Hoi An itself is probably the nicest, most picturesque city we have been to in Asia. There are too many tailors and shoe shops than you can swing a stick at but other than that it is nice cafes, restaurants and pleasant people. From the first hour here we were in a tailor shop Kimmy's with Laura and Kristen going full on shopping. I held off until the next day to pick out my suit as it was shopping overload just watching them. We were recommended a food stall that was cheap, dirty and delicious. Can't remember the name but it was on Phau Chu St. close to Hai Ba Thrung. Best noodle soup in the town.
The next day was spent picking out my suit and then we rented bicycles and cruised around the town and to the beach. There is not too much to do in Hoi An other than relax, eat and shop. We found some really amazing places to eat in (namely Vi Cafe and Cafe 43) and every once and a while one of the girls would come up with a new must have/necessity in terms of tailored clothes. Maslow would be turning in his grave but it is all custom made and reasonably priced. It is not cheap but if you pick the right tailor you can get a great feeling outfit with great service. 
One of the attractions in the area other than tailors is Marble Mountain. Here it's obvious that they do a lot marble statues but you can also hike up the mountain and explore tons of hidden temples and caves. Very cool stuff and looked like it could have been in an Indiana Jones movie. We scootered there and back and then took off to a fitting before our cooking class at Citronella. It was just Laura and I in the class and it was a great experience. We made shrimp pancakes with rice paper, a traditional special soup, watercress salad with pork and shrimp and ended with a five spice banana leaf squid all while enjoying a bottle of wine. After Laura went off to one more fitting before meeting up to go out for a nice dinner. We met at Casa Verde by the river where we broke the bank Vietnam style but had the chef come out and recommend things to us. It was a very romantic setting and their beef pasta was delicious.
Yesterday was fitting-a-thon day. Laura and I finished our suits and they came out great. Laura and Kristen then had to go off and try on boots and dresses all over town. Warning: if you want take advantages of the tailors in Hoi An you must be prepared to stay a while and attend lots of fittings.
Today turned out to be "Today was a good day" kind of days. Great breakfast (Vi's Cafe), long bike to the beach and bike down the coast, great lunch, lounge around while the ladies do their last fittings and then walk by Kimmy's on our way to dinner and the owners invite us out to dinner. Simple day leads us to a locals meal. We ate stuff you wouldn't even know existed in Vietnam kind of meal all accompanied by the lovely owners of Kimmey's. A thank you goes out to them for everything they have done (hospitality and clothes).
Quick Note: if you eat at Cafe 43 you must try:
- their pancakes (not the desert kind)
- White Rose
- Beef Pho
- chicken with chili and lemon grass
- AND their stuffed squid - amazing!
(lastly, the fresh beer for 0.25 cents is delicious. you can't go wrong unless you drink too many. buyer beware)
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