A pleasant surprise waking up to this beautiful view of Central Vietnam |
A Vietnamese sleeper bus. And yes of course the toilet is broken for an 18 hour trip |
Anyway, once I got settled in, it was time to take care of business. First stop – shopping.
Hoi An is a shopper’s paradise. Everything is within walking distance. We did a little comparing and decided to order through a shop called “Su Tailors” on the main strip. They offered me a fabulous deal for custom-made clothing (well, after a little bargaining on my part): $100 for a three-piece suit (blazer, skirt, and trousers); $20 for jeans; $27 for two blouses; $30 for a nautical-striped dress; and $35 for a halter top multi-coloured maxi dress.
Aside from the three-piece suit, you might be thinking you could find these kinds of prices at your local Tar-jay, but considering that these items were custom-made for my measurements, and I got to design them myself from quality fabrics, I was quite pleased. I’m sure I could have bartered down the ladies a bit more, but to be frank, I didn’t want to. From the time I put in my order, these ladies were working round the clock. I had two fittings before the final session, and all clothing was ready in one week. I thought it was such an indulgence to be able to afford this tailor-made clothing and wished I could have treated my family and friends too.
After I put in my order, it was time to relax. Next stop – beach.
Cua Dai Beach is about 5 km up the main strip. Instead of staying in the super touristy area, we followed the locals and turned left after the Cua Dai Road Junction to find a quieter spot just minutes away with free parking for our little rented motorbike. I love the beach but I hate when sand goes up places it shouldn’t be, so 15 000 dong (75 cents) for a day-long umbrella and chair rental was right up my alley.
Feeling happy and relaxed |
via This Battered Suitcase |
Hoi An at night |
Even though three years have passed, I still think about my time in Hoi An regularly and hold great affection for this little town in Central Vietnam. The people were friendly, the weather was beautiful, the sites were majestic, and time passed by lazily. Despite having wonderful travel buddies during my time there, I remember seeing couples everywhere and feeling envious that I couldn’t share those experiences with my partner (we had been apart for 8 months as he had a work contract to complete in the US at the time). Now that we’re finally reunited (and married to boot!) I look forward to planning our next adventures together.
Hoi An, I’ll be seeing you again...
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Thanks for the shout out! I think you are right too! You know how much I love me some good soup!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so envious of your travel posts! Love that you are sharing them!
As soon as I started describing it I thought of you hehe! Thanks so much for the encouragement, I'm glad you're enjoying these posts. I enjoy sharing them too!!
DeleteWow thanks for sharing this awesome adventure & letting us live vicariously through you! I'm glad to have found you & your lifestyle via this blog!
ReplyDeleteRebecca
www.redtagchiclosangeles.com
Thanks Rebecca, hope to see you around here again :D
DeleteWhat an awesome adventure! I have an admiration for women who aren't afraid to go alone. Hoi An looks gorgeous. I can see why you'd want to go back!
ReplyDeleteThanks Alison! I was only using a point-and-shoot at this time but I hope to share more pictures and posts in the next couple of months. And it might take me a few years, but I definitely hope to visit again! Do you have any adventures of your own coming up soon?
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