We left our fun times in Hanoi behind, and few south from Hanoi to DaNang. We immediately got in a car and drove the short distance to Hoi An.
We are in Hoi An for The Lantern Festival. This activity I knew about and was really excited. Hoi An is definitely a tourist destination and they are ready for it. The have a Lantern Festival, every night, i think. But the reason we are here this day, 23 Feb, is because the biggest celebration is held on the 14th day of each lunar month... and that is today! The Full Moon is one of the most sacred times in the Buddhist calendar. It is said that Buddha was born on a full moon and attained enlightenment on a full moon.
This was a sensory delight. Electricity is kept at a minimum so you can enjoy the full effect of the Lanterns, and they are EVERYWHERE ! The night comes alive !
And not just on land; but also on the River, where you can take a boat ride and participate in the experience. I did not take a boat ride, but did not suffer any experience because of it. It's so uplifting !
The Bridge
Of course, they had Lanterns for sale, and of course, we had to 'support' them. I have no idea where i will hang mine, but i had to have one :) Can you guess which one i chose ?
Of course, there are markets with everything you could possibly need ... no, wait ... 'want'. And our group wanted a lot of things. I resisted most of it, but have been looking for a blue ring ..... and after much looking, found one at a place like this.
Lots of local food offerings, and i have to admit, i'm not very adventurous when it comes to food. People say 'you should' ... but I did not try any of it :(
We were so busy the first night, i don't think we ate ... but we did find a fun bar that was serving 2 for 1 cocktails.
and the 'do something fun' photo
Lots of great food at different restaurants. I think this one was a favorite.
Many many photo opportunities ... that we were 'forced' to pose for :)
oh, another purchase... new earrings ... and see my new blue ring ?
Our pool
I took an afternoon off from shopping, and stayed by the pool (working on a blog).
I won't do that again ... i missed too much in just a few short hours. :(
We actually rode bikes through the streets one afternoon, which was difficult. There were lots of people, walking, and shopping, and scooters too. We stopped at this leather store. All these shoes, and more, could be made to order. You choose the colors, they size your foot, they make them, and you pick them up in 6hrs ! Several friends made purchases here. It was amazing and very cool. Nice leather too !
The town was beautiful even in the day time. Again, flowers everywhere.
And all those flowers attracted this beautiful butterfly.
The whole visit was perfect. Hoi An was a great 3 days of color, lights, lanterns, shopping, walking, eating, and drinking. No regrets !
26 February: We piled into a van, all 6 of us, plus luggage (not an easy accomplishment); and headed back north again, to Hua (pronounced Way). But this was NOT a non-stop trip. Our first stop was at Coconut Forest.
The shores were lined with immature Coconut Trees. I don't understand how they could survive, but they seemed to serve the same purpose as Mangroves ... protecting the shore, purifying the water, and providing a home for baby water critters.
We had the experience of a traditional Bamboo Round Boat Ride. SO FUN ! We wore Vietnamese pointy hats, and i couldn't keep mine on my head properly and could hardly see :)
And they liked to give us a show and thrill. He went around and around very fast ... pretty impressive.
It was a LOT of fun !
Then back in the car and we followed an amazing beautiful white sand beach coast to DaNang. I can't find any statistics on it... but we drove for miles and miles along side of it ! It was impressive!
Then we stopped at the Lady Buddha Statue. She stands 67meters (220 ft) tall, equal to a 30story building, the tallest Buddha statue in VietNam. She is the Goddess of Mercy, who can see, hear and sympathise. Also the Patron Saint of fishers, as she stands and protects, overlooking the oceans. She was built at the same time as the Linh Ung Pagoda, from 2004-2010. Notice the Laughing Buddha at her feet. Money used to build it was from donations of monks, followers, locals and firms.
She is not only a statue, it is a Temple as well,.... it has 17 floors, and 27 Buddhas. There is even a 6 foot Great Buddha statue placed in her 'head' ! This will give you an idea of how that could be possible.
The Linh Ung Pagoda is also in this area. They stand at 639meters (2,000+ feet) above the sea.
And that 'damn' Dragon was here too ... we didn't have to climb 500 steps to see it !
And again, the grounds had many many Bonsai trees, this one with a Temple incorporated into it.
From here you can see the tall buildings in DaNang in the distance.
We stopped along the way to eat at AN Lagoon Seafood Master. They had lots of fish, lobsters, shrimps, crabs ...alive ...in large tanks.
We eventually arrived at Bali Hotel in Hue, and rested up for the next few days of adventure.
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