Hoi An is idyllic as idyllic was meant to be—not like Carmel, California where a small gelato will set you back 5 bucks (and “No, I’m sorry, sir, it is only 1 flavor in the small; if you’d like 2, might I suggest the medium?”). Nope. This is paradise that you can afford to sample, not just stop by and spy on. Here a nice room (with breakfast), a fine dinner, and an evening’s drinks will set you back less than the cover at some South Beach clubs (err, umm… or so I am told).
Downtown Hoi An is exceedingly cute. This was once an important trading center, but activity shifted away around the end of the 18th century. So the old town, which consisted of wealthy trader’s homes and shops, has gone largely unchanged lo these 200 years (although I expect in 1717, there were fewer tailors). Note: my hotel was a 4 minute walk out of old town … they felt bad about this & compensated with free bicycles.
Even the music in Hoi An is better than what I have found elsewhere in Vietnam. The old stuff skews more towards CCR and Beatles than Lionel Ritchie or Stevie Wonder. And, there was some decent newer stuff – I was happy to find one bar with Coldplay on (…and, no, I’m not gay).
Oh, yeah, and did I mention there’s a beach?
1 comment:
I think at 2 a.m. on Christmas the beach at Atlantic City is not that uninhabited. Must be nice to be in a spot where madding crowds are hard to come by.
Making the movie I've shot over the last two years has really brought home how explosive our population growth has been. Near any metropolitan area, finding a quiet road is almost impossible. There are people everywhere during waking hours.
Seeing that apparently very nice beach without a soul on it is like looking at a history book.
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