Aah, the sweet smell of fish sauce in the morning! 
February 8, 2012
We woke up to our first sunny day, it was fantastic. Our morning ride took us along the beach roads to Thuan An Beach. We knew we arrived at the villages by the pungent smell of fish sauce.

The roads were much smoother and quieter than outside of Hue, we passed through small villages and towns. Constantly greeted by smiles and waves by the cutest children. Some were rascals, and reached out for high-fives and would hold on to your hand, not too good when you were riding at a good clip. We continued on for around 40km in total and then were met by our vans for a drive to Hoi An.

Our drive took us through the gorgeous Hai Van Pass, also referred to as the "Pass of the Ocean Clouds", part of the Annamite Range where it meets the South China Sea. A twisty 20km climb up and over, with gorgeous vistas and a bit of nail biting in the backseat due to the aggressive Vietnamese driving.

At the other side was Danang, a rather depressed coastal city that reminded me a bit of Atlantic City - huge mega resorts along the primary oceanfront and then seedy hotels and a promenade a few streets back. It also has a reputation for sleaze, left over from the war era as it was one of the first ports for the US marines. The northern tip of Danang is a hill called Monkey Mountain with an enormous Lady Buddha statue presiding over the city. The beachfront itself is beautiful, called China Beach and was the setting for the 1980s tv show. I've never seen it, but think I'll be netflixing it when I get home.

Around 30 minutes south of Danang is Hoi An, our home for the next two days. Another Unesco town, we were booked in a beautiful resort two blocks from the old city. What a beautiful little city on the Thu Bon riverfront. Narrow streets, lots of shops and cafes; it was very tourist-oriented, but lovely. We lucked out with our timing, it was a full moon our first evening and during the full moon, motorbikes are banned from the old town, and the streets are lit by colorful silk lanterns, it's full of market stalls, music and street games.

Hoi An is also a shoppers paradise. It's full of tailor, shoe and silver shops, supported by craftspeople who can make anything you want in about 24 hours. It's a copycat paradise. Show a picture from a magazine or on google (many shops have computers just for that purpose), and an identical piece of clothing/jewelry/shoes will be constructed to your exact measurements and specifications. I couldn't resist and bought green leather booties and a silver necklace with three charms, a lady Buddha, jade teardrop and a lotus. All ready the morning before departure.

The cycling around Hoi An was also wonderful. We crossed the river and zig-zagged through back roads and village, stopping at an organic farm which supplies most of the herbs and greens for many of the hotels and restaurants in town. An 84 year old farmer was gracious enough for some silly photo-ops. He was a tiny man with bright eyes and a sassy beard.

And the food! It keeps getting better. Or I am just enjoying it more now that I am feeling better. Pho, seafood, dumplings, spring rolls, rice crackers, green papaya salad, and fruits. Yum, yum, yum. Definitely initiative to keep on cycling.
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  •   Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
  •   Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
  • Hai Van Pass  Dmc-zs10
    Hai Van Pass
  • Hai Van Pass  Dmc-zs10
    Hai Van Pass
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