Hoi An
Oh, the overnight train! If I wasn't scared enough on the first overnight train we took back in Egypt... Oh, but even better- booking the train from Hanoi to Hoi An we found out that the only sleeper cars available had 4 beds. So on this 12 hour train we would be having roommates. We crossed our fingers and hoped to be sharing a room with Australians- which have proven to be the nicest people we have met. Our prayers were answered..... when we arrived at the train station and found our sleeper car..we met the sweetest Australian couple, already snuggling in the bottom bunk across from ours. Phew!
After 12 hours we finally arrived in Da Nang and then took a 30 minute cab to Hoi An. We arrived at our hotel- the Hai Au. This was one of the nicest budget accommodations we stayed in. The towels on our bed were shaped like swans, and the room had a desktop in it! The front desk greeted us every morning by name, even if they did change Joey's name to “Josh”! Anyway...although the hotel was about a 15 min walk away from the town- it was a nice and friendly place.
Before our trip Joey told me about this place in Vietnam called Hoi An, that is famous for it's clothing tailors. Since before the trip we have been thinking and planning about what kind of clothes to make when we got here. I feel like I have been secretly trying extra hard to loose a few pounds so I can be in good shape for my new tailor made wardrobe! On our first day we walked through the streets of Hoi An just to get some ideas of fabrics and good prices. All we saw were rows and rows of tailor shops, with tailors hanging out the doors begging people to come in. We learned that there are over 1,000 tailors. I was so excited for this opportunity. It seems like it would be any girls dream. But then I pinched myself and reality set in. The next day when we decided to start getting things made, picking from thousands of patterns, colors, fabrics and styles, negotiating prices... I became so overwhelmed. Not to mention when I finally did get measured the tailors seemed to be amused at my body type- something totally foreign from their petite/tiny figures. I was not happy when they kept saying “Not Vietnamese body” as they patted my posterior. I gave up.
So we moved on to Joey- who did very well. Cracking jokes with all the ladies, and effortlessly choosing the exact color, style, and quality type he wanted. And just like that- 5 suits and 2 pairs of shoes were made! He made this look easy. He lifted my spirits and I realized I may have been a little dramatic about this.. so I would start again the next day. For the rest of the week I felt like we were mice running around a maze- running from store to store for fitting and pick ups. These tailors are amazing- you tell them what you want, show them a picture, pick a fabric and 24 hours later your back for your first fitting. They run around town on their motorbikes back and forth from the store to the mystery sewing machines, until it fits perfectly. Amazing.
In the midst of all the running around we decided to take a step away from clothing and explore Hoi An as tourists- not as shopaholics! Joey wanted to go see The Old Town, which happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage site . We crossed over the famous Japanese covered bridge and discovered a totally different part of town that we were missing out on. Away from all the tailors were beautiful and quaint alleyways with little restaurants, cafes and art galleries.
Finding this beautiful part of town reminded us about the real reason for this trip- exploring the real beauty in the world, and seeing and experiencing it. We decided that we needed to learn more about Hoi An culture- so we decided to book a day trip. When we saw a sign for a local fishing tour- we thought what could be better.
The day trip ended up being one of the best experiences in Vietnam. The trip started off in the ocean- by the local guide showing us their technique of fishing. We sat in round boats that were more like baskets then boats, and learned how to paddle in a unique figure 8. We then watched how they cast nets off the boat and we even got to pull up the nets and see what gets trapped inside. We then left the boats and learned a few fishing techniques from the shore line. They have built huge nets on retractable poles that lift the fish out of the water, as the fisherman cranks the net with their pulley system on the beach. On a sad note, we learned that the years of constant fishing has not left many fish in the area. We did manage to catch a local silver dragon fish- which really did have dragon like teeth. After a great morning of fishing we went on a boat ride through water coconut trees to the local village. In an isolated village, while sipping coconut tea and eating rice crackers, Joey found a little bit of home. Sitting in an old vase was a deflated Florida Gators basketball. He made me take like 40 pictures of him holding this ball with his imaginary championship ring made out of leaves. This was a great day, and great way to end the week.
On Sunday morning, as we packed our boxes of new clothes to ship home I reflected on the week. Although it was a week of shopping and alterations- it was a great experience learning about the culture and discovering the town. Whether or not the clothing still fits when we get home, it will still be fun to have a closet full of handmade, personalized souvenirs!
