We arrived in Hoi An after the dreaded 12 hour overnight bus ride (the first time is kind of fun… But then it gets old really fast). We stayed at a popular hostel called the Sunflower, which was about a 15 minute walk from town. However, the heat was unbearable at times, and we learned quickly that a taxi ride would only cost us the equivalent of about 2 dollars. Hoi An is famous for it’s custom tailoring. All of us bought multiple items, with the most significant ones being Kayleigh’s bridesmaid dresses. They turned out beautiful, and the staff was so accommodating that they made 3 separate alterations at no charge. Another strategy we used was to look up pictures of clothing online from our favourite stores, and the tailor could literally make whatever you showed her. All for great prices too.
Our first night in Hoi An was spent at a restaurant overlooking a river with small boat cruises and floating candles. We obviously took part in both of these activities, and I have to say it was sort of a magical experience. We had little old ladies who could best be described at “wise” selling us candles and homemade banana cakes, then laughing at us while we struggled to get into their boats.
The next morning we rented bikes (all day for $1!), and rode around town. We went to the local beach, and witnessed other travellers being heckled by little old ladies selling “parking spots” for the bikes. We rode past rice fields, water buffalos, and a lot of big sketchy trucks that zoom by. If you’re not paying attention, you could easily end up in the ditch. However, by this point in the trip, we were much more confident navigating our way through traffic, and crossing roads with dignity.
The following day we did a cooking class that included a trip to the market to pick out fresh ingredients, and a boat ride through a bunch of Palm leaves (I really don’t know how else to describe it). We got given authentic rice field hats to wear, and it was really a great experience. The staff included a bubbly old lady, and a bunch of other guys who supplied us with fresh passion fruit juice all day. We learned how to make fresh spring rolls, Vietnamese pancakes, pho, and vermicelli salad.
Our last day in Hoi An was spent visiting some ancient temples that were really cool to look at, but I honestly could not tell you a thing about them because I couldn’t understand a word that our guide was saying. All I know is they were old, important, and many of them were bombed
by American forces during the Vietnam war.
Finally, we decided to take the “easy rider” express and work our way up North via motorbike. All of us girls had our own bikes and drivers, along with our giant backpacks strapped onto the backs of the bikes. We rode along the beautiful coastline where we stopped at look out points, swimming lagoons, an American bunker from the Vietnam war, and a mountian made completely out of marble. We all agreed it was our favourite part of the trip thus far. If I was to recommend just one thing to anyone traveling in Vietnam, it would be this.
In the midst of all this adventure, we drank a lot of banana smoothies, coconuts, and Saigon beer. We saw a lot of street dogs, cats, chickens (you name it!) and a lot of weird things at the markets. On multiple occasions, I saw motorbikes driving with dead pigs draped over the back… And bikes with cages full of small animals like birds, piglets, or puppies. Obviously, not my favourite sights to see, but it just was another reminder of how different life is here. People work with what they’ve got, and they get by with a lot less. Next up… Hanoi!
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