Far East Update 16 - Hoi An Day 2 - Early Photography Project - Nov 2012

I was waiting in the lobby of the hotel at 5:15 am when Etienne Bossot showed up in a van with 9 other meshugoyim who were crazy enough to do the Hoi An Photo Tour. If you want to see some of his work, here are his coordinates. 

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He drove us to a remote harbour where we were to board a very crude water taxi and sail across the bay to a fishing village. The advantages of going there is that it is an area completely free of tourists and you can get photos of the local folk and the local colour in a completely natural setting. On the way Etienne spoke to us about various camera settings and how we should be shooting in the early morning light and especially this morning when it was overcast and rainy. 

When we reached the other side, he told us that we would be approached by a number of local elderly women who knew his routine. He said they know that he will pay them and that we should not give them anything. Their faces were very weathered and expressive, many were missing teeth, and their welcoming smiles were full of life. Many had grandchildren with them and we were able to shoot the young and old together. We were able to see them going about their days work gathering small fish from the boats that were reaching the harbour after a night of fishing. All along the way, he was coaching us in ways to frame our pictures so that they would tell a story.

All along the route, there were little bars filled with men, drinking and gambling. And all along the route, the women were working like dogs, running vegetable stands, sorting fish, working the rice fields, working on the fishing boats, schlepping baskets and doing all the work, while the men did nothing. I was told that this is very typical of Vietnamese society. 

It was a very worthwhile tour, despite the rain, the mud, and the remote location. 

The tour was supposed to end at about 10 am but since I had to daven and pack and go to Forget Me Not for our fitting at 10:30, I cut out early and retraced my steps to the boat, crossed the bay and then, based on Etienne's recommendation, I hopped on the back of a motorcycle and for $2.50 a local Vietnamese fellow, who spoke no English, drive me back to my hotel, about 10 kms. away. It was an amazing experience....I would highly recommend it.

On my motorcycle

When I returned, I tried to show Fran my pics, but my camera would not function....must get it fixed before we reach Halong Bay on Wednesday. 

Hoi An at Night

We headed to Hoi An for our fitting and most everything looked great with need for minor modifications. Given that it was 11 am and that we were leaving at 1 PM, we could not believe that everything would be ready in time. Miss Do Not Forget Me said that we should not worry and that she would personally deliver everything to our hotel room.

At 1 pm, she pulled up in front of the lobby on her motorcycle, and presented us with all our products. We paid her and packed into our van with our new guide Sue for our trip to My Son, the area of an ancient people, the Cham nation, a World Heritage Site that is being restored. This was the second World Heritage site in the area, the first being the old town of Hoi An. 

We arrived an hour later and toured the archaeological ruins of their temples, and storehouses which date back to the First Century CE. It was very interesting and Sue explained their history and the significance of their symbols in great detail.

On our way to the airport in Da Nang, we were a bit early, so Sue took us to a marble carving plant, which was amazing. the mountains around Da Nang have a very hard marble and an entire village of marble carvers has emerged; store after store and factory after factory line the streets for miles; with marble figurines, both religious and purely decorative; the most amazing collection that we have ever seen. From here they ship all over the world. When we told them we were from Toronto, they said they ship there as well....

From here, it was now time to go to the airport. We ate dinner in the airport before checking in (Nachum and Sandy had their La Briute meals and i was sure that when the self heating package started smoking that we would be arrested for terrorism...but b'h we weren't). 

The flight on VietnamAirlines was again a good experience. The planes are large, the legroom plenty and for a low cost carrier, the service is excellent.

Once again, the tour operator was waiting for us at arrival with a Welcome Woolf Family sign and we were on our way to the Hanoi Sofitel Hotel near the centre of town. 

The tour operator that we chose for Vietnam has been very good. They are on time, the vans are large and clean, their information is great, and they are very flexible with our schedule. 

The big problem with all the guides here is their proficiency in English and even if proficient, their accent. Our guides have had varying proficiency and we have had to listen closely to make sure we understand their pronunciation. Maybe it is their way to make sure that we are listening! :-)

Tuesday....we are off to tour Hanoi

All the best

Fran and David