Hoi An, Vietnam
So, we arrived to the very touristy town of Hoi An, with high hopes of better weather, because we just about had had enough of the rain!!
Imagine having to spend 3 consecutive days of non-stop rain . . . well, that was the case for us in Nha Trang!
Our luck just didn't seem to want to come around this time. Don't get me wrong, we didn't experience any real bad moments here, it's just that our interactions with the locals weren't as nice as we'd expected.
Well, let me take that back. For me, it was ok, however for Arnaud it was another story.
I guess, our entire trip, in all 27 countries we've been to so far has been good for me, in general. I've been able to blend in rather well, as far as the tourist vs. local factor is concerned. In every country, most people have either taken me for a local, or else someone from a nearby country.
Here in Vietnam, being that the physical appearances strongly resemble those from China, it was a bit tough passing off as a Vietnamese, however!! :) Guess, don't quite look Chinese!! :( I was constantly mistaken for Thai or Indian, in many occasions here in Vietnam, though.
Funny, really, because whenever I walked down the street or found myself in a market, women either said, “Thailand” or pointed to their foreheads, as to imply, “Where’s your dot?!” because they thought I was Indian. :)
Anyway, for Arnaud, it wasn't & hasn't exactly been a walk in the park. For many folks in developing countries being Caucasian usually means “Big Money”. Unfortunately, it’s not the case for him! And still, he’s seen as a walking dollar!! Go figure!! Perhaps he's not scrubby enough, too clean cut maybe?! Hmm, we're gonna have to work on his appearance!! :) Nah, that would be silly!!
In any case, the negative side of all this is that it has resulted in another form of discrimination, really.
A bit unfair to be put in the same boat as other wealthy tourists, just because of the color of his skin. So obviously, he wasn't a happy camper in Vietnam!! From the free lifts to buying anything, folks either asked him for cash, or the price was always jacked up for him.
On a brighter note, though, Hoi An itself, was quite interesting. I see why tourists flock here!! What I don’t see, however, is how people can claim that this town is representative of a typical French town.
And actually, I’d go as far as to say that besides the baguettes and coffee that are served at every corner, the only French aspect to the place, were the prices for everything!!
No wonder, Arnaud was fed up, when it came to spending money here. Luckily, he had me, because I could go buy whatever we needed and pay the normal price, not the tourist price. I now understand the meaning behind the ever-so popular “Same same . . . But Different” T-shirts worn by most tourists here.
It could be the slogan for Vietnam, even!! Amazing to think how true it is too!! Everywhere we turned, and whenever buying anything, those were the two words heard: “Same, same!!” But we all knew that it wasn’t true, hence the “But Different” part!! There's NO WAY it'd be acceptable that tourists pay the same price as the Vietnamese!! Why?! They’ve got loads of $$$$$$!!!
But enough about that!! Getting back to our visit to Hoi An .
So, even if you may not necessarily enjoy visiting places that are swarming with tourists, this town does deserve a visit. Just be sure to bring those fat wallets!! :) So long from Hoi An, then!! Next stop, Hanoi!!
La journee demarra doucement, une longue marche pour commencer, un camion, puis un autre et nous voilà sur la route principale. Le chauffeur me tenda la main me faisant signe: monnaie, monnaie. Et la commenca une longue suite d evenements similaires, notre refus de payer et la surprise et le mecontentement de l autre coté.
Le dernier chauffeur nous deposa au milieu de l autoroute en nous indiquant une route qui passait sous un pont, c est celle la pour Hoi An qui disa! Il nous restait encore 15 kilometres et la nuit commencait a tomber. J essayais donc de trouver un endroit pour dormir. Mais cette fois se fut Juanita qui le trouva, sans vraiment le vouloir!!
Elle se metta a l'abri sous le préau d un restaurant pendant que je m éfforçais à m inviter chez l habitant. 2 jeunes s approcherent d elle un peu curieux, et elle leur expliqua notre situation. Par chance, l un d eux connaissait le patron du restaurant et alla nous presenter à lui expliquant qu on avait une tente et qu on cherchait un endroit pour dormir.
Après quelques minutes de negociation, le patron accepta, on pouvait déplier la tente sur l estrade de la salle principale. On fut meme convie
à manger avec toute la famille. Un seul probleme et celui la allait durer malheureusement pendant longtemps le manque de communication. Si vous voulez, pour l échange culturel, c est pas évident qu on se comprend pas.
Le lendemain, comme d habitude, repliage de la tente, pose des sacs sur le dos et les remerciements suivi des aurevoirs. Avec bien sur nos coordonnées sur un morceau de papier!
On arriva en milieu de matinée dans cette ville soi-disant à la francaise. Je cherchais à savoir pourquoi car le style architectural ne correspondait pas du tout, c était autre chose, j allais peut etre le decouvrir plus tard. Juanita fidele à ses habitudes parta en me laissant sur le bord de route à la recherche de l hotel avec le meilleur rapport qualité/prix, et croyais moi, c est une vrai "MARINES" quand il s agit d accomplir sa mission.
On decida de se payer une nuit ou 2 à l hotel sachant qu on avait passé 2 ou 3 nuits sous la tente (voir photo pied-noir). On passa la journée à se promener, à siroter des cafés glacés, ils le boivent differemment ici, une dose de café noir très fort mélangé avec du lait concentré, ajoute des glacons et le tour est joué!!
Ce fut là, la seule tradition francaise que je rencontrai, la pose café.
