HOI AN

Well Hoi An definitely lived up to the hype. It was a very picturesque and quite charming town. On our last day I turned to Eric and very seriously asked, “I don’t get it, why can’t all towns be this cute?” Realistically it just takes some cheery brightly colored buildings (yellow is a great starting point) slap a few shutters on those buildings, add lots of plants and greenery to every establishment and of course cute little lanterns everywhere (Hoi An’s speciality)

My time in Hoi An was spent relaxing on the beach, exploring the town via bicycle (particularly Old Town down by the river), splashing around in our guesthouse’s pool, posting up at adorable little cafes and being wildly charmed by all the lanterns that beautifully lit up Old Town at night.

We were down there for the monthly full moon festival. We had dinner at this tiny picnic table right on the riverbank and drinks on one of the boats, as we watched all the establishments turn down/off their lights while the locals and tourists sent little candle lanterns down the river to bring good luck. I am a big fan of moon rituals no matter what they are. I think it’s important to honor the phases of the moon and to stay connected to the earth’s cycles. It’s very grounding.

I could have stayed in Hoi An longer, but I had a ticket to Bali at the end of the week and I still had two more cities I needed to see. So farewell Hoi An, thanks for being so darn cute.