Hoi An and Cao Lau are two little gems of Vietnam!

It's been a lonnnnng day, but we are safe, happy (and a little waterlogged) in the really quaint town of Hoi An.

Back in Na Trang, our last spot, we spent our first day, which was a little overcast, exploring the coast by bicycle and going for some good walks to explore the area. It was a little chilly for swimming in the ocean waves, but the coastline was really pretty to walk along, and the beach itself was very inviting. Lots of locals playing volleyball, playing in the surf, and just enjoying the fresh air. It is typically a touristy spot, but we didn't feel too overwhelmed by other tourists for the most part.

There are lots of little islands off the coast in Na Trang to look at as well, and their hilly, lush green forests a make the horizon really picturesque and kind of like a scene from a movie in the tropics. The town is pretty built up (there were even major hotels like Sheraton and Novotel), and there was definitely more happening and going on than in the tiny towns of Mui Ne or Dalat where we had just come from. It was definitely a change of pace, but really each place we've been in Vietnam has been very unique so far.

Day#2, Sunday, in Na Trang was even better than the first, as we signed up for a $7 boat ride to the islands and a "snorkel trip," which turned out to be completely ridiculous, but totally fun. There was very little actual snorkeling and the available masks were so scratched that we couldn't have seen much even if it had been a great coral reef scene, BUT the whole day was so absurd (and wonderful!) that I doubt I can do justice the acivities...but I'll try.

The tour company took about 60 people or so out on a medium sized ferry-style boat out to the 4 islands. The boat had about 10 foreigners (Australians, one Italian, one British man, and a handful of other Americans) and lots of Vietnamese people, and it departed the dock around 8am. We were quickly greeted by our leader, who was very engaging and told us how much of a "party" we were about to have...it was a LITTLE early for his enthusiasm, but we were excited...as long as we got lots of swimming time and not too much sitting on the boat time! Anyway, we did get to enjoy some gorgetous weather and calm water as we puttered across (the boat was NO Speedy Gonzolez)to each island. The snorkeling, as I said, did not turn out to be great (plus there were tons of baby jellies stinging us like crazy!), but there was a total Vietnamese feast for lunch (the benches we sat on turned into a table on the boat), a band that played music for us (the benches/table then turned into a stage), great swimming and really awesome people on the trip to get to know. It was a beautiful day overall. After returning, I went to church in Vietnamese (which I understood VERY little of, but was a great way to top off the day), and then we got ready/geared up for the dreaded night bus ride to the next town, Hoi An. Hoi An would be our "halfway" checkpoint since it is almost halfway up the country between Saigon and Hanoi.

The bus ride overnight was QUITE the experience. Each person got their own TINY little reclining seat with a hole to put your feet in under the person in front of you's head. If you were any wider than a pretty tiny individual, you definitely would not have been able to fit into this lovely set-up--the seats were so skinny! The drivers here also feel the need to blast the horn pretty incessantly for every little thing that comes within 100 feet of their vehicles...not really like a lull-a-bye to put you to sleep...

So, the bus left Na Trang at around 7:30pm, we stopped once at a restaurant around midnight, and then it drove nonstop until Hoi An, where we arrived around 7:30 am today. There was not a lot of sleeping going on, but it was really nice to get all the road time out of the way without wasting a day. We've been a little groggy though today...but we made it!

So, we are now in Hoi An, and, although it's been a very rainy day, I really, really like it here. It might be my favorite town that we've see in Vietnam so far. It is so quaint and charming! It is atually another (like Melacca in Malaysia) UNESCO World Heritage Site, and you really feel like you are walking around in a little European town as you navigate tiny streets, art galleries, cafes, and clothing/leather/souvenir shops. There is a ton of water because of all the rains, like I said, so the river that the town is on is really, really full, but there are still people riding around on bikes and motorcycles, even through the flooded streets. Life is busy and carrying on as usual.

This is also THE place for tailoring and shoemaking, and you can basically pick out any design of clothing or shoes that you'd like, and someone can custom-make your creation for you in about a day. I "created" some red leather sandals today that I'm pretty excited for pick-up tomorrow afternoon!

Besides just wandering and getting the feeling of this place, Arati and I also paused to have lunch and read at a little cafe that served the local specialty, Cao Lau, which was SO yummy. It's basically a bowl of special, thick, fat noodles with croutons (but more like rice puffs than American croutons) a few veggies, tofu (or pork if you want), and a really tasty sauce. Not too complicated, but the combination is really delicious. The other local specialty here is called White Rose, and it is basically a steamed dumpling with shrimp inside - I'm pretty excited to try that out soon. In general, the food here seems much better, healthier, and more enticing overall than the other places we've been in Vietnam, and we're pretty happy with that development (In trying to keep my stomach "happy", I've had so many bananas, peanut butter, egg dishes and white rice since we've arrived...so ready for some variety, fingers crossed!).

After a few days here (hopefully the rain will clear up for us tomorrow!), we are going to go to the next coastal town of Hue and then we'll make another long haul bus trip up to Hanoi. I am really liking Hoi An though, and I'm excited to spend a few days decompressing here and soaking up some really great architecture, food, sights, and culture.

Oh, and Happy Belated Halloween from Vietnam!! (We actually DID find a little Halloween party at our hostel in Na Trang...there was no trick-or-treating (so I had to pay for a little chocolate treat on principle), but the staff and guests of our place were ALL decked out in costumes and free face painting made the scene much more festive. I hope you all got some good costumes and had some serious chocolate on my behalf! Until next time - rabbit rabbit!