Asia, Stop 2: Hoi An, Vietnam

After a grueling flight path with no sleep for about 30 hours, we got to our first Vietnamese city, the quaint country town of Hoi An.  We visited moutaintop temples with interesting mixtures of Hindu and Buddhist influences, walked the colorful crowded streets of the very small downtown section while drinking coffee here and there, haggling over small items in stores, and eating street food. The Vietnamese diet is about half white steamed rice, or some kind of rice noodle, with some basic vegetable or meat to go along with it, in either a broth or stew of some kind, often without any strong flavor. That means it's your job to spice things up with added sauces and toppings! 

View from the mountaintop temple.

We walked along the rice fields, then rode to the beach on the the free bikes provided by our homestay.

We went on a tour to some famous temple ruins outside the city, and observed the unique style of brick architecture and religious practices of the local brand of Hinduism from long ago.

Our homestay recommended a cooking class by a company called Eco Cooking Class. The class took place at a family's home, which was accessible only by riverboat.

We learned how to work the machine that turned rice into rice milk, which we used to make rice paper for Spring rolls.

A beautiful banana flower salad.

Christmas Eve coincided with the Full Moon festival, which was a really unique experience. The streets were lit up with candles and alive with street food and celebration. To appeal to the tourists who celebrate Christmas, Hoi An even had children dressed in Santa costumes, and many hotels offered large Christmas Eve dinners. We didn't take part in this, as they were quite touristic, but it was nice to at least see some Christmas trees in hotel lobbies that we passed on the street.

Hoi An was a wonderful experience as a more "rural" part of Vietnam while still being enough of a city with plenty of shops, restaurants, coffee bars, culture and life... the perfect mixture those wanting a full schedule without the hassle of a big city. This is definitely on the re-visit list!