As Seen by TV

We spent our final day in Hoi An on the beach, followed by the compulsory final night of photographic vespertine action. Hoi An, you will be truly missed. Defo worth the visit if you get the chance…

TimVan recommends Hoi An, Vietnam.

Outside Hoi An, on the outskirts of Da Nang there is a set of 5 curiously tall rock formations… known as the Marble Mountains, each named after an element (metal, water, wood, fire, earth). Tucked away in/on them is an array of caves, Buddhist temples, pagodas and religious sanctuaries, which allow for spectacular views of nearby Da Nang city, as well as down the entire coastline. Which, much to my dismay, will soon be littered by hotel resorts crammed right next to each other. We drove the 30min via motorbike down the coast to Hoi An, and passed several brand-spanking-new resorts, with mapped out lots in between… all in the process of being built on. One can soon expect a Vietnamese version of horrible horrible Cancun (*barf*).

The streets that surround the mountains are filled with countless workshops and showrooms that house piles and piles of statues carved out of limestone… which is apparently shipped in from China.

Shhhhhhh, don’t tell anyone.

After temple patrol and the Cam Nam Island adventure, we came back to the Hoi An old town for dinner, drinks and some more vespertine action…

Well, just like in Saigon, we did a temple patrol in Hoi An, hitting up all the religious sites in one go (and this time I brought my camera).  Then we took a drive down the only road on Cam Nam island to the very end, where we found a boat… and a crazy plant that instantly retracts its leaves when touched.  I have a video somewhere…

Our first full day in Hoi An, and we were somewhat dissaspointed with the rain, but at the same time somewhat relieved because the rain stemmed from a typhoon that hit the Vietnamese coast just north of us.  So we rented a motorbike, bought 20 cent raincoats, rocked the flip-flops and did some market shopping… after lunch, we decided to go check out the beach, a short 10min drive away… not really knowing what to expect, but we were in for a treat… a completely deserted beach saturated in lush post-typhoon colors.  The waves were menacing to say the least, but gladly it seemed the worst was over.  That evening we decided to come back the next day with out same gear, with the addition of our swimsuits.

We took a walk (luckily it had stopped raining when we arrived, and just started again as we were driving back) down the beach, while the night shots are taken from a bridge inbetween Hoi An town and the beach area…. the fishermen pictured are actually “fishing” for snakes!

We flew from Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) to Da Nang, and then a short 30min drive to the town of Hoi An…… a slightly touristy, but extrememly beauitful town.  The center of the village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and thus historically preserved… the first night we took some bicycles into the town center, which is where I captured these.

Afterwards, we had some beers at Treat’s Bar for 10,000 VND a bottle… and if that isn’t a reason to come back, I don’t know what is.