Hoi An: Day Two

AJ’s Story:
We started the day at a local coffee shop “Espresso Station.” Both of us had trouble sleeping and were awake very early so we were the first ones there at 7:30 when it opened. The worldly hipster coffee shop woke us up and the WiFi allowed us the plan the rest of our day.

We then went back to our homestay where we rented bikes, bicycles that is. The motorbikes that everyone else in town are still a little intimidating for us. The roads in this area of the world are filled with busy motorbikes with people hurriedly driving and honking. Street lights are more of a suggestion than a rule. Travel is slow, but deliberate as people rarely come to a complete stop. Nobody seems angry that you are in their way, it’s expected. We rode our bicycles north east of the downtown center to An Bang beach. The ride take you through rice fields laced with irrigation trenches. Bulls nap in the fields, resting, as tourists take picture of the brawny beasts.

The beach is overcast when we get there, there were no swimmers in the choppy water. It’s offseason, but you can tell in the summer months this is the place to be. The beach has light brown sand, straw umbrellas and beach lounge chairs are free to use if you are willing to be solicited for drinks.

We move on down the coast on our bikes to Cua Dai. Large resorts in varying states of disarray from gorgeous to decrepit line the picturesque peninsular town. We ride bikes back into town, beautiful canals line the streets. We drop off our bikes at the homestay. Go for a massage, 40 dollars for an hour long couples massage with seemingly genuine praise and gratitude. The Masseuse tells us we are so young, beautiful, a perfect couple.

But the deal of the night was dinner, at “Mót”. We went there for the cao lau and it did not disappoint. According to the travel blog recommending Mot: “to be considered true cao lau, the water used to make the noodles must come from a very specific well located in Hoi An and the ash used for soaking the noodles must come from trees grown on the nearby Cham Islands.” Everything we ate there was amazing.

Best meal: Cao Lau (Mot)
Coolest site: Cua Dai

Jaimie’s Story: Interesting things from Hoi An

Vietnamese currency is Viet Nam Dong (VND) or Dong. The exchange rate to dollar is 22k to one. When AJ and I got to the ATM (thank you Charles Schwab for no international fees and refunds on ATM fees) he asked if I thought 1 million Dong was enough. I panicked for a second thinking that would wipe us out. Turns out that’s only about $45 and no it wasn’t enough.

Vietnamese homes are often located in the same buildings as businesses. The bottom story or front facing room to the street will be a shop or restaurant and the back areas and upstairs will be the business owner’s homes. Sometimes you find showers and toothbrushes in restaurant bathrooms, indications of personal life. It certainly makes you extra thankful when someone graciously lets you use their restroom.

Having a dog as a pet is seemingly very popular in Hoi An. Almost every shop has one and they are allowed to just wander around the street on their own. You’ll just see dogs hanging out in front of businesses or on street sidewalks. They are all pretty mellow and seem to know how to avoid getting run over by a motorbike. Later they will just cruise back home. I think living in Vietnam would be Hank’s dream.

Every restaurant has WiFi (thankfully).

Someone is going to try to sell you a custom suit. Even at 8AM.

Beer is cheaper than water but wine costs an arm and a leg.

There are lots of roosters and they crow at all times of day.