Days 14 & 15

We spent two days in Hoi An. It was raining when we got off the bus in the early morning and it continued to come down steadily all day. We booked a room at Hop Yen hotel - decent value and good location, but Yuri was horrified that our room was on the fourth floor (no elevator, of course) and that I opted for a fan instead of A/C (to get a lower rate). She did alright, though, once she got used to the idea - and after discovering that we got KBS World on TV. :)
The one nice thing about the rain is that it gave us a break from the hammering sun and heat (the fan room was fine!). We ate pancakes for breakfast, then donned plastic rain ponchos and walked around like soggy blue and yellow blobs, trying in vain to take nice photos AND keep our cameras dry! Hoi An is beautiful, even in the rain. So quaint and old-fashioned, with Chinese, French, and even Japanese influences (it was once a central trading port). Lots of old houses, assembly halls, temples, and pagodas are sprinkled throughout the streets of Old Town. One old home that we visited had been in the same family for 6 generations. The head of the household proudly showed us around and made us look at photographs from his father's funeral procession while we sat in beautiful antique wooden chairs at a table inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
Tailors and silk shops are everywhere, too. Most people come to Hoi An to get custom-made suits, dresses, and jackets made at fractions of what it would cost in the West. Hoi An is also well-known for its silk and paper Chinese lanterns. They hang outside nearly every door, in every color, size, and design imaginable - but especially a picturesque and traditional red.
When we tired of museums and old buildings, we shopped for souvenirs and gifts for Yuri's family. Her limited knowledge of Vietnamese gives her an advantage when haggling. She got better prices for us on everything, and most of the merchants actually liked her for it. :)
We took a short evening cooking course on the first night, in a cafe by the riverside. The lighting was soft, the building was old and beautiful, the waters were high, and the rains was nice to listen to, splashing on the stone courtyard tiles and running down the roof. We made crispy spring rolls, fried calamari, and grilled beef with lemongrass & pepper, served with rice. It was fun and filling. We both really enjoyed it.
The next day Yuri slept in until noon, while I went exploring the market and some of the little side streets in Old Town. I had the best noodles of my trip yet - a Hoi An specialty called Cao Lau. Cao Lau is a flat, doughy noodle, fried with just a touch of rich and slightly sweet broth, and topped with moist slices of pork, crisp bean sprouts, fresh herbs, and crunchy square "croutons" (more like thick, homemade wonton). I ended my morning with a sit by the river, before walking back to the hotel.Yuri and I had another Hoi An specialty for lunch - Banh Xeo (rice pancakes stuffed with veggies and shrimp, wrapped in thin rice paper and dipped in tangy sauce). We then rented bicycles and rode them 5km to Cua Dai beach. It was prettier there and far less commercial-feeling than Nha Trang. Later we biked around the city and did some more shopping. We saw a free traditional music performance at a handicrafts workshop and got to watch some of the artisans at their crafts. We ate chocolate ice cream cones later to cool off from the heat that had begun to return.