Shop Till You Drop in Hoi An

Well, for two girls who aren't overly obsessed with new clothes and shoes, we sure went crazy in Hoi An. You can't really pass up a tailor-made suit, or leather boots, or a new dress, or...ok, I'll stop. All I know is that we had to factor in an extra day to make sure we made it to all our fittings and that our clothes were finished and ready to be shipped.

Hoi An is infiltrated with tailor shops, and all the prices are competitive, so it was extremely difficult to decide where to go. The first day we spent researching, collecting business cards and talking prices and fabric quality. And then at night we prioritized the business cards and mapped out our day. The first couple days were filled with us ping-ponging from one shop to another. Eventually we got smarter and planned our fittings for the afternoon so that we could go to the beach in the morning or sit by the pool at our hotel. So in between shopping, which did consume the majority of our time, we were able to pedal out to the beach and bask in the sun and enjoy a beautiful ocean view. We did have some pool time too and really enjoyed wandering the colorful, cobbled streets of Hoi An as well. And of course, we found time to eat A LOT! Hoi An has incredible food, typical to the area. There is a shrimp wonton dish called 'White Rose' that was quite good. We were also huge fans of 'Cao Lau' (a pork and noodle dish), and actually found ourselves eating it more than once a day. But it was so good, and such a good price (like $0.70), that it just couldn't be passed up. And when were we going to be back to Hoi An to eat this food again?!

During our stay in Hoi An and also the last couple days of Nha Trang, we met a classy couple from England, Andy and Marie, who we got to spend several days with. So it was fun to hang out with them, do a little shopping, go to the beach, and grab treats in the evening together and stroll along the riverside. The town would light red lanterns at night that reflected off the river and made for quite a lovely evening on the water. We needed low key after Nha Trang, and Hoi An was the perfect little town to explore by foot, do some damage on the credit card, enjoy a little beach time in the mornings and then prepare for a downpour in the afternoon while trying on clothes in various shops. Our tailor of choice was Trang at KHOI. She did a fabulous job on our clothes and then had the postmen come to us at her shop to pack up our boxes.


I sent a 14 kg box home, by sea (yikes! check that scale below!).


So hopefully, in the next 3-4 months my package will come floating to the doorstep. That is, if these boys actually made it to the post office on that moto bike - quite a load between Lani and I. Cross your fingers for me that the box arrives by Christmas!