After an all-day motorcycle tour from Hue, I arrived in Hoi An. I took a little wander around town and then crashed. My room was adorable; I could have moved in. I was excited to explore the next day and stay the rest of my break here.
Hoi An is a beautiful town, which is well-known for its windy streets, river canals and tailors. It has a European touch to it and I loved all the coffee shops and restaurants with al fresco dining options. Its lantern festivals are also famous. It just so happened I would get to experience one of these magical evenings during my week here! If you can adjust your travel plans to be in Hoi An for a lantern festival, I would recommend you do so!
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| A cozy spot for the week |
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| Colorful lanterns on a Hoi An street |
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Sampling coffee and deciding what to bring back!
Downtown Hoi An is car and motorbike free, but there are a lot of bicycles. I rented one for a day and enjoyed cruising around.
   
Hoi An Canal
Panorama of the main canal
Historic Brid
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| Banana flower salad... did you know that bananas have flowers? And, that you can eat them? |
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| A sample of what a local tailor can do... |
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| Dusk in downtown |
Most of the teachers travel away from Yangon when we have school breaks. I love living in Yangon, but I also love getting out when we have a chunk of time off of school. As it turns out a friend and colleague, K, was also traveling through Vietnam at this time. I met up with her, and her visiting parents, for dinner and the lantern festival.
The four of us ate at a restaurant near the water as the sun set. After finishing our meal, we made our way towards the canals. Hoi An limits electric light on these special nights (the 14th day of each lunar month) and with just the flicker of lanterns, the town takes on a magical glow. It was easy to purchase paper lanterns and hop in a boat. Our captain rowed us out, where we released our lanterns, watching them as they drifted out until they mingled with the rest.
The four of us ate at a restaurant near the water as the sun set. After finishing our meal, we made our way towards the canals. Hoi An limits electric light on these special nights (the 14th day of each lunar month) and with just the flicker of lanterns, the town takes on a magical glow. It was easy to purchase paper lanterns and hop in a boat. Our captain rowed us out, where we released our lanterns, watching them as they drifted out until they mingled with the rest.
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| Selfie from our rowboat |
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| My lantern on its way out |
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| Moon over the canal |
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| Lanterns on the water |
I ended my time in Hoi An by picking up a few new custom-made items from tailors and relaxing at the beach. The beach is absolutely lovely; it has enough development to be comfortable (beach bars, ice cream stands, seafood restaurants), but not enough to take away the calm and charm of the place.
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| Beach near Hoi An |
We've made it to the end of my Vietnam saga! I am sorry that my posts lag so far behind my adventures.
I am going to continue on my Tuesday publication schedule until the holiday break...so keep reading! Hopefully, this will let me catch you up on my goings and goings (if that is even possible - I have been in Yangon 1 out of the last 5 weekends...).
Favorite sweet treat:
A friend make these gluten free vegan cookie dough balls for a recent potluck and they disappeared FAST! I haven't tried the recipe yet, but it looks pretty easy and not too unhealthy.
Podcast Recommendation:
I don't follow many podcasts, but I have become hooked on Tea with BVP. It focuses on second language acquisition and it has been shaping how I think about what I do in the classroom.
Another Blog Recommendation:
I am going to continue on my Tuesday publication schedule until the holiday break...so keep reading! Hopefully, this will let me catch you up on my goings and goings (if that is even possible - I have been in Yangon 1 out of the last 5 weekends...).
Favorite sweet treat:
A friend make these gluten free vegan cookie dough balls for a recent potluck and they disappeared FAST! I haven't tried the recipe yet, but it looks pretty easy and not too unhealthy.
Podcast Recommendation:
I don't follow many podcasts, but I have become hooked on Tea with BVP. It focuses on second language acquisition and it has been shaping how I think about what I do in the classroom.
Another Blog Recommendation:
One of my former students is studying abroad in Spain this year. Follow her journey and live vicariously through her adventures with El Mundo Loco.
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| Ha ha, this is what my backpack looked like when I got home! I took carry-on only for my two weeks in Vietnam! |
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