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| A photo taken from my train window as we rode up the coast to Hue. |
Recently, Lance has been busy researching train trips around the world. He's decided that next year we are going to try to incorporate more train and boat trips into our traveling schedule. Luckily for us, Vietnam has one of the more scenic trips you can take on a train. The railway from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City runs along the coast of Vietnam and is considered by some to be one of the most picturesque in the world. Da Nang, close to where we are staying, is positioned about half way between these two cities. That is where we needed to go to catch the train. Although we didn't want to take the time to do the entire 35 hour trip...we did decide to go to Hue (about 3 hours from Da Nang,) so we could experience at least part of this scenic ride.
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A picture copied from Lance's Lonely Planet train book (Amazing Train Journeys)
that shows an overview of the train ride up the coast. |
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| Two more photos taken from my train window. |
The city of Hue is about twice the size of Hoi An. Although it as not as charming as Hoi An, we did enjoy a nice overnight stay there. Lance and I arrived in Hue in the middle of the afternoon. We enjoyed a late lunch at the hotel and then booked a cultural event on the famous dragon boats located on the Perfume River. The boat offered a program that included Vietnamese folk singers from the area. After the boat trip, we crossed the bridge, and walked to a little hole in the wall restaurant that Lance read about in Lonely Planet. There, we enjoyed one of the very best meals we've had in Vietnam. Afterwords we took a leisurely stroll back along the river to our hotel room.
The next day we returned to Da Nang, where we spent the afternoon shopping at a modern mall before taking a Grab Taxi back to Hoi An. It was an enjoyable get away for us, and a nice way to see a little bit more of this beautiful country.
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| Photo of the Dragon Boats taken from the Internet. |
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| Above and below...folk singers on the Dragon Boat. |
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| Lighted bridge spanning the Perfume River in Hue. |
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| A restaurant on the river's edge...not the one we ate at. |
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| Above and below...sights along the Perfume River in Hue. |
And finally, just a few more photos of some of the sights in Hoi An...
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One of several Buddhist temples in Hoi An. |
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| Above and below...the Japanese Covered Bridge. |
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| Above and below...photos taken inside the Museum of Trade Ceramics. |
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| Locals playing board games on the street. |
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Above...Lance and I with out yoga teacher, Sumit
Below...the Luminary Life Yoga Studio |
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| Above and Below...Photos taken at the Full Moon Festival in Hoi An. |
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Easter Sunday at the beach...the most people we have ever seen there.
We think it must be locals enjoying their day off of work. |
We've had an enjoyable stay in Hoi An...but I would be less than honest if I did not say we have grown weary of hot weather. In just a few days we depart for 12 days in Bali. Then, we are headed back to Europe. First, a short visit to Rome...then Romania, the Chex Republic, Hungary and Italy. Cooler temperatures will be a welcome change.
Looks like you are still having fun. Dana and I love train travel too. We did a couple of train trips in South Africa, one which was the luxury Blue Train. Because we were residents, we had a good price.
ReplyDeleteWe spent 3 weeks in Bali for Christmas 2014 and loved it. We spent most of the time in Ubud living in a place next to rice paddies which we walked through to get the grocery store. One place we would like to visit again someday.