Hoi An•day 9

Today was another beautiful day but unfortunately we had all gotten quite a bit of sun yesterday. Lindsay and Gabby were pretty red and I was more tan but I could tell that I was on the verge of sunburn! We knew we needed to be careful today but still wanted to enjoy the weather. We decided to just grab a taxi to the beach after breakfast to avoid the sun while riding bikes. We went to a different beach today that was so much better! 

 

This is what we were expecting when we went to the beach yesterday! The restaurant we sat in front of today, Soul Kitchen, was so cute and beachy! It was obviously a popular spot because from 10-2ish it was constantly filled with people eating and drinking! We started off with a couple coffees which allowed us to get beach chairs at no cost. The three of us stayed under the umbrella the whole time reading. It was the perfect day just relaxing at the beach. 

 

We started getting hungry so we decided to head out to our next Banh mi restaurant that was on our list to try. 

 

Anthony Bourdain actually came to this shop quite a few years ago so we knew it had to be decent (but the place we ate at yesterday actually has better reviews on trip advisor) so we were excited to compare the two! We had mixed reviews after trying it! Lindsay said it was her favorite, by far! Gabby said she definitely liked Phi Banh Mi more and I honestly thought they were about equal! 😋 I was happy with both places! We have one more place that we need to try tomorrow before we leave for Ho Chi Minh. Gabby wasn't really satisfied after hers so we went back to Phi Banh Mi so she could get another one! Lindsay and I decided to get one to take back to the hostel for an afternoon snack later! 😁 god forbid any of us get Hangry! 😂 

While sitting at the shop we started talking to one of the girls that worked there. A lot of things in Asia are all family oriented, and she started talking to us about getting some clothes custom made at their store. Hoi An is known for their tailoring and custom clothes! We all had talked about wanting to get something made while we were here but you typically want a couple days so you can have the items fitted a few times to make sure they fit correctly. We didn't look into it on our first day so today we just figured we wouldn't have time. But the girl told us that her shop could have it down for us before we leave tomorrow...we were hesitant but we walked with her down to the shop just to look around and talk with the girls there. We immediately saw so many things we wanted to have made! I HATE shopping but was actually having fun looking at the different styles and fabrics and ended up picking THREE dresses that I wanted to have made. That's a big deal for me...I never ever buy stuff for myself. 🙃 it was already close to 4 but they reassured us that they'd have everything done for us by 9am tomorrow and then if things needed to be tweaked they could do it within an hour or so. We trusted them and put in our orders and got measured. We will see what happens tomorrow morning when we get in there! Fingers crossed! 

We headed back to the hostel and got showered and ready for the evening. We wanted to go walk around the city and night market. The weather was perfect and we (the girls) wanted to do the rest of their souvenir shopping. The city is absolutely precious. Lanterns EVERYWHERE! 

 

The whole city is filled with them; different colors, shapes and sizes. Some for sale and some just decorating the streets. 

 

After a decent amount of shopping we were ready for dinner. We had decided on a restaurant called Morning Glory. 

 

We had read fantastic reviews but it was on the pricier side...but we had already decided to treat ourselves to an awesome meal before leaving! The ambiance and food were both great! We definitely splurged here! Gabby ordered a starter and 2 entrees, Lindsay ordered a starter and 2 entrees  and I ordered a starter and an entree. We all also got a glass of wine. There were so many things that we wanted to try, obviously! 

 

The food was all absolutely amazing. The restaurant was packed the whole time we were there! 3 starters, 5 entrees and 3 glasses of wine only cost us $45! So so crazy! And like I said, this was a pricier, nicer dinner! 

 

We bought these little lanterns that you light and then put in the river and make a wish. 🙏🏼 All three of us bought one and put them into the river together. We called them friendship wishes! 

After dinner we went back to the hostel because we were 1) in a food coma and 2) had all of our bags from shopping. We just got a couple of beers at the hostel and packed up our bags. Checking out and heading back to Ho Chi Minh tomorrow afternoon. Can't believe this trip is almost over. I want to spend another week here in Hoi An!