Hoi An break

We were off to Hoi An for a few days during the recent break. We'd toyed with ideas of setting off somewhere abroad but work and other commitments wouldn't let us do it and I'm glad of it. A relaxing time with good food and friendly people and a break from the city was just perfect. I also spent some time with the models of Hoi An who will happily either sell you fruit or pose for you for a very modest fee.

Cheers Etienne.

Mobile Shop

From bicycle to fully stocked snacks, drinks and smokes stall in less than 10 minutes.

unloading...

fully stocked and waiting for the ice delivery to arrive.

Hoi An yearly visit

The annual trip to Hoi An to get some work clothes made is just over. I was fairly restrained this year and unlike previous trips didn't have to buy a new bag to haul the stuff back to Saigon.

As always I took far too many photographs but they're easy to transport.

Girls working on shirts and stuff into the night. The clothes are generally made off the premises but some finishing touches are made in house.

Beer by the river watching the world drift by is always welcome.

The pictures above were taken at Son Cafe, a slightly ramshackle place on the beach road. It's been a regular stopping off point for me since my first visit to Hoi An.

The Japanese Bridge is still standing and still a prime and picturesque site for hawkers.

I hadn't noticed this nicely distressed red bust before, I have no idea who it is because it doesn't look anything like the usual Uncle Ho statues seen around.

Not much has changed since my last visit, the market is in a new building and the international tourists seem to be fewer in numbers but internal tourists are growing in numbers. All seems well and the sea was toasty warm.

Phuoc An, Hoi An

During our last trip to Hoi An we stayed at the Phuoc An Riverside hotel. I was stunned by some of the very individual decorations.





Be honest, how often have you looked at a marble statue and thought "You know, that would be so much better with a sarong and a pedicure."



The wall lamp verged on criminal but the comfortable rooms and view from the roof more than made up for the kitsch decor.

Flooding in Hoi An

Photograph courtesy of notquiteginger on flickr

I was pulled up short to see the extent of the flooding in Hoi An this week. I'd been lightheartedly going on about the sweaty interiors of disposable raincoats while the rains continued to fall and the river rose.


From Than Nien newspaper:

Households underwater in Hoi An ancient town of Quang Nam Province
The death toll continued to rise in the aftermath of floods that wreaked havoc in the central provinces, bringing the total to 21 dead or missing after more bodies were found Thursday.
Two bodies were found in Quang Nam Province, bringing the total number of people dead or missing in the province to ten.
Quang Nam was also the hardest-hit in the central region.
In Da Nang, the bodies of two young students were discovered yesterday in Hoa Vang District, bringing the death toll in the city to three.
In Thua Thien-Hue Province, six people have been reported dead so far.
Local authorities said the water in the Thu Bon and Vu Gia rivers have receded some.
The floods submerged tens of thousands of households and destroyed thousands of hectares of crops.
Traffic to the area resumed yesterday after having been cut off by the flood waters.
Most of schools are now reopened.
In Hoi An, local authorities dispatched personnel to rein-force the structure of historic sites susceptible to collapse.
The Thua Thien-Hue administration has rushed 380 tons of rice and 26 tons of instant noodles to needy districts while provincial health regulators are providing flood-hit areas with medicine as a preventative measure to possible epidemics.
Thousands of households in flood-hit areas were subjected to evacuation.
Meteorological experts forecast that the weather will continue to worsening in the central region in the next several days and more floods are expected.
Earlier floods that had devastated the central region in mid-October left 64 dead and 14 missing in their wake.


There's another problem, escaped crocodiles from the State Owned Yang Bay crocodile farm. Big buggers by all accounts.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iEMN6qNLVD1i_DwgGIMwvCa25LFgD8SSN6B80

Hoi An Images

The wet season seems to be coming to a close in Saigon, the wind has changed direction and it no longer rains every day. That's not the case in Hoi An. It bucketed down every day, usually two or three times a day. Umbrellas just didn't cut it so we got some disposable raincoats, the type that make you look as though you're wearing an ill fitting condom. They certainly keep the rain out but it's like wearing your own personal sauna and pretty soon they were sweat wet inside. Not a good situation so we fell back on plan B; when it rains go inside.

Going inside wasn't hard, there were plenty of cafes to shelter in, mostly serving good food.

The photo above was taken in a regular stop off point as we cycled to the beach. The observant amongst you will notice that it's not actually raining in this picture. But it did later.




The beach is a 4km bike ride away and despite the wet weather was lovely to visit. Maybe lovlier because of the wet weather as we had the place to ourselves and even the hawkers stayed away.


Hoi An is very pretty and well worth a trip. Food and shopping are top class and there's lots to see and do.

As always motorbikes are the main form of transport.

Bicycles are much more common than in HCMC


But it's boats of all shapes and sizes that are the most eyecatching transport.

Hoi An continued

Our trip to Hoi An was a great success. We started at the domestic airport, I wasn't expecting much and dreaded it being like Prestwick, but it's nice as airports go. I have seen so much fresh fruit for sale at an airport either whole or in smoothie form, I had a custard apple smoothie and passed on the delicacy below.


Our first hotel was the state run Hoi An Hotel.

Nice spacious rooms and the mosquito nets and shutters add a pretty air to it.
The pool area was well maintained and although this hotel caters to a lot of tour groups the pool was fairly quiet while we were there. I expect they're all out doing what they're there for; touring.

It's only downside was that the breakfast facilities sometimes got a bit overwhelmed when groups were leaving at the same time, otherwise it was well run, friendly and had very good facilities including a spa and garden bars and cafes.

The best part of it was the sign on the minibar:

As this is a state owned hotel we took our instructions seriously.

Our next place was on the smaller side.

This very pretty hotel cost us £10 per person per night for a superior room. The staff were welcoming and helpful, the breakfast buffet outstanding and they have free rental of rattly bikes to get around on.

Rooms are lovely and liberally sprinkled with flowers and petals for your arrival and come with a constantly replenished fruit basket and an area of blacony.


If you're in the area I'd highly recommend the Ha An.

Hoi An

covered bridge
Originally uploaded by amasc

We've been off on a jaunt to Hoi An. Flights cost $100 return per person, hotel £10 per person per night. Tailors were accurate and cheap as were shoemakers ( we had to buy another bag for the return trip) and Hoi An is one of the prettiest places we've see. More on our trip tomorrow but we have clothes to unpack

The couple above supplement their fishing income by posing for tourists going past on boats. Very enterprising and worth a few thousand dong to grab a picture.