Saturday, August 31st to Wednesday September 4th, 2024 - Last Stops: Panting in Hoi An, Vietnam & Last Stop, Incheon, South Korea

Lanterns Everywhere, Hoi An Vietnam

I had first been charmed by Hoi An 14 years ago, when I met up here with Sarah and Chuck while they were travelling through Vietnam. It is a beautiful small town, about an hour south of Danang, which had been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. It is an ancient town on the Thu Bon River, noted because it is well preserved and an excellent example of a Southeast Asian trading port from the 15th century. It shows the influence of Japanese, Chinese, French and Vietnamese architecture. Today you might call it 'lantern city', as they were everywhere!

Yaly Couture

On my previous trip, I had visited this tailor, Yaly, where I had several pairs of pants made for a very reasonable price. It was a great pleasure to have pants that actually fit around my waist, hips and thighs... and were long enough. I've tried other tailors in Thailand and Hong Kong, but none have delivered the same quality and comfort as these did. Sadly, my 14-year old pants were staring to show signs of wear (duh) and every time I visited Sarah I asked ' Do you want to go back to Hoi An to visit Yaly'? She doesn't wear the same style of clothing as me, so it never happened.

Tailors, Tailors, Everywhere!

As I was planning these last few days of my trip, I was torn between three choices. First, should I stay with Sarah, Chuck and Robyn in Thailand? Second, what about exploring Seoul to see another Asian culture? Or three, I loved Hoi An, so wouldn't it be fun to go to somewhere familiar and replace my aging pants? Finally, in conversation with Sarah, she declared that I had wanted to return here so often, it would be a much better way to end my trip, than taking my tired self through a large city like Seoul. I thought she made a great point, so I booked my fitting at Yaly and brought my tired self here instead!

Leather Goods Aplenty, Too

I think this area has such fine tailoring and bespoke fashion because of the French designer influence - maybe much of the work has been outsourced here from European designers, over the years, so there are many choices lining the streets. You can have shoes made to order, handbags, and probably even jewelry. It is a shoppers paradise!

One of the innovations the tailors here have now developed is a body scan, where measurements are taken electronically. At Yaly they keep the measurements on file for five years, which I thought sounded wonderful, as it allows one to order additional items after returning home. Yaly also appear to have grown, although their storefront remains the same. Their website says they have more than 300 tailors, designers and craftsmen and have over 17 years of experience. Another innovation I really appreciated is that their fitting room is now air conditioned. In 2010, climbing into woolen pants (fine Italian merino mind you!) in the little, hot dressing room was no fun!

Tourist Town! Lantern Boats on Thu Bon River

But oh, my! How the place has changed in other respects! The same view on my previous visit would have only shown unlit fishing boats and reflections of buildings on the water. The lanterns had been a visual highlight in a few places previously, but now one could choke on them. They were EVERYWHERE, including on the river. The entire town has become a tourist market! 

Early Morning Streets

It's easy to see why. It is a beautiful little place, with yellow shophouses, tropical vegetation, trees and yes, those lanterns! The historic district is pedestrian and bicycle only, so it is walking friendly. Getting out in the early morning was cooler and allowed me to capture some images that were not crammed with people. This was one of the main streets going down to the old Japanese bridge, which is the center of the historic town. In the evening a street like this was crowded with people.

Busy Streets

Maybe I exaggerate ... this doesn't look so bad, but there were times when one had to shoulder through people to get anywhere. 

(I don't like people in my photos generally, so often I wait to capture images that are less crowded. I also must confess that sometimes I remove unwanted people in the photo editing program I use - Adobe Lightroom. They have a wonderful AI 'remove' tool now, that is quite amazing, but I always feel it's cheating a little!)

My Link to the Mainland

I  hade found an AirBNB that was within walking distance of the tailor (maybe half a mile) and fortunately away from the crush of people, so my focus became to stay cool and get to my fittings. My path took me over this bridge from the island I was on - Cam Nam. It was always busy! 

I arrived in Danang at 9 am and got there in time for my initial visit at around 11 a.m. on the Saturday. By Sunday at 5:00 p.m. I returned for my first fitting - four pairs of pants had already been constructed, but there were some issues that needed to be fixed, to stop them sagging in the bottom. By 8:30 p.m. that evening, they had been adjusted, so I returned to give the blessing for them to be finished. (During that visit, the fitter, Cindy, kept patting me on the bottom admiring the excellent fit they had accomplished. I couldn't disagree with her!) I ordered a fifth pair (unlined linen capris) at that time. By Monday at 3 p.m., all was finished and I was back to pick them all up. I felt like a horribly indulged colonial knowing that they had all worked so hard on my behalf, especially when I found out that Monday was their national Independence Day. Cindy assured me that they in work shifts, so they get breaks. I wanted to believe her.

Morning Market

Carrying my photographic responsibilities with me, I did my best to get out to catch some of the local flavor, but at no time could I muster the desire to venture out with my 'big' camera, so you are stuck with cell phone pictures. I found the heat very oppressive and felt my tiredness. I ventured out in the early morning to get coffee and in the evening to get a meal. I had managed to find breakfast and lunch foods from a convenience store, so I spent a lot of time in the air conditioning 'at home'. It allowed me to catch up on blogs and rest. 

Chickens Ready for the Pot

It was also quite a different experience to visit the markets in a place where there were numerous tourists. Not only was I just another tourist, on my own, and only using a cell phone (not that impressive black camera with the zoom lens that announces one to be a 'photographer!), the merchants were disinterested and I didn't have the energy to engage. 

Food 'Bike' - A Moveable Feast!

Much of the market changed throughout the day. Early morning, the streets were full of fresh food products, by the evening there were many tourist trinkets and prepared foods.

The Choices Were Many

 There were endless stalls and stores filled with tempting items. I rather liked these mother-of-pearl trays, but there was no room or baggage allowance left in my bags. 

The Produce Was Beautiful!

The markets, however, were abundant and colorful, especially at night. I don't believe I have ever seen such a beautiful collection of tropical fruits like this. Mangosteen, passionfruit, mangos, rambutan, dragonfruit, papaya! I had a last tropical fruit hurrah! 

Street Foods

Street foods were abundant too, but I was able to resist! However, I had some of my best meals here in Vietnam ... and the prices were amazingly low.

Bale Well Restaurant

At this restaurant, I had a Hoi An specialty, cai lau, which was made of pork and greens on a bed of rice noodles that had been soaked in lye. This gave it a different texture and color from regular rice noodles - almost like soba noodles. Along with a beer, it cost me the grand total of $2.61.

Vietnamese Chopsticks Restaurant Humor

Another excellent restaurant near my accommodation had numerous jokes on their tables about chopsticks - this was one of my favorites!

Tourist Transport

Perhaps if I'd gone for rides in limousines like this, I might not have sweated (and panted) so badly. There were lots of them running around town.

The Old Japanese Bridge

I did intend to visit the historic sites that the UNESCO Ancient Town ticket provides access to. For USD $10 this ticket allows one access to five of the 22 sites that have been designated. I did cross the Old Japanese Bridge, which was constructed in the late 1500's. You can see here how popular it is with tourists today. Perhaps if I'd visited in the middle of the day, instead of night time, I would have found it as I did 14 years ago......

Old Japanese Bridge, 2010

..... but I think it would not have been quite the same!

The Hill Station Delicatessen and Boutique

Other than visiting the historic bridge, I just wandered. (That's why my blog is called The Wordly Wanderer! (sic)) I loved the lighting and the colors on the old shophouses. They show the elements of several cultures. Although the blue-green shutters and colonial bas relief evoke the time of French colonization, a building like this would have been built by a wealthy Chinese merchant in the late 1800's. 

Yellow Everywhere

Even the most basic buildings are painted yellow - even though it may have been some time ago. This is because yellow is a lucky number here, it absorbs less heat (according to Google AI) and it fits the building regulations for the historic district to preserve the original appearance of structures.

Travel Agent

Isn't it ironic that one of the eyesores was a travel agent! LOL!

French House Restaurant

In spite of the heat, the people, my tiredness, there's no denying that this is a magical place. Cindy, my fitter, said they are busiest in December and January, so it is likely it could be a smidgen cooler then. Perhaps on another occasion, I'll stop here at the beginning of my travels, and use those tourist transports! But now, it was time for my final and very brief stop in Incheon, South Korea.

A Big Toilet and a Little Toilet! Incheon Airport

I love modern Asian thoughtfulness and pragmatism, so I delighted to see this bathroom stall that would have been a boon for mothers. Of course, it was in South Korea, where I had arrived late Tuesday night to stay in an airport hotel, in preparation for my flight home on Wednesday.

The Best Western Hotel

Although you can see the airport from here - it took about a 15 minute taxi ride to arrive, because the roads are so uni-directional around it. I share this rather boring photo of the hotel room, in order to have you notice that although there is a wonderful dresser and wardrobe on the left, there is no desk or chair. You'll also notice a lot of open floor space, with a low table at the back right. It didn't really lend itself to my computer work.

Bedding in the Closet

(Another boring photo, I know!) When I looked in the closet, I saw the reason for the open floor space. There was a mattress folded up here, which would allow Korean guests to make themselves comfortable with traditional sleeping arrangements.

Here Are the 'Chairs'

The pretty cushions in the closet are the chairs for the table. I have often wondered if my knees would be in better shape, had I lived in a culture such as this. I will never know, and my computer work was done sitting on the bed!

In Search of Coffee

I stepped out of the hotel in search of coffee. It looked like an area where the hotels cater to overnight guests - there were many hotels in this area, called Paradise City. As Seoul was at least two hours away and Incheon itself an hour, I decided to enjoy relaxing in the balmy temperatures here in the sunshine.

Monorail Through Paradise City, Incheon (It no Longer Runs - Shut down in 2023)

And so, my friends, it is time now for it to end. My nine weeks on the road - which had taken me to so many wonderful places, with lots of color, exotic foods, amazing scenery - ends, sitting in a rather grey modern environment, sipping a cup of coffee. It reminds me of the lines from T.S Eliot's poem, 'The Hollow Men', This is the way the world ends......Not with a bang, but a whimper. 

Reflection of Thai Airways Jet - Passenger Bridge, Incheon

I was quite surprised, and pleased,  that everything had gone as smoothly as it did - no illness, injury, drama, delays or lost bags to disrupt my journey. I had enjoyed (almost) every moment of my trip.

 I also appreciate those of you who have followed along with me. It took me nine weeks, you've been going twelve weeks! For those who left comments, I am especially grateful, as it kept me inspired to research and sift through my images and thoughts to create this blog.

Thank you, and until next time 'G'Day Mates!