Hoi An in the rain
Trip Start
Nov 01, 2007
1
24
26
Trip End
Nov 20, 2007
Hoi An, Vietnam
Friday, November 16, 2007
I woke up to the sound of rain hammering down outside my window. Great, but it's the first real rain of my trip so I've been really lucky thus far. I didn't have the greatest sleep because everything was damp and yukky. I don't know if this is just because of the flooding in Hoi An or if it's due to the rainy season in Central Vietnam, but it isn't the most pleasant thing in the world. Luckily my mattress was dry so that was good. The sheets when I climbed into bed last night were clammy and damp, and in the end, I kicked them off and stuck with a blanket I'd found in the cupboard - dry and snug because it's pretty cold at night, around 20 degrees C.
So anyway, it's raining and there's so much to see and experience in Hoi An. Michele and I are making a good friendship and spend most of our time together, so we wandered out early to do some sightseeing in the morning. First we went to the Japanese Bridge which is very lovely but I'm perhaps being a Philistine when I wonder why it's meant to be a tourist attraction. Am I jaded with too much travel packed in to such a short space of time. I need to look at my travel book to understand the historical significance of the bridge to Hoi An.
Next we visited a family home which is typical of the shrines in Hoi An. A very old gentleman turned on the lights to illuminate the pictures of his ancestors along with their shrines. It was similar to the house in which I stayed in the Mekong Delta, but much darker and more enclosed. I found it a little unsettling, all these generations of dead ancestors staring down at me, and I'm glad that it's not a thing that we do in my culture. That's not to say that venerating one's ancestors is wrong but my every move being watched by them so isn't my bag.
Our next visit was infinitely more exciting. We went first to an artisanal craft shop and watched the production of tourist souvenirs. Most interesting for me was watching ladies hand-stitching pictures. They have large wooden frames stretched with canvas, the picture design sketched in pencil. Depending on the size of the finished picture, there are multiple designs on the canvas. I asked how long it would take to create a 7" by 5" picture and was told it took about three days of work. An 8" by 10" picture would take about five days. Such a lot of time for these delicate pictures. I bought a small picture at a cost of only $7! So little money for so much work.
Next, it was downstairs for a performance of local music and dancing. Because I was early I bagged a central front row stool so my view wasn't spoiled by flashing cameras; I just sat there and spoiled it for other people. The music was great, a real revelation to me, with its upbeat tempo and to me, strange looking instruments. The dancing was fun, as was the singing. The concert lasted maybe 15 minutes in its entirety, so just a bite-sized fast food portion of Vietnamese culture.
Sad to say, but I may have reached my saturation point with sightseeing. The tour I do here is so fast and packed, I don't know if I can take much more in. My usual travel style is at a gentler pace so I have time to absorb everything and also time to do normal stuff as far away from tourism as possible. This trip has been good, though, and I recommend it to anyone with only a limited amount of time. Anyway, to get to the point, I'd had enough sightseeing in the rain and so had Michele so we went back to our hotel to dry off. Hoorah for hairdryers! You can use them for so many different things. The hotel hairdryer worked wonders on my wet hiking pants and hat and I was dry again after about half an hour. Lunch in central Hoi An next.
My afternoon was rather frenetic for a vacation. At 1pm both Michele and I had our first fittings for our new Vietnamese wardrobes. I met with Susan and she showed me the garments. I couldn't believe how quickly they'd made everything! We made small adjustments to the fit of the garments, remarked darts and set hem lines. Easy peasy, I love buying clothes this way. We have to go back later for final fittings and collection. And, of course, payment.
Time to go see my new boots. Michele and I walked to the shoemaker's, both feelings as excited as schoolgirls on a first date. When we got there, we were in for a huge disappointment. First, Michele's shoes. The leather was watermarked and the soles were completely wrong. My boots looked fantastic - but they didn't fit! To make them fit would have needed complete re-cutting but the cobbler wanted to insert bits here and there. I just wasn't happy but I felt so bad for the ladies in the shop. I left my deposit to cover the work; they're great boots but they just didn't fit me.
