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I arrived in Hoi An in the evening after an easy bus journey chatting to some Aussies I had met in Hue and also being sung into a sleepy slumber by a couple of English girls at the back of the bus! We all ended up staying in the same guesthouse although I moved to a bit more of a central location the next day not that the first place was particularly far away. I went for a bit of a wander around the city and it was as people had described, like walking back in time. It's a beautiful old city with little streets full of shophouses selling local arts and crafts and one of the city specialities of lanterns which looked their glowing best in the evenings. It was great to see a city that was full of local families all spending time together for the Tet festitvities instead of all having to work and the fact loads of places were shut was only a tiny limitation. Tet celebrations go on for about 5 days, or even longer if you're a travel agent and can bump your prices up using Tet as an excuse!
The next day I bought a ticket to see some of the old city sights and although the museum I went into was incredibly small and uniteresting I got an insight into the locals lives talking to the man who ran the museum. Every year the city floods usually for just a few days and water levels have risen up to 2 metres. Most years it's more like half a metre but it still means that all furniture has to be moved upstairs and the streets have to be navigated by boat. As I was walking the streets getting tempted to spend money on some of the great art I bumped into the singing English girls from the bus and we arranged to meet later for food and drink.
The food in Hoi An is amazing and there is no shortage of places to try out some of the local specialities of which you can't get the recipes for sadly, as only 2 of the oldest families in Hoi An have them. We went to one of the more expensive places in town and although the service was unusually bad, the food more than made up for it and the night continued into the early hours dancing away in the Salsa bar across the river. As always happens in Vietnam if you arrive back after abut 11pm you have to wake up some poor bloke that sleeps in the lobby to let you in.
Post meal and pre salsa I had booked myself a place on a cooking school with a top restaurant in town for his morning which meant an early start to go and get measured for a tailor made suit. Hoi An is the best place in Vietnam to get suits made apparently and I decided I would wait until today for the best tailors in town to re-open after Tet. The price for the service you get in the best place is well worth it and the price relative to the UK is amazingly cheap. I ended up ordering one a bit later from a different place as well along with 4 shirts so when I eventually come home and get a job I will (hopefully) look the part!
In between ordering suits I went off for the cookery course which starts with an eye opening trip to the local market. The hygiene standards seemed pretty low but with how tasty the food ends up when it's on the plate it didn't bother me in the slightest. After the market it is a boattrip to the riverside restaurant in a beautiful little secluded spot with the classroom built right on the river. We had a very funny chef teaching us and after each demonstation we would go back to our mini kitchen (which would be set up each time for the next dish) and cook the dish ourselves before eating it straight after. The dishes were pretty simple but very good and sure to impress a few people when I get back. After the meal we sat down in the restaurant and they dished up the entire menu again but this time cooked by the chefs along with a delicious steamed fish dish. I was absolutely stuffed and for just 9quid was one of the best things I've done.
The following day was my last in Hoi An and a day of suit fittings and even more food. Its actually pretty good fun going to the tailors and stating what you want and what little changes need making although it wont be quite so fun if I tried doing it in Saville Row and had to pay British prices. The suits may end up being too small with the weight Im putting on but its difficult to stop eating when the food tastes so good! The suits look good though as do the shirts and for the time being fit great.
So that is pretty much Hoi An and for sure one of my favourite places of the whole trip. The city is beautiful, the food is fantastic, the local people are all very friendly and there is a great relaxed atmosphere just wandering around the old streets. It is a must stop for anyone (old or young) visiting Vietnam in my opinion, although I am ready for the beaches of Nha Trang and some chilling out on the beach!
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