On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Good Morning All,
This weekday feature is for Juicers who are are on the road, traveling, or just want to share a little bit of their world via stories and pictures. So many of us rise each morning, eager for something beautiful, inspiring, amazing, subtle, of note, and our community delivers – a view into their world, whether they’re far away or close to home – pictures with a story, with context, with meaning, sometimes just beauty. By concentrating travel updates and tips here, it’s easier for all of us to keep up or find them later.
So please, speak up and share some of your adventures and travel news here, and submit your pictures using our speedy, secure form. You can submit up to 7 pictures at a time, with an overall description and one for each picture.
You can, of course, send an email with pictures if the form gives you trouble, or if you are trying to submit something special, like a zipped archive or a movie. If your pictures are already hosted online, then please email the links with your descriptions.
For each picture, it’s best to provide your commenter screenname, description, where it was taken, and date. It’s tough to keep everyone’s email address and screenname straight, so don’t assume that I remember it “from last time”. More and more, the first photo before the fold will be from a commenter, so making it easy to locate the screenname when I’ve found a compelling photo is crucial.
Have a wonderful day, and enjoy the pictures!
Today, pictures from valued commenter Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes.
This set of photos was taken in the vicinity of Hoi An, south of Da Nang and Hue. Hoi An is an old city situated on a river a few miles from the sea. It is known as a city of lanterns, and is loaded with bars and restaurants. At night, the place is magic as the lanterns are lit and boat tours are done. It is very walkable, and there is also a great street market.
River and Connecting Canal
Taken on 2018-01-10
Hoi An, Vietnam
This was the morning view from our room
3 in 1 Coffee Packet
Taken on 2018-01-10
Hoi An, Vietnam
The Vietnamese love their sweetened coffee (as is demonstrated by cà phê sữa đá). In the hotel rooms we stayed in, they didn’t have dedicated coffee makers in rooms – they had water boilers and packets of instant coffee. This product was fairly common – it had sugar and some powdered milk included, and was much better than expected. What I loved about it was the imagery on the packet – clearly if you drink it, you get a nice suit, a beautiful woman and a helicopter (either that, or you help the company honcho get a beautiful woman and a helicopter).
Seems so Communist, LOL.
Lanterns from a Cyclo
Taken on 2018-01-10
Hoi An, Vietnam
These were hanging everywhere
People Really Wear Them
Taken on 2018-01-10
Hoi An, Vietnam
The hats were very prevalent outside major cities. They are apparently very functional, as my experience with one later on in Laos will attest.
Japanese Bridge
Taken on 2018-01-10
Hoi An, Vietnam
This is a centuries old bridge. Flooding in the area is common during the rainy season, and the water very nearly reaches the rafters.
Sculpture in a Chinese Temple
Taken on 2018-01-10
Hoi An, Vietnam
This is a sculpture in an animist temple dedicated to a goddess of the sea.
One of Many Shrines
Taken on 2018-01-10
Hoi An, Vietnam
There were multiple shrines inside
Thank you so much Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes, do send us more when you can.
Travel safely everybody, and do share some stories in the comments, even if you’re joining the conversation late. Many folks confide that they go back and read old threads, one reason these are available on the Quick Links menu.
One again, to submit pictures: Use the Form or Send an Email
?BillinGlendaleCA
I’m getting a crick in my neck with the 3rd and 4th pics.
raven
@?BillinGlendaleCA: It’s not a crick it’s a pond!
Betty Cracker
My uncle was in Vietnam in 1968 or so (draftee, not tourist) and brought one of those hats back as a souvenir. It was part of the decor in my grandparents’ house for decades. I always wondered if the hats were like wooden shoes from the Netherlands, i.e., more of a symbol than something people actually wear. Now I know! Great photos — thanks!
Steve in the ATL
@?BillinGlendaleCA: lol
@raven: lol
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Betty Cracker:
Those hats are really functional – great sunshade, and they are seated via a woven crown, so they vent really well.
Amir Khalid
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
In my part of south-east Asia we have dish-covers of very similar shape, which are sometimes sold as souvenirs to tourists — who then wear the things on their heads.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Amir Khalid:
That’s awesome?.
Waratah
Terrific photos Le Comte.
MomSense
All wonderful, but I especially like the statue to the goddess of the sea. Animist art is so beautiful.
eclare
Great photos!
Waratah
For some reason balloon juice does not remember me so I am trying again. This is a test.
My cookies are not turned off so I do not know what the problem is.
Tenar Arha
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I learned to love drinking coffee however locals preferred it when I lived in France, mostly because it always tasted better somehow.
But I still fondly remember drinking the Greek version of iced coffee (also made with Nescafé) during the two and a half weeks I spent wandering around the Peloponnesus while visiting all the ruins, the beach, and Athens one summer. Sounds like the Vietnamese version would be delicious with or without helicopters and evening wear.
J R in WV
Thank you so much Le Comte, wonderful pics, although a couple seem about 90 degrees off…heh.
Keep up the good work!! We’re getting close to our big bucket list trip this year, at least the first one. I’ll keep you all posted!!
Billin, we’ll be in LA on the end of the trip for some urban decompression!! We’re flying through LA to Baja California on March 1 back on the 10th.
Origuy
I live in a part of San Jose that has a lot of Vietnamese people. I see the conical hats every once in a while, mostly on older people. I think you can buy them in Little Saigon.