The So Charming of Sarah

It was 90 degrees and sunny when we arrived in Hoi An. It was so great to finally be in the sun and we quickly determined that being Hanoiyed in Hanoi only made us appreciate getting to Hoi An even more. We pulled up to the Ha An Hotel and couldn’t believe our eyes. This by far was the cutest place I stayed in SE Asia. There were beach cruisers calling my name as we walked in. Hammocks and cute patio sets in the front lawn. We asked if there was a pool and the attendant quickly replied, “No pool, but we have a pool table.” and quickly pointed to the pool table in the corner. Too funny! Our rooms where tranquil like a spa, including fresh flowers and petals scattered about the room.

Hoi An is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It originated as a port and trading post, and today its big attraction is silk and tailor made clothing for dirt cheap. The town is so quaint and picturesque with its Chinese and Japanese influences. It quickly became another one of my favorite spots on the trip.

All we wanted to do was get some sun. My tan was starting to fade and Erika and Charity were determined to go home with a tan. We hopped on the beach cruisers and headed to the beach. It was quite a ride and much different than the quiet town of Luang Prabang. We made it safely and it was more beautiful than we had imagined. We relaxed, had a few drinks, fended off the beach vendors (You take a look? Looking free.”) and baked in the sun. That evening, we were all burnt to a crisp; we headed to Brothers Café for dinner. It was a great Vietnamese meal and the most beautiful setting on the river.

Day 2 landed us on the beach again. We were worried we weren’t going to get sun again so we figured we should take full advantage because the weather here was perfect – warm and sunny with a nice breeze to keep us cool. We road our bikes to the beach and Charity and I went for a nice run. We switched I-pods so each of us could have a bit more motivation to run. Afterwards, we went straight to the ocean in our workout clothes. We cooled off and did a little swap-a-roo into our bikinis right there in the water and then we sat in the sun and relaxed.  Erika made some new friends, Sun Sun and Mimi, both beach vendors who were practicing their English and telling their life stories. Charity and I teased her for the rest of the trip about befriending randoms everywhere we went. I had joked around the day before that I was going to take the “Do Not Disturb” sign from our room and hang it around my toe so we wouldn’t be bothered and could get some relaxing time (See photo below.  This was only for a photo opp.  I didn't actually leave it on my toe). We headed back to the hotel for a few hours of pampering at the spa.  Pretty much a standard in SE Asia, we were all in the same room getting our treatments.  Charity started with a body wrap and Erika and I couldn’t stop laughing because I think she said she was itchy about 50 times. She quickly begged her way out of the wrap for a massage instead. It was so relaxing and much needed after our busy days on the beach.  ;)

That evening we headed to town to do a little shopping. None of us really had anything in mind to have made and at that point we wouldn’t have had enough time because we were leaving the following morning – although a few shops did offer to make me some pants and drop them to my hotel first thing the following morning. We wondered around the streets of the Old Quarter, admiring all the shops and the adorable lanterns streamed above us.

My doctor in Chicago suggested we try a restaurant called Mango Mango and she gave me the name of the chef, Duc. I asked the hostess he was there that evening and he had actually been at a table sitting with a friend.  I walked up and introduced myself. He was so kind, making sure we had drinks, providing his recommendation on the menu. I think you would call his cuisine a Vietnamese/Japanese/Latin America Fusion – very tasty! After dinner he came back to have a glass of wine with us and we picked his brain about his story and about Vietnam. He was actually a refugee that fled to America after the war. He spent his time dishwashing and working in the kitchen of many restaurants throughout the states and then finally went to culinary school and traveled the world as a chef. He eventually came back to his homeland to start his successful businesses. He told us about life in Vietnam, about his future house plans, about his time in the states. He highly recommended Saigon (what is now Ho Chi Minh City – but the locals still refer to it by its original name), provided us with a few spots for dinner/drinks and even gave a call to his friend to take us out on the town when we arrived. We had a great time chatting him up and learning all about him and the Vietnamese culture.


I wished we had another day or two to be able to really get some shopping done and possibly some clothes made, but I guess that’s for another trip back to Hoi An!