Here now and now here or nowhere

The title of this blog comes from a play on words that "now here" is also the same letters as "nowhere" just with a space added in the middle. I am always trying to get better at being in the here and now, and I've always been a bit of a joker so that is why I chose this name.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Đồng Hới

After Vinh we moved on south to Dong Hoi to visit Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, UNESCO’s World Natural Heritage Site. (See next blog for more info on the park). We stayed a couple days in Dong Hoi but I really didn't take any pictures of the town as the main reason we were there was the park. The city is better than most of the northern big coastal cities, it's right on the water and has a lot of history. For me, I liked this town a lot as they had a very big and nice market and they also had delicious banh mi.

An interesting fact about the area, archaeological excavation in this area proved that human living in what is now Quảng Bình province in the Stone Age period. Many artifacts, such as ceramic vases, stone tools, and china, have been unearthed in Quang Binh

our first bowl of Bun Bo Hue (in Hue it's just called Bun Bo). It's sort of like pho, but Hue's version with bun noodles as well as usually ducks blood.

Close up. This one didn't have duck's blood but did have some good meatballs made from cha (a pressed meat)

A bakery around the corner from our hotel. Some pretty good banh mi going on here.

a banh mi seller in the local market. Her specialty, a fatty pork in sauce. The verdict: delicious.

I should have at least one non food picture, right? This Tam Toa Church, an old Catholic church built during the late 19th century. During the Vietnam War, the church was destroyed by American bombs in 1968. As part of the current communist government propaganda, it remains undisturbed as a war relic.


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