Hoi An

After our "historical" time in Hue, and the cold weather we had experienced north of there, we were ready for the beach!  Hoi An was such a perfect destination and town to just relax and enjoy.  There are a few excursions that you can book on the outskirts of the city, but what the city itself has to offer, it seemed to me, there was no reason to leave.
Beach
Food
Coffee
Shopping

Ben and I had booked a home stay that was quite lovely.  A family had converted extra rooms into guest rooms and charge about $20 a night, breakfast included.  It was in between the "downtown" area where all of the cafes and shopping is, and the beaches.  I would say it was a pretty good location.  We rented bikes everyday for $2 a day and went one way or the other.  The city is made for bikes, or if you are feeling lazy, rent a moped.  There is very little traffic, and the cars that are on the road are easy enough to navigate around on a bike.

Hoi An has a few things that you should not pass by…

1) Beaches! There are two beaches to choose from.  Both are similar offering both sand and sea, however Cua Dai beach had a few more eating options than An Bahn.  Both had similar people selling trinkets to you while you try to sun bathe.  We found the women selling things quite delightful and their catchphrases were humorous as well, "don't be angry, be happy!  I have to make money somehow", "looking is free", etc.  I was very impressed with their English ability and their genuine "niceness", though I really didn't want anything that they were selling.  Shame.

   

 


2) Food and Drinks  The "downtown" area in Hoi An is lovely!  There is really no where else to go… or at least no where else that we went!  We were only there for 3 short nights, and riding our bikes to the cute downtown area was always pleasant.  There are so many restaurants to choose from, though I can't really recommend any above the others.  Do make sure that you try to Won Tons though!  Also, there are many cafes with delicious desserts.  Why not have 5 meals each day?  The night scene is actually ok, with the bars competing for customers and giving great deals.  We met up with some friends and went to a place that offered a free hookah if you had 3 or more people.  The beers were $0.50 and the mixed drinks only $1.50.  BE CAREFUL!~  Remember that you still have to bike back (probably).  Also, we felt bad because we returned at 2 AM and had to wake the owners to let us in.  Though I suppose it is their business.  BTW, the owners of the place where we stayed spoke very little English, however "google translate" works wonders and is very accurate translating English/Vietnamese. (Free tip of the day)

This is Felipe and Felipe!  They were on the same route (North to South) as Ben and I
and this was the second night in a row (different city!) that we saw them from the balcony
while eating.  This time they joined us! Now I simply MUST visit Brasil!

Party of 3 or more will get you a free hookah!

Make sure you try the WONTONS (multiple times!)

Our last night we had a mixed meat HOT POT.  It was delicious!

3) Shopping~ The old town area has hundreds of stores, most of them selling the same things!  CLOTHES.  Lots and lots of Clothes.  Everyone's mom or sister or cousin owns a shop and you will be given MANY cards.  You can choose your pattern, choose your material and have an outfit taylor made for you within 2 days.  It was all too overwhelming for me, so I just chose to choose some off of the "rack" instead.  I bought 2 dresses both under $30.  Great place to buy souvenirs and almost impossible not to!

So. MANY. LANTERNS!  But gosh, they're beautiful!

Here we go!  One day of shopping.
More than enough >.<

So many options for coffee throughout the day!

My favorite door

A quick fix on the straps before I walked away with a super cute dress for $20