You know... the Vietnamese just might have broken the mold with Hoi An. A quiet riverside town of about 40,000, it takes all of the beauty and culture of Vietnam, but adds its own unique mellow vibe.
Want a beach? Sure – just a short scooter ride outside town. Food and culture – it's got enough to spare, from posh Asian fusion to delicious streetside grub. For you fashionistas out there, there are even streets of tailors, who can whip up a perfect tailored suit for you for $60.
The result? It's a perfect place to just relax, unwind, and eat, eat, eat.
Our sleeper bus got into town around 7, and along with another backpacker, we decided to walk the one kilometer to our hotel. At least, that was the plan. What actually happened? I somehow completely missed the garish, bright green 4 story hotel, and we ended up walking another 2km... in the hot sun. Good for exercise, but after the bus trip, we were already wiped out.
Finally, we did the smart thing and took a taxi back into town and found our hotel. Just like Hoi An, this hotel was fantastic... $17 for AC, cable, beautiful hardwood floor, a pool, and a free cocktail hour!
After a much, much needed shower and nap, I walked into town and headed down to the sleepy riverside area. The whole Old Town is a UNESCO monument, well-preserved and thankfully avoided the damage from both wars.
Vietnamese food goes far beyond mere spring rolls and pho – with each of the north, south, and central regions having their own distinct cuisine. In this case, I took Lonely Planet's advice and tried some cao lao – local slightly crispy noodle dish, with pork and mixed greens, that was tasty without being overfilling.
After lunch, I did another of LP's walking tours – in this case, it took me all through the Old Town, especially through some of the dozen temples dedicated by the local Chinese communities.
Gorgeous, but they did start to blend together, so checking out the crowded central market was a great change of pace. With dozens of stalls packed together, you got to browse through everything from the day's fresh catch to loads of interesting handicrafts and the odd bottle of snake wine. Surprisingly, I resisted the temptation to buy anything, but I already knew that was going to be a losing battle in Hoi An.
A show put on by a local troupe at a cultural center/crafts store was an interesting change – in particular one of the performers, who specialty was some severely exaggerated gestures during her act.
There was even a pretty dancer who just served to highlight what's been clear since I landed... Vietnamese women are gorgeous. Period.
Right – enough of that. A swim and a nap rounded out the day, and then it was the momentous decision of where to eat. I ended up at a place called Mango's – where Mick Jagger has been known to frequent – and whose chef blends everything from Latin to Middle Eastern to Asian flavors in a fusion cuisine that was simply divine. Shrimp mousse on toast as a starter, with delicious noodles and perfectly cooked beef tenderloin and asparagus... not bad, not bad at all!
The 2nd day continued my love affair with Hoi An.
I had intended to get up at 6am to catch the good light for photos of town, but the clouds made it oh so easy to sleep in. Cable TV even allowed me to get caught up in Lean on Me, so I wasn't out 'til 11.
And then? Well, I'm already bracing for the heckling... I went in for a combo mani/pedicure.
Yeah, yeah – I know. But I figured it was one of those experiences I never had before, and for $7, was one HECK of a lot cheaper than trying this in London, so there you go.
Fear not, Dad - no nail polish or anything, but after the months of walking in sandals and trekking, she had her work cut out for her. The results were pretty good – now, I'm not sayin' it's gonna be regular occurrence but yeah, I could see doing this again.
(Pause for heckling from the audience)
For brunch, I checked out Mango's again, with a great baguette along with kumquat juice as a novelty. Tart and tasty...
…and then headed for my afternoon cooking class at a local restaurant.
It was a mixed success – with it being more of a watch vs. 'learn and do' approach, but I got to write down the recipes and get my hands dirty, so theoretically at least, I'm dangerously competent to whip up spring rolls, cao lao, and my favorite, tuna steak in lemongrass and chili, wrapped in banana leaves and BBQ'd. That one might make an appearance on my return to London...
The best (and worst) of things was that I had to eat all four courses myself. Coming off the baguette, I barely did justice to everything and was so so stuffed, it was painful.
I'm not sure about you guys, but for me, the only possible remedy was to walk, walk, and keep walking to help digestion. So, the afternoon was a bit of shopping and lining up a bus ticket to Hue, with some photo opportunities at the somewhat overly famous “Japanese Covered Bridge”:
You be the judge... here's the bridge:
...and much more interestingly, here's a charming old lady who let me take her pic:
Then it was serious nap time, some more 2 for 1 drinks at a backpacker bar, and chili squid for dinner... fueling up for the morning bus ride into Hue the next day.
No comments:
Post a Comment