Click on any photo to see it full-size.
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- Nha Trang Train Station – our chariot arrives.
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- Our train carriage was spacious. Not.
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- Claustrophobia strikes! Notice our little puppy pillows, provided by the train company.
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- The baby on the bunk below us was surprisingly well-behaved. Shame the same can’t be said for her chainsmoking grandpa!
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- Complimentary water at breakfast time; Emma watches the world go by.
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- Early morning arrival at the train station.
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- Our first hotel in Hoi An; great views, but ridden with mozzies.
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- Night-time view from our first Hoi An hotel. We stayed only one night because our room was infested with bugs!
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- Emma nearly has a heart attack after seeing some locals catch a snake that was loose in the street. The lanterns cheered her up somewhat!
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- Hoi An is famous for its beautiful lanterns, which light up every street in the older part of town.
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- The ’19’ restaurant in Hoi An. Amazing food. Years later I would return and make friends with the family who own it, but at this time it was just a great place to eat.
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- Chocolate pancake for breakfast!
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- Hoi An marketplace
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- Transporting goods in the old town, Hoi An
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- A busy street corner in the UNESCO world heritage-listed old town of Hoi An.
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- Night time, Old Town, Hoi An
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- Emma gets fitted for a suit in Hoi An.
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- The view at breakfast, in the newer part of Hoi An.
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- Leafy street, Hoi An
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- Salt for sale in the market, Hoi An
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- An afternoon nap by the river, Hoi An
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- Schoolgirls catch the boat to cross the river after school, Hoi An
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- Schoolgirls pick up their bikes after school, Hoi An
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- Life on the river, Hoi An
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- The view across the river, Hoi An. A few years later I returned to Hoi An to find that the other side of the river has been developed, so the view so no longer the same. Sigh.
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- A puppy dozes in the cafe where we eat lunch, Hoi An.
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- A fisherman takes a siesta on a hot afternoon, Hoi An
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- Our first glimpse of the My Son Cham temple ruins, just after sunrise, outside Hoi An
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- Our guide explains the significance of the site at My Son, outside Hoi An
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- Cham temple ruins at My Son, outside Hoi An
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- Overgrown Cham temple ruins at My Son, outside Hoi An
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- Overgrown Cham temple ruins at My Son, outside Hoi An. Incredible.
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- Overgrown Cham temple ruins at My Son, outside Hoi An
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- The sun rises further into the sky at the My Son temple complex, outside Hoi An
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- Cham temple ruins at My Son, outside Hoi An. Definitely the kind of place where you’d find Lara Croft poking about
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- Cham temple ruins at My Son, outside Hoi An
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- The inside of a temple chimney – the bricks had no mortar, so they were staggered to create triangular shapes – much like the pyramids in Egypt.
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- A statue at My Son Cham temple complex
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- Cham temple ruins at My Son, outside Hoi An
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- Cham temple ruins at My Son, outside Hoi An
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- A headless statue, possibly damaged during the skirmishes in the war in the 70s, My Son Cham temple complex
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- The sky is finally blue, making a striking contrast between the forest and the temples.
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- Scattered brickwork at the My Son temple complex
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- Sanskrit tablet at the My Son temple complex
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- Shiva’s hand, My Son Cham temple complex
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- The remains of one of the temples which was bombed to smithereens during the war in the 70s; some attempts are being made to restore them but it’s slow work.
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- Our guide at the My Son temple complex, outside Hoi An
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- A tree-lined walkway is used to exit the temple complex at My Son.
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- Me! Catching the jeep back to the site entrance at My Son.
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- Our beloved hotel room (our second hotel) in Hoi An. Sunny, pretty, friendly, comfy. Lovely!
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- The Hoi An cloth market – great for low-price business shirts made on the spot.
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- Business as usual in Hoi An.
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- Open public space by the river in Hoi An – I think they use it for celebrations and gatherings.
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- Crossing the river in Hoi An at twilight.
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- The river at twilight, Hoi An
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- Troy and Emma looking ravishing as always, Hoi An
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- Late-night ice cream, Hoi An
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- Local kids hang with their families, night time, Hoi An
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- Some sort of government-sponsored celebration – there was lots of clapping and a LOT of people! We didn’t understand a word, of course…!
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- The beach near Hoi An
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- Endless white sandy beaches with million-dollar views – just outside Hoi An
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- Emma, me, Kylie and Troy live it up on the beach!
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- Paradise – the beach near Hoi An
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- Tricky first steps in the old town, Hoi An
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- Strolling in the old part of town, Hoi An
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- The Covered Bridge, Hoi An
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- All ready for our cooking class in Hoi An
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- Some of the ingredients for our cooking class, Hoi An
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- Learning how to chop properly!
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- Learning how to cook DELICIOUS lemongrass chicken (among other things!), Hoi An
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- The view from the “new” side of the river to the old part of Hoi An.
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- Is dinner nearly ready?!? Still cooking, Hoi An.
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- No Emma, I am not dinner!
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- NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM HUNGRY!!!!
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- Me, Emma, Troy and Kylie with our fabulous cooking teacher in Hoi An
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- Restaurant interior, Hoi An
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- The restaurant where we took our cooking class, Hoi An. I came back a few years later and was devastated to find the place in ruins, in the middle of being torn down.
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- The clothes we had made for us in Hoi An, ready to be packed and taken home!
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- Emma models her new shirt and skirt.
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- My new dress and sandals!
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- Kylie enjoying her new suit
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- Emma, Troy and Kylie strike a pose in their sophisticated businesswear!
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- My new jacket, shirt and trousers. I wore the jacket to death but the shirt and trousers are still going!
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- “When in Rome”… wear face masks like the locals!
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- Strike a pose! All in our new finery.
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- The cave entrance at the Marble Mountains, between Hoi An and Hue
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- Entrance moat at the Marble Mountains
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- Statue guarding the entrance to the caves at the Marble Mountains
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- Me inside the creepy caves at the Marble Mountains
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- A lunch break on our bus journey from Hoi An to Hue proves to be EXTREMELY pleasant!
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- Herbalist, Hue
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- The moat outside the old city, Hue
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- Small fort guarding the entry to the old city, Hue
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- The sun starts to set outside the old walls, Hue
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- Two very relaxed-looking ladies outside the palace, Hue
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- Boat on the river, Hue
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- The Tinh Gia Vien restaurant in Hue offers food in the style of the old kings – awesome!
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- Spring rolls at the Tinh Gia Vien restaurant, Hue
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- Dragon salad at the Tinh Gia Vien restaurant, Hue
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- Emma, me, Kylie and Troy at the Tinh Gia Vien restaurant, Hue
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- View from our little dragon-faced boat, Hue
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- Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue
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- View from the Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue
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- Shafts of sunlight break into the temple at the Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue
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- The faithful gather at the Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue
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- Gardens at the Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue
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- This is not a Palace. It’s a royal tomb, would you believe?!?
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- A small building in a HUGE royal tomb, outside Hue
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- Our boat, waiting to carry us further down the river, Hue
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- Emma sniffs her lunch doubtfully…
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- A hairdresser in a small village we passed through, outside Hue
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- Kylie enjoys a moment of peace on the boat.
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- Yum yum, Indian dinner! (Hue)
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- The alleyway that housed a whole bunch of hotels, Hue
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- Emma picks up a few necessities at a ‘chemist’ , Ho Chi Minh City
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- Kids enjoy a warm evening playing in the street together, Ho Chi Minh City
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- City street, Ho Chi Minh City
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- Emma does her best to avoid bedbugs in our $4-a-night hotel, Ho Chi Minh City
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- Cao Dai temple
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- Cao Dai temple
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- Cao Dai temple interior window
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- Cao Dai temple – fabulous colours!
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- The grand hall of the Cao Dai temple
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- Decoration, Cao Dai temple
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- Cao Dai followers during a ceremony
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- Cao Dai followers during a ceremony
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- Cao Dai followers during a ceremony
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- “Seven-Flavour Cashew” – YUM!
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- Safety is our number one priority when it comes to electricity. No, really.
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- Potato bake on my last morning – not a traditional Vietnamese meal, I know, but it was GOOD!
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- How many lanes of traffic?!? Oh, that’s right – we don’t care.
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- A picture of elegance, even in the least likely of circumstances.
Born in Hong Kong and raised all over the world, I've been tootling around for 33 years now. A Spanish friend of mine once said that "the smallest pot has the finest marmalade"... I have to agree with her! I'm small but I can still make 6-foot Brazilian bodybuilders cry if the need arises. And I never need to whinge about legroom on a plane!
little tara 
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