Nam's Aussie Aussie Bar!

We work in a bar now! Every night after closing the bar (between 1 and 4 am) we go for food together with all the bar staff, and sometimes Nam, the bar owner, also invites us out for diner before work, like here! Counterclockwise: Nam, our boss and owner of the bar, the 3 bartender boys and DJs Long, MJ (stands for Michael Jackson) and Cut (I don't know how to properly spell their names, but this is how they sound to me), Nam's cousin Ba Khia with wife Chao and their little son, and Nam and wife Hue's daughter Tung ("love").

Who needs an IKEA ball paradise if they've got Daddy's bar's pool table to play on?!

We've been working in Nam's Aussie Aussie Bar for 10 days now already, giving out flyers to other Westerners every night for 2 or maximum 3 hours, and we get free drinks, food and accomodation plus 10 Dollars (together) on top of that and a scooter we can use!

This is "our" house! Here we live now with Nam, Hue, Tung and Hue's parents. The second floor is completely empty - apart from a huge roomfilling house shrine! Must be save from evil ghosts here.

The view from the bridge over our "vegetable village" or Tra Que, our house is the second roof from the right!

Our "tooth brushing view" - directly behind those dunes is the beach!

We also share the house with two dogs (one is always licking your feet when you least expect it!), one small cat, lots of geckos and various chicken - this one is laying 2 eggs every day (this in INSIDE the kitchen, the green thing in front is the rice cooker...)...

... and this one is just looking after 9 little chicken!

Tung (3 years old) trying to convince herself to share here beloved crisps with us.

Grandma with my sunglasses!

Grandma and Grandpa with Tung and her cousin Wog (5 years).

"Our" beach Am Bang. It's still very windy, but every day the weather is getting nicer now and today we had about 30 degrees Celsius again.

Cua Dai Beach, 3 km down South.

I love Hoi An.

We fell in love with Hoi An - and stayed.



Have a wonderful meal (one dollar for most dishes, beautifully arranged and very delicious) in one of the little eateries along the river.

Hoi An specialties, clockwise, starting left bottom corner: "White rose" (steamed rice noodle flowers with encased shrimp), Banh Xeo (savory crispy pancake with shrimp and bean sprouts), Pho (Noodle Soup with chicken or beef), Spring Rolls, Cao Lau (thick noodles with greens, pork slices, rice paper croutons and a sweetish sauce) and Fried Wontons (middle) with tomatoes.

Fried Wontons (in one of the little river eateries).

Grilled eggplant and sauteed pumpkin with peanuts.

Fish grilled in banana leaf.

And yes, you can also eat these tiny clams - or order a "Baby Clam Salad".

Fresh greens are essential for the Vietnames cuisine.

Hoi An streets are full with Chinese Temples - for at least 1000 years Vietnam was occupied by China and in every Chinese district ever associated with Hoi An built their own "Assembly Hall" here - you can spend days marvelling at the different places, all full of stunning detail.


There are the most stunning dragon figures and huge incence spirals - be careful if you stand under them or your hair gets grey from the falling ashes.



Round doors aren't at all uncommon in Vietnam - I LOVE the hobbit feeling.









Wood carving is anther traditional profession in Hoi An.

One of the typical "ancient houses" in Hoi An - in carved miniature!

Incence sticks play an important role to sooth Buddha, various gods and goddesses and house ghosts alike and are burnt in homes, shops and important traffic spots, like on this boat ramp:

While it doesn't seem to matter in which container they are offered. House shrines usually offer fruit or tea and paper money to their idols, but you can also see shrines (i.e. in bars), that offer beer and cigarettes.

Vietnamese women protect themselves from the sun, as not to get tanned and keep as white a skin as possible - not only with a wide rimmed hats or caps and sunglasses, long sleeves and hoodies on the warmest day, but also with masks (first I thought they were only against air pollution), long fingered gloves and "camel"-socks (that you can wear in thongs/flip flops).

Hoi An doesn't enfold its greatest beauty before nightfall.





And at full moon there is a special magic around: Hoi An Legendary Night!
While the old town is always blocked for cars and at night only open for "walking and primitive vehicles" (bicycles), on every 14th night of the lunar calender (around full moon), bicycles and (open) electric light (street lanterns and neon light) are also banned and you wander around a magically transformed town of times centuries ago, with candles, silk lanterns, music and play.


Every shop puts out their shrines with sacrificial offerings, burning incence sticks...

... and little colourful papers for good luck and fortune.

Old men play their "Vietnames Chess", while traditional music wafts through the streets.



Children sell floating candles, that you can put in the river and make a wish, while it floats along the waters and disappers under the old majestic Japanese Bridge.