Andrew Pell: Expensive Hoi An

After arriving in Hoi An after a lengthy and squishy overnight bus trip from Nha Trang, Rob, Lisa and myself were still in a daze and booked ourselves into the hotel that the bus dropped us off at. This actually turned out to be reasonably cheap between the 3 of us and fairly comfortable. Instead of doing the normal thing and having a few more hours sleep in the hotel we stupidly went out suit and shoe shopping. Hoi An is known for its ridiculous amount of tailors that line the streets and promise to make all types of clothing from a large range of fabrics. We headed straight for a tailor that had been recommened in our Hotel, called Peace Tailors. Within an hour or so, we had chosen our fabrics, been measured and completely charmed by the shop assistances. Rob bought a couple of suits and I somehow got sucked into buying 3 of the things! So much for watching my budget to last me a year. We probably ended up paying a lot more for the suits than we should have but they did turn out pretty damn schmick and they fitted like a glove after 3 or 4 alterations. Still in our sleepy daze we found ourselves in a shoe shop that charmed us once again. Another credit card swipe and we both had a pair of shoes to be made overnight. This was probably our stupidist purchase as my shoes turned out a little tight and Robs ended up being a completely different colour than what he asked for!! So pretty much we were the perfect tourist in Hoi An. We didn't bargain much over price and we just did everything in a rather sleepy and spontaneous way, just what the shope keepers wanted! Another cost was sending the box of clothes home. After some serious retail therapy it was time to enjoy the other charms of Hoi An. Come night time the streets are completely lit up with colourful lanterns. The old quarter is an area of Hoi An that has not been developed and no motorbikes are allowed. Another few dollars for entry into the old quarter and you are free to enjoy the sights which included a Japanese bridge, old style houses and plenty of arty shops. The food in Hoi An is regarded as some of the best in Vietnam. They have a few specialities of which I had most days. First there favourite dish is called Cao Lao. Its thick noodles in a little bit of pork broth with pork fillets, mint, coriander & crispy fried pork bits. YUM! Next it was a dish called White Rose. They are basically a plate of steamed pork & prawn dumplings. And last but not least was some fried wontons with a tomatoe and onion type sauce splattered on top. One last thing on the food side was this patisserie I found. Cocunut tarts, chocolate brownies and home made ice cream were just a few of the delicious treats i managed to fit in post dinner.

I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of Hoi An and ended up spending 5 nights here. You could easly spend a day just wandering around. I also hired a bike and rode around the old quarter in the morning and then made the 7km ride out to the beach for the afternoon. The beach wasn't up to Koh Phi Phi standards but was a hell of a lot better than Mui Ne & Nah Trang so it was atleast swimmable! Perfect for some reading, sunning and swimming. After 6 days it was time to put the wallet away and leave Hoi An, a place that had somehow managed to drain a lot of dosh from my savings!