To Hoi An via Tu Hieu Pagoda by Arushi

This morning we enjoyed a large array of food at the breakfast buffet, featuring crepes, fruits and even croissants and pain au chocolats! Then we were picked up at 8.30 to begin our journey.

On the way to Hoi An, we stopped at the peaceful Tu Hieu pagoda (merciful, dutiful and loyal pagoda), which is tucked in Pine Tree Hill. The name is inspired by the story of Nhat Dinh’s devotion to his mother, a monk who followed doctors orders to care for his sick mother, preparing meat and fish for her, even though other monks initially judged him.

This pagoda was so serene and calm, accompanied by picturesque landscaping and silent monks. We walked around, observing the quiet life here and even caught part of a ceremony. Then, we visited the tombs of the monks as well as eunuchs before continuing our journey to Hoi An.

We drove on the Hai Van Pass, admiring the spectacular views of the blue water and white sandy beaches as we sped past.

When we arrived in Hoi An, we had a quick tour of the local market, which consisted of lots of sleeping sellers, plastic toys and bizarre smelly which were probably an accumulation of all the various odours from the butchers section.

When we arrived at our hotel, we were ravenous, so we quickly dumped our stuff before heading out to a local Banh Mi restaurant… in the pouring rain. The food was 100% worth the drizzle, which in the end wasn’t too bad (years of British weather has trained us well), and we returned back to the hotel happy, and went for a dip in the pool.

We finished the day eating tasty food by the river, excited for tomorrow!Read more