David –
After sailing back to Halong and surviving the crazy 45min taxi to the Cat Bai airport we arrived before check in had opened. Having already adapted to 5 course meals we were hungry again and required the sustenance of an Airport meal – perhaps we were too excited to be flying to the home of the Banh Mi, Hoi An and thought surely the airport restaurants would live up to expectations…Feeling risky Peter and I went for the ‘pork pie’ and lets just say that we found the baseline for bad Vietnamese Banh Mi (even after Pete added all the available chilli sauce). After a few games of Cambio (a card game we currently are obsessed with) we put Halong (and the sandwich) behind us and ventured onwards to Hoi An.
Our accommodation was a 10 minute walk from the old town – it was a new homestay built by the owner Vince and his family (who also lived on site). We had read few reviews about how great Vince was and he definitely lived up to expectation – he loves beers. It wasn’t more than 2 minutes after checking in that we were invited for a BBQ and a few tins with the other guests! Home style ‘snapper’ pulled off the bone and wrapped in peppery lettuce, lightly dipped in a salty lime sauce was sensational!
We had few plans for the week, Peter wanted a suit and some shirts, I wanted to eat Banh Min’s and Lauren wanted foot massages. Turns out Vince had recommendations for all of these. As it turned out he was the manager at BeBe Tailors, one of the biggest shops in all of Hoi An, dinner recommendations at Miss Ly and Morning Glory were strongly endorsed as were the Banh Mi Phoung (as seen on TV with the late Anthony Bourdain).
Lauren and I watched as Pete made his suit selections – choosing from hundreds of fabric swaths of all colours and textures – the inside lining, cuffs, collars, buttons, cuts and tails all had to be decided. After being measured up we were told to return tomorrow morning for a fitting and adjustments. The manufacturing happens on site and we could watch the talented tailors working at a frenzied pace through windows.
Having worked up an appetite it was time for lunch and Banh Mi Phoung was across the road (yay). The line out the front was a give away but so were the TV’s streaming the same Anthony Bourdain video over and over. We took a seat inside and through a miss-communication we ended up with 4 delicious sandwiches instead of the 2 (more yay). This was definitely the best sandwich I have ever eaten. Fresh baguette baked next door, at least four different types of pork (roast, minced, crackling, diced, cured), caramalised onion pate, fresh cucumber, corriander and chilli. So. Damn. Good. We must have stopped here at least 4 more times during our stay!
We wandered through the old town by day, the market was a buzz with locals buying everything from living seafood, open air butchers, fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs. We tried a few mangosteens which were delicious but messy to eat.
Inspired by Pete’s tailoring we wandered to another highly rated shop (on TripAdvisor) – The Two Ladies Tailor. Their shop looked far simpler and they had a relatively smaller selection which was probably a good thing. Similar to Pete, I chose some fabrics, colours, cuts and styles. Lauren too enjoyed the vibe of the shop and chose to get three outfits made; a stunning full length dress, a gorgeous jump suit and a shorter dress! After a few days of fittings we were looking very fancy!
The food in Hoi An lived up to all our expectations. We ate and drank like kings even on our 6month budget… Lets hope our tailored outfits still fit in 6 months time. The tree and lantern lined alleys had a great ambiance to them both day and night.
Many a game of Cambio was played and although Lauren had an 8 – 4 – 4 lead over Peter and myself, a winner takes all match and a very lucky come from behind play by Pete saw him be crowned the Hoi An champion just before he departed to head back to home!
After Pete’s departure we were in denial and so we drowned our sorrows with Vince and his friends on the roof top terrace to watch the big game – Vietnam v. Malaysia World Cup soccer qualifying match. More delicious BBQ fish, pork and many chants of “Mot, Hai, Ba, Yo!” or just “Yo!” (cheers) the game wrapped up 2 – 0 for Vietnam.
Lauren and I checked out and headed onto our next adventure in Hoi An. We spent two fantastic days by the beach, pool and had multiple back and neck massages – I simply am too ticklish to endure 60 minutes of foot massages (Lauren’s favourite!)
The beach was actually quite good compared to others in the region (look I have high standards for my beaches!) and seeing the onshore wind made me excited to go kiting at our next stop – Mui Ne!
We found a few great local eats and managed to mostly avoid the seasonal down pours in the evenings. This part of town felt really relaxed and as it was low season the locals were going about their daily lives and were not too worried about selling their wares to tourists.
Far Away From Home 