Rolling into Hoi An on the back of a motorcycle was a pretty cool introduction to an amazingly beautiful old city. This little city is full of life, lanterns, expert tailors, cheap fresh beer, delicious food and photo ops. What it's refreshingly not full of is sky rises. The tallest building I saw was 3 stories. The low rise old buildings with peeling yellow paint promotes a timeless feel and a relaxing atmosphere. I could have definitely spent more time here.
I settled into the Hideout Hostel which was in a great location across an old narrow bridge from the old city. The view from the point was great. I sat and watched the old ladies set out their fishing nets and the ferries roll up and down the river.
One of my roommates was an Australian named Jeremy who had also recently finished teaching in Korea. We hit it off and spent most of time together. He showed me the famous bahn mi restaurant, Bahn Mi Phuong, where Anthony Bourdain ate while filming an episode of No Reservations. Instant friendship. We ate here at least twice a day from there on out. Amazing Bahn Mi options and Cao Lao, a pork and doughy noodle dish. Tip: if you go, walk in and sit down and be vocal with someone about your order. Your food will come quickly. Don't wait outside for take out. It takes forever. I waited for 40 minutes in a line of 8 people my last day trying to get a quick bite for my bus.
We spent most of our time walking around the old city taking pictures, sipping coffee by the river, and drinking 4,000 VND draft beer. My second day we rented bikes and explored the city. Also, no trip to Hoi An is complete without seeing what the fuss is about with all the tailors. I had just got a suit made at my guy in Bangkok so I had no need for a suit. With all the fake North Face around it reminded me I've wanted a nice winter coat. So I started asking around to find the place. I ended up at Kimmys as it was recommended by two Brits in my room and had phenomenal reviews on trip advisor. After seeing another place that didn't seem to make many winter coats, Kimmys was the place. They had lots of fabrics, colors and expertise. They told me they could do a two layer thick 100% wool with an inner liner to make it warm enough for down to -10 Celsius (14 Fahrenheit). I had a specific idea in mind and they helped me develop it every step of the way. Diep was the lady's name who was my tailor and she even let me see their warehouse and factory where I saw a guy named Hong sew the inner liner into the jacket. It came out great and I couldn't be happier. We will have to wait and see if it can hold up to an NYC winter.
On the third day we rented a motorbike to share. Jeremy hopped on the back and we zipped up the coast to Danang where we saw the Marble Mountain, the beach, and the lady Buddha. Marble mountain hosted a massive temple grounds on the top full of intricate carvings and many caves with passages leading to massive Buddhas in alcoves. I was surprised at the scope and detail of the place and was very impressed. It's definitely worth a look. We continued to the beach where we could see the Lady Buddha calling out to us from the distance. She is apparently there to guard the city. We heard her call and continued the 15-20 minute ride to her. She is absolutely an absolutely stunning and massive, marble carved, 67 meter high structure. The view of Danang and the bay from up there was crazy as well. Afterwards, we downed a quick iced coffee at a very local spot and headed back before the sun set. We had to battle some serious traffic as there was a massive fireworks show in Danang that night to celebrate the 40th anniversary of America's departure and the reunification of Vietnam.
That night I picked up my jacket (or shipped it home rather) and we grabbed one last beer by the river and yet another street bahn mi. The next morning I checked out and got ready for an epic 18 hour bus ride to Hanoi to meet back up with Alex.
Next stop, Hanoi, Vietnam.
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