Banana-rama and other scenes around Hoi An

We’re back in Vientiane, but I realized I had written a couple posts and never actually posted them! So here are some parting shots of Hoi An…

Walking around Hoi An the other day, we saw this poor guy, who had to jump off his banana bike and pull it up a hill.

Carol and I strolled through town, popping in to art galleries and other cultural sites.

Orchids and scorch marks from the incense that burns as an offering at every home and shop.

This is a detail from the “Old House of Quan Thang,” built by a Chinese sea captain in the 18th century.

Cool roof.

The riverfront road.

This lady took us for a short boat ride on the Thu Bon River.

A Hoi An snack vendor.

We all went out for a fancy dinner at Mango Rooms, where Nikki and I sucked down a carafe of delicious mango sangria. Everyone knows friends don’t let friends shop drunk, but it sure was funny.

Nikki starts a hot new fashion craze – lantern earrings.

Carol plays the traditional “Folk Game of Breaking Pot.”

It was dark, so the video’s not great.

We had planned to eat at Casa Verde, which Carol and I had spotted earlier in the week on the river road. But we could never find it again despite walking up and down that road at least 38 times! After Nikki and Carol returned to Laos, Tony and I found it. And ate there. And loved it!

We saw these birdcages a lot because they hang on a balcony directly across from the Cargo Club restaurant, where we sat nearly every day. Amazing coffee, sandwiches and desserts!