A Taste of Travel: Slow Food in Hoi An

[gorgeous river view]

[SON Restaurant - Hoi An, Vietnam]

On our last day in Hoi An we decided to rode back to An Bang Beach and just have a relax forenoon together with Micha, Iris and Gerdrun. We took the direct way via Cua Dai Street instead through the Pottery Village the day before. Almost at the end of Cua Dai Street we saw this gorgeous restaurant called "SON - Hoi An". A native style lodge, built on stilts and looking over the river. An inviting and perfect place to have a coffee and light snack after the beach. We booked a table in front of the river to safe the best spot. We took some pictures and rode to An Bang Beach.

Visual Acoustics: Goodbye Hoi An

Yellow patina and velos

It's our last day in Hoi An and we didn't only say goodbye to this picturesque village but also to our new friends we've met and traveled together the last couple of days: Juan, Eric, Micha, Micha's wife Iris and Gerdrun.

To Micha and Iris: See you guys in South Turkey!
To Juan: See you soon in Berlin or Buenos Aires!

Goodbye Hoi An. I will certainly come back to you my love.

Cycling around Hoi An

On our way to An Bang Beach

 February 9-10, 2011

Hoi An, Day 2 and 3

What else to do in Hoi An besides shopping, eating and day dreaming?
Rent a bike (ca. $1-2 USD per day) and explore Hoi An's beautiful country side and relax at An Bang Beach!

Magical Lantern Night

Hoi An's signature trademark: colourful silk lanterns

February 8, 2011

Hoi An, Day 1

 

We couldn't choose a better time to visit Hoi An then during the preparation for the "Legendary Night Festival" or "Full Moon Night" which will be held on February 18 the following week. A colourful and unique monthly ritual of homage and gratitude to the moon. Held on the 14th evening of every lunar month, the town transform itself into an early 19th century town with no artificial lighting's. Motor vehicles are not allowed in the city during the event. The city lights are shut off between 17:30 and 22:30 and the streets are lit up by an array of colourful lanterns.

Honestly we haven't heard about this event before until a friendly local told me after I was asking if the Tru Bon river is always full of giant and artful lanterns.

Footbridge to An Hoi Peninsula is ready for the Full Moon Night

Giant and artful lanterns on Tru Bon River

In Love with Hoi An

View of Thu Bon River from Bach Dang Street

 

February 8, 2011
Hoi An, Day 1

4H Completed!

We are in the proverbial midway of Vietnam and Hoi An crowns the series of the must seen places with "H" from North to Central Vietnam after Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Hué. My image of the most charming coastal town in this country and everything what I've read in books and saw in documentary films, reassured by the first minute we walked through the Old Quarter.

It was almost 4 pm when we arrived from the Marble Mountains of Da Nang. We knew with a group of six persons it won't be that simple to find a budget accommodation where we all can stay together. And the mere fact that this place is one of the main tourist spot and still Tet, we have to reckon with fully book hostels or hotels and higher rates but somehow we got lucky. We all got rooms at Vinh Hung 3 Hotel, located in a very quite side street of Nhi Trung and just only a short stroll away from the lively Old Quarter. We were more than pleased with this accommodation. Our Standard Rooms were clean, nice decorated and spacious (16 sqm!) and  we also got a group discount: 20 USD a night instead of 32 USD. Vinh Hung has friendly, obliging and English speaking staff. In retrospect it was the best room we had in Vietnam. I would recommend this hotel if you will stay in Hoi An.

By the way, one of their staff told me that the original Vinh Hung (1) Hotel in the Old Quarter is were Michael Caine stayed during the filming of "The Quite American" in Hoi An. Vinh Hung 1, a beautiful old Chinese traders house is located in 143 Tran Phu St., not far from the Japanese Bridge.

Our room at Vinh Hung 3 Hotel

Capital of tailor and lantern shops

We left the grayness of Hanoi's winter and finally reached the tropical zone of Vietnam and after the strenuous hike on the Marble Mountain of Da Nang during the noonday heat, I desperately needed a hot and relaxing shower. We fixed 7 pm to have dinner together at Bach Tang, the famous riverside street at the Old Quarter where most of the restaurants and cafes are located.

While walking down the Nhi Trung Street on our way to the riverside, we were amazed by numerous  tailor, shoe and silk lantern shops. Of course we read that Hoi An is a shopping mecca for tailor made clothes and souvenirs but this exceeded all expectations! I never saw so many tailor shops packed with gorgeous fabrics and bales of exquisite silk. I must confess that I have a foible for tailor and fabric shops. I practically grew up in one. My grandma, paternal side, is a retired dressmaker who owned a tailor shop in Cebu. No girls, I didn't freak out! It's unbelievable and even though Kevin was surprised that I only bought silk scarfs and a pair of custom made leather sandals on our last day.

Well, the truth is that it bothered me that we both were jam-packed with thick winter clothes which we haven't used by a decree of fate, Hanoi's winter turned into a spring like weather. Besides that I knew that there will be some time for shopping at our final destinations: Saigon and Bangkok.

Bach Dang Street

Another view of the riverside

Road to Da Nang and Hoi An

Troglodyte Sanctuary - The Marbele Mountains of Da Nang

Highlights:

Hai Van Pass
Lang Co Beach
The Marble Mountains of Da Nang



Together with Kevin's fellow from North Laos Micha, his wife Karin, their friend Gerdrun, Juan and Eric (a Canadian we met in Hué) we rent a private van for our next common destination, the charming town of Hoi An. We managed to get a 15 seater van for 78 USD (for 6 pax) including a sightseeing tour with stops at Lang Co Beach, Hai Van Pass and the Marble Mountains of Da Nang. The distance between Hué and Hoi An is 102 km ( (63 miles) and takes approximately 4-5 hours by car.

Lang Co Beach

Lang Co Beach has a magnificent natural landscapes surrounded by mountains and the boundless blue South China Sea. Best time to visit Lang Co Beach is between April and June.

Lang Co Beach

Hai Van Pass

The path from Hué to Da Nang and Hoi An led us through one of the most scenic hillside roads in Vietnam: the Hai Van Pass! Hai Van means in English "Sea or Ocean Clouds" and thus the pass is known for its misty vapors rising from the sea, reducing visibility (see the picture below).
With 500m above the sea level, Ha Van is the highest pass in Vietnam and approximately a 2 mile long mountain pass on National Road 1A.

North Vietnam - view from the crest of Hai Van Pass

South Vietnam - view from the crest of Hai Van Pass

Hai Van Pass forms an obvious boundary between North and South Vietnam. At the crest of the Pass, you will find Pillboxes (pictures below) - frontier fortifications built by French and then used by South Vietnamese and Americans.

Pillboxes at the crest

Pillbox

Marble Mountains of Da Nang

The Marble Mountains (Nui Ngu Hanh Son, in English for "Five Elements Mountains") were definitely the best stop on this road trip. Five peaks consist of limestone in different hues and located south of Da Nang stretched from the coast inland or westward for about three miles. They are named after the five elements of nature: Kim Son (metal), Moc Son (wood), Hoa Son (fire), Tho Son (earth), and Thuy Son (water). The largest and highest one we visited was Thuy Son (Element: Water), is "honey combed" with caves in which there are Cham, Buddhist and Confucian relics, pagodas, and temples.

Visiting the caves and shrines of the Marble Mountains involve a steep climb up mostly rough steps that can be slippery in wet weather. But however, it is worth to climb all these stairs!

Entrance to the temples and pagodas...after the first steps