Hoi An, Vietnam, Part 3: A Post Dedicated To Food

I woke up in the morning and decided to move on from Hoi An given I'd ideally like to see other parts of Vietnam (because honestly, I'd stay here forever if I could). That's how magical this has been: I woke up, decided to leave, booked a night bus through my hostel, and booked a hostel in the next city I decided to go to (Dalat).  Is this how freedom feels? Anyhow, the ride to Dalat is 16-hours by bus (YES. 16 HOURS. How is that even possible!? Didn't even know they existed) and is overnight; so I had a full last day in Hoi An.

Cliffnotes of the Day:

• I met Amanda around 11am for a cooking class we'd signed up for the day before. I made my first big error by eating breakfast at the hostel beforehand because as you'll see later on, HOLY FOOD.  
• Biked to the cooking class, which was called Morning Glory (they're a restaurant as well) and met with our teacher, Trang. The entire operation was super involved. First, we walked around the complex and tasted different kinds of Vietnamese food, put into categories such as "everyday workers' food", "exotic and weird", "specialties", etc.

I believe the silk worm salad fell under the "exotic and weird" category

Also, everything is spicy. Lemongrass beef. Spicy. Tiny snails. Spicy.

• Then we got to "make" some of the most well-known dishes ourselves.

Attempting to pull noodles out of the noodle-pulling machine

Making banh xeo - crispy pancake things made with rice flour, coconut milk, tumeric, shrimp and pork

Amanda and I with our banh xeos (is that how you pluralize banh xeo, do you think)

Also, you would not believe the sheer amount of oil these babies use

Our cooking teacher and our leaf placemats

I can also confidently say I did not miss my calling as a noodle chopper

• After minimal amounts of cooking, we were then sat at a table and proceeded to eat all of Vietnam in one sitting. Seriously, the sheer number of dishes had me regret eating breakfast at all.  I almost died from eating, true story. 

First up, our banh xeo - which you wrap in rice paper because apparently you can never get enough rice

Bun cha! My favorite. Pork and greens and shiz wrapped in rice paper

Making spring rolls!

This is my very pretty spring roll I wrapped. Except for the asymmetrical shrimp.

Then green papaya salad. Is this course #4 or 5?!

Then Cao Lau, a noodle dish specific to Hoi An. The noodles were fat and delicious, kind of like square udon - and were definitely not the ones we had chopped earlier (those probably ended up in the trash)

This was something we made too but I can't remember what it is. I just remember spreading rice flour into a patty and then spreading pork on top and then cooking it in a banana leaf. And there was apparently an ungodly amount of grease

• And then we got served dessert. I told you we ate all of Vietnam.
• After class, Amanda headed back to her hotel to catch a flight to Saigon, while I spent the rest of the afternoon biking around Hoi An one last time. September 2nd is Vietnamese Independence Day, so the streets were fairly quiet and empty.  

Oh, you wanted to see another 100 photos of the streets of Hoi An?! Great.

So pretty

And then I rode down by the river

My super fly bike

I was even a good tourist and did a little sightseeing!  This is a famous old house in Hoi An that's been passed down 7 generations. Back when Hoi An was a bustling port city, this was owned by a wealthy merchant family and they used a ton of elements of Chinese and Japanese design in their house. The descendants still live upstairs but the first level is open for tourists

• After picking up my new clothes and biking thoroughly through the city, I caught a night bus from the hostel at 5pm.  First off, Vietnamese night buses are no joke. They involve these personal lounger seats that basically recline almost the entire way - and there's two stories of them in each bus. The whole thing is rather cozy, and given that I have no problems with night buses anyway because I am a freak of nature, I slept most of the way.  

Two levels of weird lounge-y seats

And then at night, the lighting turns straight-up nightclub

At a rando rest stop, some of the guys got accosted by tiny Vietnamese children doing the lion dance for Independence Day

• Bye, Hoi An! Definitely one of the best cities I've visited, with some of the best memories. 

Fun Facts of the Day:

• In Vietnam (and Myanmar as well), the car horn doesn't mean the same as it does in the States. From what I've observed, it means anything from "Hi I'm approaching you'" to "I'm passing you!" to "I'm just driving!" to "Don't turn!" to "I'm bored and just like honking!"  Seriously, most bus/van/bike journeys involve a crap tom of swerving and constant, incessant honking. They will honk for any reason. Even if another car is parked to the side of the road, our bus would honk like crazy while passing just to let it know. Apparently this prevents some people from sleeping on the buses...but well, not me (earplugs have been one of my saving graces on this trip).
• On another fun bus fact, they have you take off your shoes and put it in a Baggie before getting on the bus. Cute.
• "Thank you" in Vietnamese is "gahm urn", but said in a very tonal manner

Hoi An, Vietnam, Part 2: You Go For Scuba?

100 million points to the movie quote identifier.  Ok it's not that hard, so maybe just 5 points.

So I read in my Lonely Planet about some nearby islands to Hoi An called the Cham Islands - they're apparently beautiful and great for a day of snorkeling or scuba diving. The night before, one of my guesthouse roomies, Varun, decided to sign up and come with me.  We had initially signed up for snorkeling - but on the boat out to the islands, both decided to change to scuba diving.

Cliffnotes of the Day:

• Took an hour+ cruise out to the Cham Islands - on the way, we got assigned into dive groups and instructors.
• On a side note, I am actually scuba-certified (took it as a gym credit in high school), but I've only ever used it once - in Mexico a couple years after I'd been certified. By then, I had promptly forgotten everything I learned during certification, and I maybe didn't remember that you have to stop partway on the way up or your lungs can burst and you can die. Oops. Traumatic.  Anyhow, it's been a good 8 years since I've been diving, and I was slightly nervous.  Varun and I got assigned to different groups since he wasn't certified (but his group ended up having a girl with an underwater camera, do he definitely won there).

Sailing out to the Cham Islands

• In my dive group, there were four of us.  We did a 45-minute dive, then drove the boat to another location for a second 45-minute dive.  Given that nobody in my group had an underwater camera (booooo), I guess I'll have to describe it in words with no pictures. Worst.  To sum it up, however, I don't know why I haven't been as into diving before.  It's like a whole other world under the sea, and to be a part of it is kind of amazing.  I can definitely see why some people are crazy about it.  There were a ton of gorgeous reefs and fish swimming about - some parts were pretty sandy and it probably wasn't the prettiest dive ever (cough, the Caribbean), but it was still incredible.  During our two dives, some of the cool things we saw:
• Clownfish everywhere!  These guys are really friendly. You can poke around and they'll interact with you. Like, if you hold out your hand, they'll think you have food and swim right up to you
• A moray eel!  He was just chilling in his cave home
• An entire school of sardines came barreling at us at one point. It was like one second we were just swimming along, and the next, there were hundreds and hundreds of silvery fish swarmed around us - like we were in their highway or something. It looked like they were going to hit us because there were so, so many of them - but they magically diverted around us and continued on their way. Our instructor said that was the first time he's ever seen a school of sardines like that
• I SAW AN OCTOPUS. Nobody believes me because nobody else in our group saw it, but I swear it was an octopus. In fact, I was so certain that people weren't gonna believe me, so I made sure to inspect it extra carefully to make sure it was one so as to not get ridiculed later - and it was. Bulbous head and all.  But then everyone was swimming away and I wasn't sure if it was because they'd seen it already - however, true to form - nobody had seen it and after we got to the surface I was ridiculed anyway. #jealousy

My new friend Amanda, who I met in my dive group. She's from Canada, lives in Hong Kong, and was in Vietnam on a work trip

• Post-diving, we got shuttled to a nearby beach on one of the islands - not only was it incredibly picturesque and pretty, but we were the only ones on the beach. It was so great - they had a volleyball court, hammocks galore, and restaurants that served you iced coffee. Perfection.

Sailing to our own private beach. The Vietnamese flag has to be on every boat

Eh. This'll do.

Amanda, Varun, and me

Hammock time! I don't know why this looks so uncomfortable in the photo, but it was highly comfortable

And then Varun and I played some 1-on-1 beach volleyball, in which I annihilated him.

Who knew Vietnam had beaches like this

You know how I like to get those artistic shots in wherever I can

Sailing back to Hoi An at dusk

• That evening, I met up with Amanda for dinner at a delicious local spot for Bun Cha - the dish where you wrap grilled pork skewers in rice paper and shove it full of veggies and greens, then dip it in sauce before shoving it into your mouth. True wordsmith here.

Hoi An by night

We got post-dinner drinks at a swanky adorbs bar called Q Bar - the owner sent us over free cocktails, and then the front of the restaurant opened up and they were playing "Roman Holiday" on a projector on the building across the street. It was so perfect.

• Later on, my roommates from the hostel came and met us for a drink. We had plans for one drink, but ended up at this backpacker's bar called Why Not? with half of the tourists in the city - and it was so much fun.  Just one of those nights you have the best intentions to go home early, but end up staying out way later than you intended because you're having such a good time.  A great last night in Hoi An.

MVP(s) of the Day:

When I initially checked into my hostel (it's actually a guesthouse because the family lives there too and they are freakishly nice and adorable, but I am digressing from the actual point), I arrived at my room to find this:

Beds all in a row

It was basically like one giant bed across the room, given there was no space between any of the beds.  

Later on, I met my four roommates - Varun (India), Amir (Belgium), Moe (Germany), and Johnny (U.S.).  They were all guys, all solo travelers, and from a variety of countries, backgrounds and age groups. We all went out to dinner the first night, and then all met up the next night again for the aforementioned drinks.  

They all get MVP status because they were truly the greatest.  It was incredible amounts of fun hanging out together - we got along amazingly, and it felt like we were truly a family. The best part was that I truly really liked each and every one of them individually and thought they were the greatest.  

It never ceases to amaze me that all these people from totally different situations and walks of life and ages (ranging from 19-me) could all bond together so well.  It's pretty common to meet people in hostels and hang out with some of your roommates - but to have every single one get along so well and to really like and connect with all of them was beyond my favorite.  This, to me, is another one of the amazing things about traveling.

The roomies L to R: Amir, Moe (practically invisible), me, Johnny, and Varun. Plus Amanda; now part of the crew!
At Why Not bar, they sold balloons filled with laughing gas - I've seen these at a bunch of bars now in SE Asia - apparently you can suck the gas and laugh or feel happy or euphoric or something.  

Even after the five of us got back to the hostel way too late, we stayed up an additional hour or two just talking, eating chips, and hanging out in the room.  Serious. Greatest. 

The best part was - after Varun, Johnny and I all left the next day, Moe happened to go back to Why Not bar the next night, and wrote '203 Squad Love' (our room # was 203) on the wall in honor of our crew.  Seriously best crew ever. #feelings

Hoi An, Vietnam, Part 1: Lanterns Are Everywhere!

After the Halong Bay excursion, I spent a day in Hanoi decompressing before taking off the next day to the city of Hoi An, Vietnam.  It was great having a day with no agenda - I hung out with some people I met in the hostel - plus given that Sept. 2 is a huge national holiday (Independence Day), the streets were crammed with people out and about, and every store was decorated with the Vietnamese flag, and the entire atmosphere was so festive.  It was great sitting at a corner beer hall (called Bia Hoi) - these are everywhere and they serve local draft beers for like, $0.25 each, and you're usually perched on a tiny tiny plastic stool in the street. It's an experience not to be missed.

Anyways, the next day, I flew to the town of Hoi An from Hanoi (only an hour flight but a 20-hour bus trip.....no brainer which I chose).  I have to admit, Hoi An was one of the cities I was most excited to see because everyone I've spoken to who's been through Vietnam has raved about this city.  I seriously hadn't spoken to a single person who'd had anything negative to say at all.

What It's All About:
Hoi An is an incredibly picturesque, atmospheric (word courtesy of the Lonely Planet, and SO appropriate), lovely town along the coast of Central Vietnam.  It's a World Heritage Site (obv), and only has about 120K people. As the city used to be a SE Asian trading port in the 15th/16th centuries, the city buildings are influenced by various Asian architectural elements, and the result is this charming-as-shit little city. IT IS SO PRETTY.  Get ready for a total photo dump because I took a million, bazillion photos.

Hoi An is so pretty

The city is made up of these old-school gorgeous colonial buildings, tiny winding streets, and huge bougainvillea plants everywhere -  not to mention there are lanterns everywhere that light up at night, and fun fact, the city has the highest concentration of tailors per capita. With over 200 tailors, you can walk into any of the shops, get your measurements, and get custom things made to high heaven - anything you want: dresses, shoes, swimsuits, etc.  It's all fairly touristy - but I don't even care because it is truly, truly such a delightful town.


Cliffnotes of the Day:

• I got in late afternoon/early evening and decided to wander around town.
• Confession, one of the first things I did (besides having an ice cream) was to go to one of the 10 million tailor shops to get some clothes made. 

These tailor shops are everywhere. Literally dozens on every block.

• And then I walked through the city and took a million photos. 

Walking down some of the old streets

Bougainvilleas everywhere!

And lanterns! Lanterns everywhere!

And bikes! Bikes everywhere! 

This is an old school Japanese bridge from way back in the day.  I read about it, but again, do not recall a single fact except that it's very old and pretty. You're welcome for that very informative fact.

The view of Hoi An's riverfront

Prettiest

By the river, there are these women that sell floating candles - you can buy one, make a wish, and then set your wish afloat into the water

Having a mystery street food meal by the water - it involved sitting on one of those tiny plastic stools and it turned out to be one of those rice paper-wrapped pork skewers and leafy green things. The lady had to show me how to make one. It was delicious and the cutest.

Moment of the Day:

Friends who'd been to Hoi An had all told me that going to a tailor and getting clothes made was the funnest, greatest thing ever  - also it's SO cheap. I found a tailor that had great tripadvisor reviews and went to town. You can basically show these women a photo of anything (movie stars, fashion week, brand websites, etc.) or they have tons of booklets you can look through for inspiration - and they can make it.  And you can choose any fabric, color, material, or customization you want. It's crazy.

I went in just for fun, but walked out having gotten myself a suit (for that period of my life where I become serious again) and a bunch of dresses made. I will say for one of the dresses, I maybe chose a Taylor outfit as the photo that I showed the woman to make.  Only 10% because it's Tay, and 90% because it's a great outfit.  Also, there is no judgment on my blog. 

Anyways, the entire experience was awesome - not only are you customizing every single detail of your clothes, but there's a one-day turnaround and it includes several fittings. I went in the next morning and everything was done - the tailor made tweaks and edits that I suggested, and had me stop by a couple more times while I was in Hoi An to try things on and edit further. My tailor even showed up to my hotel last night with a couple questions for me on one of the items - it's the greatest thing ever.  My next move is going to be getting rid of my entire wardrobe and creating it all from scratch here in Hoi An.