Hanoi to the coast takes 2 hours on a new beautiful toll road

Ten minute ferry ride to Cat Ba Island

Then another bus takes you the last 40 minutes into the town of Cat Ba.

Lori on the balcony of our hotel

Fried rice and egg rolls.

Night views from our balcony

The center circle of town

A motorbike ride up the big hill/mountain to Cannon Fort

The view from the top was spectacular!

The old trenches from the war with the French in the 1940’s

Old green trucks for amunition

A little museum

Pathway around the top

An old cannon and my Laos UXO shirt, for unexploded ordances

Tired out and dripping sweat!

Relaxing afterwards at a floating restaurant

The view of town from the floating restaurant. Most of it built in the last 10 years.

Got my straw hat for a buck

One of the two main beaches. The third one is closed. I think due to construction of a big hotel complex by/on it.

A pano of the beach

Joy enjoying the bath temperature waters of the bay.

Lori taking a stroll

Beach clean up duty

Fascinating rocks on the side cliffs

The brick “boardwalk” around the harbor. Thank goodness some is in shade! 80 degrees and 80 % humidity means one always feels sticky.

One of the little parks along the boardwalk— just no place to sit.

A restaurant-bar we hung out in during the heat of the day.

Free pool if you buy a dollar pop

Evening and the floating restaurants open up

All aboard!

Rowing with her feet!

Family p

Individual drip coffee —. Very strong with sweetened condensed milk

The coffee stall

Family putting out little wastebaskets on tables

Boats bringing in their catch

School boys

School girls getting picked up

A dog on front!

It’s stinking, sticky 80 degrees and LOTS of women wear these sweatshirts and masks!

The Market

Toys anyone?

Washing up the lunch dishes from the sidewalk restaurant

Pigs feet

Dried fish

Calms and other seafood

Shrimp

Toilet paper delivery giy

Cutting wood — all covered up in 80 degree heat and 80 % humidity!

Tea time!

Housewares, pots and pans, storage boxes

Fresh fish

The street of our hotel — it’s in the center, after the \240 big trees

Looking down on trees from the balcony

The street of our hotel — it’s in the center, after the \240big trees

Coconut ice coffee — Yummy! I think it is made with coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk and coffee.

Bicycles built for 4! The whole family on one bike!

Closeup. Some had little kids seat, like the baby swings at the park for infants

Bringing in the fish

Blasting out the rock for building another hotel probably! Construction everywhere!

Machines and men, terrible noise, dust and danger

Here’s the men up close with their jackhammers

Getting ready for the road to be paved

Smoothing our the rock by hand! Hard work in the hot sun! \240And covered in long sleeves!

A view of the main tourist hotel loop

Chickens and a family home

More construction of more hotels

Some beautiful spring flowering bushes and trees

Haircut time, under a tarp along the sidewalk

Snack time

Time for a game of something

Don’t know what the game is

Entryway to the local market which was in a brick building.

Every day near our hotel the big trucks deliver goods to a warehouse .

Mostly beverages here: beer and pop

Here’s a truck of stuff from the mainland

Looking down the loop road from the city plaza

Fresh shrimp in fish tanks outside the restaurants

Fresh octopus

Fresh crab

More crab

Clams?

Little ones like these at OBX

The table is set

Here’s more seafood of some kind. They also have squid, jellyfish and all kinds of fish on the menu

Clams

We had pizza!

Huge TV at the city plaza! Advertises boat trips and tourist things.

Oh, now I can see!

Some spicy shrimp on bread

Unfortunately still has the peeling on it!

Vietnamese submarine sandwiches

Don’t know the name of this snack . On the left is what it looks like.

The shell is thin and crispy

Has something, shrimp, chilies, ground meat & onions

More 🌶 sauce and maybe a sugary sauce.

Joy thought it was yummy. LoMo not so much.

A family takes a selfie

Up close: Asians love wearing matching outfits, but usually they are tour groups. And here’s a family!

Candles for floating in the river with a prayer

More candles

And mor candles sold by another old lady!

Taking a boat ride at sunset and floating candles is a big thing here

Drinks with our new California friends

Followed by a great supper at a local restaurant

Barbecue pork satay on a stick and 2 other noodle dishes Hoi An is famous for. All delicious! \240$15 fed 4 people with drinks

Larry and Kathleen

Goodnight Hoi An!

Top floor where the restaurant is located. Basically 360 degree view—almost.

The lobby

Night view

Joy getting a $3 manicure and a $6 foot massage. Life is hard!

The bridge to old Hoi An

Bicycles

And motorbikes— note the cloth face coverings for the baby and mom. Elastic loops on both sides slip over the ears

Hang on baby!

A load of straw

Pondering life — or just waiting

The ocean

River. Assuming low water level in dry season with big sand bars on both sides

Dry winter rice fields

Looks like a reservoir up in the hills: no roads, no houses, no boats

Big bridge over the river

River nearer the city

Love those lychees!

A beach with nobody but us on it!

Views from our 5 miles, 2 hour walk, (including break) in 85 degree heat out to the beach.

Drying rice— stirring it with her feet

Burning stalks and trash by the side of the road.

More street scenes

Just park you truck on the sidewalk if there is no parking allowed on the street

Time for some custom made clothes!

Super great Indian food with Larry and K in Hoi An

A lassi toast!

Til we meet again!

So here is a t

The cat—actually it is a mongoose.

The moo goose eats the raw coffee beans but can’t digest the bean. So I guess that he can digest maybe the hull.

So here is a tray of the washed beans that have been pooped out

Then the beans get roadted

Here’s the newest roaster

Have to keep stirring so they won’t burn

Another new roaster is hired

Then the beans are pounded

The ground coffee is sifted

And here is the coffee ready for use!

Now to taste the poo coffee called luk coffee

Well, actually not too bad!

Stole my water bottle