Three days in Hoi An

The 11 hour scheduled bus trip to Hoi An ends up taking 17 hours 0_0 after a bus breaks down along a mountain pass. The driving style of coach drivers and truckers here could be to blame due there lack of patience… As we slowed down and line up along the road buses pass us even though there is nowhere to pull in ahead - for over 4 hours I sat and watched mesmerised from my bunk as I watched a motorcycle cop patrol up and down the road organising buses and lorries so that traffic could flow, I did not envy his job as traffic continued to build in both directions and it already stretched as far as you could see!! Anyhow - after 5 hours we had passed the blockage and were back on course for Hoi An.

Hoi An is a tourist town, with much of the tourism based on tailoring :) A shoppers delight if you select the right stores - My advise would be to check web sites such as “trip advisor” or “Lonely Planet forum” before you start visiting tailors for fittings as this could save you from dissapointment. There is a fabulous array of both traditional and modern garments on show here, which can be bought off the peg or can be hand made to your specifications at a wide range of professional tailors, but it will take at least two days to complete your purchases (Advise - DO NOT just go on suggestions from your hotel - look around and take your time). To my great surprise I managed to limit myself to ‘window shopping’ without burdening my backpack further, but temptation is strong with a veritable avalanche of silk at your disposal.

The town of Hoi An has a long history and this is preserved within the living and breathing fabric of its architecture. The Japanese Covered Bridge is the towns iconic centre piece and symbol and is breathtaking in its construction with a small shrine ensconsed in the building. Buying a cultural tour ticket (90,000d) will entitle you to select 5 of 18 sites to visit within the old town, my advise would be to select at least one of the old houses, which are still lived in as the family will be able to give you a personalised tour :) This was fantastic and gave me an opportunity to hear about how the family lived and coped with annual flooding. Other cultural sites tend to have shops attached but do provide an insight into the arts and crafts of the region - the silk embroidery is particularly beautiful and some pieces take more than 2 months to produce!! Anyone who has seen the Vietnam special from ‘Top Gear’ will be pleased to hear that huge wooden model ships can also be purchased here - and they are huge, look carefully at the shop front in the picture… I would advise against trying to carry these home on a scooter!!

Lastly the covered market is an interesting diversion with its range of fresh produce and affordable garments - However, at 6’2” I needed to crouch double to move between the stalls and this led to some amusement among the locals :)

Overall, Hoi An is a quiet town with more to give beyond tailoring, so while here take time to enjoy its arts, crafts and cultural history. ‘Cargo’ will provide you with mouth-watering cakes and real coffee when you need a break from sight seeing and shopping.