D for Dee-lightful = Hoi An
All the guidebooks and articles about Vietnam we read recommended staying for a while in Hoi An - and they were spot-on with their praise. Granted, we spent the first day getting lost in yet another "old quarter" of yet another Vietnamese city, but since then it's been delightful.
We learned a few useful phrases for dealing with overly agressive street-hawkers. I use rudimentary German phrases like "Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Ich nicht verstehen Englisch." and then whatever else I can pull out of my memory. Michelle waxes poetic in Russian and inquires of the person if it will snow soon. At that juncture in either of the conversations, the vendor usually gets the hint that there's easier pickings somewhere else. Ah - everything we needed to learn to survive in Vietnam we learned in the 1st semester of foreign language classes!
Hoi An differs from Hanoi in two main features: physical size and population; Hoi An is much smaller by both measures. In fact, the Old Quarter in Hanoi has 50+ streets; Hoi An's old town has about 12. However, that didn't deter us from getting lost all the same. In fact, it was more frustrating when we got lost given that the town is so small. However, every other store is a tailor or sells shoes or purses, so it's easy for each intersection to look like the last :-)
The old quarter also includes a number of historic homes dating back 300 years when merchants from China and Japan settled permanently here - many are being restored and preserved as part of a UN Heritage Site program. We took a walking tour of some of them. The seaport has been active since the 2nd century AD, and was visited by many merchants from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. For many hours of the day, moto-bikes and cars are prohibited from the streets (another difference from Hanoi). All in all, a much slower, and MUCH, MUCH quieter pace of life (which enables one to sleep in later, too!).
On to the damage: Michelle had 7 pairs of sandals or shoes made to measure (at $5 per pair, she claims 'who could resist?') plus a new wardrobe (I'm not sure who else she was being fitted for, but she assures me not to worry). I, on the other hand, drew the line at a dozen tailor-made shirts. You know, when they only charge $10 USD per shirt, there is no such thing as excess.
We also splurged tonight on dinner and had some fresh local seafood: calamari, crab and red snapper. That set us back a whopping $15 - which is what we've spent on food for some entire days in Hoi An. Fresh warm baguettes and french cheese is available for 35 cents on the street corners. Mmmmm! On our next trip, we would definitely spend another day or so here...after all, there are an awful lot of fittings involved in the tailoring process. On the bright side, we wouldn't have to go through the arduous process of selecting (and navigating back to) a particular tailor again - we found a keeper for sure.
Tomorrow early afternoon we fly to Nha Trang, which is a true beach resort. Because we haven't been hedonistic enough just yet ;-) Hope you all are doing well.
We learned a few useful phrases for dealing with overly agressive street-hawkers. I use rudimentary German phrases like "Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Ich nicht verstehen Englisch." and then whatever else I can pull out of my memory. Michelle waxes poetic in Russian and inquires of the person if it will snow soon. At that juncture in either of the conversations, the vendor usually gets the hint that there's easier pickings somewhere else. Ah - everything we needed to learn to survive in Vietnam we learned in the 1st semester of foreign language classes!
Hoi An differs from Hanoi in two main features: physical size and population; Hoi An is much smaller by both measures. In fact, the Old Quarter in Hanoi has 50+ streets; Hoi An's old town has about 12. However, that didn't deter us from getting lost all the same. In fact, it was more frustrating when we got lost given that the town is so small. However, every other store is a tailor or sells shoes or purses, so it's easy for each intersection to look like the last :-)
The old quarter also includes a number of historic homes dating back 300 years when merchants from China and Japan settled permanently here - many are being restored and preserved as part of a UN Heritage Site program. We took a walking tour of some of them. The seaport has been active since the 2nd century AD, and was visited by many merchants from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. For many hours of the day, moto-bikes and cars are prohibited from the streets (another difference from Hanoi). All in all, a much slower, and MUCH, MUCH quieter pace of life (which enables one to sleep in later, too!).
On to the damage: Michelle had 7 pairs of sandals or shoes made to measure (at $5 per pair, she claims 'who could resist?') plus a new wardrobe (I'm not sure who else she was being fitted for, but she assures me not to worry). I, on the other hand, drew the line at a dozen tailor-made shirts. You know, when they only charge $10 USD per shirt, there is no such thing as excess.
We also splurged tonight on dinner and had some fresh local seafood: calamari, crab and red snapper. That set us back a whopping $15 - which is what we've spent on food for some entire days in Hoi An. Fresh warm baguettes and french cheese is available for 35 cents on the street corners. Mmmmm! On our next trip, we would definitely spend another day or so here...after all, there are an awful lot of fittings involved in the tailoring process. On the bright side, we wouldn't have to go through the arduous process of selecting (and navigating back to) a particular tailor again - we found a keeper for sure.
Tomorrow early afternoon we fly to Nha Trang, which is a true beach resort. Because we haven't been hedonistic enough just yet ;-) Hope you all are doing well.
posted by ToddV at
9:35 PM
