Just a block from where we got off, there's an inn that looked cheap, something with a backpacker-y aura. You know cheap when you see cheap. We were greeted by a slim lady who's wearing a traditional Hoi An dress and a full smile. She said her name is Flower. I then asked her for the cheapest room. She said she's got one for $5/room and ushered us to the fifth floor. Well, it was a room alright but one with a connecting room that has no locks and a bathroom that's only suited for elves. You can't pee without hitting your head on the wall. We are cheap but not that cheap so we asked her for another room. She said she's got one but it's a room in a house. I thought it would be a house with an inn but turns out it is a house. I mean, a regular house with owners and pets in it and with their toiletries in the common bathroom. That kind of house. She led us to the second floor where there's a clean white room with good airconditioning (oh thank God!). It cost $10/ night and we immediately said yes. Probably because we're too hungry and tired to be picky.
When Flower handed us the keys and made her exit, we plopped on the bed. After just a minute of savoring the feeling of my aching back resting flat on a bed, Hugo commanded me to get up because it's time to explore the town, we traveled far for this after all. Traveling is not for the lazy, especially if you only have two nights to explore a place.
So I got up, washed my face, changed my clothes, put on lipstick, and stared at myself in the mirror. That's the moment I like when traveling- the moment between looking at your reflection from a cheap motel mirror and stepping outside to soak in the newness of an unknown territory- its sounds, its smell, its temperature...and you are ready to take it all in. When you visit a place for the first time, everything is new. Even the bougainvilleas are a bit different from the ones you have back home.
Hoi An is called "the little town of tailors" because most of them are. There are so many dress shops where you can buy ready-to-wear dresses or have yours customized at what the people from the West would consider cheap. I didn't get inside any of those on our way to the market just because we were so hungry and shopping takes time. We walked a total of five blocks before we finally reached the market area. I was expecting a real market with shabby stalls but the "market" is actually lined up with pretty restaurants and cafes. Ah well, maybe there was an actual dirty market somewhere but why look further when there are lovely cafes lined up by the lake? We chose the first one that served Cao Lau and other Hoi An specialties. We had a set meal of Cao Lau noodles, some sort of fried vegetable wrap, and fish. We marveled at our view- the river has a few decorated wooden boats and many floating lanterns, tourists from varied nations passing by our table, some were alone with a camera and a backpack, some were with friends, many are lovers, some are families. A pair of caucasian twin guys who were probably in their sixties stepped inside and occupied the table behind us. I kept glancing at them because I find it romantic that they're bonding like this...you know, backpacking in South East Asia. I can imagine them planning the trip together in one of their backyards and their wives telling them it's alright, they won't get jealous and that it's about time.
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