Catching up on Hoi An

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I’ve tried to keep daily/regular updates to this so that I don’t forget or leave out any of the details of this trip.  The last few days haven’t accommodated that goal. As such, I’m trying to catch up on the various events of the last few days – starting with Hoi An.

As I mentioned previously, Hoi An is very much a tourist trap, but that’s okay.  The city’s French history is obvious, and it’s influence is everywhere.  You can also see – everywhere you look – how much the city is influenced by the fact that it’s become a tourist/backpacker destination.  You can see this in some of the newer pictures put up – signs entirely in English, cafe’s advertising the fact that they have wifi, and menus in all English.  The other specific thing that is noticeable is that nearly everyone speaks a decent amount of English.

For me, I used the time in Hoi An to walk around the market that was right outside my hotel.  The market is essentially THE MARKET, and you can buy anything from Season Two of The Walking Dead for $4, fresh fish, lunch, a NorthFace jacket, to an iced coffee or a pair of shoes.  Adding to the fun, all of this is done via negotiating. I ended up having two suits made – something that the city is very specifically known for.  That said I’m not sure if it’s known for it’s tailors and then the tourists showed up, or if the tourists showed up and all of the tailors started multiplying.  After everything was said and done, I spent roughly $250 on two suits, two shirts, and 3-4 months of shipping them back to the USA on a really slow boat.  Was it that much of a savings?  Probably not.

On my last day in Hoi An, I took a motorbike and went out to the beach.  These beaches were much nicer than the ones I had previously seen.  There are a few pictures of those included in the new set of pictures I’ve uploaded.

Oh, and after a lot of contemplation, looking at prices, being jealous of other people I saw on the roads, and who knows what other feelings – I decided to rent a motorcycle for 15 days.  (More on that in a separate post.)

(The gallery below is the same as what’s been added to the photos page/will be when I can get better internet)

Quick Update: I’m Alive

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Brief update this morning.  I’m alive.  I ended up driving for about 7 hours instead of the 2 that were originally planned.  I got to the city I planned to stop at and decided it was a ‘blink or you’ll miss it’ type of place…and that the only sensible thing was to go 4 hours further to the place I was going to be driving to today.  …and that place is awesome.  My hotel however, sucks.  I’m at a random cafe right now trying to find a new hotel to move to for at least another day.  I got in around 6:30 last night, so I may stay for just today, or maybe stay for two days.  Other than the beach, I’m not sure if there is anything to do or see here, and I’m okay with that.

Lastly, there are no words to describe how your ass feels after 7 hours on the back of a scooter/motorbike.

The following two things were terrorizing the streets of Vietnam yesterday.  Also – it turns out that those surgical masks are great for keeping the silly amount of smog and diesel fumes out of your system.

Bike Mirror

Random Musings II

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When I initially started planning this trip, one of the things that I was most interested and concerned about was the cost.  Anything I found online gave me the impression that S.E. Asia was “cheap”, but what exactly did that mean, and did that mean you were eating rice every day or eating like a king?  Based on what I could find online, my goal had been to spend no more than $30 a day while traveling.  I’ve been keeping track of my expenses for the last seven days, and so far, even with the $130 tour to Ha Long Bay which averages $43 a day, I can say that I am right at $30 a day so far.  It’s worth noting though that that has been WITHOUT having to pay for hotels/hostels, as I’ve been sleeping on the couch of a friend in Hanoi.  Starting tonight, that changes and I’m fully responsible for everything I need along this trip.  I’m not too worried about funds yet though, as the next few cities I’ll be in are much smaller and very walkable – no need to spend $6-$10 on taxi rides throughout the day.

I learned that I need to be careful when planning out when I take showers on days that I plan on packing everything into my bag and traveling.  The day I left for Ha Long Bay I took a shower in the morning.  My towel didn’t have enough time to completely dry, and as a result I brought a damp and rather moldy smelling towel along for the trip.  Fortunately my hotels (the boat and the actual hotel) had towels that were fresh.  Speaking of those places, the pictures below are the sort of food we got during the trip.

Dinner Prawns and Fruit Flowers

Google can be a little b**** some times.

Google!

 

The hotel/boat was actually pretty nice, although the bathroom in the boat was a little snuggly.

Boat Hotel Bath Room Boat Hotel Cabin Room Cat Ba Hotel Bath Room Cat Ba Hotel Room

I leave on a night train to Hue tonight.  It’s roughly a 12 hour train ride; I leave Hanoi around 11pm and get into Hue around 11am.  Given that I don’t expect the train conductor to speak English, my goal is to be attentively looking out the window for anything that resembles a sign of “Hue” around 10:30am and until I get off.  From there, I’ve got a hotel at $18 a night booked for two nights.  It’s a little more than I planned on spending for accommodation, but I met a nice couple in Ha Long that will be staying there, and it’s only a few dollars a night more than a hostel I’d have to share with 2-3 other people.  No brainer for me and my money.  From there, I think I’ll continue further south along the coast stopping at various cities on my way to Ho Chi Minh City, and hopefully the island of Phu Quoc.  Phu Quoc looks like this…so basically I’m pretty sure I’m going.