Chill out in Hoi An

In short, Hoi An is the exact opposite of Ho Chi Minh City and its a welcome relaxing breath. It's a small town, centred on the the tailor / custom clothes industry it's famous for. It's located near a beach, has a bunch of heritage sites and everyone seems more relaxed. Perhaps it's because I spent the afternoon on a leisurely bike ride pace. :)

A ride along the river to Old Town

The first stop we made was to the tailors to order some clothing. Simon ordered a full suit, Karen got some dresses, slacks, and a jumper while I ordered a winter coat (dark green peacoat) and a dress to wear to upcoming weddings (perhaps even to Simon and Karen's in February!). I spent $70 on the coat and $50 on the dress. Not bad for custom fit. We returned for re-sizing the following day and they turned out really well. Simon loves his suit, Karen had some great outfits (her jumpsuit is my fav) and I was super pleased with my coat. It's a bit more unique than your average peacoat (the flare out bottom and forest green colour). I wasn't as pleased with my dress, not because it didn't look good or fit well (it did), but more so I don't think it was worth $50. Ah well, you live you learn (thanks, Alanis Morisette).

Susan-sized clothing

We also rode around our bikes in the market area where I picked up some Christmas gifts for people back home and bought myself a "North Face" gortex raincoat for $30. Knock-off, Schmock-off... I needed a new raincoat.

We biked over to the nearby beach at sunset. But didn't stay long because it was getting dark. One of the girls who worked at our hostel, Lyna, took us out for the evening. Our hostel only had 12 beds and 10 of us went out. We went to a food stand near the night market and I tried a vegetarian cau lau (noodle dish). It was great and we washed it down with some Larue and Tiger beers. We decided to forgo the dancey clubby backpacker trail and headed to a karaoke room for the night! 

New friends bonding over beer!

I have never been to a karaoke room before and it was a lot of fun. The best part of the evening however, was biking home from the karaoke bar at 1am along the deserted streets of Hoi An. We looked like a little biker gang, monopolizing the road. There was a slight breeze in our hair but not enough to feel cold. We ran over rain puddles and past the closed shops. It was peaceful. Until... I had a moment where I probably laughed the longest and hardest on my trip. My new hostelmate Philip, unintentionally and unknowingly, ran over a rat on his bike. To be fair though, I saw the rat dart out basically straight into his front wheel. It then ricocheted to the back wheel, spin around, and fly out the side. I screamed and so did the two other girls with me. Philip didn't stop until about 15 seconds later when he jumped off his bike (in a delayed response to our shouts) thinking there was a snake on him or something. We could not stop laughing and I don't even know if this is even close to conveying how funny it was.

The next day was a hungover lazy day of naps and nursing a rumbly tummy. The evening we hit up an all-you-can-eat / make-your-own spring roll joint. Delicious and veggie friendly :). We biked to the night market and wandered through the stalls looking at brightly lit lanterns and cheap souveniers.

Lanterns in Hoi An's Night Market

We bought paper lanterns to let loose along the river. You make a wish and let your lantern float away. I obviously can't tell you my wish or it won't come true. :) A beautiful ending to our time in Hoi An.