All good things come to an end!

Sunday afternoon and we are mostly packed up, we are due to leave the house at 4.45pm for the airport where we will begin the long journey home.

Yesterday Michael and I went to the Vietnamese Womens Museum. I went last year when Michael and Andrew were on their jungle trip. I think it is the most interesting museum in Hanoi, covering marriage, birth, the street sellers, the role of women in the wars, and traditional clothing and fashion. It also has one of the best museum shops anywhere, with very reasonable prices.

Afterwards we walked to our favourite cafe/restaurant, Avalon, with a great view over Hoan Kien lake. After a pleasant lunch of Caesar salad, we walked north through the Old Quarter to Hang Ma street where the shops sell lanterns, kites etc.  Preparations for the Tet festival are now under way with all the shops displaying red and gold lanterns etc.

We came back home in a taxi for a quiet evening with the family. Amanda is suffering the side effects of a cold, Michael is now feeling much better, thank goodness!

This morning we spent much of the time collecting our belongings together and packing up. Miraculously it all seems to have gone in quite well, just Christmas gifts from Andrew and Amanda for UK family and friends to go in and we will be ready. We have been out for lunch and Orlo's friend Max is coming to play this afternoon. Amanda has a hacking cough and Andrew a sore throat......time for us to go!!!!

Farewell from Hanoi.......

Hoi An days come to an end

Today  is Friday and we leave late this afternoon.

Yesterday we went into the old town to see the folk dance show and do a little more shopping 😉. 

After a sandwich lunch and a swim in the pool with Orlo and Amanda we all went by taxi to Danang, where Amanda had a arranged a very special expedition. We went into the Son Tra peninsula to look for (and see!) the Red Shank Duoc Langers. These monkeys were thought to be extinct here until a few years ago when the young man who was our guide found them and did a lot of research. There are now thought to be 300 living in family groups. They are vegetarian, eating leaves, flowers and young fruit. They are very colourful. We saw three groups in total, two of them quite distant but the last group was easy to see with the naked eye.

I confess that the guide took these photos for me you can see the long white tails.

Yesterday morning Andrew got up early and went for a long bike ride 120km return trip with 1000m ascent, up and down and back up and down, Hi Van Pass, he was back in time to enjoy the afternoon expedition.

The light was beginning to go and the sky was threatening, but the rain kept off thank goodness

After another dinner at Mi Casa we returned to our rooms for a quiet evening.

This morning I took Orlo to the beach to build sand castles agin while A&A cycled to Ang Bang beach to check out some local home stays for future trips. This hotel is lovely and a real treat, but they may be able to come more often if they find a good cheaper alternative.

When they got back  Amanda joined us on the beach wheel Andrew was packing up the bikes. Orlo is quite confident swimming in the sea and surfing the waves, not bad for a six year old.

I wasn't sure about including this photo, but it's the only one with the complete sand castle.

We have just been for lunch at Ang Bang beach, Andy and Orlo walked the hour back while the rest of us took a taxi. M is not on best form, the cold he had is on his chest and not shifting, so I have started him on antibiotics.  He should be OK in a couple of days...

We are packed up and about to get the taxis back to the airport. Two more days in Hanoi then we will be in our way home.......

Hoi An days continued

Today we entertained Orlo this morning, this means that I spent the time building sand castles and jumping waves while Grandad sat in the shade reading the Times on his iPad then his book on his Kindle. 😉 Who would have thought that he would become so techno reliant!

Andrew and and Amanda went for a bike ride, almost 60km I seem to think. They don't get much opportunity to get out cycling together.

Once they returned we continued to play on the beach and in the sea, I think I burned all my breakfast calories!!

We are considering reporting A for child cruelty though 😉😉

This kept Orlo quiet for a little while!!! 

We had lunch across the road at Mi Casa again then we all retired to our rooms to an afternoon rest, which is when I wrote the last blog.

Michael and I caught the hotel shuttle bus into town at 4.0pm, wandering through the streets once again and collecting his newly made garment.

Andrew, Amanda and Orlo met us in time for dinner. A&A remembered a restaurant they had really enjoyed on previous visits, but not the exact location, so more walking, but eventually we found it!!

We had a really good meal, it was a bit more upmarket than previous restaurants, I think it was called Faifo Xue ( or Xua). Here are a couple of dishes

A lovely salad and deep fried wontons.

Top: beef shank and vegetable kebabs. Bottom: chicken breast stuffed with mushroom with fried vegetable rice and a salad served in a rice crisp

Who would have thought that M would become quite adept with chopsticks !!

Andrew insisted on taking these photos!!

So now it is bedtime once again, we leave here on Friday afternoon. Tomorrow Amanda has planned an expedition to see the Red Shanked Duoc Langers.... a very colourful monkey which is found close to Danang. We hope to see them late afternoon......

Hoi An days...

Today is Wednesday, I think!!

Yesterday I had fantastic day at the Red Bridge Cooking School, recommended by my friend Ann Connell. As she did I booked for the full day 8 am to 3pm. I had an early breakfast and left the hotel about 7.30, I was in town by 7.45 to stroll up the river to the meeting point at Hai Cafe

After the welcome drink we were met by Tan, the head chef at Red Bridge. First he took us to an organic herb farm at a village just outside the town. 250 families live there with 3-4 generations working. The old people in Vietnam do not get a pension and are supported by the family. We met a very 94yr old man!

The farm was very well ordered and we identified and smelled all sorts of herbs used in Vietnamese cooking, and which we would be using later.

94 yrs old!!

Then we went to the market to buy a few supplies...

We also visited a professional chef equipment stall and most of us bought a few items which the chef recommended

Then we were off  in the minibus a short distance to the Red Bridge Cookery School, which also has a restaurant. It is located in a small village down river from Hoi An. 

The kitchen was 'outdoors' well shaded, and everything was set out for us.  We made four dishes consuming them in stages which was good. All the time we were amply supplied with drinks from water, fruit juices, beer and wine.

Making rice noodles

Shrimp in banana leave prep

My parcel!

Cooking fish in a clay pot

Eating!!!

Then we were treated to some dragon dancing which had been arranged for the group having lunch in the restaurant, as great extra! It was performed by boys age 12-13.

At the end of the session a boat came to pick us up, so we got river trip back to Hoi An and were lucky to see a fisherman on the way.

We eventually got back to town circa 3.40, I had a walk around and then met Michael and Amanda. M went for a fitting for his present, and then we found a riverside cafe/bar and sat down with a drink for almost an hour, while Amanda went shopping.   Andrew and Orlo arrived circa 6.0pm and we had dinner at the Morning Glory restaurant, which was very busy. The food was good apparently, needless to say I wasn't hungry and just had a taste.

We then saw Hoi An at night for the first time, a great atmosphere with lanterns everywhere.

 We got back to the room about 8.pm for a very welcome feet up!!!

Hoi An

After a few days back in Hanoi, completing my education by going to a Star Wars film ( The Force Awakens) 

we flew south for one hour to Danang and then took a taxi half and hour or so south down the coast to Hoi An. We are at staying at the Palm Garden Beach Resort, a real treat for us!  It fronts a very nice beach and has lovely gardens and a good pool. We can hear the sea, and just see it from our balcony.

M was unsure about all the petals in the bath!!! The screen between the bedroom and bathroom does close 👍 😉

Yesterday was grey, a bit damp and drizzly, but it didn't stop us from going on the beach, after all once you are wet it doesn't matter! It faired up later on.

Today Michael and I explored the old town of Hoi An, which at one time was a major port. The Chinese and Japanese traded here and there is still a lot of Chinese and Japanese heritage in the town. It is a World Heritage site. Today we wandered the streets and the market and visited the Japanese Bridge, and the Cantonese communal hall which was amazing.

The town is famous for its tailors and shoe makers and we visited one to order M's Christmas present. The shop owners and vendors hassle here more than most places I have visited in Vietnam with the exception of Sapa.

I think I will have another look tomorrow afternoon after the cooking course I have booked.

Andrew, Amanda and Orlo came into town to join us for lunch, afterwards we came back here and we kept Orlo company while they went for a bike ride (they brought two bikes down here !).

The sea is warm!

The restaurants in the hotel are expensive and not that good, apparently ( this is the fourth time Andrew etc have stayed here) so we have been going to a restaurant across the road. Confusingly it is called Mi Casa, but it is Vietnamese. A family run business and the food is excellent!

It was hot today, the forecast was 26C, but it felt hotter and it wasn't very humid. I bought a sun hat which I plan to leave in Hanoi provided it isn't too trashed by the sand and sea!!!

Looking forward to the cooking course tomorrow.