Hoi An, Vietnam

As I expected, today was much better than yesterday!  I just needed a good sleep.

The woman (why haven’t I asked her her name?) whose home I’m staying at took me next door to her sister’s restaurant for breakfast-

I had my first of many Vietnamese iced coffee-

and banh mi which is a sandwich on a baguette.  There is no better bread in the world than a fresh baguette and thanks to the French influence, they are everywhere in Vietnam-

Then she took me on her scooter to her cousin’s leather/shoe shop-

I priced out two pair of shoes and realized that because Hoi An is “the” tourist capital of Vietnam, nothing is super cheap anymore.  I will probably end up paying around $100/pair which is still a good deal because they will be leather lined and have a leather sole.  My feet are very hard to fit so if I can get comfortable shoes I like, it will be worth it.  I visited a few shops but found every place to be more or less the same so I went back to her shop after being on my feet all day.  She agreed that I should come in the morning before my feet are swollen from the heat and exercise of the day.  

I also visited quite a few tailor shops-

I want two pair of wide leg pants: one in black silk and the other in lime green linen.  I will start that process tomorrow as well.  

You can even get a swimsuit made-

I continued wandering and found a great coffee shop where I had an egg coffee.  It’s more of a dessert but so good!  Egg and condensed milk are beaten until frothy, then poured on top of espresso-

You can leave it like that or mix it.  I had mine cold but you can also enjoy it hot-

I continued walking.  My homestay is three minutes away from the Old Town. Along the way –

There are so many scooters sometimes you can’t get a decent picture-

Narrow streets filled with homes-

restaurants, massage parlours, souvenir shops-

Noodles drying in the sun-

There are lots of lantern making shops-

and so many lanterns-

The Phung Hung Old House is where merchants used to gather to do business.  It was built in 1780 during Hoi An's prosperous trading era.  Its name comes from the merchant's pseudonym, which means "prosperity." It used to be a shop selling local goods like cinnamon, pepper, salt, silk, ceramics, and glassware-

The Japanese Bridge- 

is 18 meters long and connects the east Chinese quarter to the west Japanese quarter by crossing the Thu Bon River.  It’s called the Japanese Bridge even though it’s a combination of Vietnamese, Japanese and Cambodian culture.  

At the entrance there is a dog-

and at the exit a monkey-

 They are the guardians of the bridge symbolizing protection and safety in Japanese culture. The start of construction was in the year of the Monkey and the bridge was completed in the year of the Dog.  It has been renovated 8 times in the last 400 years, the most recent in 2023.  

I wandered some more.  The Thu Bon River-

Where I’m not staying but French influenced architecture -

The lobby of The Library Hotel is filled with books-

A wedding venue-

Birthday cakes-

and speaking of birthdays, my Dad is 95 today-

and Nico finally got to celebrate his 9th birthday which was March 3-

I stopped for a beer and to people watch and spent an hour visiting with a Brit from the Manchester area-

Interesting-

T-shirts-

The Ba Mu Temple Gate-

is all that remains of the temple built in 1626 but of course it’s been renovated over the years.

I had supper at MorningGlory, apparently the place to eat in Hoi An.  I had two famous Vietnamese dishes called Cao Lau which is udon noodles, sliced pork, herbs and croutons-

and Banh Bao Banh Vat or White Rose dumplings which contain shrimp and mixed vegetables covered in crispy shallots.

There are so many people visiting-

Boats in the river-

The lights of Hoi An-

More lights and lanterns-

The Japanese Bridge at night-

The town shuts down around 9:30 so I came home and we tried to get my AC to work properly but no luck.  It stays on about 45 minutes then shuts off.  Also it’s set at 16 but runs about 23.  I do have a fan but it’s very noisy.  Tomorrow I’m changing rooms so maybe it will be better.