Hoi An; Phong Nha

Hello my dears!  The last week has been filled with amazing sights, from old temples to stalactite-filled caves. Vietnam is definitely not a boring country for tourists!

I spent 3 nights in Hoi An which is a small yet lovely UNESCO -approved town close to Da Nang and four hours south of Hue (by car). Hoi An town - which has a number of Chinese temples and an old covered Japanese bridge-  is a wonderful place to cycle , and Is surrounded by rice paddies (with grazing water buffaloes) and beaches. I didnt really 'do' much, no excursions or cultural tours, but went to the beach several times, visited Hoi An by night (at its most magical time when the streets are lit by lanterns) and got fitted for a dress. Paddys Place, my hostel (recommended by cousin Jenn) was really nice and had a pool and an adorably self-possessed dog named Polly.  One can do a couple of day trips around the area such as the My son ruins and the Cham islands.

After a first bus to Hue and second bus to Phong Nha, I arrived at Phong Nha -Ke Bang national park which is famous for its spectacular caves. The area is  home to the biggest caves in the world although access to the biggest cave is strictly controlled and highly priced accordingly. There are nevertheless a few caves that are easily accessible and really worth  the detour. Phong Na town is tiny but surrounded by surreal  little mountains popping up all over the countryside like dandylions in the springtime. I visited three caves over two days (Paradise Cave was the biggest and most interesting one although the Dark and Phong Nha caves were also worth visiting.)  The Paradise and Phong Nha caves are filled with rock formations that look like tiny mushrooms, or like squid tentacles, or like the Moon... and definitely like nowhere where sunlight can reach.  The Dark Caves visit involved ziplining and mud bathing, I got a bit more mud than expected since I executed a near perfect pirouette in the muddy water while showing off how buoyant you can get in 4 feet of mud and water. Not recommended unless you are curious about what mud tastes like. The two Canadian psychologists grads i was travelling with for the day, Anisha and Randall, also got scraped and bruised from 'mud sliding' so the day ended on a rather discordant note although we still enjoyed it. The oldest hostel in town, Easy Tiger, had an open Mic night so it was nice to end a busy day by unwinding to the tune of Backstage Boy and Vance Joy hits.

With  10 days left in Asia.. I hope to fit in more kayaking, sun bathing and lots more eating in northern Vietnam plus two days in Hong Kong.

See you soon!! I am starting to look forward to being home and seeing my people. Six months travelling is wonderful but it's also great to be surrounded by friends and family.

Love  Mia