Hoi An and one night in Da nang, Vietnam

I was dropped off in Hoi An at the end of my motorcycle tour a couple of hours before the others.

Our Airbnb is amazing with a large room, huge enclosed balcony and beautiful pool. The breakfast is also on point. Lots of options, all delicious and they offer you unlimited dishes.

Hoi An seems to be about the same size as Hue, but without the party vibe.  It is also the city of lanterns and they adorn everything.

Luke and co. arrived just in time for everyone to take a rest, a dip in the pool and hit up a nearby restaurant on the river for dinner. Vander actually fell asleep on Isa during the meal.... long day. That restaurant became our saving grace a number of times during our stay.  The staff was super lovely and helpful with the kids. Actually everyone is super lovely with the kids. They are always being take from us to hold and pass around, or for pictures and given treats. If you aren't comfortable letting your kids be manhandled by strangers then Asia may not be a great destination for you.

The next day Luke, Mack and I decided to sign up for a coffee experience. We headed to Phin cafe where the master barrista taught us about everything from the origins of coffee in Vietnam, the coffee process and even tip on brewing the perfect cup. Along the way we were able to sample lots of coffee. Cold brew cocktail, egg coffee, 4 different bean blends and more. We left enlightened and buzzed on caffeine.

Later we wandered through the market for lunch and settled on a burger joint. Lunch in Vietnam is a little scarce. Breakfast and lunch see tons of vendors and people, but at lunchtime everyone seems to be hidden away from the heat.

Banh Trang Nuong (Vietnamese pizza)

Girls at the burger joint

Isa and I decided to circle back later that day and go on a bit of a wardrobe refresher. It ended with us buying art prints and chasing some phantom pants Isa imagined haha. In the end it was a great day all around.

The next day Luke, Isa amd Mack decided to go diving in the Cham Islands. They did a two tank dive and hung out on the island most of the day. I held down the fort at the hotel. We watched lots of movies....

When they got back to the hotel, the kids took the boys into the pool while Luke and I rode bikes to try a pint at the local brewery. It was supposed to be a pint or two. That plan was derailed by the onslaught of 90s music videos streaming and burst of English tourist who come i  for a few pints. In the end Isa an Mack met up with us, the kids being asleep and in good hands with the manager on duty. We ordered some apps, then ordered more before settling up and calling it a night.

The next morning we were on the move. We decided to spend a night in Danang because that's where the airport is and our flight was an early one. One of the things I wanted to visit while here was the golden bridge. So, we decided to head out to Ba Na Hills on our way to Danang. What we didn't know was that the bridge is part of Sunworld, an expensive and very odd world. Sunworld is a theme park with no rides, or at least non that we found. It does have Vietnamese doughnuts, so Isa and Van were really happy.

After taking an impressive series of gondolas that take you into the hills, we reached the bridge, crammed to the rafters with tourist.

We delved further into the strange land, heading for the faux French village with multicultural cuisine. It was here that you find food stands and restaurants representing various countries mixed into the Parisian architecture and Dutch gardens....tres charming.

We wandered around, ate some Ostridge meat on a stick and decided we had had a sufficient dose of Sunworld. We made our way back down on the gondola into the unknown mist of the hills.

Our driver had a bit of trouble finding the apartment, but after finally listening and placing a quick call to our hostess, he figured it out.  We have a great view amd finally a bit of a living area. The beach is across the street from us, but it seems like a chore to unpack things. Instead we napped, woke up, dummied some korean fried chicken for dinner, put the kids to bed and watched Inception.

Our massacred fried chicken

Early morning flight tomorrow to Ho Chi Minh defore heading to Con Doa.  Looking forward to some island time, but I think the boys are really missing the pool...