Hangin' Around

Hi, it's us! We've been bummin' around this old town for way too long... (Counting Crows lyrics...anyone?)

We're continuing to sweat and eat our way through Vietnam this week! Between the humidity, being sick, and the non-stop touting, I haven't been the most pleasant person to be around and Kiel can most definitely attest to that. haha.

We lounged a few days at An Bang beach. A shuttle picks us right up from the hotel and it's about a 10 minute drive as the driver honks and weaves his way through traffic to get to the resort. A few people try to sell you things, and the locals swoop in practically right on top of people's beach chairs to set up their little cooking/picnic stations, forcing the tourists to move. Nonetheless, the water felt great and it was a nice break from the city streets.

Sunrise from our balcony

The meals we've had have been delish! The other night we ate at a Greek restaurant that we both really enjoyed. Greek/Mediterranean cuisine is one of my favorites anyway and it was terrific. I was so excited about the dip platter and our Shawarma wraps (not pictured) and Kiel was happy to have (feta) cheese...cheese in general is something we don't eat often (I won't count the slices of cheese on the burger's we had in Korea 😏 ). 

Searching for the best bahn mi in town....
Here I ordered the BBQ Pork and it was spicyyy!

Anthony Bourdain visited Banh Mi Phuong so it has to be good, right?

We could probably (and will at some point) eat two sandwiches each in one sitting they are so tasty. And at $1.50 each, why not?!

But Phi Bahn Mi, run by a very friendly gentleman from the front room of his family home was the winner in my book! The bread was soft, yet crispy and toasted to perfection. Plus, the avocado was an automatic plus for us.

The only thing that turned us off from this place was a woman in the family who struck up a friendly conversation with us, but ultimately with the motive to send us to a specific tailor shop to get suits/clothes. What could have just been a nice chat with a local turned into an unwanted sales pitch. 

Today we witnessed a motorbike accident right next to us, with what looked to be like a grandmother, mother and daughter (all on one bike!) slam into the back of a van. It was one of those moments where you watch it all happen in slow motion, and then it speeds back up to real time in the blink of an eye. They went down pretty slowly with the bike and luckily all seemed to be okay besides being in shock. We tried to help them up, but a bunch of locals ran over quickly so we let them take over. 

It's crazy to think there aren't more accidents given the structure of the roads and the way people drive here. Just think -a four way intersection back home has four stop signs. At a four way intersection in Vietnam, everyone just honks their horns to let others know they are coming through. No stop signs, no signal lights. It's amazing and somehow just works. 

Random shots throughout the day...

Sunset! No filter needed.

Mr. Son restaurant was off the beaten path in Ancient Town and served the most amazing, fresh authentic Vietnamese food. It was so good we just had to go two nights in a row for dinner. We ordered a whole bunch of veggie side dishes and Cao Lau, a regional dish found only in Hoi An. 

Mr. Son and his wife were so cheerful and hospitable and clearly a fan favorite among all of the food stalls on the street. Definitely a highlight from our time in Hoi An.

Oh, and I almost forgot! Kiel's suit is finished and is being shipped home!