Hoi An Does Not Disappoint

18 December - Transferred from Hue to DaNang by train.  This trip provided beautiful vistas of the ocean and mountains, even with the clouds.  In DaNang, a man met us and drove us to Hoi An and our hotel, Green Heaven.  The hotel is located on a small island adjacent to Hoi An's old town.  We have a large room, there is a large buffet breakfast each morning and a lovely pool (which we don't use because it is cool!).   Hoi An is a 45 minute drive from DaNang.  It is an ancient seaport, right on the coast.  The river flowing between our island and the main town defines the town.  Three bridges (one a walking bridge) connect the island and the town.  We spent the afternoon wandering "old town," which is absolutely charming--quaint little shops, loads of restaurants, bars, travel agencies, boutique hotels, souvenir shops and an old open air market all constructed of brick with stucco covering and mossy tiles on the roofs.   In the afternoon and evening, no motorized vehicles are allowed, so pedestrians stroll slowly down the narrow streets.  We found a 2 for 1 Happy Hour, and had 4 mojitos (totaling $6), which on the surface might seem excessive.  But in fact, we rationalized that the alcohol of 1 drink was split in two, so it was okay.  After Happy Hour, we wobbled down the street to a little restaurant.  Roger had a local dish of noodles, vegetables and pork.  I stuck with shrimp and vermicelli, although it was not as good as our restaurant in Hue. As night fell, Hoi An lit up, taking an entirely different character.  Lanterns and colored lights everywhere.  Couples strolling arm in arm.  Little shops lighting their wares.  So romantic and Pirates of the Caribbean-esque.  Both Roger and I fell in love with the little city.

The next morning, we arranged to meet our travel companions at a coffee shop run entirely by deaf people.  It was amazing.  You are seated and given menus to check off what you would like.  If there are questions about your order, the waiter reaches for a block with a word printed on it, such as "with cream?"  And you nod a response.  Roger had the tea and cookie sampler and I had the coffee sampler.  Such fun!  Next we four walked about a mile to the Silk Village and were given a tour of how silk was traditionally made.  We viewed silk worms (of course, Roger had to hold one), then saw them eating mulberry leaves and making coccoons.  Then, we watched as the coccoons were placed in boiling water (to kill the pupae) and gently unwound.  We couldn't believe it!  Whoever would have thought to unwind a coccoon to make a fabric?  The unraveled thread is then combined with 5-10 others and twisted into a single strand.  The strands are boiled again to soften and then dyed.  This is woven into various grades of silk.  Amazing!

We had heard different reviews of this little city.  Some thought it was too touristy and others loved it.  We come in on the side of those who love it.