It's been hard to keep up with the blog and the photos, so I will try to fill in the gaps, but here is today. Sleep was fitful as I had a really bad sore throat that came on suddenly last night. It was a little better this morning and as the day passed seemed to go away. I hope it is not the antecedent of something more serious. I enjoyed my corn flakes and yogurt breakfast with some fresh mango and coffee. After checking out, I met Thao and he was able to secu...

(late entry) Breakfast at the Cau Dai Hotel was lovely on the covered patio adjacent to the pool surrounded by a small but beautifully landscaped area. It was only a short walk from my room and I was able to dodge the drops from the light rain that was falling. There was a wonderful selection of food including granola, eggs, and fruit, good coffee and juice. Once I finished my repast, I had to gather my belongings because I had to check out and move about ½ blo...

(Delayed entry) After the Ideal Hotel's Vietnamese/Western breakfast buffet, I found my driver waiting to take me to Hoi An. I knew there would be some challenges to the trip as his English was almost non-existent. We headed south out of Hue on the road that would either lead to the long tunnel under or the mountain road over the Hai Van Pass, at 500 m above sea level, the highest pass in Vietnam. The first stop was to view Lang Co beach followed by a stop at o...

The day started with the Ideal Hotel breakfast buffet. No eggs for me today, but Vietnamese bread, fruit, and some tasty Vietnamese morsels such as banh xeo (A type of crepe made out of rice flour with turmeric, shrimps with shells on, slivers of fatty pork, sliced onions, and sometimes button mushrooms), spring rolls, and tofu, and coffee, tepid at best. Mr. Tranh and a new driver for today showed up again at 8:30 this AM to start the day's adventure. There was...

Today was the first day of my four day package tour with Intrepid for Hue and Hoi An. This was a join the group tour, so new single person surcharge. I had very pleasant company for today's portion only, a young woman named Madeleine who is an American of Filipino descent and is attending medical school in the Philippines. The guide has a good sense of humor and much knowledge to share and it was fun to share the experience with something of a kindred spirit. The...