Even though there are many flights and I love being in the air, it seemed wrong to fly the approx. 100km from Hue to Da Nang. I found a better way: using the private taxi (Live Long the King 🙂 ), and used that as a chance to see some significant essential stops on the way to Da Nang.
And damn, that was a good idea 🙂
Two spots I decided to see: The Hai Van Pass and Ba Na Hills.
In Hue, you might have to decide if you want to be in the city center, with bars, restaurants, and a Ballerman-ish party scene, including the noise and the big-city nuisances like dust and Smog, or if you want to live at the waterfront, 30 minutes away via cab. As Hanoi already had a lot of Smog, and I am not a party animal, I decided on the calm area at sea. The only drawback is that you must take a cab to the city center.
… I am just traveling for Food. Vietnamese Food was already one of my favorites at home, so I was not surprised to live the good life in Vietnam. The only thing I don’t get is their obsession with Coriander – the soapish green leaves… disgusting… Besides drinking a lot of coffee in Vietnam, I will show you my favorite dishes.
Leaving the dust from Hanoi, I decided to book a tour via GetYourGuide. It was a 3-day / 2-night tour, 1 night on a lodge in the middle of nowhere, and one night on a cruise ship at Halong Bay. And the itinerary got more exciting than I thought.
Besides Gin, Coffee is my favorite drink; luckily, I drink more Coffee than Gin. I encountered famous coffee countries like Colombia and Bolivia during my world trip. But Vietnam smashed it; I learned so many new types of coffee, so many new tastes, and so many new ways to serve it.
Surprisingly, all coffees, like a cappuccino, can be ordered hot or cold, even those you won’t imagine drinking cold.
It was a cultural shock to go from Chile to Japan, and I immediately got a second one from Japan to Vietnam. Vietnam has something special: remarkable nature, even more excellent food, a fantastic coffee culture, and very friendly and serving people. But for sure, there is no light without dark… but let’s start from the beginning.
The beginning and the end of my trip to Japan was Tokyo. A kind of city that is rare. It’s big and shiny, blinking everywhere, with craziness at every corner, but on the other hand, it’s full of religious shrines and temples and organized like a German bureaucracy.Â
Osaka was the most Western city. It is known as the “Nations Kitchen “of Japan. This is because it has historically been a significant city for trade and commerce and is home to a wide variety of delicious food. No wonder I took a food tour here again. I will explain the food I experienced in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto to keep all Japanese food together.
As the former capital of Japan, Kyoto is full of historical sites and UNESCO world heritages. I took the Shinkansen train from Tokyo, and after exactly 2 hours and 13 minutes, I arrived as scheduled in Kyoto.Â
Kyoto and its historical sites were definitely among my highlights in Japan.Â
Kyoto is famous for its old town, so walking around is strongly recommended. For all Starbucks lovers: It’s the first Starbucks in a traditional Japanese house called a machiya. But I also walked around and tested local sweets; it was worth it!
As the concept of having a hub worked out very well with Buenos Aires, I did it again with Santiago de Chile. Over four weeks, I was flying in and out. My trips from here have been to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Valparaiso, and Patagonia. As I was always returning to the same hotel, it was easy to leave my luggage there only to take what I needed.