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Published: October 17th 2009
Final entry in the Vietnam series...
We flew from Hanoi to DaNang and arrived at what would be the final stop on our Vietnam tour at about 8pm. I arranged for a car to meet us (my new favorite travel thing to do) and we were driven to the Hoi An Trails Resort. I should mention that we had originally booked a different hotel, one that was recommended by friends and travel sites, but it was damaged during a recent typhoon (!) so we had to make alternate arrangements.
During the drive from the airport, I spent my time staring out the window and noticed that in every house we passed—and I mean every house—the front doors were open and the televisions were turned on. I could see people sitting on living room floors and also outside the house on porches watching TV al fresco. Throughout Vietnam, poverty was evident but we also saw signs of growth. Lots of construction and rebuilding; somewhat similar to Shanghai but on a much smaller scale.
Hoi An is about 30 km from the Da Nang aiport and is a cute town with a really nice downtown area as well as
beaches. Our hotel had a great pool and spa with a 50% off spa sale, so I was in heaven. Emily got a mani-pedi for $10 and I got a head to toe body massage and scrub combo for $20. I would have done more but there just was not enough time.
Since we arrived at the hotel pretty late, we just grabbed dinner there and were soon off to bed. I looked up during dinner and saw little lizards on the ceiling and scurrying around the outdoor patio where we dined.
We spent the next day by the pool in the morning, riding bikes and hanging at the beach in the afternoon, and then went to town for dinner. Taxi drivers in Hoi An were particularly nice. They opened the doors for us. As in, they got out of the driver’s seat, opened the back door, and helped us out! This was unprecedented taxi driver behavior in all of our time in Asia.
We, per our usual less is more mantra, bought very little on the trip. I found this trip the hardest one to just say no to shopping. But I resisted the urge. We
agreed on some really pretty (and quite inexpensive) unframed drawings and paintings of local scenes and people. We also bought a few souvenirs for the kids. Otherwise, we spent our time sightseeing, strolling, picture taking and chatting with townspeople.
We met the nicest woman across the street from our hotel. She was the sister of the driver who picked us up from the airport. She arranged for him to take us back to the airport in his private car for $10 (instead of the $20 we previously paid the hotel). She also rented us bikes for $1 each a day. We had such a pleasant experience shopping in her little store and asking her opinions about what to do and see.
While we were at the little store for our final snack shopping before leaving town, we saw another father/daughter combo come to shop. In our short time in Hoi An, I had many really nice interactions with this shopkeeper. She was generous, friendly and welcoming. While we were making our decisions, we heard this father and daughter duo speak in rude, condescending tones and haggle over the costs of things that were pennies. I had to bite my
tongue and ushered my family out of the shop with many thank yous as we left. Emily didn’t wait til we were across the street to comment on the other girl’s poor manners. She said “that other girl didn’t say please, thank you or seem very nice.”
The beach we went to was only one kilometer from the hotel. However, it was a long kilometer as we pedaled along a narrow road with cars and motorcycles honking at us. I had a bell on my bike and I kid you not, each time I was honked at I rang that bell. Made me feel better. Brrrring. Brrrring. Classic bike bell sounds. Basically useless on the loud and exhaust filled streets of Hoi An. Mark and I had the kids on riding behind us on cuhioned but backless seats, holding onto us. The kids wore helmets but I was nervous zipping along that busy road. I just kept reminding myself that nobody wants to hit foreigners in a town that relies heavily on tourism.
When we arrived at the beach, we were encouraged to park our bikes where a man and his group would watch them for us. He
in front of hotel
Emily sports her new dresssaid it was free but we had to buy a coconut or a beer from his friend on the beach. Rather than arguing or haggling, we just said ok. As it turns out, this was the public beach. Had we turned left instead of right when we arrived at the beach, we would have found the private beach our hotel had told us about the night before. Somehow we forgot about this other beach, but in a way it was better. We saw more local scenery where we were.
By local scenery, I mean we were forced to buy these coconuts (which afforded good photo opps but not particularly tasty coconut juice). The coconut trees and fallen coconuts lined the edge of the beach. It seemed like anyone could pick one and open it up, but there was a makeshift restaurant with tables and chairs (mini ones that looked like they belonged in a preschool). We also were besieged with peddlers hawking their junky jewelry and dusty postcards along with tins of tiger balm and various other items of uselessness. We declined vehemently and repeatedly as one by one the beach hawkers accosted us with their wares. In an
attempt at ending the assaults, I finally caved and bought a postcard. Then I had an out when the next hawkers started circling. I said “no money” and one of them replied “no money, no honey!” and we all laughed but they left us alone.
These beach peddlers looked militant with bodies and faces completely covered. They wore face masks that covered all but their eyes. I assume this was to protect themselves from sun and wind but it was a little scary looking. We relocated to the sand and spent some time in the water. The water was warm and the beach had shells galore for Emily, the collector. After a while, we biked back to the hotel, returned the bikes and hit the pool before heading to town for dinner.
When we were buying the paintings in town later that evening, we met and spoke to a very nice shopkeeper. The artist was this woman’s cousin. She told us her family all lived in the US and that her mother had recently died. She said she was single and that her family did not need to send money home for her as they had done for
her mother. She said the family in the US is very poor but she hopes that her niece can come visit her in Vietnam someday. She was not pushy, but when we made our final choices, she spent considerable time and care wrapping our purchases so they would be safe for travel. After we had paid, she asked us to wait while she ran across the street. She went to buy moon cakes for the kids as a thank you gift for us. We were touched by the gesture which seemed quite symbolic of all the kindness and warmth we had experienced when interacting with Vietnamese throughout our trip.
We squeezed every minute from our final day in Hoi An and spent the last hour at the pool where we met a great young family. They were backpacking around Asia and other parts of the world with a two year old. Their son, Ollie, who is the cutest little pumpkin is two years old and full of energy. Emily and Ryan, the parents, are so brave. I thought I was brave, but these two set the bar at new heights. I am now a follower and fan of their
blog—http://olivertheworld.blogspot.com—best blog name ever.
We are now back in Shanghai and settling back into the normal routine. Mark said goodbye to us at the airport on Monday morning as he flew off to work and the factory town where he’s been spending his weeks. Being together for 9 whole days was the best part of our trip—beyond the amazing sights and scenery. No adventures planned for this weekend but you never know. Adventures tend to happen here whether planned or not.
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Geeze
non-member comment
final entry,Vietnamn
Hi Suzanne! What a great experience/contrast and the pics are fab! You all look great! Hugs, Geeze