Back to 'Nam

I started my journey from Luang Prabang on 12/15. Since my last journal entry, I flew from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, had a 2 hour layover at Wattay airport, flew to Hanoi (arriving around 7pm), took a taxi from Noi Bai airport into Hanoi to pickup my train ticket, took a motorbike to the train station, spent the night on a train from Hanoi to Hue, took a taxi to a booking office to purchase a minibus ticket to Hoi An, then a bus from Hue to Hoi An and a finally long walk to my hotel in Hoi An. The best part of my trip was the train from Hanoi to Hue. When I woke up in the morning, I had a few hours to stare out the window as the landscape passed by. I saw many villages, rice paddies, and livestock - everyone was working in the fields. I imagined what this experience would be like 40 years ago. It would be much different; I would look at these people differently and their perception of me would be different. I would be suspicious of my surroundings and all people that were near me. I would be filled with fear; adrenaline pulsing through my veins as I passed near a local. I've never been involved in war, and I never want to be.

My first day in Hoi An was spent doing nothing. It took me several hours to decide whether I should continue south to Mui Ne or stay in Hoi An. I opted for Hoi An; the city has charm. It's filled with cafes where I can read and drink cafe phinh sua da all day. When I couldn't drink or read anymore, I went shopping. I stopped by Yaly Couture, which has received nothing but great reviews on Lonely Planet's Thorntree forums. I asked them to make me one shirt; they instructed me to come back in 4 hours for a fitting. When I stopped back I was so impressed by the quality and fit of the shirt that I ordered several more. At $12 each, they were cheap compared to the prices back home for a tailored shirt. I found that I had a hard time adjusting to prices in Vietnam - I was used to Laos. A meal that cost me $1.50 in Vietnam cost me less than $1 in Laos. It's funny how costs are so relative; if I had just come from the US my perception of a $1.50 meal would be much different.