Hoi An Organic Tour - Land and Sea Activities

Hoi An - After having our breakfast, we waited at our Hotel for Jack to appear and take us on our Organic Tour which I had arranged for my family.  It cost US$ 260 for my whole family for 1 day of activities.   My family was sceptical but at the end of the day - we all had great fun - thanks to Jack Tran.

Jack Tran is the Managing Director & Owner of Eco-Tour co., Ltd (http://www.hoianecotour.com.vn/) and very season tour guide and it was him that took us on this private tour which began at 8:30am.   There were parked bicycles at the hotels and cycling on the road was to my mind dangerous for my kids.  So, I asked Jack to bring the bicycles nearer to the beaten track and he agreed.  

Choosing our bicycles

Trev and Quin in the background

After cycling about 45 minutes, we arrived at our 1st stop and it was an eco farm manned by 2 elderly women and they were kind but could not speak a word of English.  Nevertheless, she was always with a smiling face.

Briefing on this Eco Farm

Seaweed used a nutrients for the vegetables (no fertilizers are used)

Eco Vegetable Farm

My youngest had a go at Farm life

Do I know you, farmer?

Who is that pretty farmer?

Picking our vegetables for Lunch

The farmer is washing the plucked vegetables

Our 2nd Stop - Ridding the Water Buffalo

Susan and Paxton riding the water Buffalo

My family with the Water Buffalo handler

Cycling to our next destination

Prawn Farm

Me and my wife (Pillion)

We fell down

We had a good laugh

Water buffalo having a bathe

3rd Stop: Rest at Coffee Shop

Coffee Break and rest

Drinking water and resting

4th Stop - to the Jetty to board the boat for our sea activities

Our private boat crew

Putting on our Life Jackets

Trev preparing to cast his fishing net

Each one of us take turns to cast the fishing nets into the open sea and try to match the Vietnamese fishing man.   Look how the Vietnamese fisherman does it.

Our Catch

Our kids in this basket to the beach

Me and wife in the basket

Me and Quin reeling in the Big fishing net

Pushing the fishes into the centre of the net

Working as a team reeling the fishes down to the center of the net

Quin sleeping...so tired

 

Trev so tired and taking s short nap

Preparing our Lunch

Freshly caught prawns

Captain Cook cooking our lunch

Cheers! to a good lunch

One of our delicious meal

After Lunch, we rested and one of the creative boat crew created a spectacles out of palm leaf.

Harry Potter Spectacles

Off we go again for another activity - racing through the narrow waterways

Sitting in the basket through the waterways

Going back to the Jetty - one crew man in the backet

A visit to Jack Tran house

After this we hop Jack's van back to our hotel.  It was a fun and fulfilling adventure.

Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An - Hoi An Ancient Town is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.  You can check this on the UNESCO website (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/948).  Hoi An was known as Faifoto by early Western merchants.  It was a major trading center in South East ASia between the 16th and 17th Centuries, welcoming Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and merchant vessels from the Far East.  Several streets have been kept relatively intact in Hoi An.   

This ancient town stands still in its antiquated state where remnants of its French past can still be seen in architecture along the riverfront promenade.   This town is dotted along the riverside with charming little cafes and souvenir shops, the lanes are small and getting around on foot is the best.  Many of the lanes are closed off to cars too. 

From Dong Khanh Hotel (our new hotel) to the Hoi An Ancient Town is a short 15 minutes walk.   Our room had 4 beds for my family of 5 - the bathroom is clean and the room is cleaned daily. 

The temperature was always constant around 17 celcius, very nice and cool.

Hoi An Hotel

Hoi An - We arrived from  Ho Chi Minh City via VN 334 to Da Nang Airport.  From Da Nang Airport it's about a 45 minutes drive to Hoi An City.   There was a mad choas of people outside the airport and we had to stretch our necks to find who our driver was - we spotted him and as we arrived at 8:50pm the journey to the Hotel was smooth and without much traffic.

I booked the Hai Au Hotel after searching Trip Advisor and reading the reviews thought this Hotel would be good @ USD 50 per night - what a deal.  Upon our arrival, it was a 2-star hotel but the room was not 'clean' - it gave us a spooky feeling.  The room is dim-litted, the cupboards are old and ancient.  The only modern stuffi is the personal computer on the desk with free internet.

We slept soundly because we were 'dead' tired...lol  The hotel nor the rooms does not look anything near the photos on their website.   I realized that this is a bag-packers hotel and thus not many family stay here. 
The next day, we checked out of the hotel at noon after finding a suitable and clean hotel down the road at half the price.

Mekong Delta Tour - My Tho Day trip

Saigon - At 8:30am, the tour guide arrives and met us at the Hotel Lobby.   We are off on another adventure to the Mekong Delta.

Scenary around My Tho Jetty

Shops at My Tho Jetty

Susan and Quin enjoying the breeze

Unicorn Island Jetty

First Stop, Bee farm and then enjoying the extracts of the Bee.  Honey, Royal Jelly and Pollen.

Pax trying Pollen on a tea spoon

2nd Stop, Coconut Candy factory.  Everything of the coconut is used and nothing goes to waste.

Signboard to the entrance of the coconut candy factory

Husk is used as fuel

Stiring the soft coconut candy mxture

Result of stiring and heating

Workers cutting the soft candy to size

Workers packing them into commerical boxes

Other uses of coconut

Coconut byproduct made into cups adn teapots

3rd Stop, we get to taste some Vietnamese fruits

Papaya, Pineapple, Dragonfruit, Pomelo and Logans

Quin and Trev enjoying the fruits

Nha Hang Ngon Restaurant in Saigon

HCMC - It was free and easy for us today and we went to Saigon's Chinatown - Colon and the Binh Tay market.   It took more than 30 minutes via taxi.   Finally, we reach Binh Tay market and it's crowded and it's a wholesale market.  

Bags and Bags for sale

Rows displayed tit bits

Yummy delicious sour prune and many sweets

Lunch at a nearby restaurant

Freshly cooked clams

Nha Hang Ngon Restaurant
For dinner, I brought my family to one of the best restaurant in HCMC.  I love the food here.  It is more expensive than outside food but the ambiance and the wide variety is excellent.  We had our usual Pho and fresh spring rolls.  But the desert tasted like our Chendol.

Location @ 160 Pasteur Street, Ho Chi Minh City

Quin on his Chendol

This restaurant has an outside kitchen which is very cool.

This stall makes all the desert

Open Kitchen concept

Cu Chi Tunnel Tour

Cu Chi Tunnel - After our lunch we travel to the site of Cu Chi Tunnel.   This will be my 2nd visit to Cu Chi Tunnel.  

The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Củ Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that lies under much of the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong's base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968.

The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The role of the tunnel systems should not be underestimated in its importance to the Viet Cong in resisting American operations and protracting the war, eventually culminating in an American withdrawal.

Paxton in one of the small tunnel

Trev in one of the entrance to the tunnel

Quin in the entrance to the tunnel

Tour Guide briefing our family

One of VietCong deadly traps

Another one of Vietcong traps

VietCong soldiers at work sawing the American bombs

After the Cu Chi Tour - Tea scented with Pandan leaves

Interesting souvenirs made from drinking cans

Cao Dai Temple

Pax admiring the Chrismas Tree

HCMC - I organised a private land tour to Cao Dai and Cu Ci Tunnel for my family for USD 292.50.  We are to meet at 9am in the Hotel Lobby.  Renissance have a beautiful Christmas Tree in their lobby.

Within a short time, our Tour Guide arrives and off we went to Cao Dai Temple.  Just outside Tay Nihn and 60 miles northwest of Ho Chi Minh City is the Great Temple or Holy See, the center of the intriguing Cao Dai sect. Cao Dai is a syncretist Vietnamese religious movement that incorporates aspect of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and even Catholicism.  The Cao Dai Temple (as it is more commonly known) was begun in 1933 in a unique architectural style that reflects its blended traditions.  

The Cao Dai Temple has a beautiful garden manicured tirelessly by worshippers.    We can see many worshippers sweeping the outside compound.   

  

My family at the Steps of the Cao Cai Temple

Worshippers all in white

The Cao Dai Temple

After the tour of the Cao Dai Temple, it was about time for lunch. Our tour agent brought us to a restaurant that served simple Vietnamese food. Small portions of many dishes which we get to shared amongst us.

This dish is like 'Mi Tai Mak'

Fried food - sausages and friters

Instant noodle with vegetables and seafood

Curry pork with french loaf

  

Fried chicken with white rice

Vegetable soup

Plate of Fruits

Courtyard of the restaurant

After our lunch, we got permission from the restaurant owner to have a walk around the restaurant and got to see their courtyard and kitchen.