We left Cambodia with mixed feelings about our experience on the bike trip and looking forward to a truly wonderful experience in our next stop. This was also the end of the portion of our trip that we had, for the most part, pre booked. Now the travel training wheels were off and we were freewheelin' Bob Dylan style. Having bought the ticket to ho chi Minh city with the intention of traveling on to Hanoi one day, we woke up the next and decided to visit Hoi An first since, among other things, it has beautiful beaches and we got rained out in Sihanoukville.
We got picked up at the airport in Danang and immediately noticed that the roads were much better than in Cambodia and the scenery...jaw dropping. Lush green mountain after mountain rolled like nesting serpents behind green fields, river ways and then the ocean.
The village of Hoi an started as a small fishing village and grew into an international trading location. There we explored beautiful old wooden buildings built using the traditional architecture of multiple cultures that still, keeping their traditions, sold bright colored wares through the front downstairs.
We enjoyed riding bikes through the calm city and out into the rice patties and palm filled waterways, all the way to the beach. There we felt like we were in paradise, swimming the bath like calm waters and walking the white sand beaches. Elisa also discovered the glory of freshly fried coconut filled doughnuts. And in town Adam was lured by the local tailors and, much to Elisa's pleasure, had a suit made that fits him perfectly.
The food was crazy good especially the local cau lau noodles made only from the bale well water and an amazing restaurant named after the well. We rolled in and asked for a menu but there was none - thru just bring you a big 'ol pile of goodness: pork satay, spring rolls, Vietnamese pancakes, pickled veggies, herbs and rice paper to roll it all up in. Yum!
All these aspects of Hoi an won our hearts on their own but the most magical celebration happened the first night, putting the icing on the cake. When we had planned our trip to Hoi an we had planed it to catch a lantern festival that happens once a month, but, since we were now there at a different time we figured that we were going to miss it. As it turns out though, we made it just in time for a lunar lantern festival instead.
When we went into town that first night it was magical. The businesses turned down their regular lights and turned on grorgeous cloth lanterns that bathed the streets in color. Beyond that people also floated hundreds of small candles down the river in colorful paper rafts for good luck. Everyone was out to enjoy the festivities, walking the street with friends, drinking coffee and eating snacks seated on the street in little plastic chairs, or enjoying the theatrical lottery that took place in the town square. We both lit candles with wishes for out like bed ones and set them afloat down the river.
All in all Hoi an was amazing and probably our favorite spot on our entire trip up to that point.
No comments:
Post a Comment