Hoi An . . . in the top three

Hi Everyone,

This lovely town on the coast of Vietnam (and about a 45-minute drive south of Da Nang) is a shopper's paradise. Yes, a shopper's paradise. "Isn't practically all of SE Asia a shopper's paradise?" you ask.

Well, yes it is! For most travelers. Though there is so much more to do than just shop.

But this particular town is known for its vast collection of tailors. Yes, tailors. People from all over the world were having custom clothing made: suits, dresses, skirts, shoes, etc. (Yes, even shoes!)

But for moi, I just didn't feel like having anything custom-made. I'm nearly at the end of my 5-month journey in SE Asia, and I have plenty of souvenirs already. And I have plenty of clothing.

Also, I think that's an activity that would be more fun to do with a friend (yes, Mom, I agree with you on this one : ).

So what did I do?

I walked around the quaint town in the evening. (It became much more interesting when the sun began to set.)

It was pouring and pouring on my first full-day there; so I hung out in my comfy room and got caught up on things. AND I swam in that fabulous pool. Fortunately, it wasn't thundering and lightning (like it is now in Bangkok where I'm currently sitting and typing).

When I got hungry, I walked a short distance and found a cozy restaurant with a nice mix of decor (honestly, it felt more European than Asian) where I broke my no-chicken eating and had Pho with da kine (noodle soup). It was the perfect dish for a cool, wet day.

And the second day? The sun was shinning, so I rented a bike and found the beach (and even got a little sun burned on my shoulders : ).

For enjoying Hoi An as much as I did, I took very few pictures (another sign that this leg of my journey is winding down).

So, without further ado . . .

Enjoy!

These are some of the most unusual boats I've ever seen! They reminded me of big rice cups. And yes, I helped carry the second one up the beach.

What's that for ???

Right in town was a rice paddy.

A sample of the clothing that one can have made in Hoi An.

And oh, I forgot to mention, I just happened to be in Hoi An on the one day of the month when they hang lanterns everywhere (and coincidentally, the last night of my solo journey before joining my friend in Bangkok) in honor of the full moon which appears the following night. I left my room a little before sunset to walk around town. Along the way, I saw vendor after vendor setting up a personal altar in front of their shop. Soon, women were selling small lanterns to the tourists, as well as cooking potato, banana, coconut things. (I  tried part of one; it was okay, a bit bland.)

When the activity seemed to be at its peak, I parked myself at a table for one, ordered fried noodles and veggies and a glass of the local merlotish red wine, and enjoyed the show! "Perfect!" I thought as I sat and sipped . . . "Perfect. Thank you Hoi An. Thank you . . ."

-sj

Hue, Vietnam, pronounced like curds and . . .

From Ha Noi I flew to Hue. It's a small town a bit north of Danang (which was an important in the Vietnam, or American, war).

Stayed there 2-nights, and this is what I saw/did . . .

Taken from a boat.

This boat. The lady came running beside me, "Come on boat; come on boat. Only . . ."(about $5) But I'm hungry and am going to eat. "I can cook for you." For the same price? "Yes." Talk about feeling like a cheap American! But you (I) never know what's a fair price for them and what's a rip-off for a tourist (me). I hopped on the boat; they immediately drove the boat to the other shore (so that she could go to the market for food.)

Their son.

The grinds. Noodles with morning glory (greens). And an omelette with onion. Not too bad. I was hungry.

The next morning I rented a bike and took off to find a place for breakfast. But first, I was led down an alleyway to where I found a "locals only" café. On the river. With HBO on the muted television and jazz on the sound system. "Nice," I thought. I had a deep rich coffee with thick condensed milk (for a fraction of what it was in the restaurants for westerners). And, I had conversation. Lots of it. With these two girls. When I could tell that they were dying to speak English with me, I invited them to join me at the table. Occasionally they had to hop up to work, but soon they'd plop back down for a bit more of this and that. Who are they? They're both 21-year old university students studying agriculture. We exchanged emails . . .

And after breakfast it was time to head off and find the pagoda which was about 3 km away from the town's main attraction: a citadel.

But first, a stop at the local grocery store.

Talk about a large selection of rice cookers!

You can read about this car . . .

"Why in the heck did you take a picture of this toilet, SJ? And why include it in your glob?" Notice the shoe prints? Yes, someone stood on it and then used it . . . There are stand-on types of toilets in SE Asia that are raised to about the same height as our sit-on® type . . . reckon the last user preferred to stand. Much more sanitary, don't you think?

The monks don't appear to wear saffron robes in Vietnam. They were moving stacks of wood from the back of the truck onto the other side of the fence.

This looks a lot like the boat I took a ride on the afternoon before.

School kids' bikes.

Having a PE class of some type. "HI!!!" they were waving.

And now to the main attraction in the town of Hue.

It felt a bit like an Angkorwatwannabe.

The costume storage room.

Hey, what's he doing here?

Back to the lovely hotel room to find the next place to rest my head (was looking for a place in Hoi An with a pool . . . my budget? $30 and below, found one for exactly $30). How much did the room in Hue cost? $15. That's with air con, a TV, and a private balcony. The one I'd originally booked was $12; I figured it was worth 6 bucks extra to have a lanai for 2-nights. : )

Oh, what a wonderful dinner it was! I'd read about this restaurant in my Lonely Planet guide book, and then I just happened to pass it . . . and when I was hungry and looking for a restaurant!

The restaurant staff was watching Vietnam Idol.

Time to leave some more things behind. First, my skirt (the one I was wearing when I was riding the elephant, I just couldn't stand to wear it one moment longer). It's somewhere in Laos. Second, my purple purse. It's somewhere in Northern Vietnam. Remember? I gave it to the little girl I bought my new purse from. Next, these two shirts. May they continue to have exciting journeys as they venture forth into their brave new world. (Yes, I agree, rather dramatic for a couple of well worn shirts!)

We were the first picked up for the four hour and four dollar bus ride to Hoi An. We chose the front seat, plenty of room to keep all my bags with me. "Brave to ride up there!" an Irish woman who's lived in Australia for 10-years said to me. "Why?" I asked. "You've seen how they drive here!" "But it's not as bad as in Cambodia," her husband added. And I agreed, the bus driving was a bit (a bit) more mellow that what I'd experienced in Cambodia.

Leftovers. Made a perfect breakfast!

Stopping for road work.

We had a 30-minute break mid-way.

Happy Feet. Happy Bat Angel. Its first time on the beach!

It was a lovely 2-nights in Hue. Next came another of my favorite SE Asia towns . . .

Catch you soon on SJ's bat angel channel.

aloha,

-sj

Hanoi at a quick glance

I only stayed one night in Hanoi . . . it warrants a longer visit.

Another time!

I found a nice hotel room with a little balcony overlooking the street.

The view.

The church. Locked up for now.

I just liked how that moto was rigged.

Found one Larry! But I was too full to have a taste.

He's got the whole world in his hands.

Leading to the Jade Island (on the northern end of the lake).

A common site in SE Asia (outside temples and at private altars).

Thinking of you, Teri!

Not sure what those ball things were.

Went to the 5 p.m. show after arriving at 4:15 ! Thanks for the tip, Jane.

Didn't buy one . . .

So many Vietnamese children are eager to practice their English.

A touch of Hawaii.

And that's all of Hanoi.

It's an amazingly vibrant (i.e. busy) city.

I arrived there first on the 29th of September, just in time to share a minivan from the airport into the old city with 9 other travelers (and meet the connection for the night train to Sapa). 

Next, I arrived early one morning by train. How early? Around 4:45 a.m.! Yep, that's early! The nice and quiet German family (with whom I shared the compartment) didn't disturb me in my sleep. When I got up and looked outside (as they quietly whispered and took their time collecting their things), I saw that practically everyone had left the train! I grabbed my two backpacks and handbag and made like a banana. Rather than a taxi, I decided to take a moto (scooter) to the street where I was to be at 8 a.m. for the trip to Ha Long Bay. Almost nothing was open! But thank goodness it was only almost; I spied a hostel on the same narrow road in the old city that looked open. As I was giving my *20,000 Vietnamese Dong (yes, Dan, you read that right) to the driver, I heard a voice call out, “So you decided to take a moto!?!” It was the husband of the nice Israeli couple I had shared the train compartment with on the way to Sapa, and with whom I had hiked one of the two days.

“What are you guys doing here?”

“We're checking in to this hotel.” (There was a nice hotel adjacent to the hostel.)

Cool! After I stowed my bags with their luggage, we three took off on a short walk to the lake; together we eyed the many people exercising--even saw a group doing laugh yoga! They lingered, and I headed on to my rendezvous for Ha Long Bay.

***

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