Final shots - last evening in Hoi An

Our World Challenge adventure has come to an end and the time in Hoi An has been spent exploring the UNESCO heritage listed old town, shopping and trying local specialties which include White Rose wontons, beef noodle soup that includes lemongrass and differs from the cinnamon flavour in Hanoi & the strong Vietnamese iced coffee.The students really enjoyed the night markets - bartering for the best deal and connecting with the locals.

Japanese Bridge

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For our last evening we had a bit more to spend in our budget and the task was to 'dress for dinner' Vietnamese style.  Here is the result

My So'n

Today we went to My So'n, an hour's bus ride west of our hotel in Hoi An. My So'n is a UNESCO world heritage listed site that has centuries old history.
Some buildings date back to the 4th century and are of Hindu origin.
The area originally contained 70 temples but unfortunately during the Vietnam War, many buildings were destroyed by bombing.
It was a very enjoyable experience and our group thoroughly enjoyed learning about the history and walking inside the temples.

Sapa Trek - Day 4

Today we set off for a 12 kilometre walk without our packs and missing a few members of the group who succumbed to the bug. The sun was shining and the ground had dried out a little.  This made for an enjoyable trek with beautiful scenery.

Our guide Sung My looked after us well. Her sense of humour and infectious laugh ensured we all had a good time.  She explained information about the local villages we passed through.

We met an old man along the way who stopped to look at us. We too found him an interesting sight!

When we arrived back at the homestay we felt tired. We had a traditional noodle soup for lunch. Sung My also made a delicious ginger and lemongrass tea with honey to help settle stomachs.

Sung My

We then set off together to Banh Ho for the last night of the trek.  It was hard going for the members of the group who felt unwell but their perseverance was acknowledged and they were helped along the way with frequent stops and rests.

Walking through the rice paddies was thrilling - we had to concentrate hard not to fall in!

By Sally & Catherine

Cultural Tour of Hue

19th Jan Cultural day
Today we visited the famous Hue Citadel, Pagoda and the King's tomb.

The entry to the Citadel

The group inside the Citadel

Inside the Forbidden City - part of the citadel.

The evidence of 1000 years of Chinese influence was all around us.

Around every turn there was another decorative arch.

Tu Thien Pagoda

                                                                         

The tomb of Tu Duc - King of Vietnam

Stone warriors and civil mandarins to look after the king.