Tag 85: Lantern Festival in Hoi An

Today, we had the last 100km to Hoi An on the itinerary. We tried to leave relatively early to be in time for the Lantern Festival in Hoi An. On the way, we tried to stay as close to the sea as possible and avoid the major Highway 1. However, huge hotel complexes have been built along the coast, which sometimes blocked our way. Upon arriving in Hoi An, we checked into our hostel and walked into the city. First, we had a meal in a restaurant that served the typical dish of Hoi An, called 'White Rose'. These are a kind of shrimp-filled ravioli. After this small and delicious lunch, we went to the old town. There, we walked around the alleys and visited various shops. As night fell, the city became more and more crowded. Especially the Chinese tourists who arrived by bus made walking around in the city a real challenge. The Lantern Festival consisted of lanterns placed on the river and boats sailing around everywhere. We felt like this festival existed only to extract extra money from tourists once a month. After an hour of darkness by the river, we decided to walk back to the hostel and spend the rest of the evening there. Since we are spending two nights here, we are curious to see how the city is during the day and without this festival...