Blogs from Hoi An, South Central Coast, Vietnam, Asia
May 26th 2012
After leaving Hanoi Claire and I decided to get a flight to Hoi An to save ourselves a 20 hour bus journey.. We checked into a nice little hotel that had a small swimming pool and included breakfast, all for about 7 quid a night (this is why i love SE Asia!) On our first day in Hoi An we decided to check out all the tailoring shops as this is what Hoi An is famous for! You can get any clothes or shoes made for you after one fitting. Claire not being on a budget like me was in heaven and got herself 3 gorgeous dresses and a pair of wedges, but I still treated myself to one dress which luckily we got a good deal on.. Hoi An is such a cute little town, ... read more
May 22nd 2012
Suprisingly I awake on the nightbus feeling a lot better after an unexpectedly good night sleep. We arrive in Hoi An around 8am so I make a beeline straight for a little guesthouse in the ancient town called Thahn Duoy, where Steve & Nat are already staying and had earlier kindly facebooked me to recommend it. Accomodation is a little more expensive here but I don't mind as the town is beautiful! Old faded French villas line the quiet pedestrianised streets, just the occasional old lady in a conical hat will cycle past - it's so nice not have to dodge traffic and listen to the constant honking of horns. I take a walk around the pituresque town known for it's many tailors & dressmakers. They are literally everywhere, one after another after another, at least ... read more
May 19th 2012
We spent a few days in Nha Trang. Lovely beach so we spent a lot of time chillig on the beach and hanging out with some lovely ladies that we met (they know who they are). Drank at the why not bar one night and had a good dance. Nha Trang is a strange place as locals try and start fights so they can steal stuff off of you. I did not experience it myself but I met a few people that had. Apart from that, it is a beautiful place. Leanne and I then got the over night bus to Hoi An. The buses are strange. Loads of little beds fitted into the bus, reminds me of a harry potter night bus. I dont think i slept at all. We headed to a hotel and ... read more
Clothes, ruins, and sea storms and all in one location
Published: April 23rd 2012Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Hoi An
April 23rd 2012
If you were looking for a Western feel in the middle of such an Eastern country as Vietnam, I think Hoi An might be the place. Maybe it's the mansions, now faded mustard yellow with dirt caked within the stone work that speak of an old colonial presence, or the latern-lit bridges that span the river creating a reflection of mulitcolored firefly lights, or the hundreds of tailor shops lining the streets displaying everything from wedding dresses to pin-striped suits that make it seem like you're not so far from home. The city is calmer than Saigon but with more beat than Da Lat and wandering the streets can be a joy and a challenge as motorbike and bicycle taxis both compete with the cries from seamstresses enticing you into their store and to magic the ... read more
April 21st 2012
International volunteering can be lots of fun and also one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of your lifetime, but it's also a little more complicated than just showing up and having a good time. Here is some advice on how to make the most of your volunteer work and an opportunity to do a little self reflection before you commit to an international volunteer assignment to make sure that you are really up for all that it may entail.. For an international volunteering placement to be successful you need to be able to selflessly immerse yourself in a completely new environment that usually brings with it many challenges. International volunteering is not for everyone. Great volunteers need to be generalists, by this I mean that they are happy to hop in and help when ... read more
April 12th 2012
We had been warned not to have a heavy lunch so, after picking up my swanky boots, I found myself a funky restaurant with great art-work of the 'down with capitalism, big brother is watching you' variety and did as I was told and ordered myself a cheese cake and a banana lassi for my light lunch :P We picked up the bikes from the hotel then set off on the slowest cycle ride I've ever been on. We were being led by a motorbike guy (as one of our group didn't feel confident cycling and so was on the bike with him). Despite the annoyingly slow speed and much breaking to avoid crashing into the person in front, we got to see some great stuff. After pootling along the banks of the river for a ... read more
April 12th 2012
Lottie would like to introduce you to her custom made, one of a kind in the whole wide world, no-one else has any like this, fit her feet perfectly, swanky boots!... read more
April 11th 2012
The next morning we set off on a walking tour of some of the historical sites on Hoi An with our guide Phat. It was absolutely sweltering and we were soon dripping. It felt like we were literally melting in the heat. First we visited the Fujian Chinese Assembly Hall, which the sign outside had down as Phuc Kien (Fukien) Assembly Hall in the Vietnamese version! I'll post a photo to prove it! This building, built in 1857, was really elaborate with lots of intricate wooden carving all over the facades and highly decorated with bright colours. The gateway had 3 doors, the largest middle one only used for official vists. Two dragons guarded it from outside. There were paintings inside depicting the journey taken to Hoi An from China with Thien Hau, the goddess of ... read more
April 11th 2012
We couldn't come to Vietnam without trying a cooking school experience and Phat had found us a great lady to teach us. Very funny. In fact she said at the start, 'If you don't laugh, you don't pay!' We all got nick names as the lessons went on. Gino became 'hot boy', I was 'veggie lady', Iain was first 'strong boy' which he preferred to 'chicken boy' which he later became! Others were 'onion sprinkles lady', 'romantic boy' etc. She was very entertaining. She would have us standing up chopping and dicing then say, 'Good bye lemon grass, hello spring onion!' Lots of song references and singing and of course all accomanied by wonderful smells. We learnt how to make spring rolls, spicey soup, a beautiful aubergene dish, a wonderfully flavoured and crunchy papaya salad (my ... read more
