Hoi An

We left from Hue in the morning for Hoi An, a small town at the central of Vietnam. It takes about 4 hours bus ride from Hue to Hoi An. After we checked in to the hotel, the hotel shuttle brought us to Pho Hoi Garden restaurant (rating: good) for lunch.

After lunch, we went to Cua Dai beach. It is beautiful beach and many tourist came her to swim and sunbath. Jay and Danny rent a pair of bermudas each to enjoy the dip in the clean sea water while Estella and I sat by the beach sipping our coconut juice under a shade. Every 5 minutes, the locals will approach the tourists to buy their fruits, products and even leg massage and pedicure service. After the guys had their share of fun in the water, we left.

The hotel shuttle dropped us near Hoi An's central market and the old quarter. There are a lot of cloth shops where customers can make their jackets, dresses..etc and collect them within a few hours or the following day. I enjoyed walking down the streets though it was rather warm. I bought a book called "The Girl in the Picture". It is about the life story of this girl whose picture was seen all around the world and helped turn public opinion against the Vietnam War.

We went to a silk embroidery shop, where we saw the process of how silkworms grow to become a cocoon then the silk is used to weave into fabric.

In this silk embroidery shop, we saw the handiwork of the locals. It was impressive. The embroidery work looks like still life from a distance unlike the many embroidery work we saw in Vietnam. These works do not come cheap. The prices range from USD200 - 500.

We tried Cao Lau, a local dish at Trung Bac restaurant (Rating: good). It was tasty. After our sumptous dinner, we walked to Phang Dinh Phung to wait for our hotel shuttle to bring us back to our hotel.

Blackout!! It happened when we were back in our hotel. Thank God, the power came on shortly. Do not be surprised when you experience black out in Vietnam!