Hue

Today we spent the day in Hue. First stop, banh mi for breakfast.

We went to the citadel and imperial palace.

When we were walking in they were filming a tv reproduction of the imperial coronation.

I love this "imperial guard" having a smoke break. There were kids on a field trip. They were so cute. We gave them hi-5s and they all wanted to ask our name and introduce themselves.

There were 14 emperor's who lived here. The 12th, who was a tool of the French, built this addition.

Not too shabby. There is a Buddhist prayer area and a traditional Chinese garden.

After the imperial palace we went to a place where they highlight the local crafts and artisan. Jammie and Tammie made paper lotus flowers and Louie and I tried to make traditional hats.

After crafting we went to lunch and tried all the Hue specialties.

Next we visited some of the imperial tombs.

On our way back to Da Nang we drove the Hai Van Pass.

Another jam packed day! Tomorrow we are taking it easy, beach and markets.

Bach Ma National Park

Today was a day spent in nature at the Bach Ma National Park.

We met the legendary Vietnamese bird caller. More about him can be see here. The plan for the day was altered by the fact that the road through the park collapsed in a landslide during typhoon season this year and will take 3-4 years to fix.

So we had to hike around the landslide instead of driving to the top of the mountain. 

Once we got around the obstacle we did some birding, saw lots of butterflies, bugs and some lizards too.

 We saw a tarantula nest (thankfully no one was home).

Jammie found a giant worm.

In the middle of the day we took a dip in the river that the block up.

We were the only foreigners there. Really a cool place, in more ways than one.

After a swim we went hiking a bit more.

We saw some more wildlife.

After another long hot day we drove back to our hotel to relax and get refueled for tomorrow.

We head to the imperial city of Hue!

Ugh. Yesterday's post is up and today's isn't much... Awesome snorkeling and a beach stroll

Not a lot of pictures today; we went snorkeling around Cham Island which is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Snorkeling and phones don't mix that we'll, just ask Tammie.

It was a great day in the sun and sea.

 After snorkeling Jammie and I took a stroll down the Da Nang beach promenade.

We stopped at a little cafe with a Koi pond.

While walking back toward the beach we came across a guy cutting up durian. I asked if I could buy a little piece so we could try it and he gave me a small chunk to try for free! So I got to try the world's stinkiest fruit. It definitely smells horrible and it does taste a little bit better, but there is no reason to ever have it again.

Jammie tried it too. She didn't think it was as bad as I did, but agrees we never need to do that again.

Jammie tried out some of the beach side exercise equipment

We ended our walk with a quick banh mi and headed back to our hotel for the night.

Tomorrow we are going exploring in the Bach Ma National Park!

Goodnight from Da Nang! Hopefully this posts properly tonight!

Birding and Hoi An

We woke up early for a morning birding trip on the rivers near Hoi An with our guide Huy.

After birding we had a breakfast of Cao Lau at the home of the boat captain.

After we finished up we went to try our hand at making  traditional lanterns that are everywhere in Hoi An.

After finishing our lanterns we spent the day exploring the city.

Tomorrow we are going to Cham Island to snorkel. I'll post again soon.