RHK's 2010 Thailand and Vietnam trip
Nov 6th, 2010, 11:31 AM
#161
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<i><<better quit while i am ahead..>>
</i>
Okay, and how long have you been married <u>now</u>?? I'm thinking 40+ years...and you're just reaching this conclusion now??? Well, I guess better late than never, and you <b>have</b> reached the correct conclusion. Sheesh, some guys...you know darned well all the sympathy here has been with K because she's been feeling ill.
BC
</i>
Okay, and how long have you been married <u>now</u>?? I'm thinking 40+ years...and you're just reaching this conclusion now??? Well, I guess better late than never, and you <b>have</b> reached the correct conclusion. Sheesh, some guys...you know darned well all the sympathy here has been with K because she's been feeling ill.
BC
Nov 7th, 2010, 07:05 AM
#165
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So far you have found outstanding pasta, risotto, some steak and perhaps, just perhaps, a good summer roll. We get the distinct feeling you are simply bypassing every Asian restaurant in sight. Have you yet had a banh minh sandwich?
Have fun.
Have fun.
Nov 7th, 2010, 12:08 PM
#169
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Yeah!!! You've made it. Hoi An is a wonderful town to wonder around. Be sure to try Brothers. It was our favorite restaurant in Hoi An. Very atmospheric and good food. Such a shame that you had to miss Hue. It is difficult to decide which I liked better. Will you and Karen be having clothing made?
Nov 7th, 2010, 04:10 PM
#170
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k looked at fabrics last night and we will return today for styles and ordering... yaly tailoring---very busy place..
brothers is on our eating list as is tam tam...
glover--- go to ly club for your birthday and have one of the tasting menus.... cost us $100 with one beer and one glass of wine, or maybe two of each...
make a res... we sat on 2nd floor in a lovely dining room....
hope to continue report this pm....
hoi an is simply lovely!!
brothers is on our eating list as is tam tam...
glover--- go to ly club for your birthday and have one of the tasting menus.... cost us $100 with one beer and one glass of wine, or maybe two of each...
make a res... we sat on 2nd floor in a lovely dining room....
hope to continue report this pm....
hoi an is simply lovely!!
Nov 7th, 2010, 11:36 PM
#171
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Ok, after another delicious dinner at mediterrano on 23 nha tho st, just across from the cathedral, and a good night’s sleep, we headed to the airport about 10AM… this time we had a sedan for $15… it was Sunday morning and traffic was light but it still took over 45 minutes…
Check-in at vn air was swift and we headed upstairs to the domestic departure lounge… wonderful gray steel seats again… We bought a sandwich each---uhg and coke and water, but it held us over… fyi, mint milanos were 110,000 dn or about $5.50…
A delay was announced for our flight so we thought here we go again…. But in 5 minutes we began to board and the plane pushed back right on time… we had a spare seat between us… one hour flight to danang…
There is a new terminal being built at danang, but the tarmac must date to the 60’s when this was a major US base…
As you exit the building, there is a desk on the right for taxi hire… $18 to hoi an… another SUV and a 30 minute ride through the barren town of danang---new stadiums being built, however… We rode all along china beach where there are many lux hotels and many more coming---hyatt, meridian, etc…
We arrived at our resort, the vinh hung resort (they have some hotels in town by the same name)… we are a 5-7 minute walk from the center of town or a free boat ride of perhaps 15 minutes—limited hours… The resort is fantastic…. Plenty of green space, two pools and other rec. areas… Our room #705 is right on the river… we are sitting now on our back porch which is 50 feet from the perfume river—no smell… Our front porch overlooks the larger pool… The bed is hard, but the room is nicely furnished and there is a large Jacuzzi tub and big bathroom… we have a suite of Chinese furniture near to the back door made from heavy carved rosewood as is the bed… $92 incl breakfast and fees… Thank you Tonkin..
After settling in we went to the daily food sampling on the lawn near to the river… we met a few of the other guests.. From there we headed out to find mango mango restaurant… We got 3 or 4 different directions… I ended up mad and hot…
We ate at a small place suggested to us by a german couple we met while walking along…. I had 3 appetizers-- cold fresh spring rolls, white rose (another dumpling type thing), fried shrimp wontons—about 4 “ square with fruit pilled on top—delicious—4 of them….and K had a whole grilled fish which she said was dry, with white rice and the same spring rolls I had… for dessert k had banana pancakes with honey and I had fried bananas… very reasonable-- about $15.. name: thanh phuong, nguyen phuc chu st 29…
Walked into the main part of town after dinner and looked at some of the shops… Because of the rains, the road along the river was flooded… kids loved riding through it on their bikes and screeching with joy…
We stopped at Yaly Couture, the most widely respected fashion house in HA…. K got some ideas and we will return the next morning when it is not so busy… it was a mad house… Boston Harbor scores again… We were tired so we walked back to the hotel… The town is brightly lit up every evening, which is quite festive…
While some would call HA overly commercial, we find it just perfect with its combo of water, old buildings, history, former affluence, nice hotels, quality shopping and lovely streets and lanes…
Check-in at vn air was swift and we headed upstairs to the domestic departure lounge… wonderful gray steel seats again… We bought a sandwich each---uhg and coke and water, but it held us over… fyi, mint milanos were 110,000 dn or about $5.50…
A delay was announced for our flight so we thought here we go again…. But in 5 minutes we began to board and the plane pushed back right on time… we had a spare seat between us… one hour flight to danang…
There is a new terminal being built at danang, but the tarmac must date to the 60’s when this was a major US base…
As you exit the building, there is a desk on the right for taxi hire… $18 to hoi an… another SUV and a 30 minute ride through the barren town of danang---new stadiums being built, however… We rode all along china beach where there are many lux hotels and many more coming---hyatt, meridian, etc…
We arrived at our resort, the vinh hung resort (they have some hotels in town by the same name)… we are a 5-7 minute walk from the center of town or a free boat ride of perhaps 15 minutes—limited hours… The resort is fantastic…. Plenty of green space, two pools and other rec. areas… Our room #705 is right on the river… we are sitting now on our back porch which is 50 feet from the perfume river—no smell… Our front porch overlooks the larger pool… The bed is hard, but the room is nicely furnished and there is a large Jacuzzi tub and big bathroom… we have a suite of Chinese furniture near to the back door made from heavy carved rosewood as is the bed… $92 incl breakfast and fees… Thank you Tonkin..
After settling in we went to the daily food sampling on the lawn near to the river… we met a few of the other guests.. From there we headed out to find mango mango restaurant… We got 3 or 4 different directions… I ended up mad and hot…
We ate at a small place suggested to us by a german couple we met while walking along…. I had 3 appetizers-- cold fresh spring rolls, white rose (another dumpling type thing), fried shrimp wontons—about 4 “ square with fruit pilled on top—delicious—4 of them….and K had a whole grilled fish which she said was dry, with white rice and the same spring rolls I had… for dessert k had banana pancakes with honey and I had fried bananas… very reasonable-- about $15.. name: thanh phuong, nguyen phuc chu st 29…
Walked into the main part of town after dinner and looked at some of the shops… Because of the rains, the road along the river was flooded… kids loved riding through it on their bikes and screeching with joy…
We stopped at Yaly Couture, the most widely respected fashion house in HA…. K got some ideas and we will return the next morning when it is not so busy… it was a mad house… Boston Harbor scores again… We were tired so we walked back to the hotel… The town is brightly lit up every evening, which is quite festive…
While some would call HA overly commercial, we find it just perfect with its combo of water, old buildings, history, former affluence, nice hotels, quality shopping and lovely streets and lanes…
Nov 8th, 2010, 12:26 AM
#172
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We must have not minded the hard bed because we did not get up for 9+ hours…
Decided to check out the buffet breakfast…. It was pretty good with lots of choices…. I love the French bread---today it was large rolls which were a bit soft but crunchy I also had a bowl of pho, some other pastry and apple juice… K had her usual boiled eggs, but they were actually hard cooked..
We requested a ride to town on the boat shuttle (on request btw) for 10… it takes you almost next to the daily market… we enjoyed walking through the market taking tons of pics… many tummy rubbings by interested workers and plenty of laughs as well…its tough being both from needham and being an idol to many…
Next we headed back to yaly for some serious design tailoring… we failed to realize that they have more than one shop, but this location we liked better—on tran phu st, #47…
First there were 2 chiffon tops for Karen from pics she brought, and then a wool suit jacket in a modern style from a sample… I ordered 2 linen shirts, one bright yellow with navy accents and ephelets (sp) and tied-up sleeves, and a navy sporty/dress one with hidden buttons…
Next we went in search of the gallery 41 le loi (same name as the address)… another boston hbr find… they do very realistic, picture like, embroidery… Patricia had brought one of her purchases to the boston gtg last year and k and others really loved it… We found two that we liked… K’s choice won out… We got to meet the artist as well which is a bonus… Demonstrations are on going so it is a great stop if you have time---the work is far better and more detailed than the place we visited in Hanoi which does the same thing…
For transportation the pictures fold up carefully into a small box… they send directions for stretching etc when you get home…
By now we were starved so we walked down le loi a bit more and ate at the “before and now” bar, #51…
Two cyclo drivers attached themselves to us and followed us for ½ an hour… we went into Hoi An pastery at 107/109 nguyen thai hoc st for some delicious French pastry desserts… I had lemon tart with a huge hard meringue on top and K had the coconut tart---we shared… YUM!!
Directly across the street is the tam tam restaurant where we want to go for dinner tonight… so we went over to make a res and look at the menu… 7PM it is… on the balcony…
At 6, I have to go to yaly for a shirt fitting…
Guess who was waiting all this time?? The two cyclos, #007 and #090… I told them 100,000 dn for both and they said ok… way overpaid…
So it has been very pleasant out on the porch… it is very overcast but any rain has held off thus far… there were some sprinkles, but mostly while we were shopping…
Btw, we tried the pool yesterday and it is freezing… never got deeper than the bottom of my trunks….no, no speedo
Thank god our friends are meeting us in bkk next week, we need their cash…
Decided to check out the buffet breakfast…. It was pretty good with lots of choices…. I love the French bread---today it was large rolls which were a bit soft but crunchy I also had a bowl of pho, some other pastry and apple juice… K had her usual boiled eggs, but they were actually hard cooked..
We requested a ride to town on the boat shuttle (on request btw) for 10… it takes you almost next to the daily market… we enjoyed walking through the market taking tons of pics… many tummy rubbings by interested workers and plenty of laughs as well…its tough being both from needham and being an idol to many…
Next we headed back to yaly for some serious design tailoring… we failed to realize that they have more than one shop, but this location we liked better—on tran phu st, #47…
First there were 2 chiffon tops for Karen from pics she brought, and then a wool suit jacket in a modern style from a sample… I ordered 2 linen shirts, one bright yellow with navy accents and ephelets (sp) and tied-up sleeves, and a navy sporty/dress one with hidden buttons…
Next we went in search of the gallery 41 le loi (same name as the address)… another boston hbr find… they do very realistic, picture like, embroidery… Patricia had brought one of her purchases to the boston gtg last year and k and others really loved it… We found two that we liked… K’s choice won out… We got to meet the artist as well which is a bonus… Demonstrations are on going so it is a great stop if you have time---the work is far better and more detailed than the place we visited in Hanoi which does the same thing…
For transportation the pictures fold up carefully into a small box… they send directions for stretching etc when you get home…
By now we were starved so we walked down le loi a bit more and ate at the “before and now” bar, #51…
Two cyclo drivers attached themselves to us and followed us for ½ an hour… we went into Hoi An pastery at 107/109 nguyen thai hoc st for some delicious French pastry desserts… I had lemon tart with a huge hard meringue on top and K had the coconut tart---we shared… YUM!!
Directly across the street is the tam tam restaurant where we want to go for dinner tonight… so we went over to make a res and look at the menu… 7PM it is… on the balcony…
At 6, I have to go to yaly for a shirt fitting…
Guess who was waiting all this time?? The two cyclos, #007 and #090… I told them 100,000 dn for both and they said ok… way overpaid…
So it has been very pleasant out on the porch… it is very overcast but any rain has held off thus far… there were some sprinkles, but mostly while we were shopping…
Btw, we tried the pool yesterday and it is freezing… never got deeper than the bottom of my trunks….no, no speedo
Thank god our friends are meeting us in bkk next week, we need their cash…
Nov 8th, 2010, 12:32 AM
#173
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while i am thinking about it---china beach... the beach looked lovely what we could see of it, but there is litterally nothing else there to do... no restaurants other than hotel ones and nothing other than the usual hotel activities... danang does not look like it is worth more than 5 minutes... hoi an is not that far but you would need a car or transportation... the resorts looked almost deserted---some bargains maybe... plan to visit in perhaps 10 years
Nov 8th, 2010, 01:13 AM
#174
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To correct some of Bobs miss info ....the river here is the Thu Bon river. It is pretty high on it's banks right now and very muddy after the rains. Speaking of rains..I think this is what we are going to have for the next few days it looks like.
We stopped at another tailor where I am having 2 simple cotton shirts made. I want to compare price and tailoring skills between the primo place and a smaller one that has come reccomended also.
We stopped at another tailor where I am having 2 simple cotton shirts made. I want to compare price and tailoring skills between the primo place and a smaller one that has come reccomended also.
Nov 8th, 2010, 05:48 AM
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I think it's the humidity and wind that make Hoi An so cold in Nov. We were there mid to late Nov last year and it was like London weather. I bought a gore-tex windbreaker as soon as I saw one in Hue. Hue was also cold.
For restaurants we like the Secret Garden, great setting and food, it's a must in my book, they also offer cooking class in the morning and at 2pm. Cargo Club for coffee and desserts and the usual suspects, the display of sweets is in the front of the restaurant, better seating upstairs overlooking the river. Opposite the street is Morning Glory, a popular restaurant that requires reservation way in advance. We liked our table on the balcony overlooking the street. They also offer cooking classes. Have fun.
For restaurants we like the Secret Garden, great setting and food, it's a must in my book, they also offer cooking class in the morning and at 2pm. Cargo Club for coffee and desserts and the usual suspects, the display of sweets is in the front of the restaurant, better seating upstairs overlooking the river. Opposite the street is Morning Glory, a popular restaurant that requires reservation way in advance. We liked our table on the balcony overlooking the street. They also offer cooking classes. Have fun.
Nov 8th, 2010, 03:50 PM
#178
For a bit of theatre, the Red Bridge cooking class was fun...a colorful boat ride gets you there...and it begins with a market tour where you can take photos at will.
We loved the Mango Restaurant....and ate sweets/ice cream several times at The Cargo Club...had a nice casual dinner there as well.
I would've skipped having clothes made there at Yaly's....I didn't love my dress, but my husband got a great suit made.
We loved the Mango Restaurant....and ate sweets/ice cream several times at The Cargo Club...had a nice casual dinner there as well.
I would've skipped having clothes made there at Yaly's....I didn't love my dress, but my husband got a great suit made.
