Hoi An...
A pretty little 'boring' town in central vietnam. I don't mean boring in a bad way. It's just 'coz after 3 days riding hard through mountains and lost villages, Hoi An seemed to be that kind of city rich in culture, nice to wander around and take pictures and get annoied wacthing all the middle-age tourist groups invading the little shops and the in-love couples having their romantic days in this beautiful town. Thats what I ment. Unless you go with your partner or you want to break your journey for a few days relax, you don't want to spend too long there, it can be seen in a couple of days.
But in fact, was the perfect 'boring' little place Miguelito needed to relax from the eventful bike trip.
Staied at this tidy Hotel ran by women only. Not by option but because Quy dropped me here. And I am glad he did. The Old Mamma bought this bankrupt place 10 years ago and put it to run smoothly and profitabily. And then there are the young cute girls working for her dressed on typical vietnamese goans always very helpful and smily. Very professional. I spent quite sometime in the hotel updating the blog and composing pictures I had taken the 3 days before and at the end Mamma offered me a little pouch (pochete) for the passport, Hoi An style.
A pretty little 'boring' town in central vietnam. I don't mean boring in a bad way. It's just 'coz after 3 days riding hard through mountains and lost villages, Hoi An seemed to be that kind of city rich in culture, nice to wander around and take pictures and get annoied wacthing all the middle-age tourist groups invading the little shops and the in-love couples having their romantic days in this beautiful town. Thats what I ment. Unless you go with your partner or you want to break your journey for a few days relax, you don't want to spend too long there, it can be seen in a couple of days.
But in fact, was the perfect 'boring' little place Miguelito needed to relax from the eventful bike trip.
Staied at this tidy Hotel ran by women only. Not by option but because Quy dropped me here. And I am glad he did. The Old Mamma bought this bankrupt place 10 years ago and put it to run smoothly and profitabily. And then there are the young cute girls working for her dressed on typical vietnamese goans always very helpful and smily. Very professional. I spent quite sometime in the hotel updating the blog and composing pictures I had taken the 3 days before and at the end Mamma offered me a little pouch (pochete) for the passport, Hoi An style.
The former harbour town of the Cham at the esturay of the Thu Bon river was an important Vietnamese trading centre in the 16th and 17th centuries, where Chinese from various provinces as well as Japanese, Dutch and Indians settled. During this period of the China trade, the town was called Hai Pho (Seaside Town) in Vietnamese.
In the 1700s, Hội An was considered by Chinese and Japanese merchants to be the best destination for trading in all of SE Asia , even Asia. Japanese believed the heart of all of Asia (the dragon) lay beneath the earth of Hội An. Originally, Hai Pho was a divided town with the Japanese settlement across the "Japanese Bridge"(16th-17th century). The bridge is a unique covered structure built by the Japanese, the only known covered bridge with a Buddhist pagoda attached to one side.
Japanese bridge
There are Merchant Houses eeeeeeeverywhere and tailors selling custom made clothing, quality silk or cotton or linnen, made to measure, quite cheap. I mean... good value for money... That kind of place where every lady would feel lost in paradise! The old town is quite charming and buildings are occupied by tailors, cafes and guesthouses only, door after door after door after door... Don't really know how they make any profit...
Some merchant houses are a few hundred years old where famous tailors once lived and worked and now became museums. So one has to Pay(!!!!!) to get in... pay, pay, pay, paaaaaaay... I watched them from the outside... at this point was good enough for me!
In 1999, the old town was declared a Worl Heritage Site by UNESCO as a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, with buildings that display a unique blend of local and foreign influences.
The market
A partir choco...
No boss to wake them up...
market roof tops...
Hoi An by night
Romantic moment: Miguelito and his rented bike...
The town is also famous for its unique lanterns. Every month on the full moon, motorbikes are banned from the Old Town, which is transformed into a magical land of silk lanterns. People release them on the river filling it up with glow and colour.
The city possessed the largest harbour in Southeast Asia in the first century. Between the seventh and 10th centuries, the Cham (people of Champa) controlled the strategic spice trade and with this came tremendous wealth.
Of course, being a town focused on made to measure textiles one can not leave it without making their own custom made something... So Miguelito had custom made linnen trousers produced right at the very last minute and a ride home on this pretty girl's scooter... The tailor lady took a little longer to finish my special sleazy vietnamese linnen trousers, Miguelito had an innocent flirt with her little sisters which got him a quick ride home...
Thank you girls!!
Thank you girls!!
Just on time to get the night bus...
Hoi An é realmente mto bonita, própria para o relax do Guerreiro :))
ReplyDeleteEnternecedor o momento romântico de Miguelito com a sua bicicleta alugada. Não deixa de ser surrealista, tendo em conta que a dita cuja serve para montar. Finalmente umas calcas de linho e o bónus da carona das meninas. Cidade simpática com um bonito rio e um belo mercado. Belo sítio para folgar.
ReplyDelete