After a very rainy morning in Da Nang, we decided not to rent a bike for the day, and bought bus tickets instead.
Our 45 minute late bus made us a little nervous when it took a u-turn on a one way street trying to pick us up, and we were somewhat thrown onto the bus confused and disheveled as cops appeared to be pulling the bus over, but luckily the very packed trip was a short one to Hoi An. We found a nice hotel on the outskirts of the tourist center of Hoi An, and talked to a couple people about where to go and what to see. The first and foremost reason most people go to Hoi An is the large amount of tailors and cloth shops that have popped up in such a small area, the second being the amazing food. We were here for the food. We spent the rainy day ducking in and out of tarp covered markets and small shops, sampling all the local dishes Hoi An had to offer.
Da Nang
Our 45 minute late bus made us a little nervous when it took a u-turn on a one way street trying to pick us up, and we were somewhat thrown onto the bus confused and disheveled as cops appeared to be pulling the bus over, but luckily the very packed trip was a short one to Hoi An. We found a nice hotel on the outskirts of the tourist center of Hoi An, and talked to a couple people about where to go and what to see. The first and foremost reason most people go to Hoi An is the large amount of tailors and cloth shops that have popped up in such a small area, the second being the amazing food. We were here for the food. We spent the rainy day ducking in and out of tarp covered markets and small shops, sampling all the local dishes Hoi An had to offer.
First stop--Southern Vietnamese Banh Mi stand
Spicy chili oil spread, sweet barbecued pork, pickled vegetables, sprouts, cucumber slices, fresh basil & mint-- the pork banh mi in the North was incredible, but we both agreed today's won
Stop two-- the traditional dish of Hoi An, Cau Lao. Very dark rich pork broth, slices of tender pork belly, thicker egg-y noodles, lots of fresh herbs, lettuce, and sprouts. The best part, crispy, porky croutons formed from the same dough as the noodles, deep fried in pork fat
Amazing!
But served with a very odd milk like beverage-- almost tasted like a nutrition shake?
We headed back to our hotel during the afternoon to take shelter from some heavier rain, but once the sun set and the rain stopped we were back out on the street. Hoi An looked completely different at night, all the stands lit up with lanterns.
Hoi An at night
We ended the day with some traditional dumplings, called "white rose", thin rice paper, filled with pork and shrimp, steamed, and topped with crispy shallots
And fairly straight forward fresh spring rolls with really delicious herbs and shrimp
A very fun and tasty day getting a to know a city through it's food. Back to Da Nang tomorrow morning and then catching the night train to Saigon!
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