the color band perspective
by richiecdisc
Hoi An offers lots of attractions and some tasty local delicacies but the true delight of this charming town is to wander its timeless streets. Though some travel locations like Berlin mentally take form in the gray hues of an old black & white photo, most of the tropical variety are flavored in full bright colors. Though impressed by the culinary delights of Vietnam, our first ten days in what I had imagined a lush green paradise were disappointingly lacking in visual vibrancy, at least from a color band perspective. But what a difference the golden rays of a setting sun and blue skies can make.
Hoi An served up just this. It was as if we had crossed some imaginary border on our trip south from Hue and were finally transported to the land of what we had once imagined. Though teeming with tourists, the quaint town was charming not only in its picturesque simplicity but also for a population of less persistent applicants for our hard-earned dollars. (continued below in Fondest Memory)
the price of the trip made more sense
by richiecdisc
At one point, we arrived at their home to drop off the little boy and, more importantly, pick up some souvenirs that we would hopefully buy. Now, the price of the trip itself made more sense, as well as their pointed questions about our other purchases, along with their prices. They were armed with the right products and what they figured were the right prices too. We braced ourselves for their sales pitch but found it softer than expected, especially after being manhandled in Hanoi. The items were overpriced and of little interest to us, obviously being typical Chinese knockoffs. We politely refused all the way back to the dock and gladly handed over our agreed upon fare. What was most surprising was their utter calm to our not making a purchase. In fact, they even said to come back again tomorrow. Okay, they probably just wanted another shot at us but it was offered up in such a friendly manner, we said we would think about it. (concluded below in Fondest Memory)
a special person
by call_me_rhia
A special person in Hoi An, and to whom a statue is built in one of the central streets, is the Polish architect Kazimierz Kwiatkowski (1944 - 1997). He was the head of the Polish Committee for the Restoration of Vietnamese Historic Monuments and did a lot of work in Hoi An, helping restoring old buildings and bringing them to their former beauty.
The same architect did some work on My Son, too - and wished that in the future, with proper restoration, will be regarded as important as Angkor (Cambodia), Dagan (Burma) ou Boroboudour (Indonesia).
Swimming, but not in the sea
by call_me_rhia
We had heard so many people saying that Hoi An's beach was pretty a good one, that one morning we decided to give it a go... we really felt like relaxing and swimming for a couple of hours, before heading on towards our next destination. However we found the beach and sea below average... not very inviting. What could we do?
Surio71 had a brilliant idea: head to one of the best hotels, the Hoi An Riverside Resort, and use its gorgeous swimming-pool. So we just went there, walked inside the garden, took a couple of the hotel towels, and pretended we belonged. We were not caught and we had a great swim. Don't bring your towels or people will find out that you are not a hotel resident... use the "free" ones next to the swimming-pool. bring some water, too... if you order something from the bar, you are likely to be asked for your room number, and you'll be caught.
a dog shrine
by aalayaa
i found this dog shrine inside the japanese bridge. i don't know the story, why is it dog? but it's just interesting.
in bali, once, i found a dog shrine, the story was it's one of the god's friend.
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Tam Tam cafe.
Riverside Walkway,Cam Nam Island,Hoi An,Vietnam.
SO MANY DIFFERENT LEATHERS TO CHOOSE FROM
A GOOD RELIABLE TORCH IS A MUST
