The Blog

Leaving Hoi An it’s time to consider what happened. And Yes, I admit, I was caught in a shopping frenzy. My bag is now 18 kilo’s worth of tailor made clothes and handcrafted shoes. Of course, we went out to see stuff, but Hoi An has been mainly about 3 danish guys that otherwise hate shopping, going crazy in a city of too many shops, too cheap too not afford it, and too many fun bargains and design discussions with the sales people. I’ll stick to telling the rest with pictures.

Shopping in Hoi An

Martin being measured for shorts. The girls in the tailor shop laughed a lot about this picture.

That’s me in my new suit. Myrian is my personal assistant during the process of choosing, measuring, fitting and closing the deal.

A street in Hoi An leading to the market. Politely saying ‘no’ to offers from sales people constantly wanting to ‘help’ you… Shops everywhere. Motorbikes everywhere. A thousand different noises and smells – leather, fish, fruit (especially the Durian fruit has a strong and very special smell), sweat, gas fumes, mud, live chicken. A chaos…

My Son
…so we went to the jungle. I think tropical forrest is a more precise term. My Son is a very old temple complex with different towers for different purposes, build by the Champa people. I think it was first build in the 4th century and rebuild in the 7th.

The area suffered badly from though fights during the American war in 1968. The area and the vegetation is still influenced by Agent Orange.

One of the many towers. They are old. The area was recently added to the UNESCO world heritage list.

Many tourists visit My Son and we therefore discussed about the risk of this activity. The authorities doesn’t seem to be able to protect the towers from being worn down.

On the way back, we went by boat, visiting a small island where thy specialized in wooden arts.

This guy is carving wood. It’s hard to see from the picture, but their work is very impressive.

A ferry carrying people and motorbikes.

A fisherman. He didn’t catch anything, but he got tips from us for showing how to throw the net. I think that’s how he makes most of his income.

Marble Mountain
On our way to Da Nang to catch a flight to Hanoi, we popped in at the marble mountain. It was hot. Well above 30 degrees i guess. Plenty of water and hats is essential. Marble Mountain has a number of caves in which pagodas has been build. Getting in to the caves offered an escape from the sun.

One of the biggest caves. Taking pictures cannot explain this marvelous place.

We found a “secret” path that led to the top of the mountain. This is me. It’s hot, but up here there’s wind.

A view south.

To the north is Da Nang. Vietnams third largest city. We’re headed there to catch a flight to Hanoi.

Entering Hanoi
Coming to Hanoi is a great experience so far. Just going from the airport to our hotel was full of things to look at. I cannot help but notice what traffic is like: Chaotic. The road from the airport was like a highway. Two lanes in each direction separated with concrete in the middle and ramps for entering and leaving. Yet pedestrians cross and bikes travel this road. Cows taking a dump in one lane. A truck reversing (we couldn’t hear whether it was the lambada or the happy birthday tune playing). A motorbike traveling the wrong direction. Keep your eyes open!

Getting to the center proves to be as crowded and lively as Saigon, though they say that nightlife is not the same. We’ll have to find that out.

Much more to tell, but much more to do as well. I’ll be off.