Vietnam – The Middle

My journey continued, this time heading north. To what I think is the best place in Vietnam – Hoi An. This tiny town is located smack dab in the center of Vietnam by the coast, only a short taxi ride from bustling Da Nang. Now, Hoi An is most famous for the multitude of high-quality yet inexpensive custom tailors. You could have a suit made there in two days. And it would probably be one of the best suits you’d ever wear. But that wasn’t the draw. Not for me.

Hoi An is brimming with history, and it shows. Originally a stop-off point for sea merchants dating back to the 16th century, the town’s architecture is influenced by the various occupants at the time – Portuguese, Chinese, and later, the Japanese. There’s a timelessness that permeates the walls, the streets, the people. Most of the town is preserved as it was back in the day, as the town has strict building codes and doesn’t allow motor vehicle access into the historic center (which is pretty much the whole town) for most of the day. So you have to walk or ride a bicycle, and as a result, time slows down. The locals all of a sudden start to appear more approachable, like you’ve lived there your entire life. Sipping a cup of coffee takes hours.

I found myself meandering through tiny alleyways, encased by the bright yellow paint slathered across countless buildings. I would get lost, wandering around in circles, only to find myself back at the same place I started. And it was awesome.

Oh, and the food. THE FOOD! Rather than describe it, I suggest you book a plane ticket down there ASAP. It’s something you have to experience for yourself.

And if you get bored of the town (which I don’t imagine will happen), you can bike on east for about 15 minutes through the countryside to a beautiful beach with endless sand.  There’s also the My Son ruins about an hour away by van, remnants of the Cham civilization that occupied the area during the first millennia.

If I could pick one place to retire to, it would be Hoi An. Hands down. Here’s a few images to help convince you.

Coming soon – the North.

More after the jump.

Chuseok Pt 3 – N Seoul Tower, or, The Day I Peed On Seoul

Namsan Seoul Tower, or N Seoul Tower. The highest man made point in Seoul, and a major tourist attraction. Best part about this place? There are urinals on the observation deck with panoramic views of the city. You can look out onto the city, raise your hands in triumph, and pee on Seoul. Hands down the best part of this trip (the ticket and two hour wait to go up are not. Also, girls cannot pee on Seoul, unless they pee in the sink by the windows). Enjoy the pictures!

Japanese tourists.  Not pictured: Pol jumping in behind them.

Seoul, from the base of the tower.

More (including the urinals) after the jump.

Korean Folk Village, aka The Hottest Place On Earth

To break up the monotony of lectures and Korean classes, everyone in the orientation took a field trip to a Korean Folk Village. For those of you in America (specifically New York), you see a lot of tourists from Asia wearing the same thing – t-shirts, polos, what have you. And you make fun of them, or at least I do.

Well, we all wore the same shirts too. Bright blue polo shirts. Do I make fun of myself now?

Anyway, here are the highlights from the Korean Folk Village:

People wrote wishes on small pieces of paper and tied them to ropes that wrapped around large stones. One of them said, “I wish my dad would stop drinking.” Yikes. (Also, apparently we’re not supposed to read them – oops)

We started suffering from the heat around this time.

Our tour guide. Random fact: she graduated from college a while back with a degree in chemistry.

More after the jump.

Catholicism As a Tourist Attraction

I’m am definitely not the first one to say that I am religious. Yet while I was in Cebu, I really wanted to see Ferdinand Magellan’s Cross, which was located at the church pictured above. For those that don’t know, Magellan introduced Catholicism to the Philippines back in 1521 and planted a cross in the ground. He was later killed by the native tribes. The irony is that now the Philippines has one of the most devout Catholic populations, where over 80% of its citizens identify as Catholic. I mean, when people volunteer to be crucified around Easter, you know they’re serious.

Magellan's Cross (actually, it's encased in that cross)

Man prays at cross while tourists snap photos from the other side.

As you can see in the picture above, the place has become a major tourist attraction. The whole thing is kind of strange. It’s turned into a huge business, with people selling trinkets and prayer candles right outside of the church. More after the jump.