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Published: December 9th 2011
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Aoife and I arrived in Hoi An (Friday, November 25
th) after a 4 hour bus trip from Hue. Hoi An is a South Central coastal town with a population of around 120,000. It was once a major trading town and the 'old town' is now recognised as a world Heritage site by UNESCO due to the old architecture which was unaffected by the war.
We actually got off at a place along the way called China Beach, 'the R&R destination for the U.S. troops during the war' but there was nothing really there. There was one hostel near the beach but it looked fairly dodgy. Also, since it was lashing rain we just decided to get a taxi to Hoi An where there would at least be a few restaurants. There was torrential rain all day and the roads quickly flood over here making the driving experience even more treacherous!
We had nowhere booked to stay so we walked around trying to find a cheap hotel that was nice but we were not having much luck. Finally I asked two Vietnamese women who were trying to get us to come into their restaurant whether they knew a nice spot
within the $10-15 per night range. They called their friend who they said had a nice guesthouse and within a few minutes their friend pulled up on a moped. First of all he wanted both of us to get on the moped with him with all our bags, something that seemed to defy logic. I was willing to try it but Aoife was having none of it so she chilled out with a beer while he drove me down on the moped with my big rucksack on my back, flying through the massive puddles in the lashing rain which was actually kind of cool. The place was really nice so I agreed a price of $14 per night. Then he went back and collected Aoife who warned him to drive slowly 😊. It was basically a family home (Boa's) with two big bedrooms they rent out. It had a big living room as you walk into the house with a flat screen and lots of couches to chill out on. It was great because it was nice to just relax in a homely atmosphere for a change. The hotels can be quite hectic and the staff are always looking to
sell you a tour somewhere.
We went looking for a restaurant that night and I spotted some Polish friends we met on our train to Hue so we joined them for dinner and a few beers. We had the best curries ever and actually went back there the next night as well. Again, it was a family home with a couple of tables out front as their restaurant. It was the first dish over here that was actually filling. Most of their portion sizes are tiny!!
The torrential rain continued the following day so we had a fairly lazy day. Between the torrential showers of rain we wandered around the old town which was nice. The river that runs through the town had flooded its banks and some of the roads were impassable. We spent the afternoon in a small cafe bar for lunch on one of the old streets and ended up just sitting there for hours drinking their fresh beer, only 4000 dong (less than $0.20). We would have done more sightseeing if it had not been raining so much but it was nice to take it easy.
In the evening we went back for
the curries and then we met up with our Danish friendswhom we met in Halong Bay. We chatted for a few hours over a few beers. Nice people those Vikings!! I'll forgive them for plundering Ireland and taking all our good looking women. Only messing they left a few 😊
The next morning, we left Hoi An on a bus for Quy Nhon at 6.10am. The Vietnamese seem to get up at the crack of dawn. Even at that time the place had come alive with people, street vendors of all types. While rushing to the bus I grabbed a breakfast roll from one vendor, a long way from an Irish breakfast roll. It didn't look like it was going to be very good but it was so tasty. Aoife didn’t take the risk which turned out to be a bad idea because we didn't eat again till nearly 3pm. And Aoife without her food is not someone you want to meet!
Overall it was a nice few days in Hoi An, a much laid back old town where we just chilled out and appreciated the local atmosphere. Good times!!
V
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