Hoi An: The drums, they are driving me out of my mind!

---

So, Sunday started with a desire to get up and get on that was not equalled by our ability to do the same. The heat seems to be tiring us beyond what we would expect from a similar day’s activities in the UK. As such our good intentions slipped once more and before we knew what was going on it was nearly lunchtime! Lou hadn’t even ventured out for breakfast (although the beers the previous evening with our Aussie friend may have something to do with it) We also somehow got sucked into watching some truly awful films on the TV in the room, I’m afraid to say. I know its not what you come away for but, at the same time, if we aren’t able to indulge ourselves now and again, what is the point of a holiday?

We finally got ourselves together about 2ish and ventured into town to check out what hours the post office is open and to get some clothes (hopefully successfully adjusted) and actually look at some of the buildings that have been preserved by UNESCO World Heritage Status.

We ate a very tasty lunch at a restaurant called Streets Café, which seems to be akin to 15 by Jamie Oliver, in as much as it takes street kids and teaches them cooking, front of house etc. When they graduate they have skills which will allow them to earn a living in the hospitality industry. Gregg chose a Hoi An local dish with noodles pork and bean sprouts and Lou opted for a grilled vegetable Panini.

By the time our late lunch was concluded it was approaching 4pm, so we wandered to collect Gregg’s clothes (which should have been ready for some time by now). On arrival the clothes were indeed present, and the adjustments were completed to a good enough standard for Gregg. So one set of kit down one to collect. We then picked up a Hoi An Ancient Town ticket which allows the holder entry into 5 of the 18 preserved buildings in town that are open to the public. There are over 800 buildings that are preserved but not many are open to the public.

We consulted the guidebook for info on which are the best ones but they are all similar as far as the reviews are concerned. We headed into the nearest sight which was the Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation, which was certainly an interesting spectacle. The architecture was indeed fascinating, as was the aroma from the huge number of joss stick spirals hanging from the ceiling, as prayer dedications from people from all over the world from what we could tell.

We left our first sight and headed for our second which was both a museum and a temple. We had either spent too long in the first sight or this was unfortunately not in the same league as the previous one, as it under whelmed us both. By this point in the day it was starting to approach sundown so we headed back to the hotel to freshen up for the evening prior to heading out in an attempt to find Gregg’s football game.

On returning to the hostel, Gregg rinsed his new clothes and the red top leeched so much dye that he was very glad that he wasn’t sweating into it, as he may have looked like a yum yum berry when it was removed.

Heading out into the early evening wearing his LFC shirt and Lou wishing he wasn’t, we ventured to Lou’s clothing shop. After another fitting two garments were in good enough order to take away, whilst two needed further alterations still. From there we moved to the bar that we had spent the previous evening in in an attempt to watch the football. Unfortunately, along with quite a few others that had arrived for the same reason, we were disappointed as they weren’t showing it. Something to do with it not being available in Vietnam apparently, Gregg was not impressed, but what can you do?

We ordered dinner, and a few beers as it was happy hour (a slight misnomer given that it last from 6-9pm) and settled in for a while. After another decent dinner, Gregg having a Vietnamese take on beef curry and Lou having chicken burger, we sat and started to people watch.

This could have been a pleasant experience however we are currently in the midst of the mid-autumn festival here in Hoi An which basically involves all the kids in town getting together into groups of about 6-8 and wheeling a large drum around on a small trailer. They periodically stop outside shops bars etc and beat the drum whilst two of the group dance around in a dragon costume (one at the front one the back) the others either dance or come begging for money whilst wearing a mask. All in all its not that dissimilar from May Day in Padstow. This may sound fun, which it was the first time, but I do not exaggerate when I say there must be 30 or so groups roaming the streets of this town - which is not big. The minute one goes the next arrives, and the drum beats are really loud. So loud they drowned out the music in the bar!

Having been shooed out of the bar at least twice, one group even decided to climb up their long bamboo pole which was leant against the upstairs restaurant and go after money upstairs. All in all we were subjected to the drums for about 45 minutes with this one group alone! It was really off putting and most of the customers and staff were fed up with this long before they left.

Eventually they did leave and ,shortly after this, a guy approached to make some derogatory comments about Liverpool, (he is a ManUre fan) but in the process did say he new of a place that was showing the game. After he explained where the bar was to us, we finished up our drinks and headed off.

Whilst heading off, we were accosted by a couple from the UK who were also after the football and, despite him being a manc, we allowed them to tag along. We actually found the game on route to our planned destination but anywhere would do so in we went. The less said about the game the better, but the couple were nice and we enjoyed having a couple of beers with them.

The chef from the bar/restaurant seemed keen to drum up some business and showed us the size of the king prawns that they serve. To be honest calling these things prawns is slightly unfair as they looked more akin to small lobsters they were so big. They were certainly impressive enough that we may consider tomorrows dinner being ordered in the restaurant there!

We headed home with a decision that we must break our slow starts and get up in the morning. Also, we needed to make a firm decision about where we would move on to after Hoi An and by what means.

We awoke and actually got up at a sensible time, had our breakfast and, on the way back from brekkie, ordered our moped for the day. After packing a day bag and gathering the things we wished to send home we went back downstairs to send our parcel and get on the road. Having been told that if we had more than 3 kgs to send in a parcel the hotel would sort it out, we weren’t expecting a 15 minute wait whilst the man form the post office was called and turned up to sort out our parcel! Had we known, we would have just taken the stuff to the post office ourselves, but you live and learn. To be fair the two guys were very nice, they boxed up our stuff weighed it and sorted it for posting. A nice service now we know how it works.

So we got on the road at about 10:30, nearly 4 hours earlier than we had left our room the day before. Our destination today was My Son, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, this one being described in the guidebook as being Vietnam’s Angkor Wat. The bike ride was, barring a couple of moments, a pure joy. Driving along the relatively uncrowded roads, with the wind blowing over you, in the sunshine through what truly is a beautiful country. It may be the first time that we have both properly been able to appreciate this country for what is here. We drove past paddy fields, villages, a couple of small towns, numerous bridges over various small rivers and one big river, under a train track and all manner of other sights. We arrived hot but happy at our destination, having been flagged down by a lady who runs the café/restaurant just outside the site. We parked the bike, had a cold drink and after a reviving ourselves from the drive headed in.

The ticket includes a short taxi ride in a jeep about 2km to the main site. This ride is uphill, and we were glad we didn’t have to walk this at it was as hot a day as we could remember. Indeed, within minutes of getting out of a moving vehicle with air flowing over us we were leaking water from every pore. I can truly say I have sweated less in saunas before, than I did strolling through these ancient ruins. The site itself was a mix of preserved ruins, those that have been left for nature to claim and some that are being renovated. The latter being the least impressive given the scaffolding and tarp that either prevent you getting to them or create such a large juxtaposition that the appear incongruous in the lush green woodland area.

Whilst Gregg truly enjoyed these ruins Lou was equally rapt, not in the ancient ruins but the miriad of fauna and flora on show throughout the area. Her new found love of nature photography being both enjoyed and tested by the tricky subjects on offer.

We finished up at the site and returned to the little bar/restaurant for a bite to eat for lunch. The menu was small but the food that it produced was delightful, and we both enjoyed a large tasty lunch for a very cheap price.

We got back on the road for our return journey and were immediately glad of the moving air that being on a bike provides. After about five minutes of our journey Lou joked that we better get a move on before it rained, at this point there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, however it could not have been more prophetic as within 15 minutes the large black cloud on our left was looming ominously. It was off to our left but our journey would bring us closer to it, and it was headed in the same direction as us. The wind increased and the temperature dropped at points but throughout the journey we managed to just avoid the dreaded rain. We did drive through numerous patches of the Vietnamese equivalent of stubble burning, which nearly smoked us off the road but we still managed to stay ahead of the rain.

We finally returned to our hotel at about 3:30 feeling like we had truly had a good day. We adjourned to our room to cool down and refresh. Within a couple of minutes of returning to the room , the phone rang, a sound so foreign when it hasn’t happened for a long time that we almost didn’t answer it. When Gregg picked it up the receptionist asked if he could come downstairs straightaway as she was down there waiting. Both of us thought that this was where we were going to have to have an argument about the fact that some made up issue with the bike meant we had to pay lots of money however on arrival downstairs, we were greeted by the post office man saying the medical sample we were also sending to Charing Cross as part of Lou’s monitoring couldn’t go as we hadn’t told them what was in it.

Once we had resolved this issue we returned to our room and got ourselves ready to go out for dinner.
Having booked our bus onwards to Quy Nhon tomorrow, and still needing to pack we decided to have a quiet dinner and early night. On the way to dinner we were to collect Lou’s outstanding garments, we stopped in and whilst one was fine the last still needed another alteration, which they agreed they could do by 8pm. We went and had dinner and a couple of beers to return later. At this point Lou went back to pick it up and it was still not correct. We left with a promise that it would be delivered to the hotel before we left in the morning. As the outstanding balance on the bill is less than the value of the shirt we aren’t holding our breath for this but we will see in the morning.

I write this in the hotel room before retiring for the last time in Hoi An. A place that is much hyped in the guide books and by other tourists we have met. It is an interesting place and worth a visit but I don’t think it truly fulfils its massive billing. I don’t think we would bother coming back but, having said that, there are few places we have ever thought we would go back to as we would rather see what’s round the next corner….. For us its Quy Nhon and we’ll update you then.

YY Berries = X
Toilets = Western
Train still beating bus, but we have another bus tomorrow so who knows.

---

Photos

Inner Gate
Built in the 70's

Sanskrit sign or grave
Not sure which as looked like a grave but was in the middle of a path.