Hoi An - Old Town, Beach, and Water Puppet Show

Saturday, 17th February 2018

At 6:30 am, I go for a run with Camilla. She is killing me. She runs effortlessly ahead in the humid weather, while I struggle to keep up a few meters behind. The route (Camilla's app) is great. The app guides us through paths, rice fields, and then to the beach, where we run along the beach (which is beautiful by the way). Then we head back to the hotel. I'm completely exhausted. The humidity is overwhelming. Camilla and Paul recently lived in Bangalore, India. It doesn't seem to bother them much. After breakfast, at 9 am, Loc takes us on a tour of the old town of Hoi An. Most houses are divided into three parts. The front part serves as a shop, then comes the living area, followed by the prayer room. Many houses have two floors. The old town gets flooded once a year and then all the furniture from the ground floor has to be moved to the first floor for safety. We visit the two-storey Phung Hung House from the 19th century. It has a beautiful courtyard, altar, and garden with a fountain and wall mosaic. We cross the Japanese Bridge, which once connected the Chinese and Japanese districts. The construction of the bridge was from 1593 to 1595. Then we walk along the river for a bit and Loc invites us for a refreshing drink made of kumquat, sugarcane, and coconut milk. We also see the oldest house in the UNESCO city of Hoi An, the Tan Ky House, built in 1840.

I then go back to the hotel because the humidity and heat are overwhelming. At 2 pm, we cycle to the beach and quickly jump into the sea. Very refreshing.

Then I look for something to eat because I'm getting hungry. I have noodles with seafood and drink lemon tea for 89,000 Dong. About 40 cents.

Then I go back to the hotel. Later, I go to the Hoi An Theater, where I will watch the water puppet show. I already bought the ticket with Loc beforehand, and we also reserved seats.

The water puppet show is fantastic. Great lighting and something completely different. A pond or water tank is the stage. The puppeteers move the puppets with 3-4 meter long poles under the water while they themselves stand behind a bamboo curtain in the water. Since it was just New Year's, there is also a small fireworks display, and at the end, "Happy New Year" by Abba is played. Small scenes are reenacted. Fishing, animal dances, dragons, people. The colorful puppets, which can weigh up to 5 kg, are made of fig wood.