Day 11 - Hoi An

The bus ride was as usual very slow and crowded but I am getting used to it.
The bus arrived directly in front of a proper hotel right outside the centre. I was captured by the local guy at the reception and I realized that they were offering me a four-star room for the price of 10$. I couldn't really believe it and thought that there must have been some tricks behind that. It was actually all true though. The room was fantastic, very clean with a large bathroom, double bedroom and great furniture. I was used to basic guesthouses so this one looked like a proper treatment!

I walked about 10 minutes to get to downtown and it was exactly as described. Old Chinese-Japanese-Vietnamese style, in front of a sleepy river and massive food-market. Everything is pretty much left as it was centuries before; however this is the first impression, because loads of money hit the town both from the tourists and the state allowing the local government to go through a full-scale restructure and maintenance of the historical part of the town. The city was an important port until a century and half ago until it was eventually surpassed by the near city of Da Nang; but the charm and the appeal of the town with its little streets, hidden temples and beautiful shops make Hoi An one of the most favourite destination of Vietnam.

I spent the afternoon and the part of the evening walking around visiting old houses, city halls, listening to local music played by a band and watching a 20 minutes show of traditional dance. It was a wonderful afternoon blessed by the summer monsoon rain which arrived around 6.30pm forcing me to go to a lovely place in front of the river, eating fresh spring rolls while talking to the waitress and listening to the powerful sound of thunders.
Hoi An is magical and his magic has definitely conquered me. You can easily spend 3-4 days there without getting bored, trying all the different bars and market offering exquisite delicatessen.

Happy and with my stomach full, I went back to my hotel for a final beer and chat with two Australian bikers whom stopped in Hoi An while on their way to Hanoi.

Great day...