Sunday, May 29, 2011

Hoi An

Hoi An! The ancient port town of central Vietnam for many years before being displaced by Danang, it is a UNESCO heritage site. Our first visit was made under the guidance of a local guide, who was evidently a little disgruntled at our lack of purchases at the shops he took us too, and was reluctant to let us browse/shop around in the town. But he was knowledgeable about the town and its history, revealing to us the cosmopolitan character of this small Vietnamese port. 

The area was originally settled by people from the Riau archipelago (apparently some tools and other relics were found in burial jars), who became known as the Cham people.  Their ancient town was a short distance away - but we did not make the trip.  Many years later, Hoi An was settled, attracting traders from China, and Japan. The Japanese bridge across a small branch of the river apparently linked the Chinese and Japanese settlements in the area.

The Chinese certainly left their mark here. Coming from all over China, they built their clan association buildings (reminding me of Malacca and Singapore) which served both as temple as well as a gathering place for the community. Amongst other things, we visited the Fujian and Cantonese assembly halls, which were still very much in daily use – as could be seen from the large spirals of incense hanging from the ceiling, each bearing the name of the donor and each releasing, slowly, wisps of incense into the air (and dropping every now and then a short tube of ash onto the unwary tourists beneath). 

The town itself reminded me very much of the old towns in other parts of Southeast Asia - buildings include wooden frame houses with a little balcony in front, similar to what I saw in Laos, others like the old shophouses in Singapore/Malacca/Penang, with a small shopfront and the family living behind and/or above the shop.  We visited one old house which was said to have assimilated Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese architectural styles.  The guide was pretty lackadaisical but she did point out to us the use of a Japanese style roof above the big airwell in the middle of the house....

We went off far too soon, but we decided to come back that evening (this time via the complimentary resort shuttle which we had not known about earlier) to explore the place further. And it was well we did, for Hoi Ann by night comes truly alive, when tourists and townsfolk wander through its streets comfortably, freed from the baking heat of the morning. We wandered around, stepping into whichever shop took our fancy, and were enraptured by the beautiful, jewel-toned lanterns which are such a feature of this old town.

Dinner was at one of the guidebook’s recommendations – The Cargo Club. It is relatively large establishment, with a patisserie and a bar/lounge on the ground floor and a restaurant on top. The restaurant terrace overlooks the river, and gives a good view of the brightly lit establishments across the river.  The restaurant patrons are largely tourists, which is not necessarily a recommendation but the meal was nonetheless pretty decent.  In general, however, I think that food in Hanoi is of a higher standard than this little port town.

At 9.30pm, the lights of Hoi An start going off, one by one.  We caught the shuttle back to the resort. 

Reading some guidebooks, people comment that Hoi An is now very commercialised - but in a way, the tourist trade supports the people in the area, and allows the charming old town to be preserved.   I have also seen for myself, in visiting Malacca both before and after it gained its UNESCO Heritage site status, how the additional visitorship and funding can really make a difference in revitalising old parts of the city, allowing old homes to be restored either by the existing owners or by new businesses.

More Hoi An pix here.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

A Quiet Little Getaway

I was looking down at a single gerbera, floating in water, whilst my legs and back were being actively pummelled and pulled by an exponent of Thai massage. Grimacing slightly in pain, I reminded myself to relax.


I have spent the last 4 days in Fusion Maia resort on China Beach in Danang.

The resort was pretty much idyllic – a lovely beach with waves breaking on white, soft sand, mountains in the distance and an infinity pool aimed straight at the horizon. Graceful palm/coconut trees provide much-needed shade for the deck chairs and day beds scattered around. And the spa (opening comment notwithstanding) had a lovely spa pool surrounded by abundant greenery (see photo). We camped out in one of the two pavilions on either end of the pool, and in this shady nook, read and napped the mornings away. We enjoyed our two treatments per day (and worked our way through the spa menu) and chatted to the receptionist, a university student practicing her English. Our accommodation – I have really nothing to complain about. We had our private pool villa room (with its own little swimming pool and outdoor patio) but spent more time out by the spa pool (with its waterfall) or out by the beach, watching the other resort dwellers go by. Not that there were that many – we were visiting mid-week and it was obviously the lull period.

Our resort, it turned out, was fairly new, having opened the previous year. Next door, a new, large scale resort is still under construction; two doors down a glitzy casino (or should I say, integrated resort) has opened its doors, even whilst one wing of the hotel has still men working on it. I guess I know where some of the resort guests went at night (there were certainly far fewer people appearing at lunch and at dinner, than there were at breakfast). So in a way, perhaps we had paid our visit at a good time – when the resort was still the first mover on the strip, when its far larger neighbours are still putting their buildings up and getting their act together. A year or two more, and maybe the beach will not be as pristine, and the waters beyond busy with jet skiers and the like.

Indeed, a restful and welcome break from the office (although I received quite a few SMSes the first day I was there and spent every evening clearing email).  (For more idyllic photos, check here.

Saturday, May 07, 2011

A Momentous General Election

Today, 7 May 2011 marks the end of a momentous General Election for Singapore.  It has been 10 days of intensive campaigning, when political parties fought the battle for the hearts and minds of Singaporeans.  One can only hope that the outcome is known, it will indeed be in the best interest of Singapore and Singaporeans.

On a less serious note, here is Mr Brown's podcast which  summarises some of the highlights of this election:

Starting the Day Right...

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