Hoi An

Hoi An's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but that isn't really why people come to visit. They come for one reason and one reason only. That's the shopping. Everywhere you look, it's all clothing shops, tailors, shoe stores, and more. We went out to buy a loaf of bread and came back empty handed because literally every store is geared toward selling clothes to tourists. There's nothing else around. But there are good deals to be had in a place like this. Everything is custom made just for you. You can pick out any fabric or style you wish or you can even create your own design. They will replicate clothes you bring to them, make something from a picture, or even a sketch. It is truly every shopping lover's dream.

Usually, this is the sort of place we would avoid at all costs, but at this stage of the trip we're starting to think about returning home. We don't have many material things waiting for us, so it's a good chance to pick up some custom clothes at cheap prices before we make the trip.

We spent two overwhelming and exhausting days shopping. I picked up two suits, two ties, one pair of casual shoes, one pair of dress shoes, two pairs of pants, two pairs of shorts, and four pairs of boxers, most custom made, all for $170 (haggling was required). A custom fit really does make a difference too. The moment I tried on one of my new suits I realized that for my entire life I've been wearing clothes that don't really fit me. It was a big realization and an odd feeling, but that doesn't mean I'll be buying everything custom made from here on out. It did give me a new perspective on clothes though.

The people of Hoi An have had tourists coming here and buying clothes for a long time. The sad part of that is that everyone knows the drill. The locals put up with their town being overrun by foreigners and they make us what we want. We bring the money, buy lots of clothes, and pay the hotel bills. But the smiles are few. We aren't guests, we're customers. In a place like this, you have friends only as long as you keep shelling out the American dollars.

The fundamental truth we've found in all our travels is that people who stand to make money off you usually are not interested in being your friend. Sometimes they're not even interested in being friendly. They look at you and they don't see you, they see dollars. When they talk to you, they don't care about getting to know you, they only want to find out how they can squeeze another dollar out of you. Sometimes it really gets us down.

The good news is that there are exceptions and there are also many people who don't make their money off tourists. These people will treat you like a person. Many tourists spend their whole trip without talking to locals like this, but they're out there. We're lucky to have made some friends on our trip. We exchange e-mails regularly with a monk in Nepal, we have a letter waiting for us at home from a friend we made in India, and we will never forget the family we stayed with in Sri Lanka. The people we've met like this are really the ones who have made this trip worthwhile, much more so than what we've seen or done. For them, we are grateful.