Dear Weather-Gods, we understand that translation is sometimes difficult around here, but we said cycLING, not cycLONE. Could you please send sunshine from here on? Best regards, theBunch xx
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We woke this morning to a howling gale and ‘big raining’ in the words of Hang. The ocean was crashing furiously from the rocks metres from our room, and there was no sign of sun. In short, if someone had told me there was a cyclone in Hoi An this morning, I would have agreed. Definitely not cycling weather!
By lunchtime we had cabin fever, so headed in to Hoi An hoping that the weather would be a little calmer away from the exposed coast. It’s been so interesting to see the Hoi An people use their boats in the same way that the people in Hanoi used their motorbikes – there’s nothing a boat can’t do or carry! The first photo shows the ‘barge’ – motorbikes packed on the back, while the riders huddle up the front.
This guy had enough fishing nets to nearly sink his boat, yet was paddling down the river perpendicular to the riverbank with the nets dropping behind him. Looked bizarre!
We took the opportunity to explore some of Hoi An’s historical sites more closely in the afternoon. First stop, the Japanese covered bridge in town – similar to the one we saw in Hue, but much more ornate. Hang popped over to meet us, get a couple of photos and and say farewell seeing as we didn’t get to spend the morning with her. She just loves her job and her clients, and would be an essential for anyone who is considering a trip to this area!
There are a lot of old houses that are open to the public in town. This one, named Tan Ky, had been in the same family for 7 generations and had beautiful examples of Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese architecture. It’s hard to believe this town floods in November most years – this place has 1-2 m of water through it year in, year out. It says a lot for their building materials and practices! They also have a large access hole between the ground and first floors, complete with a pulley system to shift all the furniture out harms way. Brisbane could learn something…
One of the stories that the guide from the house shared was about this little cup with a Confucius in the middle. Legend has it that the cup can be filled to 80% and work perfectly. If you fill it more than that, the liquid drains out of the bottom… A nice way to remind us not to be greedy.
Dinner tonight… one of the best we’ve had. A little restaurant called Miss Ly, run by a young American and his Vietnamese wife. Grilled fish in banana leaf, Morning Glory (spinach sautéed in chili & garlic), grilled pork on noodle – absolutely delicious!
It’s now 10pm, and as I sit here I’m very glad that we’re on the first floor. The waves are so big and rough that they are consistently smashing over the rock wall in front of us, and lapping up to the unit below – this morning’s photos pale in comparison. Maybe Confucius is trying to tell us something about lavish hotels in little historic towns…
Love M & theBunch xx
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