Ahoy to Hoi An

Only one of our previous Gate1 trips involved internal flights during the tour; the other being in Patagonia.  On this tour, as in South America, we were to have two inter-Vietnam flights over the course of the tour.  On this morning, Thursday, we were to take a 90-minute flight to Da Nang, in central Vietnam.  It started to rain during the night, and our drive to the airport was in a constant drizzle which, unfortunately, turned into a proper rain just as we were being discharged to take our suitcases and go into the domestic airport terminal.  We all got a little wet, but it could have been far worse.  It was a short walk with all of our luggage, and I give Tony a lot of kudos for handling all of us on his own.  We checked in ourselves, at a Vietnam Airlines counter dedicated to groups.  We were already a little concerned about the weight of our suitcases, as we’d made some purchases, but both were flagged through without issue.  We were able to use one of my memberships to kill most of the wait time in a rather nice lounge, before getting in line to board a bus to drive us to our plane, which sat out on the tarmac…where it was still raining.  We avoided most of the drops while boarding, as they used both the front and rear of the plane, and the flight itself was uneventful.  K was in the middle seat, and next to her sat what I presumed was an Indian woman.  As is K’s secret power, the two of them became fast friends and we learned her story.  She was born and raised in Kenya to Indian expats, and has lived in the UK for decades, where she raised her family.  She was traveling with friends across southeast Asia, and we would in fact see her several more times over the next few days, as our paths kept crossing.  She is also a somewhat famous chef on YouTube, where she specializes in teaching the British to make Indian food, with a focus on vegetarian dishes.

Boarding Our Flight in HCMC Bound for Da Nang

Departing Ho Chi Minh City

Landing in Da Nang

It was raining when we landed in Da Nang, but by late afternoon the sun was out.  It was no hassle to retrieve our bags and meet our new bus and new bus driver, who proceeded to drive us south.  We drove through the city of Da Nang, proper, which is well known as an American stronghold during the war, and home to the famous (or infamous) China Beach.  The city was quite nice, at least what we could see from the bus, and the long stretches of beach, full of surfers (LOTS of Australians come north to surf and play golf in Da Nang), were beautiful.  The beaches are lined with large resort complexes, mostly run by Western companies like Hyatt and Ritz Carlton.  Our destination, however, was the much smaller ancient city of Hoi An, the entirety of which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It was the most important trading port in Southeast Asia during the 15^th century and is still home to many shrines and temples, most of which have strong ties to Korea, China, and Japan, all of which occupied the city at some point. 

"China Beach" or "R&R Beach" in Da Nang

Rice Paddies Outside of Hoi An

Our hotel was very nice and located right outside the ancient part of town, all of which is closed off to vehicular traffic (praise the Lord).  On the bus ride down, Tony had offered to order us Bahn Mi sandwiches, which are widespread across Vietnam but Hoi An is particularly known for the quality of theirs.  It is essentially a meat or vegetable-based sandwich on a short, crusty loaf of French baguette.  I ordered meat and K ordered vegetarian, and the sandwiches were waiting for us as we arrived.  We ate in the lobby while our luggage was brought to our rooms, and we both really enjoyed these. 

One of Two Pools in our Hoi An Hotel

Vietname Hotel Feature -- See-Through Bathrooms!

We were to have a walking tour of the ancient city later in the afternoon, followed by an included dinner at a restaurant along the riverfront.  K rested and I explored the immediate surrounding neighborhood a bit, but crossing the streets in Hoi An – which is TINY compared to HCMC – was particularly challenging.  It was the fact that the roads were much narrower and the room for scooters to navigate around pedestrians is much smaller, so it took some getting used to.

Before we left for Vietnam, I already knew that I wanted to get some custom suits made.  It’s a well-known thing to do, and Hoi An is the most well-known city in which to have clothes made.  We only had two nights in Hoi An, but they are famous for quick turnaround.  Tony had already agreed to show me his recommended tailor, though there were dozens of such shops dotting the city. 

We left the hotel en masse, and trying to get 36 people across two street crossings was something to see.  Tony had already taken to telling us to stay close to another, “like sticky rice,” so he’d yell “sticky rice” whenever he started to cross.   Our sheer mass meant that traffic would come to stop for us, but I was nonetheless relieved when we reached the gates of the ancient city, which marked the end of vehicular traffic.  We had to have tickets to enter the city, though I never did see any kind of enforcement.  Nonetheless, it was a very welcome relief to enter the narrow streets and not have to worry about traffic.  Tony was giving us a tour, mostly concentrated on the history, and keeping our group somewhat together was a challenge, particularly as we passed many interesting shops and some people couldn’t refrain from stopping.  As we neared the famous 400-year-old Japanese covered bridge, the road got more narrow and the crowds really picked up.  We were not the only Western tourists -- as we heard a lot of German, French, and Austrialian -- but the majority were from Japan and Korea.  I never quite understood, but the Japanese bridge itself has extreme significance to both groups; something to do with honoring your ancestors and ensuring a strong marriage if you visit.  As such, we had to navigate around large groups of Asian tourists, and our group was stretched quite thin.  We all had our earpieces in, though, so we could hear Tony, and he would describe where he was. 

Our Group Walking Into Ancient Hoi An

Hoi An Is Known for Their Paper Lanterns

400-Year-Old Japanese Bridge

We made a couple of stops along the way; first in a traditional Japanese merchant's home, and then at a Chinese shrine, which was very similar to the one we had visited in HCMC on our first day.  It started to sprinkle as we visited the shrine, and as it was our last stop, we told Tony that we were going to go off on our own.   He’d already shown us the restaurant at which we were to reconvene for dinner in a couple of hours, so we headed to the tailor shop.  I knew I wanted a couple of suits, and they quickly set about helping me pour through an infinite assortment of fabrics and styles.  K had expected to only wait, but she learned that they make women’s clothes, too, so she was soon picking out a couple of dresses and the associated fabrics.  Each of us had to get personally measured, and the clothes are made-to-fit.  For me, they measured me manually, but then also had me go to the back and into a room with a laser.  They closed the door and I stripped down to my skivvies, after which the laser scanned my body. 

K ended up ordering two dresses, while I ordered two full suits, two shirts, a pair of dress shoes, and a belt, all of which were going to be sewn that night to match our specific measurements.   We paid a deposit and set an appointment to return the following afternoon for a second fitting, after which they’d made any last-minute adjustments and deliver the final items to our hotel that evening.

We still had time for more shopping, which was nice, as Hoi An had the nicest selection of unique items of any place we visited in Vietnam.  We even ended up buying a silk Persian carpet from two Iranian men.  It arrived about a week after our return – it was shipped, as it was too heavy to carry – and we are both thrilled with it.

Our Persian Silk Carpet From Hoi An

Though we arrived right on time, we were the last folks at the restaurant for dinner.  We sat with a couple with whom we had yet to really interact; they were originally from California and currently retired in Preston, Arizona.  They were extremely interesting people and we ended up spending a lot of time with them.  He was a particularly good photographer and he shared a lot of outstanding pictures with us.  They met while both were working in Saudi Arabia, or all places.

Hoi An is also famous for its lanterns, and every evening small boats cruise the river that bisects the ancient town full of colorful candle-filled paper lanterns.  It was dark when we emerged from dinner and the waterfront was chockful of people walking and enjoying the pageantry of the lantern procession.  It was a truly magical site, which we will both always remember.

Hoi An Riverfront at Night

We got to the hotel around 8:30pm and noticed that there was a massage spa directly next door.  We stopped momentarily to view the offerings, at which the owner came out to speak with us.  She was not pushy, but she explained that they were open until 10:00pm and would offer us a 90-minute special couples’ massage.  At the prices they were asking we couldn’t refuse so we once again indulged.  I should have mentioned, too, that a Vietnamese massage is a mixture of Swedish and Thai, the latter of which I do not like.  Thai massages are in fact painful, and involve the masseuse crawling all over you, pulling limbs and joints.  The Vietnamese massage partially incorporates some of those elements, with the masseuse crawling on you partially, but just to stretch your back.  That was quite enjoyable – and helpful – and the massages themselves were incredibly relaxing.  They insisted on our having tea and cookies afterwards, even though it was after 10 and they should have been closed, but they wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

Needless to say, we both slept VERY well this night.