A lantern shop in Hoi An.
I said goodbye to Niall, Amy and Hanoi, and I headed to Central Vietnam. Hoi An is considered one of the most romantic cities in the world (according to Trip Advisor) and so, naturally, I thought it would be a great idea to take a solo trip.
Hoi An alleyway.
You can see the in-your-face romance basically everywhere in the town, with delicate artsy souvenirs hanging and candle-lit lanterns dancing through the river at night. Indeed, this probably was once a very romantic, sleepy city. Bustling with tourists, however, Hoi An is very busy and everyone there is trying to make a buck (aren’t we all).
Lanterns in the river.
Literally. Those lanterns cost a dollar and they’re everywhere. Litter in the river to send good wishes for important people who have passed. Rapidly approaching 10 years without a father I, too, sent a lantern into the river.
Hoi An does have a smaller town feel to it than many places I’ve visited and, for that, I’m grateful. I was lucky to have chosen two truly awesome tours in the area. The first was through Hoi An Motorbike Adventures. In a small group we went out on their Mountain & Delta tour to really get into the rural parts of central Vietnam. I don’t have a motorcycle license so I had a driver. Here are some pictures:
An ancient temple of the Cham people. Don’t worry, it’s supposed to be fallic.
On the “ferry” across the river with the motorbikes.
We ate this fresh, yummy bowl while the victim’s. cousin (another huge pig) was penned up in back.
One of the coolest things was being on this former US Air Force base. Here I am standing with the motorbike on the runway.
The “ferry” unloading people from the other side.
Many people believe that when you die, you enter the spirit world. But in the spirit wprld, you like the same things as you did while you were alive. The caretaker of this temple puts full lit cigarettes on the incense for his family members to enjoy in the afterlife. Re: not vandalism.
The bikes available at Hoi An Motorbike Adventures.
We had a great time seeing the countryside and eating some awesome food. The trip ended with a nice cold beer…and later a much needed shower.
The next morning I was on the beach by 4:30am. I had planned to do a sunrise paddle with SUPmonkey, but a windy morning tempted the other two girls with a lie-in and I accidentally had a private tour with Craig.
Sunrise at An Bang beach near Hoi An.
We paddled out from An Bang beach and headed into the rising sun over Cham island. After a while we took a break to just chill and lay on the boards. And what an amazing feeling that was.
Paddling toward Cham Island.
My happy place.
We stopped off near Cua Dai beach, the main tourist beach that is suffering from terrible erosion, for a coffee at his local. After our pit stop we cruised the shoreline back to An Bang.
We finished our tour with a BLT on one of Vietnam’s famous baguettes, and some quail eggs bought from a trolling beach vendor. They were delicious.
I stayed at that beach the rest of the day for some shade, a nap, and some much needed swim time. Sunburned and salty I headed back to Hoi An for what would hopefully be my final fitting for the custom clothes I’d gotten made in the city.
Hoi An is known to have the best tailors in Vietnam…and I took advantage by buying a custom made Wool coat, Leather jacket, four dresses, a leather backpack, sandals, and a bag each for my mom and sister. I spent a lot of money. But that’s ok. I shipped everything home and was happy as anything so no complaints.
From Hoi An I moved along to Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City, where I visited my friend Adam and experienced another taste of Vietnamese city life.
Juice The Squeeze 