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Happy fourth of July fellow Americans! (and any people from the UK)! : )
The adventure continues...
Donna and I took the overnight train from Lao Cai to Hanoi where we spent the day searching for the right mode of transportation down to Hoi An (in the middle of Vietnam). We visited the train station ticket office and unfortunately learned that the train to Hoi An was booked for the day. So what did we end up doing???? We decided to do what you do in any country where you want to travel for cheap....we got on the bus!
Donna and I opted to buy what is known in Vietnam as an "open bus ticket". This ticket is offered through many different companies and it basically allows you to travel to all of Vietnam's major cities in "air conditioned comfort" for a low grand total of $25 USD!!! WOW!!!! WHAT A DEAL!!!! RIGHT????
WRONG!!!
Well, long story short, we soon learned why it is such a cheap ride. First of all when we were taken to our initial bus terminal, we were told that we could not ride on our scheduled bus (no explanation given).
Then we were quickly put in a taxi which drove us across Hanoi to the side of a road where another bus was located. After explaining to the taxi guy why we shouldn't owe him money, we were ungraciously put on another bus which soon pulled up to the side of the road. Donna and I found a couple of seats and the bus took off on our journey (scheduled to last about 14 hours). Ten minutes later, the bus driver took us to his restaurant of choice (commission, anyone?). Following dinner we got on the bus and tried to get comfortable for our bus ride.
Then things got weird. First, one of the bus company workers made his way to the back of the bus to start working on this metal contraption which he laid on the floor. After a couple of adjustments, we finally figured out what he was doing....setting up a hammock in the middle of the bus aisle!!! He casually slipped into the hammock and put his feet right next to my (Lorin's) head. Nice, huh? Stinky feet next to my head for the whole night....gotta love it!
Then the rest of the bus
company workers proceeded to set up mats down the remainder of the aisle and went to sleep. (minus, of course, the bus driver)
Anyway, several stops (and 16 hours later) Donna and I arrived at our first stop in Hue. It was pooring rain, and we missed our connecting bus ride by half an hour, so we were stuck in the city for 6 hours. We just strolled the city with a couple of fellow travelers and had some drinks and tried to pass the time.
Finally, we got on our next bus to get to Hoi An (with one stop in Da Nang). Finally we arrived at our destination... HOI AN!
We found a great western style hotel (i.e. aircon, pool, restaurant, etc.) for $12/night. Ironically, it was the hotel owned by the bus company "An Phu". Surprisingly, the place was a great deal. Donna and I ended up in a nice room with a balcony overlooking the pool. The hotel was also not too far from the center of the action.
Hoi An is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site (like Luang Prabang and Halong Bay). The whole town is preserved for historical significance....and
it is truly beautiful. The roads are all small and narrow. Also, the town is right on a small river which is lined with quaint restaurants all serving amazing food for super cheap.
The food options here are amazingly good. Donna and I found ourselves eating at one particular restaurant repeatedly "Mermaid Restaurant"....suffice it to say it was awesome. The quality of the food and the price made it our favorite.
Despite the amazing food, however, Hoi An is most famous for it's hundreds of tailor shops. The town is filled to the brim with tailor shops who will make "made to measure" clothes for super cheap prices (compared to the US).
Donna and I picked one tailor shop "Mai Ha" via a referral from a fellow traveler. So Donna and I went to the shop, selected different fabrics, and agreed on what appeared to be a good price. They asked us to come back that night for our first fitting. Then 3 fittings later (supposedly the average in Hoi An) our clothes were ready.
The clothes themselves did end up being a good deal. But the attitude of the main tailor diminished with each subsequent
fitting. Although this was a bit of a turn-off, Donna and I are still satisfied with our new tailored clothes.
We also paid a visit to Hoi An's most famous tailor "Yaly Couture". Through my research I had heard many great things about this tailor shop. True, they have a reputation for being more expensive, but the quality of their clothes supposedly was the best.
Well, the stories were true. YALY IS THE BEST. Donna and I will only visit Yaly Couture at our next trip to Hoi An. The store is incredibly professional and the staff is the best in town, bar none. They have the best selection of fabrics, and they ended up doing a MUCH better job on our clothing than "Mai Ha".
We spent one afternoon at the nearby Hoi An beach and it was awesome. We spent some time sunning and swimming and then finished off the day with a fresh seafood dinner right on the beach.
Donna and I ended up having such a great time in Hoi An that we decided to spend the rest of our time there while in Vietnam. Our only other option was to continue
travelling south through Vietnam (our original intention). The only downside to this, though, is we would have spent more time travelling and less time relaxing. We opted for a more relaxing trip.
So, on the fourth of July we left Vietnam and flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Donna and I will just have to visit Vietnam again and see everything south of Hoi An!
Until the next blog....
(PICS TO FOLLOW SOON!!!! SORRY FOR THE WAIT!!!!..... STAY TUNED!!!!!)
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Bob Shapiro
non-member comment
Ah to be young again!
While reading about your bus trip all I could do is shake my head and marvel at your fortitude for enduring difficult situations. Although attributing it to youth, I don't think I could have ever had the guts to do what you've done. I remember a few bus trips to Mammoth and Squaw Valley that were less than pleasant, but nothing compared to a stinky 14 hour ride in Viet Nam.