So, I've officially been travelling for a month now. I'm feeling a bit tired and homesick. I miss sleeping in my comfortable bed, working at my standing desk, cooking my own food, and playing pickleball with friends most.
Today, I traveled from Da Nang to Hoi An. I felt that I had to visit Hoi An at least for a two night stay. I even have my own driver now here in Da Nang, so I'm saving a bit of money compared to a Grab. I arrived in Hoi An around 2:30pm, since check-ins here are at 2pm. Driving to Hoi An, I could already sense its beauty, with its palm trees, rice paddy fields, and canals.
Walking around during the day, the narrow roads and old shophouses with their mix of French and Chinese architecture were aesthetically pleasing. If I had an Instagram, I'm sure photos from Hoi An would be popular.
I had a couple pork dishes and fried banana at the Central Market. The fried banana was delicious, but the other dishes weren't anything special. And then for dinner, I found a local Vietnamese restaurant around the corner from my homestay. This was a solid dinner consisting of two local specialties, White rose dumplings (Bánh bao bánh vạc) and Cao Lầu. The White Rose dumplings reminded me of a chewy, healthy version of gyoza. The rice wrapper surrounding the pork and shrimp mixture was in the shape of a rose petal, hence the name. The Cao Lầu is a pork and noodle dish. Apparently, the noodles are unique to Hoi An and soaked in lye. The noodles were chewy and delicious. They reminded of Japanese udon noodles somewhat.
Honestly, walking around Hoi An at night was a bit underwhelming. Yes, the lights from the lanterns created a pleasant atmosphere, but you could feel that this area was for the tourists.
Tomorrow, I'm not sure what I'll do here in Hoi An. Most of the main attractions are just part of walking around the Old Town here.