A relatively quick bus ride (by Southeast Asian standards) from Hue dropped us off in Hoi An, our next stop in Vietnam. A shuttle was waiting for us and brought us to our hostel, the impressive Sunflower Hotel (http://sunflowerhotelhoian.com/). Not only did this place serve a tremendous, buffet-style breakfast; but it also had a huge pool area to swim and mingle.
Hoi An, while known for its architecture and historic Old Town (more on that later), is also renown in Vietnam for its hundreds of tailors, making this THE place for all your custom-made suit needs. Knowing that getting a custom-made suit will likely take several days and require numerous re-fittings, Mike and I made it our number one priority to locate a reputable tailor and start the process as quickly as possible.
After some research and recommendations from other travelers, we agreed on Kimmy's (http://www.kimmytailor.com/) and were rather blown away by their customer service and attention to detail. The first step was choosing the fabric. This included the main fabric choice as well as the inner lining. We then went through a laptop with literally hundreds of different styles, both original and others taken directly from pictures off of major fashion house runway shows or photo-shoots (i.e. D&G, Armani, etc). After this thorough yet tedious process, we were measured. I have never had custom-made clothing before, but they took measurements of things I wasn't even aware needed measuring.
Despite the rigorous initial measuring process, we were still required to return to Kimmy's another 3 times over the next few days for re-fittings, to make sure the suit fit like a second skin. To be honest, it was probably even better (tighter) fitting than my actual skin, seeing as though I couldn't really sit comfortably, nor hug myself, nor raise my arms above my head, but holy shit did I look sexy!
If it's better to look good than to feel good, I considered this a mission accomplished.
Once we had the suit situation under control, Mike and I decided to rent motor bikes and head to the archeological site of My Son. My Son has been called "the Vietnamese Angkor Wat" by some, but those people have probably never seen the actual Angkor Wat in neighboring Cambodia.
Not. Even. Close.
The first part of the adventure was just getting there. My Son is located 55km from Hoi An, and in order to get there you need to navigate country roads, highways and poorly marked turnoffs.
Driving down the highway on a motorized scooter being passed by trailer trucks with little to no regard for human life sounds exhilarating, but actually turned out to be quite terrifying.
We did eventually and thankfully make it to the site with our lives intact.
My Son was once the most important religious site for the Kingdom of Champa, an empire based in present day Vietnam who thrived in between the 2nd and 15th centuries.
The Champa kingdom were initially Hindu, using Sanskrit in their sacred writing. The Indian influences upon their culture and architecture were very apparent upon exploring this ancient site.
In present day Vietnam, the Cham people, or the descendants of the Champa Kingdom, remain a prevalent visible minority, however they are principally Muslim now.
The site originally contained 68 structures, but now only 20 remain. The site was almost completely destroyed by American bombardment in the Vietnam War.
Despite the small stature of the site and crumbling architecture, Mike and I still enjoyed exploring the ruins. We were promised large crowds, but the high heat and humidity likely kept the other tourists away and gave us a peaceful and unique experience.
How often do you get to explore a UNESCO World Heritage Site virtually alone?
Not very often.
The following day we decided to explore the old town of Hoi An. The unique architecture and history of the Old Town have given the city UNESCO World Heritage status since 1999, and to visit many of the buildings it requires a tourist ticket and an appreciation for cool dragon statues.
Check and check.
Hoi An was initially the principle sea port of the Champa Empire, dating back to the 2nd to 10th centuries. By the 15th century, it had become one of the most important trading ports in South East Asia, attracting merchants from all over the world.
Many different wares were sold here, including world famous silk, which would theoretically explain the over-abundance of tailors in present day Hoi An, but I don't think it's actually related.
This history of foreign merchants and consequently seasonal occupants, has led to the unique architectural landscape present in the Old town.
Some popular tourist attractions and remnants of Hoi An's merchant past are the Japanese Covered bridge, probably the most iconic structure in Hoi An.
As well as numerous Chinese temples and assembly halls.
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What sets Hoi An apart from other places in Vietnam is that it is still in much of it's original, non-rebuilt, architectural splendour. In the 18th century, Hoi An lost out as a major trading port against nearby Da Nang and because of this, it consequently became just another sleepy river-side town, and it was spared American bombing during the Vietnamese war. Lucky them.
The whole old city is accessible on pedestrian roads and if you want to enter some of the buildings you can purchase a pass from the tourist bureau.
As we were walking back from our stroll in ancient Hoi An, a goddam motorbike turned right into me and slammed me in the ribs with the handle bars, managing to pinpoint the exact location that I had injured on the ridiculous tubing accident in Ha Long Bay.
Thankfully, Hoi An actually had a pretty incredible night life to ease my rib pain, which included such great bars as Why Not? bar and Volcano bar, which required a 5$ entrance fee for all you can drink vodka and western meatheads playing Youtube videos on a giant projector screen!
On our way back from Volcano, Mike and I hailed a motorcycle taxi that literally scared the sobriety back into us. The bike took corners like the way they do in MotoGP and we could feel the pavement graze our bare legs as we hovered mere centimeters from the ground.
On our final day in Hoi An, we decided to visit Cua Dai Beach, just a few kilometers from the city center. The sand was great, the water was warm and this was the only place in Vietnam I would wear my conical hat in public. Unfortunately I have no photographic evidence of this.
Our next stop was Nha Trang, which we arrived at after yet another long night bus ride.
Nha Trang is less known for its history, but more for its beaches. It is a major tourist destination for a surprising amount of Russians. As the story goes, during the cold war era, the Russians and Vietnamese were strong allies and well-off Russians who wanted to get away from the Siberian winters were able to get direct flights to Nha Trang, where they could bask in the heat, enjoy the beach, and drink the vodka. Apparently, the attachment to this city still carries on today.
The Russian influence, at least in the center of the city is still very evident. Russian text is on store fronts and flags are on buildings and Russian is being spoken.
Other than having a low-key celebration of St. Patrick's Day at a local Irish pub, Mike and my activities consisted of beaching it up and avoiding Russians.
I had to extend my Visa and Mike wanted to check out the south of Vietnam before his visa expired, so I would be staying behind while he would trek solo towards Saigon, where we would be meeting up again in a few days.
A Beautiful beach and Mike-free time. Sounded like heaven on earth.
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