Hoi an

We got picked up from our hotel in Nha Trang by a minibus and dropped onto the side of the road next to a sleeper bus. When we tried to get on we were told no, but they took our luggage off us and put it inside the coach at the back. Now i have a red backpack that has all valuable and vital items in, such as the laptop, hard drive, souvenirs and copies of passport etc. I always keep this bag with me, but because it is getting bigger as we go along, the bus people always try and get me to put it in the hole under the bus. So again we had the same discussion and again i argued that no, i know its big but i want it on my seat. Eventually he agreed and took it off me and made like he was going to put it on my seat, but no he took it and tried to stuff it down into a storage compartment at the back of the bus. By the time Craig had made it onto the bus to rescue the bag, he had torn off my very well positioned, attached snack bag, i was not happy. Eventually we were allowed onto the bus and there was more fannying around with bags, but eventually I think we left about 6pmish.

So it was a 12 hour journey and we did not stop once, well except to let people off. At about 4am a few people were getting very restless and they then decided to tell us that there was a working toilet on the bus, better late than never! I better just explain that usually they have a door marked toilet but more often than not there is no toilet, so most people just assume no toilet. Anyway we eventually got dropped off in a deserted bus station at about 7am. Our easy rider drivers had told us to go to Kimmys tailors and they would show us good, cheap hotel. So we hopped on the back of a motorbike taxi with all our bags and made our way to Kimmys. As it turned out Kimmy knew nothing about this, and whilst we were waiting for her to explain to us she had no idea I had walked up the road and found a decent, cheapish hotel. We had a quick shower and went out in search of breakfast, just around the corner we found a cafe that did an American breakfast and a proper cup of tea with milk, lovely.

We didnt plan to spend too long in Hoi-an as it is another city and not only are cities not really our scene they are pretty expensive. So Hoi-an is a city
on the coast of the South China Sea, it is located in Quang Nam province and is home to 120,000 residents. Hoi an is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hoi An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site.

In the 18th century, Hoi An was considered by Chinese and Japanese merchants to be the best destination for trading in all of SE Asia, even Asia. The Japanese believed the heart of all of Asia (the dragon) lay beneath the earth of Hoi An. During this period of the China trade, the town was called Hai Pho (Seaside Town) in Vietnamese. Originally, Hai Pho was a divided town with the Japanese settlement across the "Japanese Bridge" (16th-17th century). The bridge (Chùa cầu) is a unique covered structure built by the Japanese, the only known covered bridge with a Buddist Pagoda attached to one side.

We wandered from the bridge along the river and up to the market in the search for silk lanterns.

The town was really pretty with lots of little cobbled streets, but it was about 37 degrees the day we were there, just a little too much. Added to that Hoi-an has to be the worst place i have been in the whole of Asia for people trying to sell you things. This is the norm, people will approach you say hello and then ask where you are from, this is the preamble to trying to sell you something. Its really hard to ignore people without seeming rude, but after half an hour of wandering around Hoi-an I think i was pretty rude. They just don't take no for an answer, they sell cyclo rides, fruit, food, drugs, souvenirs, post cards, the list goes on. But definitely the worst of the lot are the tailors, they are really aggressive and they just don't give up. So somehow, i don't know how, we ended up sitting in a tailors, at this point the woman pulled out the Next catalogue, and told me to choose anything and they would copy. I have found out that they will copy anything, and for some of them the quality of the products is amazing. So although their sales technique could use some work, if you wanted a new wardrobe, stuff New York or Paris, I would be coming to Hoi-an. Unfortunately our budget does not stretch to new tailored clothes so we made our excuses and left.

Whilst we were wandering we did come across a little workshop where they were making tea pots, it was interesting to watch them using techniques they have used for years.

 

After much searching we eventually found a couple of stalls selling lanterns, not quite the lantern market i had been led to believe existed. Luckily the selection they had was massive. The lanterns are made from natural Vietnamese silk (natural silk made from silk worms which is very famous in Asia) The silk comes in beautiful colours and meaningful patterns. The frames are made out of bamboo. Everything is hand made using bamboo, silk, and wood. After purchasing a couple of lanterns for myself and some for the whole family the man helpfully offered to send them to the UK for us. As it turned out i was intending to send a package from Hanoi as i had been buying little bits and pieces for people. So we hot footed it back to the hotel to get everything together and then back to the lantern man to package up and send off. Doing this all on the street was a little stressful and made even more so when i had to watch a lady on a bike ride off with my package. As it turned out we had bought quite a lot of souvenirs, added to this several quite large lanterns, my box of shells that I am attempting to smuggle out of Vietnam, a wooden carving and a couple of books, we were up to 7kg. To send this by airmail would have cost about £300, i think my face says it all, below. Anyway because we are on a budget we went for the £80 option which gets our package on a boat and then maybe to the UK in 2 and a half months. I know 2 and a half months, when i told mum she said "are you serious?". When she realised that i was, always one to look for the positives she said "oh well it will get here halfway through the summer holidays, so that will give the twins something to look forward too." Although i think Mollie hit the nail on the head when she said "I think, two and a half months is a long time to look forward to something". Anyway it is what it is and i am sure that my whole family will spend the next two and half months eagerly anticipating the arrival of my package. Oh except Em who refers to everything that i send from abroad as foreign tat, charming!

 

After that stressful experience it was all we could manage to get back to the hotel, shower and get out for dinner at a recommended Indian restaurant. It was lovely, we had lamb rogan josh, which made a nice change from noodles. On the walk there we saw the below, i have been meaning for ages to get a picture of these as they are all over Vietnam. And no I am not joking that is a Vietnamese motorbike baby seat, and no it is not attached in anyway shape or form, and no there is no strap for baby.

 

Tomorrow we catch the bus to Hue, The Imperial City, so until then................