Hoi An, an atmospheric clothing-lover's paradise...

Today we thankfully left the blistering heat of Hue. We took the train back to Danang, and this time we got lucky with our seats and got the ocean views. :) AND we were facing forward, so the train ride was much more enjoyable than the last.

Ocean views from the train.

 

A little stream running to the ocean.

A fisherman in the ocean.

 

A little hidden beach, we just saw it for a flash of the train going by...

 

Fishing boats.

 

A temple, I assume, having no tour guide on this train. :)

We arrived in Danang and were picked up by our transfer car to Hoi An. After about a half hour we arrived at the Hoi An Chic Hotel, a completely different hotel than the massive hotels of our last couple weeks. This tiny boutique hotel smack in the middle of a rice paddy has only 17 rooms and seems to have one very attentive staff member per room; we practically can't walk out of our room without 5 people ready to help us. :) It is an absolutely delightful place to stay, with lovely gardens, a shady restaurant overlooking the rice paddies and beautiful rooms.

After settling in, we used their free shuttle into Old Town. Their free shuttle is an original US Army Jeep! :)

Our chariot awaits. :)

 

Jeep driver.

The driver dropped us at the edge of Old Town, as cars are not allowed. We walked past the central market and were suddenly immersed in Hoi An's shopping mecca. :)

Central market.

 

Central market vendor.

The streets of Old Town are lined with shops selling pretty much the exact same stuff. Or as they say here, "Same same, but different." :) The streets are also full of tailoring shops; there are more than 500 tailors here! Since Jeff and Golien had only one night here, we went straight for Yaly, one of the tailors that was recommended by both Lonely Planet and our hotel. Golien ordered a business suit, and Jeff ordered two pairs of pants. Incredibly, having them done in less than 24 hours was absolutely no problem!

First step was to pick out what clothing we wanted. Gavin was easy, he wanted a couple new suits. I wasn't sure what I wanted, and they have hundreds of catalogs to flip through! I decided on a sun dress and a cocktail dress. For the sun dress I picked two dresses from a catalog, and I asked if they could take the back from one and the front from another and combine them. They said that would be fine. :)

Discussing the dress I chose with the sales women.

After picking a dress, I had to pick material. They had walls and walls of all different kinds of material to choose from, though one dress I needed to do lycra since it was pretty fitted. My other dress I chose a mix of cotton for the top and flowy silk for the bottom.

After choosing material, it was time to get measured. It seemed like they measured every possible angle of my body. :)

Getting measure. Check out that wall of material behind me! That's not even a quarter of what they had available!

While we were in Yaly, the sun had begun to set. We wandered around the lovely old town as the sky darkened and the lanterns lit up.

Evening falling in Old Town.

 

Lots of restaurants had outdoor seating.

We stopped for an early dinner at the delicious Morning Glory restaurant, then we had to go back to Yaly for the first fittings of Jeff and Golien's clothing.

Golien's suit was tailored from scratch in a few hours!

When we were done with the fittings, the sky was completely dark, making Hoi AN into anabsolutely magical atmosphere with all the beautiful lanterns and hollow lighted statues along the river.

Street food along the river.

 

More street food. I was still getting vetoed on trying street food. :)

 

Flying rooster lit up at night.

 

Dragon lit up.

 

I am buying some beautiful and intricate pop up cards.

 

 

Boats in the river.

Boats and the bridge.

Stalls selling Chinese lanterns.

Panorama of Hoi An.

Gavin and I tried some "safe" street food. The vendor informed us that the round, deep-fried pastries she was selling were filled with coconut inside. We decided to buy one, and she asked us if we wanted it warm. When we said yes, she proceeded to put this deep fried pastry BACK IN THE OIL and fry it a second time. Not the healthiest thing we could have eaten, but it was delicious. :)

After wandering around the Old Town for a bit, we caught the shuttle back to the hotel. After a brief drink in the restaurant, we went to bed. I am excited for Gavin and my first fitting of our clothes tomorrow! :)

 

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