Hoi An

Trip Start Jul 07, 2008
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Trip End Oct 01, 2008


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Flag of Vietnam  ,
Sunday, August 17, 2008

A nice busy little town.  Formerly an important trading port in Vietnam it now relies heavily on tourism.  This is very evident in the number of clothes, handicraft, tour shops and restaurants.  We have spent our mornings doing sightseeing of the old houses, temples, assembly halls and museums in the town as well as the "Japanese" covered bridge and our afternoons at the nearby beach, Cau Dai, a beautiful white sand beach with clear water.

We also did a sunrise trip to My Son, ruins of a 5th to 13th century temple complex, it was beautiful and nice to experience without loads of tourists clambering all over it.

There is also a great market here which is bustling with locals and tourists alike selling everything from live chickens very dead snakes in jars as well as the usual fruits, vegetables, clothes and souvenirs Downpour
Downpour
 .  Just next to the market is a small collection of food stalls cooking local specialties like Cau Lao (noodles).  We were having dinner here when we got caught in a 20 minute torential downpour which was pretty spectacular.  As you'd expect, while we were busy taking photos the locals took it all in their stride, covering their portable stoves in plastic sheets and hurriedly erecting umbrellas, just to ensure that when the rain stopped it was back to business as ususal with a minimum of fuss.  Just as well for us as we'd ordered fried pancakes with shimp.  YUM!

On our way to the airport we stopped off at Marble Mountain which is a series of caves, grottoes and temples built into a rocky outcrop giving beautiful views of the coast, Hoi An and Danang.  Even though it was 7am we were sweating from the heat after scaling the steps carved into the hillside to get up to the temples.
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