The Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An is a beautiful example of Japanese architecture--a sculpture of

One of the downsides of living in Hong Kong is that for every travel plan one makes, it has to be international. This involves, even if a weekend trip, ascertaining that one's passport has blank pages for the visa and at least 6 months' validity. That apart, the huge upside of Hong Kong is in its geographical location. Staying here means easy, convenient, and quick access to all countries in Southeast Asia.
Of all the places we have visited in Southeast Asia, the one which has settled deep in my heart and memory is Hoi An in Vietnam. This UNESCO World Heritage site is a beautifully preserved ancient port town, packed with historic homes, pagodas, chapels, a sluggish princess cruise line vacation river, cafes, and tasty street side food stalls .
2. Every Vietnamese is a proud owner of a motorbike, and the streets are steadily buzzing with them. They are generally noisy, and the young follow no stop signs and speed limits when driving these easy to maneuver machines.
It is believed that a dragon—the heart of Asia—lay beneath the land of Hoi An. This made it an auspicious and important trading port center princess cruise line vacation during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, where Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, and Indian merchants settled. Even today, in the historic houses, princess cruise line vacation one can meet the twelfth generation descendants of those enterprising traders. Because of this, the architecture of this old yellow-colored town has a rich and layered look, emphasizing a blend of cultural influences.
princess cruise line vacation Every street in Hoi An s Old town has a couple of historic sites. Phuoc Kien Assembly Hall is a typical architectural project in Hoi An that was built by the Fukien Chinese in the late seventeenth century.
One has to walk around the old town to see the heritage sites. And we did walk a lot. It's easy as the old town is small, contained in a grid of 5–7 streets, and is a car-free zone. We punctuated our leisurely stroll to see the marked sites. One of the touristy things to do is to stop, look, and cross an old Japanese bridge, the image of which is the seal of Hoi An.
The Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An is a beautiful example of Japanese architecture—a sculpture of a dog on one and of a monkey on the other end of the bridge, both of which are considered scared. Inside the Japanese Bridge, there is also a small Buddhist temple.
Walking in the town can be sweaty and slow, and a good afternoon break can be to take a water ride in the The Thu Bồn River. It meanders lazily around town before emptying itself in the South China Sea.
Local music adorns the timeworn cobbled streets, playing from speakers hidden by pretty silk lanterns that hang from snared thin black wires above the streets. These lanterns swing from the shops, line the streets, and envelope the trees, princess cruise line vacation and when they come alight at night, it's a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
For us, the bulk of our time in Hoi An was spent on feasting on fantastic local specialties, one of them being Cao lau noodles. They are famous because, apparently, they can only be made here by using water drawn from an undisclosed well just outside princess cruise line vacation the town. It is said that the minerals in this water give the noodles a unique, springy texture. The noodles are mixed with sliced pork, crispy local greens, sauces, and meat broth—a delicious dish which is rich, sweet, juicy, crunchy, meaty, and has a blend of complex herbal flavors.
Hoi An is generally called the food capital princess cruise line vacation of Vietnam, and one of the places where one can learn to cook and eat wholeheartedly is the Morning Glory Restaurant, located in a a lovely building in the center of the old town. Visuals of women cooking, hearing the pork skin crackling, and smelling princess cruise line vacation the fragrant herbs makes the open kitchen of this restaurant a sensory delight.
As a side half-day trip, we also went to My Son—ancient Shiva temple ruins built in the fourth century—which is an hour and a half from Hoi An. Nature princess cruise line vacation has taken over the temples and it is an experience to marvel at the spread princess cruise line vacation of the awe-inspiring structures.
Hoi An definitely princess cruise line vacation makes for a relaxing travel stop in an otherwise steadily buzzing and noisy country. Time is generally spent in a pretty laid back fashion here. One can choose between wandering or biking on the cobbled streets, admiring the old sites, shopping, swimming at the beach, getting custom tailor-made princess cruise line vacation clothes, spending time by the river, and eating good food.
How to see the sites : Hoi An's old town is a self-contained site, which requires an entrance ticket. Tickets can be bought from various entry points into the Old Town. With a single ticket, costing US$ 5, international visitors are able to choose five places among the 21 sightseeing places which include living houses, ancestral worshipping princess cruise line vacation houses, temples, assembly halls, bridges, pagodas, water wells, wharfs, and markets. Once utilized, one can buy another ticket for the next five sites.
Vinee Kapoor lives in Hong Kong and works for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She is always ready to learn more about people and their traditions through her travels around the world.