Emma Edge - Travel With Edge

V I E T N A M
Part 2
Hoi An

Hoi An certainly has shown the biggest change in the past 20 years.

The UNESCO listed Hoi An Ancient Town is as beautiful as ever, with its old-world architecture, cobbled streets, and distinctive yellow shop fronts festooned with colorful lanterns, it’s no wonder Hoi An’s considered one of the most beautiful places in all of Vietnam.

First things first, food. I met our guide at White Rose Restaurant. White Rose, is a dumpling with translucent skin filled with shrimp and pork. Why is it called White Rose, you might wonder? That is because the white skin wrapped around the filling made the dumpling look like a rose, or so the French thought. These dumplings are sold throughout many restaurants in Hoi An, but it was nice to sample in the home whilst the ladies made them fresh next to us.

We moved onto the Banh Mi Cafe made famous by one Mr Bourdain, he claimed it to be the best he ever ate. They sell over 4000 every day. Nuts. Yeah, it was good, but didn't blow my hair back, my ladies at Top One French Hot Bread on Moorabool St probably do better.

A few more stops for the usual fare, plus beer, then a short boat ride on the river, followed by some Vietnamese Bingo, by now the small group were very comfortable with each other, so much dancing and cheering took place when someone got their 'number' called.

Next day was an early start and on my bike borrowed from the hotel to get to Heaven & Earth Bicycle Tours to get on our bikes for a ride through the countryside. I was not sure what to expect (no, I didn't read the blurb, a travel agent arranging their own holiday is like a builder building their own house, last minute..). We stopped to make rice noodles, husk rice, weave mats and row out own basket boats, I even got a licence. It was certainly a long day and quite a slow pace for this Fangio, but this makes it easily accessible for more people to experience. Highly recommend.

Next day was a bit of a rest day, to catch up on work. Mid afternoon, back on the borrowed bike to hoon into town and take a wander. A few Happy Hour cocktails by the river were consumed and a quick message to Barry the Food Tour guide had me back on the bike to get to the other side of Hoi An to eat at the establishment that the locals go to for their seafood. I was craving some clams, Vietnamese style. I adore Portuguese style so wanted to try something different. These were more delicate, coated in lemongrass. Barry also wrote a few other things for me to order in Vietnamese, turned out to be some shrimp in a kind of curry sauce and noodles with octopus. Delightful..

All in all Hoi An is always worth adding to your itinerary, at least 3 nights is enough, more if you want to see more sights, sounds and shows, or head to My Son or Ba Na Hills.

Next stop D**g Hoi...

What will your plans be for travel next year?

Travel bookings are starting to ramp up for 2025. Europe is already looking as popular as it was this year, with France, Spain and Italy still being the top destinations for Australians to visit. Turkiye is also gaining popularity, as well as Portugal and Croatia. We are seeing only a slight drop in flight costs, so best to get in earlier rather than later for the better prices and choice of dates.

But what would you do Emma, I hear you ask?
My pick?
CYCLE TOURING
This is one of the biggest (and still growing) travel trends in Europe.

Riders pedal from village to village, often following rivers, staying in accommodation each night and with luggage moved to the next place while they ride with just their daily needs. What better way to really get a feel for a place with limited time, than do do it with the sound of the birds in your ears and the wind in your hair? Worried about pedal power? Do it via e-bike!

There are now well over 250 self-guided European cycle tours that can be booked as a package. You’ll get a hire bicycle, accommodation, luggage transfers, itinerary and maps. Contact me for guidance on who we can use and how.

To give just one example, EuroVelo is a network of 17 long-distance cycling routes across Europe. It is still under development and expanding. When complete, there will be 90,000km of EuroVelo routes.

Some starting points …

+ Between Venice and Amsterdam, following the River Danube through Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Look for Danube Bike Path.

+ The Loire River Valley — EuroVelo 6 route from Orleans to Nantes.

+ French countryside, Dieppe to Paris.

+ Pedal past the iconic thatched-houses of the idyllic Cotswolds villages

+ Cycle the great Scottish Coast to Coast fault line along the Great Glen Way

+ Ride the Chianti Classico wine routes of Tuscany, cycling Florence to Siena

+ Live like a Sicilian and stop off for authentic espresso and cannoli

+ Cycle along the coast of the Algarve, through charming towns and wild scenery.

If you are looking to plan your 2025 holiday, feel free to drop me an email or call.
[email protected]
0415977651
Bellarine Travel