Since we were flying back to Korea out of Hanoi in the North, we had to cover a good deal of ground in a short amount of time. In the run up to Tet Chinese New Year celebrations, urban citizens flee to visit families in their home towns and people rush to the cities to stock up on fireworks and bright red trinkets. Ask ten people when Tet is celebrated and you will get a different answer from each person. The holiday is stretched into a week of celebration in the run-up followed by a few days to take stock. Nonetheless, the holiday did cause some issues with booking adequate transportation. The night sleeper buses were often fully booked, and travel companies took the opportunity to jack up the prices.
We took the bus to Dalat, a small town in the mountains known for its adventurous offerings. The "no rules, no problem" attitude towards road safety carried beyond the hustle and bustle of the cities and made the drive a hectic one. Often we were treacherously passing in the face of oncoming traffic while handling a cliff-side hairpin turn. On one occasion the bus ahead of us had their luggage compartment open, leaving a trail of suitcases and cardboard boxes like a scene from Mario Kart. But alas, we made it to our destination and again, we were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of our surroundings. The French influence could really be felt in Dalat, especially in the architecture of the houses. We found a cheap hotel and had the rest of the afternoon ahead of us. We asked around and managed to find rides to an elephant sanctuary on the back of a motorcycle. The drive was a thrill as we passed lakes and went over bridges in the mountains. When we got to the sanctuary we had the place to ourselves and met Mr. Blue, our elephant companion. We had never been this close to one before and were blown away by the size and grace of him espcially as he skillfully husked his own banana trunk before stuffing it in his mouth. We were treated to a ride on his back along a path that followed the lake's edge. Across the water you could see the unfortunate effects of foreign investment as out-of-place resorts were being built en-masse. They left an unfortunate and lavish scar on the otherwise untouched scenery before us. The evening was passed wandering the street markets, people-watching and grabbing some dinner and beers at a food stand.  |
| Cocky Canyoner |
The next leg of our journey was a long one so we hopped on an internal flight up to Danang due to overbooking and sheer length of the bus ride. Danang is a cab-ride away from Hoi An, our eventual destination; so we paired up with a couple we met at the luggage carousel in the airport. Their names were Shannon and Jochem and we ended up spending the next couple of days with them, having a laugh and relaxing. Hoi An is known for its textiles and tailors but what really impressed us is the French architecture coupled with urban decay that gave the town a really unique and old-time feeling. All the buildings are painted a mustard yellow and the main streets are filled with tailor shops where you can get any item of clothing custom-made in a few hours by simply pointing to a mannequin or showing them a picture on your iPhone. We took a late supper at a local restaurant and stuck around to drink and chat afterwards. The restaurant owners took a liking to us and when they closed the restaurant they asked us to stick around and join their own celebration of the owner's wife's birthday. The beers were flowing and the good times rolling as we learned how to say Cheers! in Vietnamese. They agreed to show us to a good-quality tailor the next morning and eventually drove us home to our hotel!
The next day Jochem and I both splashed on tailored suits and Louise and Shannon got dresses made. It was really the first day that we didn't have an agenda so we took the afternoon to stroll around the town at our own pace, taking pictures, getting ice-cream and simply relaxing while our items of clothing were being prepared. After some dinner, we wandered back to the tailor for our final fittings as our purchases arrived on the back of a motorcycle after a quick call to their tailors. You never see where the clothes are being made or who is making them but there is no questioning the quality of the work. After agreeing to a few adjustments, they were sent off again to be altered. I think we all came away happy with bags full of souvenirs and gifts for our folks back home. Of all the towns, I think we would have liked to spend a little bit more time in Hoi An, but we had to get north and we had tickets booked on the bus the next day to Hue, our next port of call.
Here are the pictures...these ones are doozies
