Long Life Hotel (Also Known As Thanh Xuan Hotel) Hoi An

Aaahhh! Terwijl Davy nog steeds op zoek is naar een boerka in een land met 80% Boeddhisten, ga ik lekker op zoek naar een laag uitgesneden jurkje in Hoi An. Een wel erg korte busrit volgens Vietnamese interpretatie (4 uur) brengt me naar de shopping 1, 2 en 55. Onvoorstelbaar! Alleen de 'Ming gah' wordt hier vertaald door 'Buy one more?' De buschauffeur had wel een sterk vermoeden dat we de hoteletjes aan de andere kant van het centrum niet zagen zitten, dus doet hij de eigenaar een plezier e...

This morning we woke up really late then caught a cab to some temple ruins in a nearby valley called My Son. The temples weren’t very impressive after seeing Angkor Wat, but they were still pretty cool. The surrounding mountain scenery was the main highlight. We explored the ruins for about two hours then headed back to town.

When we got back, Tom and I went to the tailor to try on our suits. The tailors did an amazing job! Tom’s suit looked exactly like the picture he had...

Today the three of us switched to a more centrally located hotel. Mark wandered off to walk around town while Tom and I went to a tailor to get some custom-made suits. Hoi An is famous for its tailors, the town has a population of only 120,000 but it has over 200 tailors. It is by far, the best place to get a suit in SE Asia. I wanted to get two business suits since I’m graduating in December. Tom on the other hand, already had plenty of suits but he wanted a “joke suit”. He...

Saturday in Hanoi, we are out early morning for a walk in the old district when I spot a barber shop, the woman hairdresser invites us in for a drink while she finishes the current client, we have a discussion in broken english and mime with the elderly mother who keeps offering us fruit and biscuits and drink. Now it is my turn, the hairdresser has limited english but her teenage daughter interprets for me. Very delicately and carefully she cuts my hair, then when she is finished I mime a mo...

We took the sleeper train to Danang, and are now staying in Hoi An, at the Thanh Xuan Hotel. A typhoon is threatening to strike any day now, but so far, the weather's quite pleasant. Danang appears to be quite a wealthy town, with plenty of expensive cognac and whiskey on display. Tourists don't seem to stay here though. Like us, they move on to Hoi An, a mere 30 minute drive away. We had a hard time finding a 4-wheel taxi to take us to Hoi An, so we had to call and ask the hotel to send a dr...

After a couple more days of fun in Nha Trang we have now been in Hoi An for a couple days and are heading out to Ha Noi tomorrow morning. The end of Nha Trang was quite a gong show. We went on A boat Cruise on our second last day and spent the entire day island hopping, floating around in inner tubes with drinks in hand. There was even a floating bar at one point where one of the guys from the boat set up shop with crate of red wine, so you could float about and just head over for a re-fill. ...

The process of choosing a hotel for Sonia's birthday was extended and elaborate as she carefully read up on all of the luxury resorts in the area. After much deliberation she chose the most expensive - Hoi An Life Resort and arrived with our backpacks on the back of mopeds from our $10/night hotel. For all her bravado about enjoying the whole backpacker thing, Sonia appeared remarkably at home in this alien world of luxury and pampering..... We stayed there for three fantastic days and it too...

After sending ********** to Saigon (she had a short vacation), Chris, Art, and I took the overnight sleeper bus to Hoi An, fabled for its relaxed atmosphere, scrumptious food, excellent tailoring, the fact that it is one of the few places untouched by the French and American Wars, as well as for being a consensus (travelers) favorite destination. We spent 5 days here, mostly due to Chris and I choosing to get hand made, custom fit suits, which meant multiple re-fittings spread out over our ti...

I've finally discovered my favorite town in Vietnam - Hoi An! Arrived in Hoi An after a quick 50 min. flight from Nha Trang. Surprisingly, there were no surprises on Vietnam Airlines this time - or maybe it's just that the surprises are not longer surprises...

Checked into The Long Life Hotel. After haggling with the reception a bit, I finally got the room I booked. Hotels here don't consider customer satisfaction a very high priority - I've had to let a lot go (complaints and such) b...