In Hoi An

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We are now in Hoi An. Drove here from Hue, through a mountain pass. It was lovely scenery. Of course, brat that I am, I kept thinking that the views and scenery were not as striking as Laos or gorgeous Bhutan. Still, it was a nice drive.

We stopped briefly in Danang. Evidence of the American war is still visible...there is a HUGE airbase that is now vacant and derilict. It sits must across the road from five star ocean view resorts. There are at least 15 of them in a row, one after the other, lining the beach. Most of the guests are European or Russian. Not a pretty place. Danang does, however, have the most amazing bridge I have ever seen. The supports are shaped like a dragon. The photo does not do it justice, but I hope you can get an idea of just how whimsical this thing is. Quite a contrast to the usual mundane modernness that has overtaken much of this country.

Hoi An is an ancient city, now a UNESCO world heritage site and full of tourists. More tourists here than we have seen in the rest of Vietnam. Hoi An is known for its tailor shops, there are at least 400 here, and probably way more. Some are very fancy and some are holes in the wall. No idea how they all stay in business. Our guide recommended a shop, and we all ordered something. I will be coming home with tailor made silk pyjamas (white, of course.....). Not sure why I wanted them so much, but I did. The same price as nice Jammie's at home. Also,ordered a dress for the wedding that I hope will suit, not sure it is dressy enough. Have never had tailor made clothes, well, not since my Mom sewed for me when I was little.

Hoi An is also the city of lanterns. At night, they hang everywhere, and it is really beautiful. Again, hard to photograph, but hope you can get an idea.

No travelling or touring today. We will head downtown and check out some of the stores. Marg has a cold and I am fighting an ear infection and have been impacted by all the mould in the buildings here, they flood each year, sometimes "only" a meter, and sometimes as much as 6 to 8 meters....amazing anyone lives here still....when the floods come, they hoist everything up to the second floor with pulleys, and get around town by boat. Some of the small places facing the river would, I fear, be totally submerged. Of course, this does not happen every year. So, there are lots of temples and alters to the gods and goddesses of weather and water. Obviously, in the years where the flooding is bad, someone annoyed the gods.

More later. Love hearing from you.

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Comments

[Ken]

That is indeed an amazing bridge!
Thanks for sharing! Imagine if they did that on the new bridge in boring ol barrhaven

[momabroad]

That would be really neat! However, the air quality in BH is much, much better than here...I am constantly sniffing and have a scratchy throat, and I'm almost positive it is the poor air quality.

[Micky]

Wonderful blogs
I'm really enjoying reading your blogs. What a trip you are on. I want to see all the pics when you get back. P and I survived our long weekend in New York. The plays were wonderful and I wish we could get there more often to do more of the same. I walked my a.. off and now I think I need a total leg replacement. We had two lovely warm days but it was getting cold again when we left on Monday and it is getting cold again here in Ottawa. Keep well. See you soon.

[momabroad]

Great to hear from you, and pleased to hear you had a god time in N.Y. I'm going to try to convince you to come to Laos next winter, so get ready....

[Dee]

Hoi An
Loved Hoi An and ate wonderful meals with lots of seafood. Did not have clothing made, altho most in the group did. Roger has a shop in Hoi An but don't know the name of it. Keep on enjoying your adventure in good health. Much love, Dee

[momabroad]

I saw Roger in Hanoi. His shop is there. He passes his regards to you. He looks exactly the same....amazing. Tailor shop Roger recommended in Hoi An was expensive and fancy. We found a smaller one that suited us very well. They did an excellent job. Did a cooking class here that was great fun.