Hoi An - Day 2

The hotel was affordable, but still very nice, especially the very helpful reception that stands out in my memory. However, the included breakfast was a bit strange. Accidentally, I put chili sauce (which was offered next to the butter in glass bowls) on my baguette thinking it was jam... After that little mishap, I rented a scooter directly at the hotel and took care of some organizational tasks: picking up laundry, trying on a shirt, and withdrawing money (which didn’t work).
What made me more aggressive than it should have was the existence of a Starbucks branch in Hoi An, which was indeed visited by tourists, when there were wonderful coffee specialties available at every corner for a small price... After an Almond Coffee, I rode the scooter towards the beach. It was cloudy and windy, but despite the warm temperatures, some people were still in the water. After a second coffee (Coconut) to fight off the slight hangover, I rolled through the so-called Vegetable Village, a place where many herbs and other essentials of Vietnamese cuisine are grown.

After that, I set off on the roughly one hour drive towards My Son, an ancient temple complex of the Cham culture in the wooded hinterland. On the way, I had Noodle Soup with Chicken and took a brief look at a soldier's cemetery. With my last Dong, I paid the (small) costs for parking and admission. For an hour, I wandered through the curious structures of the temple complex adorned with frescoes and fantastic creatures and enjoyed watching a monkey.

The criminal Vietnam War, referred to here as the American War, has also left its mark in My Son. During Operation Rolling Thunder, US aircraft dropped over 864,000 tons of bombs on North Vietnam from 1965-1968, with the goal of destroying infrastructure broadly, depriving the population of their livelihoods, and ultimately breaking their will. Quote: 'We're going to bomb them back into the Stone Age'. This inhumane strategy also claimed the temple complex of My Son, resulting in 50 of the 70 discovered buildings being destroyed.

On the way back, I had the thought that, as so often, the journey was the real destination. Passing through the villages and country roads on the scooter was incredibly fun and provided yet another authentic insight into the daily life of the locals.

Back in the city, I picked up my finished shirt and headed into town to finally admire the famous evening atmosphere of the historic town illuminated by countless lanterns on the third evening in Hoi An. The rain, my faithful companion, of course didn't let me down. At least the alleys were not overcrowded and the atmosphere was really nice! For dinner, I unfortunately stumbled into a tourist trap. Fortunately, I was able to restore my food credibility at a street stall afterwards. Determined to travel to rain-free areas tomorrow, I went to bed.