Luxury

Hoi An, Vietnam
May 02, 2009

We were up at 7 am to shower and pack. I was able to have some cornflakes and peanut butter with the soy and raisins that I purchased. Bill had some baguette and watermelon.

We walked to the post office to use FedEx or DHL to send a package home, but they were not open. So, we are entrusting our valuables to the Vietnam postal system. We were assured that it would take a mere 2 - 3 months for our package to arrive for $20 for 3 kgs. I had to fill out 5 forms for sending one package.

Back at the hotel we finished packing and took a taxi to the airport.

I ordered fresh spring rolls for a snack, but the shrimp was not great and the wrappers were hard. It tasted like cardboard. I sent it back and asked for a fresh order or I would not pay. She never came back, so I did not pay. We ended up buying some yummy, fattening taro root chips instead.

We boarded a Vietnam Airlines flight and departed at 11:30 and arrived in the rain at Da Nang at 12:40. We had great seats. We were at the front of one section and had a lot of legroom. The flight was a tiny bit rough and one point and someone let out a scream - must have been a first time traveler.

We arrived safely and on time. We grabbed our bags and were greeted by a guy that may be David Suzuki's dad. He loaded us into the Sprinter van (just us, no one else - WOW!) and drove us to our Resort. It started raining again on the way. We saw people harvesting rice along the way. We also saw a truck with 2 caskets. We also saw some graveyards with tomb stones and above ground mausoleums. That is a first for SE Asia.

Our driver was true to the name of our vehicle. We actually got the thing up to 100 k/h and were passing other vehicles in the oncoming traffic lane. That would have been unnerving, but we have already seen it a thousand times, just at slower speeds.

It was down pouring when we arrived at the hotel. The valets rushed for umbrellas, but I got a ton of water down my back getting out of the van. Bill had water dumped on his head!

We were seated with one of the 3 people at the front desk. We were served lemon iced tea while she explained our invoice and the services of the hotel. She then showed us to our room on the 3rd floor.

We have our own balcony with two cushioned benches, a sunken sitting area, a large comfortable bed with a TV and 2 large cupboards, a large bathtub with 2 shower heads and a separated toilet.

We unpacked our things and then went to explore Hoi An. The town is located on Thu Bon River. It is a Unesco site with architectural influences from the Chinese, French and Japanese. You will need to buy passes for some of the sites around town for 75000 each ($5). We stopped at Dem Hoi for skewers (beef, chicken, meatball, tomato and onion) and prawns in beer. Bill had a Lerue beer with lunch.

We did not fully understand the passes until we went to Tran Family Chapel, built in 1802, and they cut one tab off our ticket. We are unable to go to Tan Ky House or the Tran Phu House without buying an additional pass. We did get some good information from the lady who showed us through the Chapel. The beams are Japanese - the 3 vertical are for the heart line, head line and life line (like on your hands) and the 5 horizontal beams are the 5 elements - earth, fire, water, wood and metal. The arched ceiling is Chinese and symbolizes a turtle or a crab. There was a beam that looked like a bow and arrow, this is Vietnamese style architecture.

There were boxes on an alter that represent deceased people - now pictures are displayed instead. If two boxes are the same it is a husband and wife, a box with a lotus is a single woman, a box with a circle is a single man. Inside the boxes are 2 tablets, one has the biography of the person written on it.

We learned that the trim (like a step, reminds me of a speed bump) is continued through a door way for 2 reasons - you have to look down to step over it and therefore bow your head in respect and it reminds you to be careful and not clumsy.

Also, we found out that we came in the side door because the front door is only for ancestors and is only open twice a year - New Years and Nov 11, the Birthday of the founder.

She showed us how to make a wish with the yin and yang coins. One side has white lettering, the other does not. You make a wish and it you shake and throw opposite coins, your wish will come true (you are given 3 chances). Bill and I were able to throw yin and yang each on the first throw. We are both very lucky!

Behind the chapel there was a site where umbilical cords and placenta are buried. Even if you move away from the chapel/town, there is always a piece of you here.

We could have purchased many souvenirs here, but did not. We moved on down the road. In town there are many places to buy shoes, silk, tailored outfits, art, wooden carvings, pottery, lanterns.... You could shop until you drop!

We visited Quan Cong (Dong) - Cantonese Assembly Hall - next. This community center was built in 1786. It has a mural of the divine stork and the goddess of mercy. In front there was a fountain with a dragon in fish, out back there was a fountain with many dragons. Dragons symbolize continuity, power, stability and prosperity. There was a nice garden out back too. There was also a statue with a mountain and billy goats.

Inside there was a paper mache statue of a general surrounded by statues of his horses, a guardian and politician.

Our next stop is the biggest landmark in Hoi An: the Japanese covered bridge that was built in 1593 to connect the Japanese trading community with the Chinese settlement. The bridge had been added to over the years. At one entrance there is a pair of dogs, the other is a pair of monkeys. There is a temple in the middle with storks on either side.

We walked along Thu Bon River and popped into some shops. It would be $15 for a silk top, $30 for a silk jacket and $40 for a winter coat (USD). Holy smokes!

We stopped for happy hour at Before and Now on Le Loi street. I had a 2 for 1 Vodka Soda and Bill had a couple of Tiger Beers all for $1/drink.

On our way back to the hotel I bought a new bracelet with ceramic beads, one bead looks like Ally, for 20,000 dong. Bill was able to weigh himself for the mid-point weigh in: 201 lbs (late in the day with clothes and shoes, so we figure around 196 lbs).

We had dinner at Cafe Des Amis. It is a set menu - we chose one meat and one seafood for 120,000 and 140,000 dong, 140,000 for a bottle of wine and 10,000 for a big water. We had shrimp dumplings with chili sauce, hard boiled egg whites topped with minced chicken, fried garlic slices and crunchy bits, fish soup with corn, peas and spring onion, curry beef, potato and carrot soup, flat bread with sesame, spring rolls (like bird's nest) with warm tomato sauce, squid and veggies, chicken and noodles, curry chicken and something similar to creme brulee. We were seated on the 2nd floor balcony and had 8 geckos overhead. An American guy was seated with 3 ladies and when they left we started talking to him. His name is Bob and he is from Texas. He was a Vietnam vet and this was his first trip back. He was really enjoying the trip and only had good things to say about the country and the people.

Hoi An is a very quaint river-side town. It has lovely old buildings with a combination of French, Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese architecture. It is a wonderful place to explore and offers great restaurants, shops and historic places to explore. The faded exterior of the buildings reminded me of Venice.

Back at the hotel we had a great sleep in our lovely room and comfortable bed.