18.02.18 Hoi An - City of Lanterns

Today is unfortunately already the day of departure. From a city that almost took our breath away with its beauty.

But now from the beginning.

On Thursday we arrived here in Hoi An by plane from Ho Chi Minh. The taxi took us to our accommodation, Hoi An Lemongrass Homestay. The hostel is small and cozy, has seven rooms and an open courtyard. Our room was on the ground floor and offered more than enough space for the two of us. We were told by the receptionist that in the evening the New Year's Eve celebration takes place in the old town and we decided to ride back with the hostel's internal bikes. It's about 2.5 kilometers in total.

So said, so done. At 7.00 pm we set off towards the old town. The streets were decorated with flags and a multitude of people crowded past each other in the streets. We parked the bikes at the hospital and walked the rest of the way to the Thu Bon River. You immediately notice when you are in the old town. The streets become narrower and the alleys are decorated with lanterns and flags. On the right and left there are shops, galleries, restaurants, cafes, and various traders offering their goods. The lanterns emanate warmth and security, and that's how you feel when you move in these narrow alleyways. The mood was festive and people were very happy. Loud music played from the bars and alcohol flowed by the liter. We let ourselves be carried along by the crowd and met Iris in a bar by the river, whom we had met in Dalat. She was traveling with two other backpackers and was very happy to see us again. Everyone talked about what they had experienced in the last few days and then we sat by the river to enjoy the fireworks. The sequence of the celebration is practically the same as what we know in Europe. Only the fireworks were not as coordinated as in Switzerland. The rockets were catapulted into the air without a pause and towards the end you had to imagine the colors in the sky, as you could see nothing but white smoke. Everyone wished each other a Happy New Year and we soon made our way back to our homestay. Luckily, we were very tired and quickly fell asleep, despite a loud karaoke concert nearby.

The next morning, the rooster woke us up at 7.30 am. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast with bread, cereal, and fresh fruit, and then sat in front of the computer again to plan and book the next stages of our trip. When we looked at the clock again, it was already 3.00 pm. We quickly got on our bikes and rode back to the old town. After all, we wanted to see it in daylight too :-) We quickly noticed that there had been a long and extensive celebration the night before. The streets were no longer filled with people and many shops were closed. We found a small restaurant and had a light meal with a glass of red wine.

On Saturday we rode our bikes to the Hidden Beach and were very happy to find a clean beach. We didn't even have to pay for the sun loungers. We enjoyed the cool water and then warmed up in the sun. After a shower in our room, we went back to the old town and once again strolled through the narrow alleys and across the famous Japanese Bridge. It was built to connect the Chinese and Japanese quarters in Hoi An. I will always keep Hoi An in my heart. A city with immense charm and incredible sympathy.