This is Hoi Ann, Vietnam. . . . my first long stop after Laos. Hoi Ann is essentially a very old Chinese trading town about halfway up the coast of Vietnam. . . . a good place to kick back for a few days. It was hot. . . . very hot. Hotter than anywhere I've been thus far. . . . at one point I went back to my room and collapsed under a fan for a few hours. Regardless, I liked it here. Its good to be be back in Nam where the internet works and theres plenty of good food to eat. Vietnam is worlds away from Laos. . . . both culturally and in terms of development. Hoi Ann is a bit touristy, but I didn't mind. . . . to me that just means the chance to have a good meal and a comfortable bed. . . . the down side is that at times you feel like a walking ATM machine. . . . walking the streets I was constantly propositioned by people trying to sell everything you could possibly imagine. . . . "Hello sir! Look in my store! Many nice things for you!" "Hello! Hey you. . . . mototaxi? where you go? you go to beach?" "I make very nice suit for you sir!" At one point I entered a market, and instantly had what felt like a thousand women screaming "Hello Sir! Buy something sir!" all at once. It kind of made me smile on the inside, all those Asian women in conical hats yelling at me. . . . it made for a memorable experience. After a while I just pretended that I didn't speak English. . . . it helped a little, but not much.
So anyway. . . . Hoi Ann isn't all bad. Its a beautiful little place on the water. Very photogenic allthough not particularly adventurous. People here value their history, perhaps because they are making money from it. The old town was very well preserved with a handful of old buildings open to the public. Folks here are friendly when there not trying to sell you something. Another cool thing about Hoi Ann. . . . only a fifteen minute bike ride to a great beach. I took the ride, spent most of my time in the water and left with a nice sun burn. It was worth it.
Inside a very old house:
Same house:
Fujian Assembly hall:
I think this was a accident, but I like it:
On the way to the beach:
No comments:
Post a Comment