day #1 in Hoi An---the first full day

we slept in and it was lovely. we had no big plans, but just wanted to hang out. paul did some research on places to eat before we left the hotel, but the only thing i had to do was find a tailor. we walked down the road a bit and ended up at the light candle restaurant. i had cao lao for lunch which is a hoi an specialty. it has noodles, some broth, some fresh greens like coriander, then slices of pork and fried noodle bits on top. it was sooo good. i really enjoyed this meal. paul ordered pho bo and he enjoyed his meal too.

after lunch i walked across the street to the first place i was going to try for tailoring. the shops are everywhere and i had really no idea where to start. i used some suggestions from lonely planet and tripadvisor to help me. the first place, to to boutique, which is listed #1 on tripadvisor was just across the way. i went in and asked about some pants i wanted copied. she said the best price was $20. which is good, i guess, but i could buy some for that brand new at the gap. i do consider that i don't have a gap in korea that i can shop at and these ones are made to me. ummm......i just could not justify it. so we walked down a few doors to a girl who was really excited to talk to me on the street. the best price she offered was $11. so paul and i decided to take the plunge. it was not a place on the list, but oh well. i ordered three pairs of pants that would be copied from the GAP ones i brought with me---dark brown, black, and grey. then i also had another pair of pants that i wanted copied---a light army green color. she made them from quick dry material so that will be good for europe. i had a sketch of a basic a-line skirt i wanted made in three colors---grey, dark brown, and an army green color. paul also requested some long shorts made too since all he brought with him was jeans. go figure. lastly i wanted a wool coat made. i have a great black one that i love, but i wanted one that could be worn with browns too. i chose a dark olive green color and i love it. it is gorgeous! i did look at orange or a bright leafy green, but thought it should be a bit more neutral. :)


after being sorted out at the tailor, paul and i went back to hoi an day spa for more massages. we got an hour long head, neck and shoulder massage. it was great. i also got some aromatherapy treatment too. it was great and all for $16 each. the folks that own the place are super nice and he lived in LA for 40 or so years before returning back to vietnam to open a spa here. the ladies that work there are kind and gentle. after our treatments they also offered us some banana wine. it was really strong, but had a good flavor. crazy. she claims it is good for stress.

we had dinner reservations in old town at a place called the cargo club. we made our way there and were seated out on the terrace overlooking the river. the set meal was $19 and had four or five courses. unfortuntately, it was a let down. we were both quite disappointed in the meal. teh main course did some redeeming with dessert that was ok. we just had higher expectations of this place. the reviews on tripadvisor raved about the food........too bad it did not work out for us.

on the way home we realized that the vietnamese football match was on TV. we found a little bar where we could watch the second part of the match. the vietnamese are in the finals and were playing thailand. it was good. vietnam ended up winning, but hoi an was much quieter about it than in hanoi. they play again on the 28th in hanoi, but we will be watching it on the TV somewhere in ho chi minh city. :) looking forward to it.

it was late and we were both getting tired. although we weren't really pleased with dinner, so we were a bit hungry by the time we got back to the hotel. we found a little place open across the way that was a dive. paul had some pho and i had cao lao again. yum!