Hoi An. How to describe this beautiful little city on a river? The ancient area is all a unesco world heritage site (yes, Vietnam has many!) Beautiful old buildings, small streets, boats and lanterns dotting the riverfront---it's beautiful. One of my favorite places so far--I ended up staying for 4 nights and had a lovely time. Hoi an is also known for its tailors, and everyone goes to have clothes made for them. I spent waaayyyy too much money and will soon be shipping a small package home--but I have new dresses and am quite happy! Katie and I spent a stupid amount of time shopping and designing/thinking about/talking about dresses. We also kept running into people we had previously met, which was really nice. Due to the shape/size of Vietnam, pretty much all travelers travel north to south, or vice versa. So once you meet someone going in the same direction as you, it's really likely that you will keep seeing them along the way.
Katie was making her way down south faster than me, so we said our goodbyes and I spent one last rainy day in hoi an uploading pictures, reading, catching up on emails, etc etc. Then it was another (my last in Vietnam!) overnight bus to nha trang. Nha Trang is known for the beach but the weather was not great, so my new friend Marga and I (we met at the bus station-- not creepy at all while traveling but sounds strange in the real world) wandered around a bunch. A day after we got there 2 of her friends arrived to meet us. We relaxed a lot, and one afternoon took a boat ride to monkey island. It's just what it sounds like--monkeys running around everywhere, and they are crazy! But cute.
My last day in Nha Trang the sun came out, so I had my first few hours of lying on a Vietnamese beach. Happy girl.
After Nha Trang came Dalat, in the mountains with a much cooler climate. It's referred to as the "little Paris" of Vietnam, and boasts wine, strawberries, flowers, and a beautiful countryside once you get a bit out of the city. I spent my first afternoon exploring the relatively unremarkable but very relaxed and chilled out city, and the next day I did a motorbike countryside tour. You'll notice (parents in particular, I'm sure) how often I mention motorbikes . It's really the only way to get around here, and I always opt to sit on the back instead of renting my own. And helmets are compulsory. Safety first. So anyway, I spent that day riding around the countryside, with many stops: coffee plantation, rice wine factory, silkworm factory, mushroom farm, flower farm, a huge waterfall, and a small village. The coffee was one of the highlights for me. A big thing here in Vietnam is weasel coffee, and I've been wanting to try it since I got here. And I finally did! Many coffee plantations here keep weasels, because apparently they pick out and eat only the best coffee beans. They then--stay with me here--poo them out, still whole but out of the outer shell--and then the beans are removed and used to make coffee. So the idea is that only the best beans are used. Gross but really cool. It's much more expensive but you really can taste the difference in quality. Whatever, don't judge.
My last day in Nha Trang the sun came out, so I had my first few hours of lying on a Vietnamese beach. Happy girl.
After Nha Trang came Dalat, in the mountains with a much cooler climate. It's referred to as the "little Paris" of Vietnam, and boasts wine, strawberries, flowers, and a beautiful countryside once you get a bit out of the city. I spent my first afternoon exploring the relatively unremarkable but very relaxed and chilled out city, and the next day I did a motorbike countryside tour. You'll notice (parents in particular, I'm sure) how often I mention motorbikes . It's really the only way to get around here, and I always opt to sit on the back instead of renting my own. And helmets are compulsory. Safety first. So anyway, I spent that day riding around the countryside, with many stops: coffee plantation, rice wine factory, silkworm factory, mushroom farm, flower farm, a huge waterfall, and a small village. The coffee was one of the highlights for me. A big thing here in Vietnam is weasel coffee, and I've been wanting to try it since I got here. And I finally did! Many coffee plantations here keep weasels, because apparently they pick out and eat only the best coffee beans. They then--stay with me here--poo them out, still whole but out of the outer shell--and then the beans are removed and used to make coffee. So the idea is that only the best beans are used. Gross but really cool. It's much more expensive but you really can taste the difference in quality. Whatever, don't judge.
After Dalat I took an incredibly stunning and wildly bumpy bus ride to Mui Ne, another beach town. Now that I was much farther south I finally got the real sunshine I had been waiting for. I had a lovely time relaxing and reading by the water, and swimming a bit (the current here was so strong that I didn't venture out too far). There are also sand dunes near Mui Ne (such a crazy mix of landscapes!) so I went to see and climb those as well. I made a sand angel while y'all on the east coast were making snow angels on Christmas Eve!
And that brings me to today. Whew, finally caught up! I'm back in Saigon, reunited with Danit and spending my last few days in Vietnam here. Ill be taking it easy, getting organized, doing laundry, etc etc. Then on Saturday we bus to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. I have loved my time here in Vietnam but after about 5 weeks I am ready for my next passport stamp.
I hope everyone who celebrates had a merry Christmas. I am sending so much love to you all! Also, email updates make me smile so please keep sending them! It makes me feel closer to home :)
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