Love at first sight
Trip Start
Feb 01, 2004
1
33
44
Trip End
Jun 01, 2004
Hoi An,
Vietnam
Sunday, April 18, 2004
Hoi An is an ancient town of narrow streets, ornate assembly halls and (thank Buddha) karaoke-free cafes. One of its symbols is a pink Japanese covered bridge built by traders in the early 17th century. In fact, the whole place looks much like it would have 200 years ago. The assembly halls were built by the Chinese merchants who first arrived centuries ago and would form congregations according to native place. So each hall is unique and is still used for meeting peers, worshipping gods and honouring ancestors
hoian1
.Of course, Hoi An is also famous for about 200 tailor shops where you can have clothes made of virtually any material and in any style, to specs, in about 24 hours. Sorry to say we cannot get into this, although most everyone thinks we are nuts for not having stuff made.
There are many old homes, with wooden beams and Chinese lanterns everywhere. The hotels are awesome and a great room, with air, satellite TV, hot water, and all the amenities can be found for about $10.00 US. The markets are fabulous and the riverside is very beautiful. This morning, we had a boat ride for about an hour down the river. It cost about $1 US dollar and we were paddled down river by a little man who had lost one leg and injured the other...while fishing in 1972 he was bombed by the Americans. This sure makes us think about the history of this place!
Soon we will head to the coastal beaches of Nha Trang and Mui Ne and we are looking forward to a bit of a "vacation" from our "vacation."
