Happy in Hoi An

09.22.2013

Quote of the day: "If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present"

Currently on iPod: the new Jack Johnson!!

Hoi An is a tourist town. The city center of Ancient town is over run by shops, tailors, and restaurants. The locals speak scary good English and they will do everything in their power to get you to come into their shop, have a suit made, or eat in their restaurant. It can be quite daunting if you let it be. Even yesterday while we were motorbiking through town, a shop owner pulled up next to us and tried her best to get us to pull over. I just ignore it. When you look past the city center, Hoi An is one of my favorite places on the planet. I look at it like New Orleans, which is one of my favorite cities once you branch out of the French Quarter. Bourbon St is the equivalent of Hoi An ancient town. As long as you avoid it, or keep your visits to a minimum, the rest of the town is pure magic.
We rented motorbikes yesterday and road until our asses were sore. The combination of beach, mountains, river, and countryside is breathtaking. It's a wonderful thing to be eating lunch on the river and have a water buffalo come graze on the tree 10 feet away from you like it ain't no thing.
When we were here last year we found a gem of an establishment called My Cahn (which translates to "fine soup", though I'm pretty sure they don't even serve soup). Naturally it's located outside the city center and it is a local spot. The waitresses speak not a word of English and the patrons are all Vietnamese. When we walked in, there wasn't the usual "hello! Sit! You eat here!". Instead the waitress brings over 2 beers and 2 glasses of ice (beers are typically warm) and you eat whatever the special is that night. There is no menu. Last year we spent 3 nights at My Cahn drinking and taking it in. The waitresses are all cute, dressed in heels, and giggly. The moment you take a sip from your glass they come rushing over and pour you more with a smug smile and giggle. I became accustomed to this lavish lifestyle. How could I possibly go back to pouring my own beers??? Though they weren't to Zach, the waitresses were VERY touchy with the Vietnamese men. We are still not sure if there was some type of prostitution going on or if it was just the Vietnamese equivalent of Hooters. Either way, My Cahn was one of the highlights of our trip last year and we were eager to go back last night.
On our way we got caught motorbiking in a huge rainstorm and the streets were pretty dead. Sadly, so was My Cahn. We were instantly disappointed to find our favorite waitress was not there, though the rest of the staff was the same. The fresh steamed garlic shrimp we had were delicious, though the beer service was slacking. We hung out for a few hours drinking beers and playing cards, but it definitely was not the same vibe. I'm chalking it up to it being a rainy Sunday night and we are going to give it another try tonight. If for nothing else, 8 beers and a plate of amazing shrimp cost us a whopping $12. Oh how I love Vietnam
Below are some pics from the day. It was cloudy so they really don't do the beauty of Hoi An justice but more to come.

My driver