Hoi An is Vietnam’s one of the most atmospheric towns that is rewarded as a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. Located on a river delta, this picturesque historical town is like an open-air museum, presenting a wide range of beautiful examples of Vietnamese culture and architecture.
From the 15th to 19th centuries, Hoi An was a major Southeast Asian trading post. Main river branches into streams and flow through the middle of the town, at times forming little islands. Hoi An is like the Venice of Vietnam. The river that’s welcomed generations of trade is still a source of livelihood for many locals.
Hoi An has a great heritage of history influenced by different eras and cultures. There are so many historical buildings displaying a mix of European and Asian architectural styles. The old town is like a movie set filled with two-storey old buildings that take you on a journey in time. These pretty looking traditional buildings clearly display their history, as great majority of them seem to be untouched for some centuries. The green moss covering the walls and roof tiles contribute to the authenticity of the architecture.
Especially the old wooden houses with their tiny upper floor balconies, finely crafted wooden railings and colorful lanterns on their facade look so pretty. The picture is even more complete when you see people in traditional clothes taking their photos taken in front of these old houses.
The lanterns are the symbol of Hoi An. They decorate the buildings, the streets and the boats on the river. As the sun sets, the lanterns turn on, lighting up the town in the warm glow of yellow, red, and green light.
The old quarter is full of museums that offer detailed insight into the story of this stunning town. These museums display a wide range of artifacts, objects and elements on history, culture, folklore, handicrafts, pottery, ceramics, weaving, medicinal herbs etc. Below is one of the old heritage houses which you can visit and closely observe the traditional old way of living.
I was here in the rainiest season so almost every day it rained. But this didn’t prevent me from exploring. To me, cycling is the best way to explore the town. The whole area is flat and compared to other crowded parts of Vietnam, traffic in Hoi An is calm and easy. The alleys are pedestrian friendly and there’s plenty to admire on unhurried walks. I really loved the food market area by the river and went there almost every day to observe the daily life in the midst of various food stalls.
There are tiny villages around the town in the same river delta where you can easily access by cycling. These villages are specialized in various handicrafts such as; pottery, basket weaving, lantern making, carpentry, bamboo crafting etc. If you are interested in trying one of these crafts, good news that the villages offer workshops. You can also cycle to the ocean which is quite close to Hoi An center. On the way you see beautiful sceneries of the rice fields between the ocean and the town.
It was also very nice to share some of my days with my wonderful friends that I met on my travels. I am so thankful for life for bringing me the inspiring and loving connections through which we all feel blessed.
I came to Hoi An after the emotionally and spiritually intensive days in the monastery in Hue. Revelations were still emerging both in my waking state and in my dreams. It was as if a birth, a new opening was taking place. I took my time to rest and integrate as I find it helpful and beneficial to kindly hold space for these kinds of openings. As they are like messengers from our deep deep grounds of our essential reality.
Relationships may be the most abundant ground to see and understand ourselves. We can only see ourselves through the reflections in our relations. How can I see myself when there is no mirror? Just like our true nature is in love with knowing itself through us! It needs us, longs for us to know itself. What I talk about here is; merely rising in the community! Rising to our fundamental reality in the realm of togetherness, by facing our own pain, our obstacles, fears, illusions, made-up stories. I noticed that I had been giving remarkable energy to realizing my true nature. For this I have retreated into myself more often because of which my social interactions became limited, therefore I have remained like an adolescent in some parts of my human nature. Facing this made me sad tremendously.
Once in a while I read my diary, and there I see how our minds are tangled and full of stories. This is also valid for the deeper contemplations that are clearer and orderly. So many words, so many thoughts, hesitations, doubts, inconsistencies, comings and goings, ups and downs… On the other hand, how calm everything is in the absence of all these. In peace and in harmony. Closeness, boredom, desire, longing, inadequacy, worthlessness, they are all just thoughts. How illusory it is to believe these to be ourselves and unfortunately our lives are built upon this wrong view. Due to all of its conditionings and fears, our ego never gives up its desires and reinforces the identities it creates. It is how it functions, we can see it for what it is.
Look at your life. This story has been recurring countless times, right? Experiences come and go but something remains. What is the essential thing behind all these? Let’s see; even our attention is conditioned. It is conditioned to direct itself primarily on the ego. But we can shift this perspective. Bit by bit we can break this and turn our attention to look at the source of things. Where they come from? Even if all these different experiences cease to exist, do I disappear? No. So what is that that is prior to all experience, all identities? And later on, we may also be inspired to look FROM the source of things?
Where do all these experiences take place? In the body! In our dear bodies that we re accustomed to overlook. Because we focus on our thoughts instead. As we stop to mistake identifying ourselves with ever-changing thoughts and bodily sensations, what remains is the body that functions like a container. With the things that emerge in the experience, it fills and empties itself, contracts and expands. With no resistance, it becomes a home for the energies that are caught in the wind of change. When we wake up to the possibility of not holding on to the body and mind, then what we felt as pleasant or unpleasant cannot leave an imprint on us. They have a different taste now. This may be called emptiness but emptiness is also fullness. The taste that emerges and saturates the Being is simply peace and love.
“Most transforming effect of this transition, it puts us in touch with the place of happiness in ourselves. It brings an end for the impossible and unfulfillable search for happiness in objective experience. This doesn’t mean that we stop desiring activities, relationships and so on. We desire them not in order to find happiness in them. We desire them to express, celebrate or share happiness or the peace we already felt.” ~ Rupert Spira
