Ancient Hoi An

I think Hoi An is ideally placed right in the middle of Vietnam to give you some semblance of peace from the motorbikes. I know I've said I like the chaotic nature of traffic in Vietnam, and I really do, but it's just constant. The old town of Hoi An is closed to motorbikes, and I can fully attest to the old saying, Silence is Bliss. Just to have a break from the constant honking and puttering of motorbike engines, it's nice. Of course it's replaced by aggressive restaurant touts and shop owners, but that I can deal with.

Hoi An has been a port city for more than 2,000 years and was once the most important port in Southeast Asia if not all of Asia. The architecture in the old town appears to be heavily influenced by the Chinese, who once controlled the port. The city was most spared of bombing during the Vietnam War and is therefore fairly well preserved and quite beautiful. Unfortunately I think we are about 15 years too late, as it has most certainly been discovered and the place is crawling with tourists. Every shop in town has been converted into a souvenir shop, tourist restaurant, or, to Steph's delight, a tailor's shop. More on that later. Despite this, the charm of the old town is still there and it makes for a lovely spot, crowds and all.

Outdoor dining by the river

They love lanterns here, and hope the tourists do too

Hoi An had the best banh mi places in Vietnam

Mostly we took it easy during our 4 days in Hoi An. We took a cooking class, which I'll cover in it's own post, used our hotel's bikes to visit town and get to the beach, hung out at the hotel pool, and Steph had a dress made. Hard to believe, I know. I actually had to talk her down from getting two or three, and she settled on one "little black dress" which she assures me will get much use in the future. She was pretty hesitant about the process, being unsure what it would be like, where she should go, what she should have made, and how much she should pay. With a recommendation from a nice lady we met while out cycling one day, we went to Kimmy Tailors, sat down to look at all the options, picked out a design along with fabric, and negotiated a price. It wasn't so hard in the end. Steph had to come back to the shop 3 times for fittings and in the end came out with a lovely little dress that she is happy with and looks beautiful in. Job well done.

Our last day in Hoi An we decided to rent motorbikes (big scooters) and tour around the countryside a bit. We had been hanging out with a girl at our hotel from Switzerland, Susie, so she came with us. For about $6 each, helmets in hand, and no paperwork to sign or deposits to be made, we headed off on a little tour. I gotta say, the freedom of zipping around the country on our motorbikes felt pretty good, even if Steph wouldn't let us "zip" too fast. We made our way out to the beach, but moved up the beach away from the touristy areas, ending up at a remote beach with hardly a soul in sight. After a brief swim, which was shortened by the spotting of a large jellyfish, we found a little restaurant to sit and have cokes and ice coffees and soak in the view. Life is good. From there we zig zagged around the countryside, through rice paddies and past water buffaloes. There is just something about the rice fields that is so peaceful and beautiful. I don't know what it is.

Actually the hiring of motorbikes was a bit strategic - we had decided to travel to our next town, Hue, by motorbike! Let's just say it was an adventure. After the cooking class.