Moving to Hoi An

No pictures tonight, don't ask me why, they just will not come up.  We had our pickup in Hue and off we headed for Hoi An.  It was a bit foggy at the beginning but that quickly lifted until we started climbing the Hai Van pass.  The highway had been incredibly busy until we started up the pass.  There is a long tunnel (something like 15 km) that cuts through the mountain but all the tourist traffic goes over the pass, which is quite pretty.  At the top of the pass, overlooking the city of Danang, is a tourist stop, with the usual vendors trying desperately to get your attention.  Danang was hard hit during the war, and there are still some bunkers on the hilltop.


We got into Danang and our guide told us we would drop by and meet with Ha, our tour organizer (we did still owe the balance our account).  We sat in her office and chatted for fifteen minutes or so.  She is the real deal, someone who is genuinely concerned about the details of our vacation.  She would lose sleep if there was something she could have done better.  I already had a sense of her character and this visit confirmed everything.

On the south side of Danang is a place called Marble mountains. There are five of these small mountains and a flourishing monument carving industry, with some stunning carvings (and shipping to Canada).  No, we did not buy anything.  We climbed up a couple of hundred steps to the top of the mountain for some pretty good views and a couple of interesting caves.
Completed the drive to Hoi An and did our lunch stop.  Best lunch that we have had yet.
We were supposed to do a bicycle tour today but the guide said that the road was under construction and the area was really dirty, so were opted to head out to a herb and vegetable area that we wanted to visit.  Interesting to see them fertilizing the sandy soil with seaweed.  Eileen took a turn at doing some watering, which I would show if only I could post pictures tonight.....
One last stop before we got to the resort was at a silk factory.  We saw the complete cycle from eggs, to silkworms, to larva, and then saw how they pulled the strands of silk and made it into thread.  They can get an enormous length from a single cocoon.  Next came the potentially expensive part, we saw them creating some exquisite hand embroidered art pieces with the silk.  There is likely a return visit to this place, walking distance from our resort.  Check-in was quick and then we were taken to the room.  Probably the nicest room yet, plus the pool is just outside the front door, a deck out the back door which looks out onto the river.  These next few days should be pretty relaxing.
More on Hoi An tomorrow, we did some strolling this afternoon and tonight, found our meeting place for cooking school tomorrow, had 25 cent glasses of beer, and a decent supper.  On the way home we came across a British couple that we knew from the Halong Bay boat.  They are staying close by so we'll meet up with them for drinks somewhere.