Day 65! I’ve had an amazing time in Hoi An again. I met some amazing people and got to really get to know a bunch of them. Spending longer in one place has been incredible and I’m looking forward to spending even longer in one place in the future. But for now it’s time to get moving to Laos! I’m sure I’ll be back in Hoi An soon 🙂

I woke up early in the morning for a very important task!

I scarfed down my pancakes, fruit, and egg Banh Mi, grabbed my passport photos and cash, and headed to Da Nang!

In Da Nang, there’s an embassy for Laos where you can get a visa to enter the country by a land border.

So after driving 30 minutes, I went into the embassy and tried to get my Laos visa!

I arrived at the embassy at 9:30am and immediately was told to fill out a form providing all the information from passport number to date of entry.

Without taking a passport photo, they took back the form and started processing it. I bet I’ll need the photos for a future visa… but it was strange that they didn’t need it this time!

After 25 minutes I got my passport back with my Laos visa in it! It was a crazy simple process, however the guy working at the embassy told me I’d need to ask the people at the border about the bike. So I’m still unsure on that part of it.

With a success under my belt, I headed back to Hoi An and drove past my hostel into town. In town I picked up my rings that were being resized, which fit perfectly!

I then stopped by a town favorite restaurant, Banh Mi Queen, and got a tofu Banh Mi for 25,000 Dong!

I went back to the hostel and hung out with some friends in the chill area and this is when I noticed something about my Laos visa…

Even though I told them I was planning on entering the country on March 10th, they set the start date as today. So I unfortunately have lost a couple days in Laos! I’m not sure I’ll stay the full month, but it’s still a bit annoying.

I then scarfed down a bowl of chicken Cao Lao… which I forgot to take a picture of before I devoured it. This dish is one of my favorites!

I then decided to head back into town because I forgot I wanted to run one more errand. But before I set out, I gave Tiny (one of the dogs here) some love.

I went on a mission to find a notebook! I looked a few days ago and have been looking since the start of my trip. But yesterday I was told about a place that made custom notebooks, so I thought I’d go give it a go!

The store is called Hop Handi and they make all their notebooks by hand! They even do notebook making classes, but I didn’t have the time for that unfortunately.

So I went into the shop and had a look! I was really impressed with what they had and the prices so I paid 220,000 Dong and told them my idea for the notebook.

They said to come back in an hour, so I went to wander the town.

I got myself a cheap smoothie from the place near the mechanic I went to a number of days ago. Then walked my way back through the markets.

I also bought myself a couple stickers. One for my water bottle and one for my notebook that I was going to get!

I got back to the store at 4pm and my notebook was ready!

I then hustled back to the hostel because I promised my Norwegian friend, Marianne, that I would join her free yoga class on the beach today!

It was a very sandy, but zen time! Marianne just learned how to teach yoga in Indonesia and wanted to practice teaching with us!

We had a fun time stretching and looking goofy on the beach together!

I then had chicken fried rice for dinner! The hostel’s food is very tasty. And for how cheap it is and convenient, it’s a very good deal!

After dinner, I started chatting with some new friends from Germany and ended up playing cards and chatting into the night!

Hoi An will forever hold a special place in my heart. The people were amazing, the food was amazing, and the town itself was lovely to be around.

I look forward to spending more time here someday but for now it’s time to go to Laos!

– Elie