Dalama Adventures Tale of two corporate types ditching their jobs and traveling the world for 14 months... check out all photos, blogs & interesting tid bits at http://www.dalama.net

Hoi An is a quaint, colorful town, full of character, culture and atmosphere.  Walking through the streets we find ourselves in a swirl of brilliant colors.  Vietnamese silk lanterns hang from shop windows and decorate the exterior of buildings.  Their deep blues, reds, oranges, greens, yellows and purples illuminate the night darkness and create a festive party atmosphere.  Hoi An is the place where these lanterns are made, for export.  Rich colors of silk fabrics are stacked ceiling high in fabric shops, and exquisite, colorful, sequence laden gowns are prominently displayed in open-air window designer clothing shops.  Women and children cruise the streets on bicycles in their colorful, patterned pajamas, hats and face masks.  Tiny plastic stools and tables line the promenade along the glistening river front walk, set up under blue tarps, swerving aromatic local food and cheap, cold Bia Hoi.

We sip down cold Bia Hoi and sample the tasty Hoi An cuisine:  among or favorites Cao Lau - a special rice noodle dish with croutons, bean sprouts, greens and pork slices; White Roses - yummy pork or shrimp wrapped in delicate sheets of rice noodle sprinkled with fried garlic shavings; grilled pork with a special sesame sate; Vietnamese fried rick pancakes filled with pork or shrimp and veggies which you then wrap up with more fresh greens in a thing sheet of rice paper.

Winding our way along the river, we explore little streets with historic and well preserved buildings.  Hoi An is a World Heritage area and while the ancient ruins of My Son are a far cry from Angkor or Bagan, the streets and old architecture in the old town are quite atmospheric.