The city of Hoi An is located in the central coastal region of Vietnam. It's old town is well preserved and is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. The architecture is a mixture of Chinese Temples and shops, French colonial style buildings, Vietnamese style tube houses and a Japanese Wooden Covered Bridge with a Pagoda. Between the 15th and 19th centuries Hoi An was a prominent Southeast Asia trading port. Old town is quite charming and is easy to walk. There are many interesting shops and restaurants to be visited. The streets of Old Town decorated for the coming Tet celebration Actually before we began our Old Town tour I took advantage of the Laundry that was right across the street from our hotel. Drop off by 9am, done and ready for pick up at 6pm. It was well worth it. Everything came back so neatly folded with very sharp creases, even our socks. Friendly and fast Laundry service Our group started the day with a short drive from our hotel into Old Town. We walked past many business's getting their day started. We walked passed several small grocery shops, some take out food places and even a day care center. We passed by this man cutting open coconuts We ended up at visiting a local craft workshop. We saw demonstrations in extracting silk from silk worms moving on to how the silk is processed and made ready for use. Next we were shown a number of people using photographs to replicate the picture in silk art. It was really amazing to watch. It's a very long and expensive process. Unfortunately we were not permitted to take any photo's of this. Of course we ended up in the clothing shop to buy the finished product. There was scarf's, shirts, pants and even blazers. You could even have a custom suit made if you had the time. From there we moved on to see how colorful silk lanterns are made. Part of the Silk making process A group of local workers making garments Silk clothing ready for sale Beautiful Silk Lantern's We moved on to continue our walking tour of Old Town. Soon we happened upon the house of Tan Ky. It is a merchants home that has stayed in the same family for 7 generations despite declining business and several devastating floods it has survived. While it is not the oldest house in Hoi An it is the best preserved. Hoi An is a mixture of Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese and they all lived and worked together in harmony during the 16th and 17th centuries. The house is a perfect example of Oriental Philosophy with it's triple beam structure which represents heaven, earth and people. There are 5 round blocks which represent metal, wood, water, fire and earth; the 5 natural elements in Eastern Philosophy. After leaving the house we continued walking to the famous Japanese Bridge. The Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An Dating back to the 18th century the bridge is a beautiful example of Japanese architecture. As it was told to us by our guide the bridge was built by the Japanese people living in Hoi An as a quick way to get to the Chinese quarter. When the bridge was opened in 1719 by Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu he had 3 Chinese symbols carved over the door. There are also sculptures of 2 dogs and 2 monkeys which represent the Chinese years that many Japanese Emperors were born and also that the bridge's construction began in the year of the dog and was completed in the year of the monkey. It is one of the most popular attractions in Hoi An. We moved on to one of the largest temples in Hoi An, the Phuc Kien Temple. Our group in front of the entrance to the temple Founded in 1690 known as the Phuc Kien Assembly Hall it was originally dedicated to Buddha by the Vietnamese. Due to damage over time it was sold to wealthy Phuc Kien traders from China and was renovated. It served the largest Chinese group in Hoi An. Inside is the Jinshang Golden Mountain Temple and is dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea and protector of sailors. Resembling bird cages these are actually incense hanging and burning The happy couple caught in a kodak moment We continued walking through Old Town making our way to an open air market. We saw this on the side of a building. These markings are the height of the water during floods over the years. We continued our walking tour of Old Town passing by many interesting sights such as the picture above showing the height of the water during the many floods that have occurred in Hoi An as the result of typhoons. Sights along the canal We saw these photographs of some of the more recent floods A local merchant on the street Fake money and other items for burning at a Temple Clothing for sale at the open air market Fruits and vegetables displayed at the open air market Strange and exotic types of fruit A local woman on her sampan in the canal We crossed over a bridge to get to the other side of the canal as we were heading to a restaurant for a Vietnamese cooking class with hands on experience. Our bridge to cross over to the other side of Old Town The entrance to Vy's Market Restaurant and Cooking School We went in to Vy's and found a table. We were put in groups of 4-6 people and assigned an instructor for our lesson. Our Cooking Instructor Our instructor first took us to see some cooking stations and prep stations. We got to try out making Vietnamese noodles first hand. It was fun but very hard on my knees. My attempt at making Vietnamese noodles Barbara was much better at this than I was Next we were shown and allowed to try some exotic and typical Asian delicacies. Spicy Snails, Yum Yum We weren't sure if we wanted to try all of these dishes I wasn't sure if this was to eat or use to make a silk scarf It was a tough decision but I tried most of these and enjoyed them too Watching this Pro make Rice Paper for wraps Vietnamese noodles This was Excellent! Also quite Yum I took cutting noodles very seriously Barbara had more fun with this task than I did Our young instructor showing us some of the herbs and spices used After all the work we put in we get to eat the spring roll we made After finishing our lunch we thanked our instructor and said our goodbye's. We walked back to our hotel to relax before our group dinner that evening. Barbara had scheduled a massage in the spa at our hotel. One of the many decorations for the coming Tet holiday As we walked back we passed many sites decorated for the new year's celebration. Back at the hotel Barbara got her massage and I relaxed in our room. Before leaving for our dinner I picked up our laundry I had dropped off that morning. Our hotel lit up at night It was starting to get dark as we began walking back to our restaurant in Old Town for our group dinner. We saw several examples of beautiful lanterns lit up. Asian lanterns lit up in front of a hotel As we headed towards the Cargo Club restaurant for dinner we saw much of Old Town lit up. Beautiful decorations in Old Town along the canal As we passed the Japanese Covered Bridge to our left we happened upon a wedding ceremony. The Japanese Covered Bridge in brilliant and colorful lights A wedding ceremony in front of the Japanese Bridge The couple was laying down in this boat and appeared as we were crossing the bridge with the Japanese Bridge to our left. They went under the overpass and once in position the boat stopped and they stood up and had their ceremony. Timing is everything, as they say. We continued on to the restaurant for our group dinner. The outside of the Cargo Club at night Our Group dinner's menu After enjoying our meal and good conversation with our travel mates we walked back to our hotel.
Next time we Fly to Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon)
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