Ho Chi Minh and the Hostel

We've been wi-fi challenged for the past few days, so we apologize for the lack of posts. Since we last posted we've migrated to the busy city of Ho Chi Minh where we've experienced our first dormitory in a hostel. Upon arriving in Ho Chi Minh five hours later than anticipated,
the driver found Townhouse 50 (the hostel we stayed in) easily, which was relief. A lot of the time we find ourselves being driven around in circles and the taxi drivers asking bystanders with babies and old men for directions. The hostel is down an alley way and turned out to be very quaint and clean with a really friendly and helpful front desk guy named Johnny. He recommended a delicious and affordable pho restaurant right up the street called Pho Van. The dorm wasn't terrible with eight bunks, lockers for your bags, and air conditioning. We've always wanted bunk beds anyways. Our bunk mates were two girls who like us, had quit their jobs in enterprise sales to travel for four months. We all hit it off and were having fun when the rest of our roommates arrived. Two Japanese women in their 60's or 70's who we nicknamed the dragon ladies, and a disgruntled American who had a cold. As per usual we retired around 9pm, snuggled in our silk sacks. A few hours later we woke up to what sounded like a dragon snoring and someone blowing their nose so loud it sounded like a trumpet horn. Needless to say no one slept much that night. In the morning we enjoyed the hostels delightful complimentary breakfast of fresh fruit, fried eggs, and baguette, and immediately
after booked a private room close by for .50 more.  We stayed in the dorm one more night which was much more restful. We had three new roomies who were much quieter. By the next morning we were a little attached to our little community and sad to say goodbye, but also ready for our own space, being the 6am risers we are. It was great meeting people from all over the world with different stories. In the fifteen days we've been in Vietnam we have traveled from Hanoi in the North to the Mekong Delta in the South. Its been an amazing whirlwind. Vietnam has been delicious and beautiful, saying goodbye will be a somber experience. Although, after the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh it will be beneficial for us to get back to normalcy in our apartment we rented in Phuket for a few weeks and be able to hear ourselves think.

The quest for the ultimate Bahn Mi

Yes, if you are an aficionado of great Banh Mi, then you must make the pilgrimage to Banh Mi Phuong. Around 11 AM we jumped in behind a few folks and were shocked to see how many people started to get in line behind us. Being vegetarians we ordered the Op La, which is fried egg and it comes topped with all the usual suspects, picked veggies, lettuce, herbs and sauces. Many travel sites recommend being cautious of eating raw veggies due to the water they wash them in. I am happy to report, we did not get sick, and even went back for seconds. If you want a good sandwich and want to avoid lines, try and get there early. From what we saw the line starts around noon and keeps going throughout the day. However, the women running the line are throwing your toppings in with chopsticks at lightening speeds and the line goes pretty quick, so even if your a late riser, make the time to stop by.

Botanic Garden Homestay Villas- Hoi An

We loved it here! This quaint hotel is nestled off the beaten path surrounded by gardens, residential homes, and small cafes. A tranquil oasis away from the busy main streets, the hotel has two small swimming pools, a pool table, free breakfast, bikes, and a free cooking class. We ended up staying an additional night here because we loved it so much. If you stay over four nights you also get a free four course dinner one night and a free twenty minute foot massage. If you stay seven nights you also get free transport to and from the airport in Da nag, which ended up costing us around 430,000 VND on the way in (rip off) and only 250,000 to get back. The people who work at the hotel were very sweet and took great care of us. The location was centrally located, we were able to bike to the ancient town within 15 minutes or bike to the beaches. They did recommend getting taxis at night however, due to safety which cost us around 30,000 VND. Unfortunately, it was not very sunny during our stay in Hoian so the beaches seemed a bit ominous and were covered in trash (possibly due to high seas?). Hoian, at night in the ancient city is really something to behold and we did not run out of things to do in six days. We highly recommend spending at least 4-5 nights in Hoian.

 

The girls get new clothes

Packing for this trip, we were faced with challenge of picking essential items that would fit in a backpack and be versatile enough to last through the multitude of climates we will face during our gap year. The end result unfortunately left us feeling a little like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, except a granny less sexy version. In vain we tried to stand out less in our Columbia Sports Wear and dorky all terrain shoes... Low and behold, as luck would have it, Hoian, Vietnam the next stop on our adventure is renowned for it's food and clothing. Truth be told, we are quite fond of both of these things.

Hoian is a lovely city, bustling with life. Today we biked to Cua Dai street which is lined with little shops flaunting beautiful clothing in a myriad of colors and cuts. At first, we practiced great restraint and only purchased a few items. We got a cute short emerald green dress, and an amazing tie around romper for only $16. Feeling all powerful from our improved bargaining skills that we have been perfecting lately, we were still on a quest for a long dress at a good price. After stopping off at numerous shops and braving the streets of Hoian on our dodgy bikes with the squeakiest wheels in town, we decided to stop off at one last shop. Our search was in vain and the local shop keeper convinced us it would be best just to have the perfect dress made. For only $25 we were able to get a custom made dress made over night. Now, I know we have meager funds for this year long endeavor and this does not fit into our frugal AF mantra, but this was just too good to pass up. So I suppose for the next few days its $1 Banh Mi sandwiches for dinner to make up for our indulgences.

Regrets? Not if you have seen these beautiful clothes and tried these sandwiches. They really are to die for. Our favorite spot for these delectable treats we stumbled upon yesterday. A display of steaming buns caught our eye and we jumped in line only to see the everyone coming out with the most amazing looking sandwiches. In the proverbial wisdom of doing as the locals do, we ordered one to go. After splitting one for lunch we decided we had to go back for dinner. Flaky warm bread, pickled veggies and an exotic mixture of chili and sauces, make this and in mere coincidence Anthony Bourdain's favorite spot for Banh Mi in Hoian. Just goes to show, sometimes leaving the guidebook at home can be half the fun. Ditching some of our Lara Croft granny clothes and filling our bags with the beautiful clothing of Hoian we are ready to hit the road again as we venture off to Ho Chi Mihn City.