Our dream is to travel

First things first. We didn't actually climb any mountains. There were steps. And an elevator, but that's like admitting defeat before we get started, so let's not speak of it again! (Except that it costs 15.000 VND each way). If you decide to walk the steps to save money, you can forget that notion if you are travelling in July. You'll need twice that money just to keep you hydrated on the way up. But we're definitely down with any other reason. There are several "mountains" in the area (calling them mountains might paint a picture of something enormous, which they aren't). There are five in total, named after natural elements. Water, wood, fire, metal, and earth. The water mountain (Thuy Son) is the one that is set up for visitors, and a ticket here costs 40.000 VND. It consists of several nice caves, some very easily accessible, and some where you actually have to climb and almost squeeze through small openings with bats hanging in t...

Hello! Or xin chào as the locals would say. Welcome to Hoi An, Vietnam. This is the first part of a larger story about travels to Hoi An. The first time you come out of an airport in southeast Asia from Europe (or by our best guess, any place stamped as western ), there is going to be a reaction. It's inevitable. Everything is just too different not to spark some  kind of mental feedback. Some will probably feed upon it and go "wow!", while others might tell themselves (without admitting it of course) "what have I done?" For those in the first category, well you will do fine on your own. For those that think they might fall into the second category: Relax, you're going to migrate into the first category sooner or later. We hope that with this honest travel story, that if you land in Da Nang International Airport, it will be sooner rather than later. And for the "wow" crowd: Who knows, you might find this interesting as well. A little discl...