Hot in Hoi An

Altar in the courtyard of Than Ky House
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From Hue we took the tourist bus to Hoi An. It was the first time since our initial London - Tallinn flight we were surrounded by westerners. What a grumpy whingeing lot most of them are too. No concept of just how fortunate they are. We resolved then and there to get off the tourist trail as soon as possible.

Hoi An is famous for tailor shops and there are loads, hard to see how they all earn a living but they're all there cheek by jowl. We took full advantage of this and I have several clothes altered (they were too big) and had some clothes made. Cathal got himself a shirt made.

The box contained a momento and a biography of the deceased

Exhibit at the Museum of Ceramics
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Hoi An was also important in years past for trade - specifically in ceramics and wood. There are a number of museums and old houses which show clearly Chinese and Japanese design influences. There's a very interesting family chapel where they used to keep a wooden box in an altar representing someone who'd died. On important feast days and birthdays they'd move the box to the centre and open it so they could reflect on that person. The box contained a momento and a biography of the deceased. It's a lovely custom but nowadays they use photos not boxes. I much prefer the carved boxes myself. The old town is a Unesco Heritage site, but you do have to look for this amongst the rampant commercialism aimed squarely at tourists.

Passerby, Hoi An old town.
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Having said which, it's a very easy place to spend a few days, we took full advantage of our fab hotel, at a discounted price (one of the good things about a tourist boom, always rooms going spare!).

We also took a day trip to the My Son ruins which were built by the Cham people. They also built Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The ruins date from the 4th Century and are not incredibly well preserved due to the ravages of time and the US bombing campaign a few decades ago. Nonetheless we found the Hindu temple complex very interesting and well worth a visit. It has to be said we were very hungover on our visit due to meeting up with a lovely Irish couple who we'd met in Hue for a few (too many) beers.

White horse statue, temple, Hoi An.
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On our way back from My Son we took a boat trip and visited a woodworking shop. The quality of the furniture was amazing, even more so because the guys were working without the aid of vices, simply holding the pieces with their feet whilst they chiselled away. The end result was beautiful and not very expensive at all. I think Cathal thanked his lucky stars we don't have a home to furnish, otherwise I'd have been sorely tempted to go on a shopping spree.

Our next stop is well off the tourist trail, we're heading West to Buon Ma Thuot, famous for coffee plantations. Cathal's a coffee fiend and has been sorely deprived over the past few months so it's payback time. He's gonna hit the bean with a vengence. Just as well since the bus leaves at 4am!