Days 48-52/Nov. 18-22
After a one-hour bus ride, an eight-hour train, a one-hour taxi ride, a one-hour plane ride, and another one-hour taxi ride, I made it to Hoi An where I spent my last few travel days. It is an old fishing village situated along the Thu Bon River, just a few kilometers from the South China Sea. Cute cafes line the street along the river. There are many things to do here but strolling around town, shopping and eating seems to be the crowd favorite. I have been practicing the art of all three.
For the past three days, I have been on a mission to have a few nice suits made. Hoi An is famous for the plethora of tailors (about 500 in the small town) and fabric stores that line the streets. At least in theory, you can show them a picture of just about any item of clothing, pick out the fabric, then wear the item to dinner the next day. Shoemakers (and a few cobblers) also line the streets, offering to recreate any shoe you show them.
This is my favorite shoemaker. I bought a few pairs of shoes from her at Khanh Hong. Khanh runs the store with her sister and her father makes the shoes. In an effort to help her update her display, I gave her a few department store websites and a few popular styles. Her store, like many other shops here, looks like she only makes shoes from the '70s, but her family can make some pretty nice and modern shoes.
After tracing and measuring my feet, she made me these suede peep-toe shoes. They are the most comfortable heels I have ever worn. The tie is just temporary--it was removed after the glue finished drying.
It was difficult to pick a tailor. The guide books recommended a few and I had done some research online. For a tailored suit, the prices vary from $40 to $300, depending on the fabric and which store you use. I had a few days to have my clothes made, so I decided to try two stores--Thuan at the cloth market and Hai Au Xanh. Hop, at Thuan, offered to make me a wool and cashmere suit for $60. It cost me $150 at Hai Au. I was curious to see if the end product was much different.
Hop in her store with her cloth selection.
Inside the cloth market there are a variety of tailors and vendors. For the most part, the ladies in the market sell you the cloth, take your measurements and help you decide what style you want, then call the tailor who makes the item. The individual stores seem to follow the same practice.
This is one of the tailors who made my suit. They tell you it only takes 24 hours to make a suit, but the more time you have the better. For most of the clothes I had made, they did two alterations. They seem willing to do as many alterations as needed to make the customer happy. When you return to the market for a fitting, the shopkeeper calls the tailor, who then promptly appears to see what, if any, alterations need to be made.
The changing room/alley at the cloth market.
This is where all the market magic happens. The saleswomen often nap on the tables. I was happy with the quality of the first suit I ordered from Thuan, so I ordered a couple more pairs of pants.
In between fittings at Thuan, I had fittings at Hai Au Xanh. This is Trang, one of the employees at Hai Au. We were hard at work designing my clothes. The initial suit I ordered from Hai Au was a bit of a disaster, but the owner, Phuong, quickly realized that alterations weren't going to create a nice end-product, so she had her brother remake the suit. The second one fit perfectly at the first fitting. Her brother typically cuts all the material. Phuong said this step requires much more skill than sewing the suit together. Her brother typically cuts all the material by hand and then another tailor sews it together. In the U.S., Phuong said most suits are now cut by machine.
This is Phuong and her son, Ben. Phuong lives around the corner from the shop with her two kids and a live-in nanny. I went to lunch and then later coffee with Phuong. We talked about how the Vietnamese culture is changing and about Phuong's family. Whereas a few years ago women were submissive and stayed home to cook and clean for their husbands, many women now have a much more Western role. Separations and divorces are also a lot more common.
Phuong's mother owns Hai Au, the hotel where I'm staying. Phuong is fluent in Vietnamese, French and English. She studied French for two years before she decided to go to Paris for business school. She said it was initially difficult taking classes in French and giving monthly presentations when she could barely speak the language. Um, yeah--I can't imagine. Initially, no one could understand her French because she spoke it with a thick Vietnamese accent, but she quickly improved her speaking abilities. Understandably, her grades were "not so good" her first year. Kudos to her for having the guts to attend a French university with only a basic knowledge of French.
I asked her how it came to pass that her family decided to open a hotel. Her family owned the hotel next door to Hai Au with four other families. Business was good, but they had to split the profits 5 ways and making business decisions required the consensus of all 5 families. A family friend told her parents about how they opened their own hotel and how the process was not too difficult. Her father, who worked in tax, said it was too risky an endeavor. Her mom ignored him, went to the bank, took out a loan, and built one of the most popular hotels in Hoi An. The hotel opened on Christmas Day and this December, the hotel is hosting a 10th anniversary celebration. Phuong's younger sister manages the hotel, but her mother still oversees everything. The hotel staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend the hotel, which costs about $30/night (buffet breakfast included).
Hai Au Xanh also made me a few Japanese silk blouses.
I showed them this picture as a sample of what I had in mind.
This is the shirt I received on the first fitting. I was joking with the ladies in the store that the ruffles were so big they could be used as wings for flying. They agreed and called in the tailor for some alterations. I am happy with the end product, which is starkly different than my flying shirt.
In between fittings, I rented a bike and rode a few kilometers to swim in the South China Sea. The water was crystal clear and the temperature was perfect for swimming.
I spent a lot of time lounging.
This is the beach parking lot. It costs about 25 cents to park your bike.
The food in Hoi An was spectacular. This is bun thit nuong, which is vermicelli with baked meat--my new favorite dish. The brown sauce in the small bowl is poured over top.
I dined in the local market and paid 20,000 dong, about $1, for the bun thit nuong.
This is the master chef who made my meal.
Other great meals include:
A papaya salad from the Cargo Club.
This feast from Bale Well, a favorite restaurant among the locals. It is a set menu. For $4-5, I received grilled pork satay (nem nuong), rice pancakes (banh xeo), spring rolls (ram cuon), and grilled pork (thit nuong).
The pork satay was my favorite.
The rice pancake was pretty darn good too, especially when you put it in the rice paper and add all the herb trimmings.
The local dish is cau lau, a pork dish made with handmade noodles. It was okay. I thought the other dished tasted much better.
This was another favorite--a beef salad with lime dressing from Morning Glory.
Wandering around town I ran into this woman, selling what looked like warm egg custard from the brown bucket. It was actually a warm smooth tofu that is served with a slightly sweet syrup and ginger. If tofu tasted this good in the U.S., I would eat it regularly.
Virtually nothing in Asia is served in a disposable container. She served me the tofu in a porcelain bowl. From the bottom of her cart, she whipped out a small plastic stool for me to sit on while I ate my tofu. When I finished, she took my bowl, scooped up the stool, then continued pushing her cart down the street.
Another master street chef.
This is her specialty--a salad with cured squid, pictured below. It is served with a grilled rice cracker.
Starr and I wondered what the heck they do with the squid we saw for sale on the street in Hanoi. I found out when I asked what the chewy strips were I was eating in the salad pictured above. The dried squid is actually quiet delicious. At first, I thought the strips were flavored chewy noodle strips.
Banh Mi stands were everywhere, but this one was the best.
All this goodness is thrown into one sandwich. I think there was pork fat dripping down my arm when I ate it. They serve it wrapped in a small square of newspaper. I haven't seen a thick, i.e., double ply, napkin since I left the US.
The French desserts here are the best I have had in awhile (possibly better than most cafes in NYC). This was a lemon tart from the Cargo Club. Did I really eat this much food in four days?
In between visits to the tailors, the beach, and eating, I wondered around through the cute streets and shops.
Many shops sell these colorful cloth laterns.
Beside hotels like these are....
Cute stores that look like this.
And ancient temples similar to this one.
Or this one.
Or this.
One of the shops had a bamboo bicycle out for display.
I wondered past the river and paid a boat driver $4 to take me on a riverboat cruise.
It was a short trip along the river, but it was nice and relaxing.
We passed the local ferry transporting people and their motorbikes across the river to what looked like a small island.
Later, I stumbled upon a Vietnamese folk show at the Hoi An Artcraft Manufacturing Workshop. Besides balancing pots on their head, these ladies can hold a mean tune.
Another day I bike to Cafe 43. For 3,000 dong, less than 25 cents, you can buy a "fresh beer." It turns out "fresh" means from the keg, which is fine by me.
I also stopped in an herb shop, where a local Chinese medicine man gave me quick lesson in treating illness with herbs. I didn't really understand him, but it was interesting to see all the different medicines they use.
By day 4, my shoes and suits were finished. It really took about 4 days to have everything made just how I wanted it. I'd say the quality between the two stores was very similar. Hai Au may have made a slightly higher quality suit, but I'm not sure the difference between the two suits is noticeable. Having some clothes made at the market seemed like more of an authentic experience, which was well worth the time investment. Hopefully I'll enjoy the clothes as much as I think I will. I don't expect the suits to last as long as some of my other suits, but we shall see.
Sadly, Hoi An was the last stop on my itinerary. From here, I took an hour taxi to Da Nang, then an hour flight from Da Nang back to Ho Chi Minh City, then a 5-hour flight to Tokyo, and finally a 12-hour flight to JFK. Thankfully, I have a few days to adjust to the time change before I start work again on the 30th.
I had to include this picture of the bathroom in Tokyo airport. It had about 40 buttons--one to open the door, one to turn on the water, and about 38 others that I was scared to touch for fear of setting off some kind of alarm.
This was the trip of a lifetime, but I'm looking forward to being back in NYC. There's no place like it. Our 2-ply napkins and clean drinking water can't be beat. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions/comments/etc. Thanks for reading!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
After a one-hour bus ride, an eight-hour train, a one-hour taxi ride, a one-hour plane ride, and another one-hour taxi ride, I made it to Hoi An where I spent my last few travel days. It is an old fishing village situated along the Thu Bon River, just a few kilometers from the South China Sea. Cute cafes line the street along the river. There are many things to do here but strolling around town, shopping and eating seems to be the crowd favorite. I have been practicing the art of all three.
For the past three days, I have been on a mission to have a few nice suits made. Hoi An is famous for the plethora of tailors (about 500 in the small town) and fabric stores that line the streets. At least in theory, you can show them a picture of just about any item of clothing, pick out the fabric, then wear the item to dinner the next day. Shoemakers (and a few cobblers) also line the streets, offering to recreate any shoe you show them.
This is my favorite shoemaker. I bought a few pairs of shoes from her at Khanh Hong. Khanh runs the store with her sister and her father makes the shoes. In an effort to help her update her display, I gave her a few department store websites and a few popular styles. Her store, like many other shops here, looks like she only makes shoes from the '70s, but her family can make some pretty nice and modern shoes.
After tracing and measuring my feet, she made me these suede peep-toe shoes. They are the most comfortable heels I have ever worn. The tie is just temporary--it was removed after the glue finished drying.
It was difficult to pick a tailor. The guide books recommended a few and I had done some research online. For a tailored suit, the prices vary from $40 to $300, depending on the fabric and which store you use. I had a few days to have my clothes made, so I decided to try two stores--Thuan at the cloth market and Hai Au Xanh. Hop, at Thuan, offered to make me a wool and cashmere suit for $60. It cost me $150 at Hai Au. I was curious to see if the end product was much different.
Hop in her store with her cloth selection.
Inside the cloth market there are a variety of tailors and vendors. For the most part, the ladies in the market sell you the cloth, take your measurements and help you decide what style you want, then call the tailor who makes the item. The individual stores seem to follow the same practice.
This is one of the tailors who made my suit. They tell you it only takes 24 hours to make a suit, but the more time you have the better. For most of the clothes I had made, they did two alterations. They seem willing to do as many alterations as needed to make the customer happy. When you return to the market for a fitting, the shopkeeper calls the tailor, who then promptly appears to see what, if any, alterations need to be made.
The changing room/alley at the cloth market.
This is where all the market magic happens. The saleswomen often nap on the tables. I was happy with the quality of the first suit I ordered from Thuan, so I ordered a couple more pairs of pants.
In between fittings at Thuan, I had fittings at Hai Au Xanh. This is Trang, one of the employees at Hai Au. We were hard at work designing my clothes. The initial suit I ordered from Hai Au was a bit of a disaster, but the owner, Phuong, quickly realized that alterations weren't going to create a nice end-product, so she had her brother remake the suit. The second one fit perfectly at the first fitting. Her brother typically cuts all the material. Phuong said this step requires much more skill than sewing the suit together. Her brother typically cuts all the material by hand and then another tailor sews it together. In the U.S., Phuong said most suits are now cut by machine.
This is Phuong and her son, Ben. Phuong lives around the corner from the shop with her two kids and a live-in nanny. I went to lunch and then later coffee with Phuong. We talked about how the Vietnamese culture is changing and about Phuong's family. Whereas a few years ago women were submissive and stayed home to cook and clean for their husbands, many women now have a much more Western role. Separations and divorces are also a lot more common.
Phuong's mother owns Hai Au, the hotel where I'm staying. Phuong is fluent in Vietnamese, French and English. She studied French for two years before she decided to go to Paris for business school. She said it was initially difficult taking classes in French and giving monthly presentations when she could barely speak the language. Um, yeah--I can't imagine. Initially, no one could understand her French because she spoke it with a thick Vietnamese accent, but she quickly improved her speaking abilities. Understandably, her grades were "not so good" her first year. Kudos to her for having the guts to attend a French university with only a basic knowledge of French.
I asked her how it came to pass that her family decided to open a hotel. Her family owned the hotel next door to Hai Au with four other families. Business was good, but they had to split the profits 5 ways and making business decisions required the consensus of all 5 families. A family friend told her parents about how they opened their own hotel and how the process was not too difficult. Her father, who worked in tax, said it was too risky an endeavor. Her mom ignored him, went to the bank, took out a loan, and built one of the most popular hotels in Hoi An. The hotel opened on Christmas Day and this December, the hotel is hosting a 10th anniversary celebration. Phuong's younger sister manages the hotel, but her mother still oversees everything. The hotel staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend the hotel, which costs about $30/night (buffet breakfast included).
Hai Au Xanh also made me a few Japanese silk blouses.
I showed them this picture as a sample of what I had in mind.
This is the shirt I received on the first fitting. I was joking with the ladies in the store that the ruffles were so big they could be used as wings for flying. They agreed and called in the tailor for some alterations. I am happy with the end product, which is starkly different than my flying shirt.
In between fittings, I rented a bike and rode a few kilometers to swim in the South China Sea. The water was crystal clear and the temperature was perfect for swimming.
I spent a lot of time lounging.
This is the beach parking lot. It costs about 25 cents to park your bike.
The food in Hoi An was spectacular. This is bun thit nuong, which is vermicelli with baked meat--my new favorite dish. The brown sauce in the small bowl is poured over top.
I dined in the local market and paid 20,000 dong, about $1, for the bun thit nuong.
This is the master chef who made my meal.
Other great meals include:
A papaya salad from the Cargo Club.
This feast from Bale Well, a favorite restaurant among the locals. It is a set menu. For $4-5, I received grilled pork satay (nem nuong), rice pancakes (banh xeo), spring rolls (ram cuon), and grilled pork (thit nuong).
The pork satay was my favorite.
The rice pancake was pretty darn good too, especially when you put it in the rice paper and add all the herb trimmings.
The local dish is cau lau, a pork dish made with handmade noodles. It was okay. I thought the other dished tasted much better.
This was another favorite--a beef salad with lime dressing from Morning Glory.
Wandering around town I ran into this woman, selling what looked like warm egg custard from the brown bucket. It was actually a warm smooth tofu that is served with a slightly sweet syrup and ginger. If tofu tasted this good in the U.S., I would eat it regularly.
Virtually nothing in Asia is served in a disposable container. She served me the tofu in a porcelain bowl. From the bottom of her cart, she whipped out a small plastic stool for me to sit on while I ate my tofu. When I finished, she took my bowl, scooped up the stool, then continued pushing her cart down the street.
Another master street chef.
This is her specialty--a salad with cured squid, pictured below. It is served with a grilled rice cracker.
Starr and I wondered what the heck they do with the squid we saw for sale on the street in Hanoi. I found out when I asked what the chewy strips were I was eating in the salad pictured above. The dried squid is actually quiet delicious. At first, I thought the strips were flavored chewy noodle strips.
Banh Mi stands were everywhere, but this one was the best.
All this goodness is thrown into one sandwich. I think there was pork fat dripping down my arm when I ate it. They serve it wrapped in a small square of newspaper. I haven't seen a thick, i.e., double ply, napkin since I left the US.
The French desserts here are the best I have had in awhile (possibly better than most cafes in NYC). This was a lemon tart from the Cargo Club. Did I really eat this much food in four days?
In between visits to the tailors, the beach, and eating, I wondered around through the cute streets and shops.
Many shops sell these colorful cloth laterns.
Beside hotels like these are....
Cute stores that look like this.
And ancient temples similar to this one.
Or this one.
Or this.
One of the shops had a bamboo bicycle out for display.
I wondered past the river and paid a boat driver $4 to take me on a riverboat cruise.
It was a short trip along the river, but it was nice and relaxing.
We passed the local ferry transporting people and their motorbikes across the river to what looked like a small island.
Later, I stumbled upon a Vietnamese folk show at the Hoi An Artcraft Manufacturing Workshop. Besides balancing pots on their head, these ladies can hold a mean tune.
Another day I bike to Cafe 43. For 3,000 dong, less than 25 cents, you can buy a "fresh beer." It turns out "fresh" means from the keg, which is fine by me.
I also stopped in an herb shop, where a local Chinese medicine man gave me quick lesson in treating illness with herbs. I didn't really understand him, but it was interesting to see all the different medicines they use.
By day 4, my shoes and suits were finished. It really took about 4 days to have everything made just how I wanted it. I'd say the quality between the two stores was very similar. Hai Au may have made a slightly higher quality suit, but I'm not sure the difference between the two suits is noticeable. Having some clothes made at the market seemed like more of an authentic experience, which was well worth the time investment. Hopefully I'll enjoy the clothes as much as I think I will. I don't expect the suits to last as long as some of my other suits, but we shall see.
Sadly, Hoi An was the last stop on my itinerary. From here, I took an hour taxi to Da Nang, then an hour flight from Da Nang back to Ho Chi Minh City, then a 5-hour flight to Tokyo, and finally a 12-hour flight to JFK. Thankfully, I have a few days to adjust to the time change before I start work again on the 30th.
I had to include this picture of the bathroom in Tokyo airport. It had about 40 buttons--one to open the door, one to turn on the water, and about 38 others that I was scared to touch for fear of setting off some kind of alarm.
This was the trip of a lifetime, but I'm looking forward to being back in NYC. There's no place like it. Our 2-ply napkins and clean drinking water can't be beat. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions/comments/etc. Thanks for reading!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Hoi An, Vietnam
I am so going to miss following along... I would encourage you to keep blogging but sadly I am pretty certain what fate has in store for us and I don't think any of it is blog worthy :-)
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