Hanging out in Hoi An

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I don't have anything particularly exciting to talk about at the moment. We have been doing the touristy thing for the last couple of days.

This morning we went out to My Son (pronounced Mee Sun), an important ruin of the Cham people, a once powerful Hindu Empire and also a UNESCO site. It is billed as a 'serene and spiritual" experience. Well it is pretty hard to have a serene experience when you are sharing it with hundreds of other two legged gazelles leaping over the ruins with you!

We are in love with Hoi An. It is a lovely place and has a strong Chinese/Japanese influence. It is easy to walk around and has been carefully maintained and restored. The shopping is something else and the prices are so reasonable. You see lots of people buying suitcases - luckily we always come prepared.

Vietnam is all about the food. Honestly I do not think we have had a bad experience yet. Everything is so tasty and so cheap. Oh I tell a lie, we broke down and had a pizza one night and lived to regret it. They do not have many dairy products here which is good for the diet! The spring rolls are always delicious. A bowl of noodles with meat and veg usually costs less than $2. We can have a really good meal for under $10 and this is with Don having a beer. There are no overweight people in this country that is for sure.

In Hoi An the main mode of transport is the bike, closely followed by the motorbike. Both very economical forms of getting around. There are stairs everywhere. It is just like going to the gym!

We have one more day in Hoi An before we head off to Saigon where we will only stay for one night before heading to the beach for some R n R time, so it may (or may not) be a few days before you hear from us again. It's time to go eat now.

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Photos

I am in love with the lanterns
Now where can I hang them?

Assembly Hall
built in 1697 by Chinese merchants

Comments

[Diane Haigh]

Amazing
An amazing account of your stay in Hoi An. The food sounds delicious and I also love the lanterns. So glad you like the locals. They certainly are making you welcome. Enjoy the beach.

[catherine charnell]

lovely lanterns
I'm enjoying the blog and I agree with your introduction. Jim and I are happy to be off and out of our "comfort zone." I am tired of Vancouver, where I live the traffic is horrible. There are so many "entitled" drivers.