Hot Days in Hoi An

Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006--Hoi An (Continued)

Since I had skipped lunch, I was hungry by 4 p.m. I left the hotel to go to a restaurant the guidebook had recommended. I ordered "White Rose." That's a local specialty. They are round disk-like dumpings with a shrimp in the middle. They are steamed and served with oil, chopped red pepper, and fried onions sprinkled over them. They are delicious, but they weren't really a meal; they were more like an appetizer. Rather than eat again elsewhere, however, I just snacked on some nuts and candy later in the evening back in the room.

I walked along the waterfront at the end of the day. People were lining up to take the boat taxis back to their villages down the river. There are three different destinations. People with their bicycles and motorcycles line up in an orderly fashion waiting for the next boat, then they quickly enter and the boat takes off as another is approaching.

Opposite of the river, the street is lined with sidewalk cafes and bars for the tourists. All of them have happy hour prices through 9 or 10 p.m.--gin and tonic for 60 cents, rum and Coke for 75 cents, etc. I notice that they are also selling mojitos. That seems to be the drink that has replaced the caipirinha as the trendy regional drink served all over the world today, because I have noticed it in other places, too.

I sat on a bench and watched a fisherman for a while. I had never seen anyone fish the way he was. I don't know if he was trying to get crabs or what, but I doubt it was fish. Instead of a hook on his line, he had a slender plastic tube that was closed on one end and open on the end where it was attached to the fishing line. The man had a can of powder and would put 2 heaping teaspoons of that powder into the plastic cylinder and drop it in the water. He repeated this process about 5 times while I waited without catching anything, but he was still trying when I left. My first guess (I don't know why) was that the power was lime. I picked up the can to read it before leaving, and it said #2. I couldn't figure out what that meant or what it was exactly.

Hoi An is an old city. In the 1500s and 1600s it was a center for trade between Japan, China, and Europe. They had a 3-4 month trade fair each year where everyone showed up, haggled, bartered, etc. That all ended eventually, but the town that had grown up remained as a rather cosmopolitan place. It is filled with old buildings. There are 3 main long streets in the old section and each has various buildings for trade associations, various temples, etc. (The bad thing about those 3 streets is that they run on an east-west axis, so there is no shade at any time of the day from the hot sunshine that beams down at this time of the year.) I walked the streets looking at the shops, association buildings, temples, etc., as the sun went down. Eventually, the old area seemed magical, because instead of bright electric lighting, lights within Chinese-style lanterns and oil lamps were lighted. It provides a romantic atmosphere which reminds me of Gokarna in India which is one of the best night places I have been before for the same reason--low-light candles used to light the shops after dark.

Hoi An is also a shopper's paradise, I think. I don't buy things when i travel, but I have been thinking about friend I know who would go wild here. There are wonderul lacquered products, nice silk products, artwork, antiques, etc. For a shopper, this is definitely a place to stop in Vietnam.

Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2006--Hoi An

I decided to change hotels today for 3 reasons--1) the a/c in the original hotel just couldn't keep up with the heat demand in the afternoon, 2) the lighting was too poor for me to read easily in the room at night, and 3) the refrigerator was tied to the lighting system which works only when the door key is inserted into its pocket by the door (meaning that the water would not stay cold during the daytime hours that I would be out walking around the city). Yesterday, I was supposed to go to a different hotel. My Hue hotel had called ahead and had told me someone would be there with my name to take me to the hotel. Well, in the mess of the motorcycle drivers who didn't have my name and the fight that took place, if anyone was there to meet me personally it didn't work out. But I decided to walk to that hotel this morning to see it. It is only $2 more per night and has a good a/c, good lighting, and best of all a swimming pool!! I returned to my old hotel and checked out and then went back to the new place. Then I was too hot from all that effort to go back out until 11:30!

I walked some nearby streets to find a place for lunch. I settled on a restaurant that had sandwiches on their menu. I've always liked Vietnamese sandwiches, so I have been wanting to have one here. It was made on a fresh French-bread bun. Inside were slices of fresh cucumber, sliced fresh onions, pressed marinated garlic, fried onions, and small chuncks of charco-broiled pork. I added a liberal dose of hot chili sauce to make it just delicious.

I walked into town, but it is just too hot. I am headed back to the hotel where I will maybe go to the pool if there is a shady area around it. I will spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing and reading. I need to be ready for tonight.

It seems that I have timed my visit here just right. Tonight is full moon day. Traffic will be blocked from the center of the town, the townspeople will dress in costume, lanterns will be lighted, and it will be a special evening in town. This happens only one night per lunar month. I had read about it, and I am so glad I made it here just in time for it.