The Joys of Retirement Production Company

There are day markets and nights markets!   We walked thru the large local market on our tour today and the night market after dinner

We had dinner by the river at a nice restaurant!  I’m sticking still to mild food,  great chicken soup,  but I had a couple of the fried spring rolls and a couple pieces of Emmett’s Red Snapper

Look how they fileted the fish,  then deep fried both the pieces es and the whole carcus

We walked along the river and watched the boats with lanterns,  the small floating lanterns, and all the lights on the bridges and the riverside restaurants

There is night markets set up all along the waterfront and along a couple streets

All kind of things for sale!  Revenge the regular shops are open and lite!  Some vendors take advantage of the closed temples to use their space.  Lanterns light everywhere!

Day and night,  HoiAn is pleasant!  

We have 3 nights in this lovely small town (only 120,000) small by Asian standards,  I guess.   It is a tourist spot for those coming to DaNang, central Vietnam. 

Our hotel is on the very edge of the old city,  where we can all to see all the sights and easy! 

Our guide joined us at the hotel at 8:30 for a half day walking tour around the old town, settled by Chinese in 17th century.  The individual Chinese communities had gathering halls,  just like in San Francisco.   We visited a couple of them. including the Cantonese one.   Each have temples for Various religious beliefs, Confucism, Buddhist,  Daoist (worships the ancestors), and Goddess of the Sea.  She brought them safely to HoiAn.   I will label them as I post picts.

The Emblem of the city. the Japanese bridge was built on 1604 when Japanese settle a section of the old town,  across from the Chinese community.   They stayed only 30 years and we called back to Japan by the isolationist lords, and the Chinese filled in the homes on both sides of the small river.

Chinese Community Centers and Temples

One of the trials of travel!  for 4 days,  I was really suffering the travel malady, Bali Belly,  probably from salad washed in bad water.   I’m finally feeling better,  but dehydrated, even tho I thought I was drinking enough bottled water!  THAT dehydration apparently caused an episode of afib, my first since November!  I brought a pill for that (PIP…Pill in pocket… metoprolol) plus we came prepared with powdered hydration packets ( lesson learned from the episode in Israel a couple years ago!) .  after slowly REhydrating, I’m back to normal sinus rhythm!  NSR!  SO, I’m still learning about being a heart patient and traveling and how to dodge the potholes!  I am so so thankful for all those praying for us as we travel,  our Chorale,  our Presby-Baptist friends,  Family and you followers!  Thank you so much! 

We are in HoiAn today.   I will try to post some pics from our walking tour today!  we did take a hour for a pedicure and foot and leg massage. and Emmett had a full body massage!  One great benefit of travel on Asia!  lots of massage opportunities.   cheap!  all that was about $33, and worth every penny.

Thanks again for praying for us!  We really do feel God is watching over us! 

We had a local cuisine dinner included in our tour as well as lunch today!  On our way there, we walked through some odd the old town streets that are crowded with locals after 7 or so… supposed to me blockaded so no cars but motor scooters were still there.  

In places the restaurants put tables out into the center of the street and gather them up quickly when police came

when the cops come the tables are moved so fast! 

Street vendors sell everything, carried on many vehicles!  Bikes, carts,  even wheel chairs and baby carriage

We happened upon a show of dancers

Finally,  our dinner!  Again delicious,  but I stuck to the omelet, one shrimp,  and a tiny bit of vegetable … fingers crossed.

Just a taste of what it is like,  the streets. buildings,  shops and food places in the old city,  near our hotel.

Streets and Buildings

Street food

of course there are knock offs of everything,  even water

We had a personal guide for the tour today of Hanoi city.   We visited first the oldest pagoda and Buddhist temple in Hanoi,  which was once in the middle of the Lake where John McCain parachute into during the Vietnam was.   They have memorials it with a replica is his torture

The oldest pagoda and Buddhist temple

We then visited,  what was the oldest university,  from 11th century, the Hall of Literature.   It is still where students go to celebrate graduation and for infatuation to study well.   it has a Confucius temple there as well.   Here you can see many student groups visiting

Confucius Temple

Rubbing your hand, or your child’s hand, on the phoenix standing on a turtle for longevity and learning.

We also visited the teachers House and saw how the students took exams! 

Our third stop on the tour is called Train street.   There are coffee shops all along this little stretch of track and several times a day trains pass within inches!  You have to order coffee or tea to get a seat.  Here we are getting ready!

We made it in time for a specious train that runs only 4x week and also for a daily one!  between,  you can walk on the tracks

The tour included a very nice, typical Vietnamese lunch, at a very nice restaurant.   Emmett tried everything,  while I opted for a snow mushroom soup with quail eggs

By the way,  this is traffic and how to cross

We had a restful couple of days on Bali after our tour day.   However, with my sensitive stomach,  I have been suffering with Bali Belly… If you get my drift.  We ate at a restaurant apparently for tourists,  overlooking the volcano and Lake in Bali and I made the mistake of eating a tiny bit of salad!  Big mistake.   Nothing stayed down on the 11th, and since, nothing stays in!  We had to travel yesterday,  March 13, 5 hour flight, from Bali to Hanoi,  and with my malady,  it was tough!  Again today, I’m not well,  yet…  I took 2x dose of the medication,  and praying!  We did have a good tour this morning and I made it thru!  Soldiering on!

Como Uma Canggu!  lovely!

Our suite,  purchased with points Cronin our Chase credit card,  upgraded,  ocean view,  with free WiFi, bottles water,  fruit basket,  Breakfast for 2 for 3 days,  plus $100 USD credit for extras,  like meals unknown the Beach Club restaurant.   Last might we had Grouper and a salad….

It was delicious!  Total $32.45. 

Here was our delicious avocado toast on sourdough this morning with Bali coffee!

what a setting!  Right in the ocean!

I could get used to this! 

We have been traveling 7 weeks and it was time for a bit of pampering! 

I gained only 3 lbs over the last 6 weeks,  lounging in Hawaii and cruising!  Not bad,  considering the 4 flavors of gelato and 4 of sorbet available at lunch and dinner on the ship!  I will take it!  We will have more walking now that we are on land anyway!  Got 5000 steps in just after breakfast today.

This morning,  we walked to a nearby spa, got 5000 steps in before 10  and for the grand sun of $31.27 USD I got a hair cut, shampoo,  head massage and blow dry,  and Emmett got ear wax removal,  head massage,  and leg massage!   TOTAL $31.27! 

On top of that,  one of the ladies at the Spa was amazed at my age!  She said Ladies in Indonesia,  at 77, they stay home,  don’t travel!  Nice compliment!  I’m enjoying this spa day in Bali!

Our next visit was to the Monkey Forest where e could watch 1 is the 2 species of monkeys on Bali,  the long tails Macaques

There are a couple ancient temples inside the park

And the Monkeys were everywhere!

We had lunch on a restaurant overlooking Lake Batur and the volcano,  Mt Batur and afterwards visited a coffee plantation to try some unique coffees and teas

All of them were interesting,  especially the unique tea flavors

After this coffee break, we visited a waterfall on our way to our hotel

Traffic was horrible, so it took quite a while!  Imagine rush hour with 1000s of scooters, at one point 10 scooters side by side at an intersection.   They don’t care about lines on the road and drive all over the place, cutting between cars, sometimes up to 4 people on a scooter.   At one point our driver took side roads and it was quite but they were almost 1 lane.   We passed fruit stands,  chickens in cages,  and many strange loads on scooters! 

It was an adventure and I was grateful for a competent young driver.   Everyone seems to be mellow about the chaos, however!  There was no horn beeping,  no comment to other drivers,  even when they cut each other off!  it was fun to watch,  but I wouldn’t want to drive!

Finally!  Our hotel.   We arrived just before sunset so there will be more pictures tomorrow in daylight.   Our room is lovely with a great view.   We are here 3 nights,  but I could get used to this! 

Our view is spectacular

Sunset on Bali

and just a few minutes later