Turquoise blue waters of the South China Sea shimmering in
the sun, endless white sands line the coast to lose yourself, with palm
thatched umbrellas over sand and decks for meditation and relaxation. All that was missing was the
Corona…..or Saigon beer…and we had that!
Coming from Hanoi to Hoi An, ironically having the same
letters, but different spelling obviously are worlds apart. It is like leaving New York City and
arriving on the beaches of San Diego, leaving tight spaces, fast paces to “no
worries,” just cruise and enjoy with the exception of the cultural differences
and a lot more empty beach to enjoy on the coast of Hoi An. Whether you want to stroll the
riverfront on a bicycle, grab a bite of Cao Lau (local noodle dish), shop in
the local shops, get a suit tailored, cross the ancient Japanese covered bridge
or just head straight to the beach and enjoy the wonderful waters, it’s totally
up to you. And we pretty much did just that.
We rented bicycles the first day from a lovely older woman
selling sodas and waters from a small stand that are sprinkled all over town
and decided to tour small lackadaisical “town center” and see what it was all
about. Old, yellow, colonial style
buildings with unique doors and verandas make up this area and is bordered by a
river where restaurants, boatmen, hang while lanterns line the streets and
bridges to allow for a delightful experience, especially while riding around in
the evening. There is some sort of
nostalgic peacefulness to riding a bicycle at night, especially while venturing
around unknown lands. You can
really lose yourself and we did.
The next day we rented a motorbike and headed to the long
stretch of white sand that lines the coast of Hoi An. Undeveloped lands with unfinished resorts line the coast
leaving miles of empty beach for personal enjoyment. We turned down a random side street, passing by small houses
and ended to a sand path that lead to paradise. No one for miles left or right down the beach. The only sign of civilization was
random fisherman in their old wooden boats motoring by. It was like we owned the beach. We took it for everything it was and
had a wonderful day full of relaxation, love, and strolling. It was absolutely magnificent. We ended our night having dinner with
some new friends on the riverfront and enjoyed a good nights sleep to wake up
and do it again on our final day.
On our final day in Hoi An we headed to the beach on
bicycles with our new friends, enjoyed the sea, and did a little shopping. Now we are on our way to Laos for a
brand new type of adventure. Who
knows what lies ahead for this part!
