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Published: January 31st 2008
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The overnight bus ride from Nha Trang to Hoi An was one of those experiences where you wonder how you ever came out of it unscathed at the other end. The road we were travelling on for the few hours leading up to midnight made one wonder whether a meteor shower had come crashing to earth along the length of the highway. There were more potholes than sealed road, so the driver would simply cross into the path of oncoming trucks and buses to avoid them. Often he simply could not avoid the deep and several metres wide potholes due to vehicles confronting us with the same tactic of crossing onto the wrong side of the road, so we just plummeted into them. Trying to sleep was a futile exercise.
We arrived in Hoi An at 7:00am feeling rather weary, yet relieved. Our weariness, however, could not overshadow the old charm of Hoi An's streets. We found lodging in the heritage listed 'Old Town'. This part of the city enabled us to finally get a sense of what daily life in Vietnam would have been like before motorbikes became more common than bicycles. The narrow streets don't allow for tourist
buses to enter and most people travel by foot or pedal power. Every second shop is a tailor and there are enough cafés and restaurants to suit every budget. 'Happy Hour' drink prices are on offer in most streets, which is a dangerous thing...
We spent the first morning riding bicycles out to the beach, flanked by rice paddies. It was a beatiful ride and when we went to return our bikes, the family we hired them from refused to take them back and told us to keep them for longer free of charge - such friendly folk! They also told us some places to go and see, one of which was an old pagoda on the outskirts of the city. This pagoda was falling into ruin and it had an eerie feel about it, which may have had something to do with the graves that surrounded its perimeter. I thought that it must have been abandoned some time ago, due to the neglect of its grounds, but I was wrong. We saw a lady setting out some food in a small room, which confused me somewhat. Presently an old, blind monk appeared in a doorway and she went
to him to help guide him to his food. This scene aroused a sense of pity within me, as the monk's frailties were mirrored by his surrounds. As we pedalled our way amongst the gravestones back to the main road, I felt a strangeness within and without.
On my second morning in Hoi An, I jumped on a tour bus to go and see the ancient ruins at My Son (pronounced Me Sin). These were built by the ancient Champa people between the 7th Century and the 13th Century, which makes them significantly older than Angkor Wat; however, they do not have the same scope and grandeur as the Angkor temples. Many of the ruins were destroyed by bombs, but a few still remain. My Son is located in a valley of lush jungle, surrounded by mountain ranges shrouded in mist. It is a beautiful setting and I found the ruins that were overrun by the jungle to be the most captivating. The wives of Champa kings had a raw deal, as when the king died, his wives were to be killed and burnt with his body!! Another thing I found interesting were the sanskrit engravings on many of
the ancient stones, all the way on the farthest coast of Vietnam.
We decided to spend the afternoon at a bar a few doors down from where we were staying, as their happy hour went from 4 - 9pm. We met two interesting and engaging people here, one a lady from Toronto (who lives and works in Shanghai - we may be catching up with her when we get there in a month or so) and a guy from Bristol. We talked (and drank) for hours and decided to go out for tea together. We had delicious meals and wine at a sprawling two-storey restaurant called 'Tam Tam' before going to sit by the river for awhile. Afterwards we went to a bar before we decided we had better bid farewell as we had to be up at the break of day to catch a bus to Hue.
Hoi An was a quaint and wonderful place to visit and marked one week since we arrived in Vietnam. With all that we have experienced here in one week, I am really excited about what the next fortnight in this country holds in store.
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James
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Interesting and engaging eh!
*blush* I've got a couple of nice pics from Tam Tam's if there's some way to send 'em. Happy trails! Bristol guy