Last weekend was our staff trip to Hoi An, a quaint little town full of tailor shops and cafes. We took a bus to the airport after school on Friday, and from there we flew to Danang. The flight from HCMC to Danang was around 1 hour long. I guess I've gotten used to the long haul flights from Asia to Canada, so the flight to Danang felt like nothing.
We ate dinner at a restaurant in Danang before heading to Hoi An by bus. The restaurant was called "Beluga Restaurant" with a whale on the sign. I should have seen the whale and clued in that it was a seafood place... When I saw the night's lineup of dishes I was not too thrilled. I was regretting not requesting a vegetarian meal!
After dinner, the bus brought everyone to a resort on Cua Dai beach in Hoi An. I was exhausted and fell asleep right away, but it was short-lived. I ended up being sick all night, cursing my bad luck with the horrible timing! To make matters worse, the hotel that we all stayed in was disappointing. It was a "4-star" hotel, but whoever rated it must have had pretty low standards. The last time we were in Hoi An, the hotel cost $14 a night, and while it was not a palace, it was CLEAN at least. Oh well... I can't complain too much because it was free, as the school paid for everyone!
Anyway, on Saturday I wasn't feeling much better. I decided to try to go to Hoi An centre for lunch, but I had hardly any appetite. I ordered bread and butter and couldn't even finish it! There are a lot of people around Hoi An trying to cash in on tourists, so the fact that I was sick and being harassed by annoying touts was more than I could handle. I also felt twice as hot as I would normally feel walking around outside in the heat, probably because I had a fever. I could barely walk around! Overall, Saturday in Hoi An was terrible, and I ended up having to leave to go back to the hotel, where I spent the rest of the day/night watching Harry Potter on TV, and nibbling on dragon fruit and bread. Fortunately, my peeps got me some electrolyte tablets at a pharmacy in Hoi An, and I think that helped me out immensely.
The next day was much better. I felt well enough to try going to the Hoi An old town again. We wandered the streets and ate on the rooftop patio of a restaurant called the Cargo Club, overlooking the river. I still didn't have a big appetite, but the double chocolate cake looked too tempting to pass up! I also randomly got 2 pairs of linen pants made, ready the same day. I went in for a measurements, picked out fabric, put down a deposit, and was told to come back later for a fitting. After one fitting, the pants needed to be hemmed a bit more, so the tailor told me to come back in half an hour and they would be ready! They turned out really well. Later on, we had dinner at the hotel. Karaoke ensued, and having already experienced one year of drunken karaoke staff outings when I lived in Korea, I decided to peace out quickly with some friends to enjoy more of the Hoi An old town district while I had the chance.
I would have liked to have taken a cooking class or bike tour, but I was not up to it on this trip. Hoi An is a place that everyone loves, and I know I'll be back at some point... hopefully feeling 100%!
We ate dinner at a restaurant in Danang before heading to Hoi An by bus. The restaurant was called "Beluga Restaurant" with a whale on the sign. I should have seen the whale and clued in that it was a seafood place... When I saw the night's lineup of dishes I was not too thrilled. I was regretting not requesting a vegetarian meal!
After dinner, the bus brought everyone to a resort on Cua Dai beach in Hoi An. I was exhausted and fell asleep right away, but it was short-lived. I ended up being sick all night, cursing my bad luck with the horrible timing! To make matters worse, the hotel that we all stayed in was disappointing. It was a "4-star" hotel, but whoever rated it must have had pretty low standards. The last time we were in Hoi An, the hotel cost $14 a night, and while it was not a palace, it was CLEAN at least. Oh well... I can't complain too much because it was free, as the school paid for everyone!
Anyway, on Saturday I wasn't feeling much better. I decided to try to go to Hoi An centre for lunch, but I had hardly any appetite. I ordered bread and butter and couldn't even finish it! There are a lot of people around Hoi An trying to cash in on tourists, so the fact that I was sick and being harassed by annoying touts was more than I could handle. I also felt twice as hot as I would normally feel walking around outside in the heat, probably because I had a fever. I could barely walk around! Overall, Saturday in Hoi An was terrible, and I ended up having to leave to go back to the hotel, where I spent the rest of the day/night watching Harry Potter on TV, and nibbling on dragon fruit and bread. Fortunately, my peeps got me some electrolyte tablets at a pharmacy in Hoi An, and I think that helped me out immensely.
The next day was much better. I felt well enough to try going to the Hoi An old town again. We wandered the streets and ate on the rooftop patio of a restaurant called the Cargo Club, overlooking the river. I still didn't have a big appetite, but the double chocolate cake looked too tempting to pass up! I also randomly got 2 pairs of linen pants made, ready the same day. I went in for a measurements, picked out fabric, put down a deposit, and was told to come back later for a fitting. After one fitting, the pants needed to be hemmed a bit more, so the tailor told me to come back in half an hour and they would be ready! They turned out really well. Later on, we had dinner at the hotel. Karaoke ensued, and having already experienced one year of drunken karaoke staff outings when I lived in Korea, I decided to peace out quickly with some friends to enjoy more of the Hoi An old town district while I had the chance.
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| Hoi An - view from the Cargo Club rooftop! |
What a terrible shame that you were sick! It was just a case of really bad timing, as sometimes happens in life! Luckily, you were able to rebound a bit and the weekend was not a complete washout! Guess you will have to go back again!
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