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Fah Thai Magazine July/August 2017

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DANANG / HOI AN<br />

Silk trousers from Soda<br />

Top Left:<br />

You can choose<br />

between hiking up<br />

to the top of the<br />

Marble Mountain<br />

or paying for the<br />

elevator at 15,000<br />

VD (one way)<br />

Bottom:<br />

A must-try bowl<br />

of Mì Quang<br />

Opposite:<br />

The famous Japanese<br />

bridge in Hoi An<br />

the infamous Golden Pine Pub, a<br />

rowdy place with cheap drinks and<br />

a local-expat-mix crowd spilling<br />

well into the street [52 Bach Dang<br />

Street]. The chatty staff kept us<br />

entertained as well as inebriated;<br />

some 3 hours of dancing and pool<br />

games later, we were stumbling out<br />

of the pub, pining for a late night<br />

snack. It was the fateful moment<br />

when I discovered a central<br />

Vietnam specialty, Mì Quang: a<br />

handful of flat wide rice noodles<br />

half-submerged in rich broth,<br />

Embroidered top and stripe pallazzo from Kloset<br />

Riding into the town of Hoi An, for once,<br />

our motorbikes were rendered useless<br />

because the central Ancient Town barred<br />

entrance of any automobiles. The journey<br />

continued on foot.<br />

topped with pork (or shrimp,<br />

chicken), boiled eggs, peanuts,<br />

rice crackers, fresh herbs, and<br />

unlimited selections of greens,<br />

chillies and sprouts on the<br />

side. It was somewhere between<br />

a noodle soup and a salad,<br />

making it arguably the healthiest<br />

post-drinking snack one could<br />

ever have.<br />

Danang visitors often have<br />

the historic town of Hoi An on<br />

their itinerary, and so I did. Early<br />

morning, after a hearty bowl of<br />

Pho, I was on the motorbike again,<br />

cruising along the endless coastline<br />

towards Hoi An. For 45 minutes<br />

of a breezy ride, you can see long<br />

stretches of scenic beaches, mega<br />

resorts, and hundreds more under<br />

construction, witnessing all the<br />

signs and commotions of a Koh<br />

Samui-like resort town in the<br />

making. Be proud of yourself for<br />

beating other tourists to it!<br />

As a natural breaking point, we<br />

stopped at the Marble Mountains<br />

about halfway between Danang<br />

64

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