Travel books and websites describe the city of Hoi An as “friendly”, “charismatic”, and “oozing with charm”. And though most Putney students and leaders rarely have much interest in the assessments of such travel guides (because we don't spend much time in 'touristy' locations to begin with), our crew definitely agrees with the descriptions above! Last weekend we had the chance to trade in our work gloves, boots, shovels, and sweaty bandanas for all the luxuries that Hoi An had to offer.
We arrived in Hoi An after a two hour bus ride from Tinh Hoa. We immediately checked into our remarkably quiet and comfortable hotel – complete with huge bathrooms and an amazing pool – and then headed out to the downtown area. Most of us were surprised by the change of pace in this quirky city . Unlike most Vietnamese cities, old town Hoi An is completely pedestrian friendly. There are no cars or motorbikes to look out for when meandering down the city's attractive, shop-filled streets.
In addition to the change in scenery, we were also in awe of how many other travelers were here. In Tinh Hoa we have gotten used to being the only foreigners. We have grown accustomed to the stares of curious locals and we are used to saying hello to every child who sees us bike around. In Hoi An, however, we ended up doing a bit of the staring ourselves. We often looked at other non-Vietnamese travelers and wondered where they had come from and how long they had been living it up in Vietnam. Perhaps we felt more like locals do every day.
As you know, our days revolve around food, so we (Eileen and Ted) decided to treat everyone to a nice non-Vietnamese meal for our first lunch. We love our spring rolls, soups, noodles, rice, and stirfry, but after two straight weeks of eating it, we had pizza, milkshakes, burgers and fries on our minds. Students ate an incredibly satisfying lunch at The Cargo Club, complete with some of the most amazing desserts available in Asia-- tiramisu, brownies, fruit tarts, mousse, and cakes!
After lunch we sent our students off on an intense scavenger hunt. They had to find and photograph landmarks – like a covered bridge built by the Japanese, and an old house that was owned by the Chinese mafia – and also search out other common sites – such an elderly vendor selling animal whistles and tourists wearing “Tin Tin in Vietnam” shirts. If we learned anything, it is that our students have a bit of a competitive streak!
We also spent most of our first day shopping. Hoi An is known for its textiles and numerous skilled tailors, so naturally we decided to have clothes made. Everyone (including the boys) had an incredible time designing suits, dresses, jackets, shirts, trousers, and even shoes. Some students were very prepared beforehand, showing tailors hand drawn sketches and photos from the internet of specific pieces they wanted made, while others just winged the designing process when they saw the fabrics and showpieces that they found in the shops.
We enjoyed a dinner which was very similar to lunch, and then we headed back to the hotel for an early night. Everyone took full advantage of the consistent air conditioning, the cable televisions, and warm showers. For the first time in a long time, we felt completely and undeniably clean!
The next day we woke up early for a tasty breakfast at the hotel. We thought we were spoiling our students with the jams and chocolate spreads that we serve in Tinh Hoa… but the hotel definitely showed us up. There were several fruits, freshly baked bread, danishes, and brioches, and even an omelette bar!
Next we headed to My Son, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located about 50 kilometers from Hoi An. The ruins at My Son were built by Champa kings in the late 4th century AD. The Champa kingdom was largely Hindu and the architecture closely resembles ancient buildings located in Cambodia and Indonesia. While there we enjoyed a cultural performance, which recreated the Hindu dance styles of centuries ago, and then wandered throughout the ruins catching a glimpse of an ancient time.
We returned to town for yet another amazing meal and then continued with more shopping. That evening we decided to change things up with a cooking class at the Hai Café. We made spring rolls, salads, and one meat dish and, to be completely honest, our food was beyond delicious. I am sure when our students come home they will recreate the recipes for all of you. Making the food was fun, but listening to our instructor was downright entertaining. Every 30 seconds he was cracking a joke in his Australian influenced Vietnamese accent. If any of our students get impatient from now til the end of the trip, we will take a page from our cooking instructor's book and say “Easy there Tiger!”
That night we enjoyed more incredible desserts from The Cargo Club and, after we got back to the hotel, we went for a night swim in the pool. The water was cool and the stars were bright. It was was one of those group bonding moments that we’ll definitely remember for a long time.
On our last day in Hoi An, we spent another few hours of shopping and picking up clothes. On the bus ride back we felt mixed emotions. Hoi An was great for our spirits and we were so happy to have experienced it… yet we were a little sad that we had to leave! Also, this particular excursion reminded us that we are more than halfway done with our trip. While we all feel like we’ve experienced so much since we’ve been here and have already made lifelong friends, it is a bit shocking to know that we have such a short amount of time left.
In order to pick up spirits one more time, we decided to have a fashion show challenge (Project Runway style) the day after we got back. We (Eileen and Ted) are seriously amazed by the modeling and designing talent of this group. Heidi Klum could have learned some serious lessons from our crew!
Now we are gearing up for yet another bittersweet moment. We are approaching our last few days in Tinh Hoa. Our compassion houses, which literally started from nothing, are truly amazing structures that we could not have even imagined three weeks ago. And our friends here are among the most genuine and funny people we know. We’ll be bracing ourselves for an emotional goodbye.
Bye for now!
Ted and Eileen
group shot at the My Son ruins
