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Hoi An is another UNESCO World Heritage site and is charming in a similar way to Luang Prabang, although a little (OK, maybe a LOT) pushier in its commercialism. The streets sound a little something like this: " You buy something? You look in my shop? Looking free! Good price! Motorbiiiiike? Want cold water? Coke? Not lucky today- no sales! You be lucky first customer! Motorbiiiiike? Madame, madame- Look! Cookies? Chips? New shoes? Beautiful dress, many fabrics! Where you from? When you come to Hoi An? How long you stay? Motorbiiiiike? Are you married? How old are you? Pretty lady, dress for you! Where you go? You go beach? Motorbiiiiike?
I really enjoyed my time there and ended up staying for 6 nights, partly out of lack of inertia and partly because I was reunited with my buddies from Halong Bay. Hoi An doesn't have a ton of 'sights,' but it has a smaller town charm, nearby Cham ruins at My Son (pronounced sort of like Mee Sone) and a decent beach just a short bike or taxi ride away. The main attraction, though, is definitely the custom tailor shops.
The streets of Hoi An are literally lined with tailor shops-- dresses, skirts, suits, ties, shoes, belts, you name it--all can be custom made quickly and cheaply. It is overwhelming to try to decide between stores. I suppose a lot of people use word of mouth and some look online and/or for guide book reviews. In the end I just let myself be led to a store by a pregnant lady trolling for customers on a bicycle and it worked out alright for me. I allowed myself to get one 'fancy' dress (planning to wear it to the Tammy's wedding rehearsal dinner) and one casual summer dress made, though I can see how easy it would be to get carried away in Hoi An. The whole process is pretty neat. All of the stores have samples that you can choose from and/or modify, but they also have catalogs and magazines that you can sort through or even just explain your vision to them. After you've picked the style, you choose the fabric you want. The ladies at the shops are crafty because they get you in there and won't discuss prices until after you've picked the style and fabric and
they've done all your measurements, so at that point you're already invested. Generally the clothes can be ready the next day (same day if you are in a hurry) and you go in for a fitting and they make adjustments as needed. I did all my picking on my own because I hadn't yet met anyone to go around with when I ordered my clothes. I immediately had buyer's remorse about the fabric on the fancy dress, but I think I just got temporary cold feet because after the dress was done all the girls approved it and I ended up liking it, too.
I met a really nice couple, Wendy and Rob, from California, at breakfast one morning and spent a couple days with them, both in town and biking out to the beach. We also discovered that we are on the same flight back to Thailand from Ho Chi Minh City on the 24th, so I will see them again soon! Also, as mentioned before, I reconnected with my buddies from Halong Bay- Lisa, Ray, and Peter, and some new friends of theirs, Mo and Claire, and actually ended up moving into their guest house with them,
which made it cheaper for me and much nicer. The people who ran my first guest house were quite nice, but I think I was paying $9/night and the window in my room opened onto a brick wall (see photo) and the room absolutely reeked of fresh paint. For half the price I got a pretty plush room with the others with great beds, A/C (a rare indulgence), and a even a small indoor pool.
Besides wandering around the streets and accompanying people to their fittings, I went on a day tour to see the ancient Cham ruins at My Son under the scorching heat of the sun. The ruins are pretty, but the tour was really not much of a tour at all. It was about five minutes of information from the 'guide' and then we were set loose to draw our own conclusions about the area. I met a nice English teacher from Ireland, though, and passed my time with him, and then was talking to another solo traveler, an Australian guy who was so familiar to me, but I just couldn't quite place him until after the fact when I realized I'd met him the first
night in Vang Vieng, Laos! A third traveler I met that day led me to the place to sign up for Red Bridge Cooking School when we got back to town, so I signed up for a half-day cooking class which ended up being great! The highlights for me were fresh spring rolls (we even made the rice paper ourselves!) and banh xeo, which is a thick rice pancake, colored with tumeric, that is supposed to have shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts, but the veg version was with mushrooms, tofu, and bean sprouts. The whole thing is wrapped up with fresh greens and herbs in a rice pancake and dipped in either fish sauce, soy sauce, or some other dipping sauces. DELICIOUS! (or deRicious, as Courtney would say). I have my packet of recipes, so I'll have to try them out on friends and family when I get back to the U.S.
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Cary
non-member comment
name of tailor?
your dress is beautiful! i want to get a formal dress made for a black tie wedding i am going to. what is the name of the tailor you went to? and how are the clothes holding up a year later?