Hoi An, Vietnam: Duck eggs as delicacy

Duck eggs.

They eat the actual baby duck, wings and all, as a delicacy.
I couldn't eat it. I reached the limits of my adventurousness.

Our guide gave the kids the thrill of their lives.

Hoi An, Vietnam: Fish Market SLIP!

January 6, 2011

I told you I love to run early in the mornings when we travel. I see the cities when they are not bustling, but, rather, are quiet and filled with locals exercising or setting up the market. Hoi An may have been my favorite early morning runs. I left at 5:30am one morning, still dark, and ran through the market. The market was BUSY that early, with women selling vegetables via flashlight. I ran along the river and found the fishmongers with an incredible array of fish, including a shark! I knew Boom was fascinated with sharks (not a coincidence that he's also so curious about death), so I made a note to take him later to see the shark for sale.

When we got to the market, Boom insisted we head straight to the shark seller. We saw the shark, then she cut off his head right in front of us. Then she started cutting him up into pieces. I've never seen Boom so fascinated. Enthralled. He saw the inside of the shark, including the organs. He saw the shark's belly filled with big, but smaller, fish. We wondered if they were shark babies.

Then we walked along more fish mongers. Right after our guide warned us that it was slippery (with fish sludge!), Boom and Alice slipped. And, I mean a dramatic, long slip with all the fishmongers watching. There was a collective Vietnamese gasp! Everyone was appalled and rushed forth. They were especially concerned since Alice and Boom were clearly wearing brand spanking new silk Chinese pajamas that were now covered in fish slime. They actually reeked of fish.

The fishmongers briskly went into action. Alice and Boom had no choice but to submit. The mongers got their waterpails and started cleaning Alice and Boom with their washcloths, constantly chatting to each other, cooing, and giggling in Vietnamese.

Alice could handle the mass attention, with her typical composure and aplomb. But, Boom could barely suppress a sob. He was so overwhelmed by the slip, the embarrassment, and the fawning crowds cleaning him. He looked at me, with an appeal in his eyes, then grabbed Alice's hand for emotional support.

In the end, I suspect that we were the story the fishmongers told to their children over their evening fish dinner -- titled, "The tale of the foolish shark-loving American boy's slip," as a lesson to their fish market-bound children.

Click HERE for a video of the fishmonger women fussing over, washing and cleaning Alice and Boom, as if they were cleaning a piece of their best fish.

Hoi An, Vietnam: Shopper's Paradise

Chinese silk pajama wear - day or night!

Alice got to choose silk pajamas from Nanny and Papa for her birthday.
She insisted on giving some to Griffin and Boom too.

Ken's snake oil advertised as a natural viagra for men,
with a little scorpion thrown in for good measure.

Hoi An, Vietnam: Just Plain Picturesque

Hoi An is famous for its silk lanterns. We saw how they were made.

Famous bridge built by the Chinese.

Famous bridge is shown in photo of 10 feet worth of flooding every year. Tourists are no longer allowed to visit town via canoe during floods - safety reasons, people!

Such a charming town - UNESCO-protected, no cars allowed in old quarter.

Yin/Yang over every threshold.

Ancient old house, built with teak wood that refuses to rot from annual flooding. It is flooded 10 feet every year, with a pulley system to pull all furniture up through an attic hole to the second floor. Puts the mill system to shame!

Hoi An, Vietnam: Riverside Resort

View from our balcony.

The put-putting ferry boats.

January 5, 2011

Our Hoi An hotel may have been my favorite of the whole 3 week trip, with our little house with a balcony overlooking the river. It was peaceful and the kids could run the grounds. And, like everything in Vietnam, that slow river was positively buzzing with industrious traffic. Fishermen, yes. But, the loudest and perhaps my favorite -- The LOUD river ferry starting put-putting at 5am sharp, ferrying the hard working early wet market workers, their motorbikes, and their fish over to Hoi An central. Click HERE to see the river life and noise from our balcony.

We ate every breakfast overlooking the river, with Ken and I getting an unexpected blessing from this resort, the real reason we loved it -- The kids would leave us to enjoy our Vietnamese coffees when they'd run off to play pool every morning.

Road to Hoi An, Vietnam: China Beach and Marble Mountain in South Vietnam

Marble Mountains.

China Beach -- where U.S. soldiers had rest and relaxation.
This was the view from Marble Mountains that the Viet Cong had,
this close to the U.S. soldiers.

Cave Viet Cong used to hide out in during the day.

January 5, 2011

Going from North to South Vietnam was like walking across a cultural and political border. Our guide was from Southern Vietnam and he sure was much more happy and "himself" once we got to South Vietnam. He showed us hideouts in the Marble Mountains where the Viet Cong hid in caves, daringly close to the U.S. soldiers, almost mockingly close. As the Viet Cong had an entire city of soldiers hidden in the mountain cave system, including an army hospital, the U.S. soldiers had a "rest and relaxation" China Beach within easy view of the Viet Cong. U.S. soldiers were completely clueless. Have I already said, we never had a chance with the Vietnam War?

As you can see, caves that once were used for warfare are now used for Buddhist temples. War traded for Peace, or at least for tourist appeal.

Cham Museum, Central Vietnam: Cham Hindu ethnic group with Temples in Vietnam