11th month – May Video Blog

Below is my video blog on our travels round the world on you tube from May:

Week 46 – Walking in the past – UNESCO World Heritage site – Hoi An

‘Live like there is no tomorrow’

[How this works is, each week, I will write to someone on my list, picked randomly and I will post it online on this blog – just in case the letter doesn’t reach its destination.  The letter includes a card with a random quote, which I hope you will enjoy (at the top of this blog page).]

Most of this week has seen us in a city called Hoi An – a world UNESCO Heritage site for its old town.

Some of the fabrics I chose from.

Also, its well-known for its tailors, so I got some, much-needed, clothing made, as its hard to buy clothing, of any quality, that would fit a Western sized person.  So my first few days focused a lot on getting the clothing made, priced and fitted.  I was lucky to have met some New Zealand women on my cruise in Halong Bay who recommended the tailor I used and, so far, the clothes are great and very comfy (Photos of outfits at bottom of blog.)

The Old Town of Hoi An is beautiful.  Twice a day they shut it down to all mopeds – cars are not allowed at any time – and it becomes very peaceful and old worldly.

View from Reaching Out Tea House – run by people with no hearing or speech disabilities

Old House Quang Thang

The buildings are 300 years old with some gorgeous architecture.  You buy a 10 day pass into the old town which includes 5 sights of a possible 22.  I was lucky and saw 7 of the sights.  They have old houses where people’s families live intergenerational for hundreds of years and you can walk around and take photos – like an open house.  I got to 2 of these homes – Old House Dec An and Old House Quan Thang – both beautiful.

Old House Duc An

Burial Urn at the Museum of Sa Huynh Culture

I went to one museum – Museum of Sa Huynh Culture and visited the Japanese bridge with a temple.

Japanese Bridge

I went to 2 Assembly Halls which are very similar to clan houses in Malaysia – a cross between a temple and a shrine to the ancestors of a given family.

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My favourite of the sights to visit was the Traditional Art Performance which was a 20 minute show with singing, live players and dance.

Dancers and Musicians

There are a lot of tourist shops, but I didn’t feel overly hassled and a polite ‘no thank-you’ was enough.

There are some stellar places to eat and drink, such as: Reaching Out Tea House, Samurai Kitchen, Miss Ly’s Restaurant and Hoi An Roastery.

I have a real passion for tea, what is something you seek out when you are traveling, as a must experience, when you can do it?

Love

Debx

Photos of outfits made:

Ao Dai – Vietnamese traditional outfit

New Top

New Shorts and top

New shorts and tops