Duc Pho, Hoi An, Hue

Hello,
by now we have already left the southern part of Vietnam behind us and have arrived in the northern part. However, we would like to briefly tell you about the past few days. We left Quy Nhon in drizzling rain, crossing a huge bridge. The weather didn't improve much that day. It was mostly cloudy and rainy. Our route along the coast often passed by gigantic construction sites, giving us a glimpse of how large the resorts will eventually be. The roads are often 8 lanes wide (for future tourism), but mostly empty. The strong wind and sand from the coast often cover the roads. These areas are best traversed on a motorcycle at a very slow speed, otherwise it can be quite dangerous, as we ourselves experienced fortunately without any accidents. We reached our destination Duc Pho before sunset, a city where we had only one hotel option and it wasn't that great. So, the next morning we hit the road again. We had set a goal for this day, the 160 km distant Hoi An. The weather that day wasn't much better than before, but fortunately there was no rain. At lunchtime, the chain of our motorcycle broke, but luckily it happened in a small village. We quickly found the chain on the road and started looking for a mechanic. Within minutes, we found one who replaced a new chain link. Our Camilla was quickly back on the road, and after 20,000 Dong (80 cents) including a spare chain link just in case, we continued our journey. Our route took us through kilometers of rice fields, muddy and gravel roads, and streets lined with garbage. However, in the late afternoon, we finally made it, and after a hot shower, we were ready to explore. We had some western food with currywurst, french fries, and burgers. Our digestive walk took us to the old town of Hoi An, where we witnessed a sea of lights, which the city is known for. Hundreds of candles floated on the river, along with many small boats. After crossing the river, we were greeted by a colorful night market with delicious ice cream. The next day, we planned to further explore the city and visit the famous Hindu site of My Son. When we arrived there, we took an electric bus for the last 2 kilometers through the mountains. We encountered a multitude of destroyed and partly restored temples scattered throughout the vast area. The Vietnamese and Indian governments have made this complex accessible again. Some of the ruins have been restored through the initiative of Mercedes Benz. In the afternoon, we visited the old town and a market in daylight. The diverse buildings and unique architecture were very impressive. We enjoyed the sunset behind the palm trees with a delicious dinner in a restaurant right by the river. The next morning, we were greeted with blue sky and sunshine (which makes it so much more enjoyable;)). So, we hit the road, passing by dreamy beaches and the famous Hai Van Pass (from Top Gear), which in our opinion is not as spectacular as claimed everywhere (at least we have already seen better passes and coastal roads here;)). On this day, we chose a longer but more remote route through many villages and along the coast. We encountered all kinds of traffic participants, from cyclists to ox carts to luxury tour buses. Along one stretch of the coast, several kilometers were lined with tombs, directly beside the road and some very grand. After a long day on the road, we safely and a little tired arrived in the former capital of Vietnam, Hue. The evening traffic was quite nerve-wracking, but eventually we made it through and settled into our room in the city center. In the evening, we took a walk to the city and along the Perfume River promenade. We could watch the brightly lit bridge and chat with a few students who wanted to improve their English for their medical studies. In the city center, all restaurants were showing a national football game against Cambodia, and after a 5-0 victory, there was great jubilation everywhere. On the street, we listened to a band playing live music while enjoying a cocktail and a warm tea. Today, we visited the Citadel of Hue and then went to a workshop to do an oil change and get Camilla's shock absorber in good condition. During the repair, we decided to go to the market and observe the colorful hustle and bustle there. At noon, we headed to an abandoned water park and another temple complex. Tomorrow, we will hit the road again, let's see where it will take us.

Until then,
Malia