We got back from Ninh Binh quite late, so we decided to head out for some food at a restaurant our guide had recommended.. which obviously was closed by the time we got there 🤣 so we decided to go to a restaurant a few doors down that looked busy. We ordered the BBQ plate where you’re given a plate of meat and veg and cook it all yourself. The waiter brought everything we needed, including a pot of some orange jelly. We thought this was pudding.. it was actually the stuff you set of fire. The flavours were really nice, but the pork had a really strange crunchy texture. Would this be our first bit of food poisoning?! (You’ll be pleased to know that all was well) We had read there was a really cool Harry Potter bar, and as Mark is a fan, we decided to check it out. We got there, and there was only one other couple in there, but it was a bit of a trek, so we decided to stay for Mark to try out the Butterbeer. It was much better than the one at HP Studios, but still absolutely foul 🤣 the waitress was really strange. Shuffling around and not smiling at all. We’re not sure if this was part of an act or if she was just desperate to get home. They did have a dressing up box, though!
We woke up to the wettest day yet in Hanoi and jumped in a taxi to the airport. Again, this was incredibly smooth, and we were checked in and through security in no time. This meant we could relax in one of the coffee shops, and finally have a decent latte! I just do not know how anyone can enjoy Vietnamese coffee. We boarded the plane which had a rather pissy aroma about it, and Mark squashed his super long BFG legs into the tiny space. Just over an hour later and we had landed at Da Nang airport, got our bags and jumped in the next taxi to Hoi An – our home for the next few days. We finally had sun and blue sky 💙
One of the must do things in Hoi An is having some clothes tailor-made. We checked into our hotel and set out to find the one recommended by our hotel. The whole process was really fun. You can either take photos of designs you like or search through their hundreds of pictures of clothes. You choose which fabric you want and then get measured. Mark went to choose his fabric, and because he was scared of the sales woman, he ended up picking material for another shirt and a pair of trousers. Over the next 2 days, we popped back a few times for extra fittings, having things taken in, buttons and poppers added, etc, and we’re both really pleased with our final garments. I’ve always struggled to get shorts to fit due to my super large thighs, but I’ve now got a jazzy linen pair that fit so well and are the perfect length to avoid chub rub.
Hoi An old town is a UNESCO site, meaning you get to see some beautiful and well-preserved buildings. The town reflects a fusion of indigenous and foreign cultures (principally Chinese and Japanese with later European influences). It should also mean a scooter free zone.. however, the locals are obviously not arsed about observing this rule 🤣 if you want to go inside any of the buildings, you need to buy a ticket that allows you to pick 5 ‘attractions’. One of the ones we chose was a really interesting old family house, and I was dreading it would be like one of those awkward National Trust house tours. Luckily, it was a quick tour from one of the owners, and we actually saw loads in such a short space of time. We learnt about the different styles of architecture, and they showed us a huge coin collection the family had collected over the years, which they believe brings them luck. We also had the mystery solved of why temples etc have such a huge step to get in – it’s so you have to look down to see where you’re going, which means you are automatically bowing your head.
Another must do in Hoi An is the basket boat tour. You wear the obligatory hat, and they take you down the river in the special boats used to access small, shallow, and interlaced waterways that are hard or inaccessible for common boats. They do some spinning performances to techno music 🤣 and our guide encouraged us to get in and have a go. You get so dizzy, and you really have to hold on tight otherwise you could fly off the back into the water. But it was a fun experience. We had a go at paddling the boat (which is harder than it looks) and catching some crabs (which were put back after) It was such a cheap and fun activity to do and one we would recommend to everyone.
Hoi An is ideally placed just 5km from the beach, and what better way to get there than to hire some bikes and cycle there. This did, however, mean joining the crazy traffic to get out of the old town and onto the quieter road to the beach, which was certainly an experience and one that made the bum twitch a few times. It’s such a lovely ride to the beach past the rice fields and seeing all the locals at work. The beach was great, and as long as you buy a drink at one of the many bars, you’re able to use the lounger for free. We stayed for a few hours to enjoy the sun we had now finally got. There’s also plenty of watersports if that’s your thing. After the beach we decided to try another recommended restaurant – White Rose Restaurant. They only serve 2 dishes, meaning they are absolutely delicious. We tried both – the white rose dumpling made from translucent white dough and filled with shrimp and fried wonton (Hoi An pizza) with shrimp, tomato, and mango.
Night time in Hoi An is colourful and busy, with lanterns lit up everywhere. We loved walking the streets at night and seeing all the 100s of bars and restaurants to choose from. We decided not to take a boat ride, instead sitting at a bar with a live band (with some questionable songs) and watching the world go bar. It also meant we had a great view of all the street food carts, which we were 100% not going to visit 🤣
We had one more day left in Hoi An, and decided to take a trip to Marble Mountain in Da Nang – a network of caves, tunnels, towers, and pagodas built by Mahayana Buddhists and the Nguyen Dynasty Kings. As we’ve had rubbish luck with viewpoints, we decided to brave the 32-degree heat and climb to the top. Unfortunately, they are building right in front of the water, so instead of seeing for miles, we saw a hotel erection instead. We’re so glad we had this a guided tour as we learnt so much from him, and he was really keen to learn about us and life in England as well.
Next, we visited the Goddess of Mercy. In the leaflet, it said she’s the highest Buddha in Vietnam, so we assumed that meant we would we going up a big mountain. It actually meant she’s the tallest 🤣 at 67 metres tall! It’s also known as Monkey Mountain, and we were lucky to see lots of monkeys running around and playing with each other. The public have been banned from feeding them for a number of years now (and covid also helped), so at least they weren’t surrounding us trying to snatch things out of the bag!
We really fancied something to eat that didn’t involve soy sauce or coriander, and luckily, Hoi An is full of western restaurants. We chose a pizza with mozzarella sticks and watched a local Hanoi derby on the TV. As much as we’ve loved trying all the different foods, it really was much needed.
Hoi An has been a dream. We even looked at changing our flight to HCMC to a later one to give us longer there, but unfortunately it would have cost too much 😔 it has so much charm about it and it’s so easy to see why people fall in love with it.
The Travelling Ginger 