accommodation and moved out!
I booked myself into the Hoi An Silk Village Resort which was like a little oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the old town and of course the bat!

In my absence the Landlord had caught the bat and had completed bat proofing the house.

During my stay at The Hoi An Silk Village I replied to a dog sitting request on the Hoi An expats facebook page for a week in case the bat hadn't gone.
The dog sit was for a lovely young English couple have a brand new house - maybe 15 mins from where I was, and a rescue dog called Hobo.  
I joined the English couple and their friend Maria for dinner at The Beachhouse in An Bang beach the night before they left.  Lovely relaxed place and great food. 
Hobo was the poster dog apparently for Vietnam Animal Aid and Rescue...famous no less.  Lovely dog and it was nice to have a dog around after losing mine almost two years ago. However, dog walking in Vietnam is a whole different ballgame as most of the dogs wander at leisure and most houses have their doors and gates open.  Hobo is a small dog, with a big dog attitude and mentality ,and seemed to take delight in winding the dogs up on his daily walks!  Much as I was sad to leave after a week I did find dog walking here incredibly stressful.

While I was in the area though I did go and check out Ancient House Village Resort and Spa, which I had stayed at in 2004 not long after it opened.  Nice rooms and a nice little resort in a pretty good location - halfway between the beach and the old town with several good restaurants around it.  A colleague did advise that she had seen a review (which I couldn't find) that talked about bats in their room....ah the joys of balconies, and an area close to the river with lots of trees!!

Nearby is the Havana Café, where I had a great Vietnamese pancake and Mojito for lunch.

Now that I'm back in my house, I have begun checking out some of the many restaurants, cafe's and bars in Hoi An.
There is a sports bar down the road , 3 Dragons where I watched the Hurricanes play and it has a lovely restaurant part on the riverfront which serves really good food.  Along the riverfront are numerous cafes and restaurants.  Near by is Hill Station which is in a stunning little building and offers some great platters of cheese, pate and charcuterie (as well as numerous other options) along with great wines.  Its a popular place you need to get there early to get a seat out the front (which I prefer).  My favourite lunch Banh Mi place is a short walkaway and always has a line of people queing up- Banh Mi Phuong.  Last night, I met up with an Australian girl, hoping to work and live here, for a meal at Good Morning Vietnam which does great Italian food.  Western prices by comparison to a lot of the local Vietnamese restaurants but at USD20 each for shared bruschetta, 2 mains and a bottle of wine it is still cheaper than home!

I found a great little spa around the corner, Five Senses Spa and Beauty, where I have had several massages now and pedicure.  I can't complain about USD$10 for an hours massage....

Last week I also checked out the Almanity Hoi An Resort and Spa which is stunning.  Lovely rooms, a great pool area and an amazing spa and quiet/yoga area.  It is very popular with The NZ and Australian market and with good reason.

It was on the way to the Military Bank (MB)which is the only ATM that gives up to 10 Million VND - well worth the trek (from my place at least) to the corner of Hai Ba Trung and Ba Trieu Street .  Most ATM's have a limit of only VND2 Million (approx. $100 ).

I'm off to Hue tomorrow for three night's to do a few tours and to have a look at some hotels....

A taste of Asia....

Hi there...Chris here

Sometimes trying times present fantastic opportunities. ...

Due to a lack of rental accommodation in Wellington, I decided to take advantage of not paying rent and give working remotely a go....8 weeks of it.  I opted for Hoi An for 7 weeks, a destination that I would have almost given a money back guarantee on.   On my way there I spent 4 nights in Siem Reap and then 3 in Ho Chi Minh.  My cousin and his wife and her family were also in Siem Reap at the same time which was great.

Week 1

Siem Reap I really liked, and my cousin came with me to have a look at some hotels (posing as my photographer as he was keen to get ideas ). The hotel I stayed at in Siem Reap was J7 ,which was a great choice if I do say so myself!  It is a newly opened hotel in a great location with fantastic staff.  I couldn't fault it.  I also had a look at others including the Victoria Hotel Siem Reap which is a colonial style hotel, Shinta Mani Club  and the resort across the road which was lovely, Lotus Blanc Resort  and the Anantara which was to die for.

I feel pretty fortunate to have come to Siem Reap in 1998, when there were very few tourists by comparison visiting the majestic sites of Angkok Wat and Ta Phrom.  I saw all the ancient ruins in 1998 but this time just wanted to see my favourites.  I think the tuk tuk driver was amazed at the speed in which I revisited them but for me it was manic. I just couldn’t handle the busloads of tourists (and steady stream of Tuk Tuk’s) and the heat…still I got some great pictures and two blessings.  Both ( and all the others - Bayon Temple etc) are must see's on any Siem Reap itinerary but getting up early is best to check out the ancient ruins (if for no other reason than to beat the heat).

One monk seemed to splash/spray me with excessive amounts of water – either he could see how hot I was or believed I needed to be cleansed of a lot of sins (I’m going with the first option!).

 

 

I loved the fact that at night you could walk around in Siem Reap without horrendous traffic/constant tooting and it was quite pleasant walking (temperature wise) back to the hotel from pub street.  We had a great meal at Malis on the last night.

Ho Chi Minh (formerly known as Saigon)by comparison was insanely busy and while I was kept busy looking at hotels, I couldn’t wait to get out of there fast enough.  Too be fair there seemed to be more pedestrian crossings than I recall but they don’t count for much as although the car/buses stop, motorbikes still seem to go through on a red. I stayed at The Rex Hotel which was fine but dated and there are better options in Ho Chi Minh.   I knew its location which is why I picked it....well that and the rate at the time I booked. I booked a suite as it had a balcony but it wasn’t a balcony as I know it.  Maybe 50-70(?) centres wide - it was tiny and as it looked over a construction site hardly seemed wothwhile.  After checking out the The Grand Hotel I came across the newly opened The Myst Dong Khoi which I just loved and will happily promote - Uniquely  Vietnamese.

I also checked out the Hotel Continental Saigon, a colonial style hotel in a great location with massive rooms and lovely high ceilings.  Nearby is the 5 Star Caravelle Saigon.  The rooftop bar on the 9th floor, Saigon Saigon,  will be forever immortalised for its role in the Vietnam War as the location of the daily war correspondents briefing and their watering hole of choice throughout the conflict. 

I did an Urban Adventure's food tour one night which was a great chance to sample some great local street food.  The lovely Australian family that I did the tour had said they would never have eaten off street vendors and really enjoyed it, which is what the tour is all about.  I however, happily eat off the street but enjoyed the tour and we ended up at a very cool coffee place (mockingbird coffee) which I would never have found..

I also did a full day Mekong Delta speed boat tour with Les Rives Experiences, which was recommended by one of the wholesale consultant’s I use..  A good tour ..a few nice stops along the way and then a walk through the market before having a great lunch.  No crocodiles apparently in the river anymore which is hardly surprising given the rubbish in the river and the number of crocodile skin shoe and handbag shops in town.  A good mix of people on the tour.  There was a kiwi and his Australian wife and their 2 year old daughter, who are living in Danang.  A very cute girl who was a hit with the locals – she spoke amazingly clearly for a 2 year old and was heard saying ‘no photos’ on more than one occasion.  I could relate – being fair headed growing up in Hong Kong, I recall having the blonde hairs on my arms pulled and my cheeks pinched constantly!  There were a few Americans, all nice, but the one who stood out was (in more ways than one -definitely a Trump supporter which I found interesting) was from Mississippi (think southern accent).  He took a photo of a shanti town like house along the river, saying that he would send it to his wife telling her he had brought her a ‘riverfront condo’!  There was a nice Canadian couple and then there were the Ukrainian Kardashians.  A group of young women, and a bar owner (maybe their boss) who were living in Ho Chi Minh (belly dancers apparently although all but one had a belly) who were selfie queens.  When a python was brought out for photos, one did pretty much a whole photo shoot of herself in supposedly sexy poses with the snake.  Animal cruelty groups would probably have a field day with subjecting the snake to this.  She was mortified to hear later that the snake was a female!  All in all an entertaining day!

Week 2

And now onto Hoi An.  I arrived on Saturday which was the full moon lantern festival which I was quite excited about when I realised that I would be there for it.  As I drove in from Danang airport I was staggered at the amount of traffic and new developments since I was last here a few years ago.  I don’t recall as many traffic lights but given the number of cars and motorbikes now they are clearly needed.  My hotel, The River Town hotel is across the river from the old town and fronts onto the main river (maybe 10-15mins walk to the ancient town).  A newly opened hotel with a fantastic staff, a great pool and really good food.

 

That night I arrived I headed into town to take in the festivities but was mortified at the crowds.  Apparently there was a Korean and Japanese exhibition/show on also for the full moon.  Definitely  a WTF moment -I have never seen so many people crammed into the streets in my life – it was hideous.  There was a post from a member on the The Hoi An Expats facebook page that stated he had stopped counting at something like 106 coach buses.  I seriously questioned what I was doing here and found myself googling ‘chilled places in Asia to live’ and even emailed an apartment rental company in Chang Mai on Sunday night as I hadn’t heard back from the rental guy here and was over it.  The days are fine but night-timewas insane – I have no idea where they all get bussed in from.  Apparently it is the high season.

Definitely not the hoi An that I remembered but to be fair I have never been here at this time of the year and the first few days do not make a trip.

Anyway on Monday I heard from the rental agency , Nha Toi Real Estate, who seem to do all the rentals here, and on Tuesday I set off on the back of his assistant’s motor bike to check out 4 houses.  The ones that I had liked on their site had gone.  The ones they showed me were all nice places and most were supposedly in a good areas but seemed to be down a series of alley ways in the middle of nowhere and I was sure I would get lost finding it again ...and definitely after a night out.. My new house is along the river near the Central market so close to the ancient town but from the other end of the town to the hotel I’m currently in.  It is a two storey, 100 sq metre traditional wooden house next door to the owners (Mama and Papa – I met the daughter who can speak English when I saw the house and met Papa when I signed the contract – he doesn’t speak English but smiled a lot so I’m sure that’s good).  It has a balcony upstairs off the lounge that overlooks the river and gets a good breeze.  Two bedrooms – the one downstairs seems cooler and a kitchen , dining table etc.  two bathrooms – one upstairs /one downstairs.  It has aircon, portable fans, a fridge, beds, lounge suite, TV and fibre optic internet (we’ll see).  I figure I will work upstairs and sleep downstairs but time will tell.  It had a mosquito net on the bed but not attached above it so I may have to do some home improvements!   Given my dislike of bugs/moths etc I think it is safe to say that I will probably nuke the place on arrival.  It’s a good location and I like the fact that the owners are next door if I go way for a weekend and just security in general (although I don’t feel unsafe here at all).  USD$600 for the 6 weeks + utilities (supposed to be around USD$50 per month).  Along the riverfront (I’m almost at the end)  are lots of restaurants, cafes etc and I am walking distance to the market and ancient town with all its restaurants, cafes, bars etc so I should be fine.  As the food is so cheap I can’t see me doing any cooking except for maybe a class or two. I think it is safe to say this will be the easiest house move I have ever done!

There is a Hoi An expats monthly group (I’m not sure if I count as I am only here for the next 6 weeks but found it on facebook) get together on Sunday which I will go to.  Each month they do a get together for a token fee/donation which goes towards a charity – this month was the Vietnam Animal Aid and Rescue which works for me!  This month it is held at The Atlas Hotel, which is a nice boutique style , newly opened hotel within an easy walk of the ancient town.

I seem to be sweating profusely all the time and drinking at least 3 litres of water a day, so that along with my 15000+ steps (my fitbit must think it has a new owner), and much better food choices, must surely lead to obscene amounts of weight loss.  Time will tell.  I look around and I swear I am sweating more than others, even those bigger than me, so perhaps my friend is right and I am pre-menopausal in which case I should have gone to a colder climate as April is generally hotter in Hoi An and I fear I will die at this rate!

And so begins my next 6 weeks in Hoi an…