hiddenneststudio

This was the view we had from our hotel breakfast table at our restaurant in Hoi An. Table with a view, huh? Our room was nothing special, but they had added newer parts that had this same view, for a higher price ,of course. In front of those rooms was a lovely vegetable garden where they picked fresh produce, and everything was labeled for us tourists.
All throughout Vietnam we have seen these beautiful yellow mums in all the markets. Everyone is buying large or small bunches to give as an offering to Buddha. Also, red an yellow flowers of all varieties are a common sight, as Tet, or Lunar New Year approaches. The
Yellow Mai flower is especially popular for Tet,and we have seen many miniature trees in stores, restaurants and courtyards. The Vietnamese love bonsai and topiary and you often see bonsai for sale along the roadsides.
This color is a bit washed out, but I loved the combination of lanterns that we saw when we stopped at a temple. It seemed deserted, but as soon as we pulled up on our motorscooter, out popped someone to show us around, for a small donation.
I took so many of these lantern shots that I cant' keep them straight!Jim waited patiently each time I saw another good lantern shop, or a photo that I had to have. Perhaps this is new, or maybe the same.
The first night we were in Hoi An, I spied this shoe shop across from where we had dinner. I was drawn to it like a bee to honey! These lanterns were my favorite of all I saw, and the owner of the shoe store had made them herself. I really wanted to bring all of these home, and she told me that I could go to her lantern factory to see more. Now I am kicking myself for not going to take a look. And I call myself a lantern sister!
Hoi An is a small city with a big reputation for custom tailoring and shoe making. So many tourists come here with the intention of having clothes made during their stay. I have all the silk outfits that I need (one) and since Jim is retired, he did not feel the need to have a custom suit made, no matter how inexpensive. But it was fun to browse the silk shops that line every street. Shoes can also be made to order, but every pair looked a bit off, and lacking arch support, which I definitely need. We enjoyed watching other foreigners looking and having fittings done, but were glad we had no spare room in the suitcase. It made resisting all that much easier.