TRAVELLIVE 04-2016
Istanbul, the first days of spring… I’m warming myself in the sun on a café’s balcony in the Old Town. The sunbeams are as stunning as the fine strands of newly reeled silk. Meanwhile the old oak trees give their morning greeting to the glossy stone road as their red-brown leaves gently fall. The Old Town is still half-asleep, like a lazy girl who’s turned off her alarm after ringing the first time. Sunlight visits each street, dancing happily on passers-by’s shoulders, making the atmosphere more intimate to me – the traveler’s first time here. I feel more amorous in Istanbul. I’m enchanted by everything, from sweet lokum to the light sour ice-cream with ground ice on top, or from the gorgeous domes of hundreds of mosques and palaces to their uniquely designed windows, and from the discreet eyes of Muslim girls to the multitude of boards and posters with the images of Besiktas – the city’s legendary football team. I have fallen in love with Bosphorus Bay since the first time seeing the seagulls hovering in the open sky, creating invisible strings that connect the two continents – Asia and Europe. The clear blue sky is reflected on the deep blue sea, giving me tranquility. I drop my last Lira into the water of the Bosphorus, not to make a wish, but in hopes that they will preserve my memories here. And somehow, the water currents might bring them somewhere else to be found by me again, or might accidentally be stumbled upon by a boy who is playing with sand on a sunny beach. Tomorrow, I will go to Grand Bazzar, buy some postcards, and write something to leave beneath the sun near a mosque before sending them to some friends of mine. I do hope that these postcards, together with the coins, will inspire and attract more visitors to this land. Uhm… will you come there?
Istanbul, the first days of spring…
I’m warming myself in the sun on a café’s balcony in the Old Town. The sunbeams are as stunning as the fine strands of newly reeled silk. Meanwhile the old oak trees give their morning greeting to the glossy stone road as their red-brown leaves gently fall. The Old Town is still half-asleep, like a lazy girl who’s turned off her alarm after ringing the first time. Sunlight visits each street, dancing happily on passers-by’s shoulders, making the atmosphere more intimate to me – the traveler’s first time here.
I feel more amorous in Istanbul. I’m enchanted by everything, from sweet lokum to the light sour ice-cream with ground ice on top, or from the gorgeous domes of hundreds of mosques and palaces to their uniquely designed windows, and from the discreet eyes of Muslim girls to the multitude of boards and posters with the images of Besiktas – the city’s legendary football team.
I have fallen in love with Bosphorus Bay since the first time seeing the seagulls hovering in the open sky, creating invisible strings that connect the two continents – Asia and Europe. The clear blue sky is reflected on the deep blue sea, giving me tranquility. I drop my last Lira into the water of the Bosphorus, not to make a wish, but in hopes that they will preserve my memories here. And somehow, the water currents might bring them somewhere else to be found by me again, or might accidentally be stumbled upon by a boy who is playing with sand on a sunny beach.
Tomorrow, I will go to Grand Bazzar, buy some postcards, and write something to leave beneath the sun near a mosque before sending them to some friends of mine. I do hope that these postcards, together with the coins, will inspire and attract more visitors to this land. Uhm… will you come there?
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The present trend of<br />
returning to slow<br />
living originated<br />
in Italian cities<br />
such as Greve, Orvieto, and<br />
Positano. It is spreading as<br />
cities around the world have<br />
begun to emulate their lifestyle.<br />
Hoi An is one of these places<br />
where people are willing to<br />
set aside their worries to take<br />
a short siesta. It's a city where<br />
travelers can put down their<br />
heavy luggage to savor a cup of<br />
coffee while enjoying the warm<br />
sunlight of tranquil days.<br />
80 is the number of ancient<br />
wells - the forgotten treasures<br />
of Hoi An. You realize that all<br />
wells were built near assembly<br />
halls, catholic churches,<br />
temples, and shrines. It is<br />
believed that each well is<br />
protected by a god, making the<br />
water pure and sweet despite<br />
the effects of weather, dust,<br />
and environmental conditions.<br />
These wells are also always full.<br />
Having visited Hoi An many<br />
times, I had yet to learn<br />
about Ba Le well. I had just<br />
accidentally found out about<br />
it when ... asking the way to a<br />
fabric shop. An old man told us<br />
to return in the next morning<br />
since the shop was already<br />
closed. He said after that,<br />
"remember to drink the water<br />
in Ba Le for luck, girls. If you<br />
go between 8 and 9am, you will<br />
see many people fetching water<br />
to sell".<br />
Don't imagine the well is large<br />
and that there is a crowd of<br />
people drawing water by the<br />
well. Ba Le well is so simple<br />
that my friend didn't notice it<br />
as we were walking past. To<br />
reach the well, you need to go<br />
through narrow alleys. The well<br />
is square, following Champa<br />
architecture, and covered by<br />
green moss. While we were<br />
managing to scoop water from<br />
the well, a man gave us a ladle<br />
of water, noting that he likes<br />
the sweet water here and can't<br />
drink water from anywhere<br />
else. The most delicious sweet<br />
soups in Hoi An, cao l«u and<br />
b∏nh vπc, are made from water<br />
taken from this well. My friend<br />
was greatly surprised to learn<br />
that a 20 liter bottle of well<br />
water costs only VND5,000.<br />
There is a restaurant selling<br />
skewers of grilled meat and<br />
grilled rolls near Ba Le well. If<br />
you want to enjoy barbecued<br />
meat, just go to this restaurant<br />
as a skewer full of high quality<br />
meat costs only VND 7,000.<br />
If you go to the Old Town, the<br />
price is around VND10,000 a<br />
skewer.<br />
300m is the length of Cong Nu<br />
Ngoc Hoa road which is named<br />
after the first Vietnamese girl<br />
to live in Japan. The road goes<br />
from Chua Cau canal to the<br />
Hung Vuong - Tran Hung Dao<br />
intersection. When my friends<br />
and I visited the antique houses<br />
in Hoi An, few of us knew that<br />
we are strolling down a road<br />
associated with such a nice<br />
anecdote.<br />
In early 17 th century Japan,<br />
Araki Sotaro, a talented<br />
navigator descended from<br />
a samurai family, led many<br />
Japanese businessmen to<br />
expand their business in<br />
South East Asia (Vietnam,<br />
Laos, and Cambodia). At that<br />
time, Hoi An was one of the<br />
most important harbors of<br />
Dai Viet and was believed by<br />
the Japanese to be the heart of<br />
Asia. That was why Mr. Araki<br />
Sotaro often stopped here and<br />
eventually got married to Cong<br />
Nu Ngoc Hoa, the princess of<br />
An Nam.<br />
In 1620, Cong Nu Ngoc Hoa,<br />
known to the Japanese as<br />
Princess Wakaru, followed<br />
her husband to live in Japan.<br />
Their marriage solidified the<br />
relationship between Japan<br />
and the Nguyen Dynasty, even<br />
during the time of seclusion.<br />
Up to now, people in Nagasaki<br />
124<br />
<strong>TRAVELLIVE</strong><br />
Hoi An is an extremely beautiful town thanks to not only<br />
green moss walls and hundred year old houses but also<br />
because of its beautiful stories of love.
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