Vietnam, Part 3
Day 25, January 22
I got like a solid 7 hours of sleep last night! I could have probably slept longer but the free breakfast wasn’t going to be served much longer so I decided I’d get up for food.
I went downstairs and made my plate. It wasn’t the same as the other day but still good. Fruit, veggies, eggs, bread, coffee, tea, etc.
I sat down at a table that a girl was already sitting at. I smiled and said hi but she didn’t really return friendliness. That was ok by me because I didn’t really want to chat. I was still half asleep. Then a Dutch guy comes over and asks if he can sit. So we said sure and he sat. But he was the chatty type so he started to tell me how he’s about to go live off the grid. Then my sister came over and I tried to pull her into to the conversation so that I could disappear. Luckily another Dutch girl came over and they started talking so I snuck away. That’s part of being a backpacker, socializing when in the common areas but early in the morning is not enjoyable for me.
We all got ready and packed up to head downstairs and check out. We were catching the overnight bus to Hoi An at 6pm from our hostel so after checking out we were allowed to leave our bags with them while we went out for the day.
Our first stop was to get the famous egg coffee we had heard so much about. I pulled out my GPS and navigated us to the place that some girl told us about that apparently was the place where the egg coffee originated.
The coffee was ok. Nothing I’d get again but I’m glad I tried it. We aren’t sure how it’s made. I am guessing it’s the egg whites used to make the frothy top and condensed milk.
After coffee we headed to Hoa Lo Prison to take a tour of the place. This was a prison built by the French colonialists in 1896 to hold the Vietnamese patriot and revolutionary fighters. Eventually Vietnam gained their freedom from the French and then the prison was used to house criminals. During the Vietnam War, part of the prison was used for captured American pilots who were shot down in North Vietnam.
Maison Centrale is the original name given to the prison but everyone calls it Hoa Lo Prison
Solitary confinement
The prison uniforms worn by the captured American pilots
Young John McCain being treated
When we were done at the prison we headed back to the hostel to get wifi so we could figure out what to do next. The very friendly manager came over and started talking with us. He really wanted us to leave a review of the hostel so he enticed us with free Vietnamese coffee. That consists of coffee and condensed milk. So we sat there drinking our coffee with him and talking.
At that point with all the coffee I had drank, I was needing some food. My sister really wanted to get bahn mi so we asked the manager where to go and he pointed us around the block.
We found the place he was talking about which was a little vendor in an alleyway. It was one lady doing everything. I got the pork and egg bahn mi. It’s essentially an egg, pork, slaw, cilantro and sauce on a hoagie. We learned that all of the bread we had been seeing around Hanoi was a French influence from when Vietnam was under their rule.
There was no place to sit so we went back and sat on the curb near our hostel. You can’t take outside food into our hostel so we had to make do with a curb. It was in the shade on the side of the beautiful church across the street so it wasn’t bad.
After we ate we sat out there close enough to the hostel to steal their wifi so we could book our hostel for Hoi An. Then we went back to the area we walked past this morning on the way to get coffee to look at some of the shops. There are so many nice things that I want to buy in each country but as backpackers, you really have no space for anything additional. So it was a lot of looking and not buying.
French influence I was referring to earlier
On the streets of Hanoi
We had walked around a lot and were ready to just sit, relax for a bit and charge our phones so we went back to our hostel. We lucked out with our hostel because it was nicely located to everything and was a nice environment to just chill.
Around 5ish we ordered dinner and then went to the store next door and bought water and snacks for the 20 hour bus ride.
More noodles
The bus was supposed to come around 6pm but didn’t show up until close to 7pm which we knew meant we were not the first stop. A guy came to gather us up and took us to a van that took us to a bus.
We were very pleasantly surprised by the bus. It wasn’t a normal bus with reclining seats, it was a night time bus for sleeping. There were bottom reclining chairs and top ones. Taryn grabbed a bottom one but I wanted one by the window and all that I saw for the bottom was in the middle so I grabbed a top one.
Our room for the next 20 hours
My Vietnamese hot lips sucker I got for the trip
After we got on the road I realized that the big one in the back that had 3 reclining chairs together, probably meant for a family, was still open so I went back there and set up camp. It was awesome! It was like a queen size bed. We made a few more stops and I was worried that it was going to be full and I’d have to sleep next to some random but the travel Gods were watching over me and let me have the 3 all to myself. It was big enough that at one point I turned the opposite direction thinking that’d be more comfortable. It wasn’t though because our driver had a lead foot and it was a lot of jerky stops and starts.
I was able to drift off a few times or at least long enough to have a dream that my sister and I were in Oklahoma (gross) and stopped at a family’s house that was watching a documentary on Carrie Underwood (even more gross) and we had to watch it before getting back on the train to head to where ever we were going. And then I said I liked Kelly Clarkson more so they kicked us out.
That’s all I remember from the dream. I woke up and it was only 3:15am. I somehow managed to pass the time for a few hours by entertaining myself with my pictures and staring out the window. Not only was the ride very jerky stop and go but our driver kept turning off the AC so it’d get stuffy and I’d start sweating then he’d crank it back on and I’d be freezing. All this made for a very hard environment to sleep in but towards the very end of the ride, I think I fell asleep for about an hour or so.
Day 26, January 23
We finally got to the Hue bus stop and were told that the people that were staying in Hue needed to get off while the remainder of us that were going to Hoi An needed to stay on. Then one of the drivers started banging on the windows saying everyone wake up and get off. That’s how it goes here. You are told one thing and then told differently a few minutes later.
So we got off at the Hue stop and had to wait for another bus that would take us on to Hoi An. At this point it was like 6:30am and we were told the bus would come around 9:30. There was a café nearby so we went over there to sit inside and order some coffee and food.
Vietnam loves me
Just as I was finishing my omlette, a guy starts telling us the Hoi An bus was here. It was only 7:30am. Another case of being told one thing and then something completely different happens. So we hurry and grab our stuff and run to get on the bus. The bus is the same as before so we all 3 grab a bottom bed and try to get comfortable.
We make a few stops before really getting on the road. It’s only supposed to be a few hours until we’re at Hoi An but that could really mean 5 hours. No one really knows.
I entertained myself by taking pictures again but this time it’s daylight so I can actually watch the scenery go past.
We finally get to our bus stop around 12:30 and unload. The motorbike taxi drivers swarm us and start yelling price quotes at us. We keep saying no that we are not getting on the back of a motorbike with all of our gear and they tell us that there are no real taxis. At that point I knew that was a lie so I told them no we weren’t interested so they’d back off.
We walk not even 10 feet and a taxi driver with a car approaches us. We show him the name of the hostel we found, Under The Coconut Tree, and he takes us there. It was about a 5 minute drive. We gather our stuff and walk down the remaining road to it.
It’s a cute little beach hostel with other hostels surrounding it. It is so close we can hear the beach from our beds. The beds are really nice and very comfortable. It is an open air room with bamboo for the windows so on each bed there is a mosquito net.
We immediately set our stuff down and shower. It was the best shower I have taken on this trip so far. It was well earned after being on a bus for 20 hours.
After pulling ourselves together we went and had lunch at the restaurant/lounge part of our place.
I got the chicken pho and fresh fruit plate with my free welcome green tea.
All of this was around $2
After lunch I had to go lay down and try to take a little nap. I probably slept for about 2.5 hours. I wasn’t getting wifi in the room so I grabbed my phone and went to sit out in the lounge area until it was dinner time.
For dinner I got the fresh spring rolls without seafood and they were amazing. I am a big fan of the food at our hostel. They take forever to prepare the dishes because everything is fresh but it is so worth they wait.
The best spring rolls I have ever had
My new buddy
We continued to sit out in the lounge area for the wifi until it got a little chilly. Around 9:30 we headed in for bed because we know how to party.
Holly
January 24, 2017
I am so glad you are feeling better! I also love that you staked your claim on the family seat of a bus that reminds me of Spice World!
Jillian
January 24, 2017
Haha, I don’t get that reference but yes I was the Queen of the bus.
Megan
January 24, 2017
Love the party bus, glad you’re having such a good time. Miss you
Jillian
January 25, 2017
Miss you too!