This morning I was very hung over! Kyle went to get some fast food for me, the greasier the better! While he was gone I tried to rally. I showered and started to get ready for the day. Our flight was at 11:30am so we had to leave somewhat early. Kyle brought back a burger from the Lottareia, which is funny because Lotte is a Korean thing, and we never got around to trying the Lottareias in Korea. Even here in Vietnam they have a bulgogi burger on the menu. The food was ok, it hit the spot. After getting packed up we took a taxi to the airport.
He dropped us off where we saw the “well-wishers gallery” which amused us. We waited in line to check in, once we got up to the counter they informed us that we were at the wrong terminal, the domestic terminal was a 10 min walk away, and we were already running late. So off we ran, on the way we thought maybe we better get a taxi. The first taxi driver told us $10, we said no and ran off. Then I saw it. The domestic terminal was only about 2 mins away, and the guy wanted to charge us $10, ugh!
The flight was uneventful. When we arrived in Da Nang we got to walk down the steps right outside the airplane and onto the runway area. I always like doing that it makes me feel like I am in a movie from the fifties or something. We had to check a bag since we had bought a large bottle of lotion for our sunburns. After collecting our bag, we changed our minds about staying in Da Nang, we instead caught a taxi to Hoi An, about 40 mins away. We were the last people to leave the terminal so we were the only ones for the taxi guys to hound. In this way we were able to get a good deal, and negotiate since we were the only people they could get.
We ended up at a very nice hotel near the river, with a shuttle bus into the city center. The room was very big, with a small balcony. I think the bed was the comfiest yet! I took a short nap to help get rid of my hangover. Kyle checked out the hotel, and ordered me some spring rolls. Then we got ready to go into town and have some dinner. It was kind of a waste of a day, but it was nice to just take it easy.
We found a restaurant on the river that was in the LP. What attracted us was that there isn’t a menu. The chef serves whatever he likes. This is always the hardest part of eating out while in other countries, we can never read the menu! We thought dinner was going to be 5 courses and we were a bit worried since we had only 3 by the time we were really full! The first course was the “white rose” which is a Hoi An specialty. Rice noodle dumplings, that are open on the top and shaped kind if like a rose, with shrimp inside, topped with crunchy fried onions, then you dip it in this red chili sauce and another dipping sauce. They were very yummy. The next course was a meat stew type meal that the waitress placed in our bowls after adding the crunched up fried rice paper stuff. Again this was yummy as well. The third and final food course before dessert was a noodle dish with chicken and veggies, then dessert was a flan type custard that was also very good.
We walked the picturesque streets for a while after dinner, I bought some cute jewelry for a good price, and then got sucked in to being fitted for some clothes. Hoi An is known for it’s tailor shops, cobblers, and lanterns. So both Kyle and I were measured, I got a cute tweed jacket for fall, and he got two pairs of casual pants, while I ordered two pairs of dress pants. All for under $100!
After that we caught the shuttle back to the hotel and hit the sack.
