Hoi An

Tonight we are in Hoi An. Hoi An is a Unesco World Heritage listed city, it was a major port in its day for Chinese and Japanese sailors and hence has a mixed cultural history. The road here today was a long journey, it took eleven hours to complete 320 km, the first hundred km was all road works and it got marginally better after that. The later part of the journey was more scenic, with lots of rice fields being harvested, The afternoon light gave the fields a glowing yellow/iridescent green look, quite nice really. Lots of coolie hats in the fields working, which is a pity because on many occasion I wanted to stop and take photos but the pressure was always on to keep moving because of the distance needed to be covered. Vietnam is a pretty place, despite all the noise, dust, traffic and other stuff. It has a rural charm of everyday simple life.

I did see a whole pig (and a big one) in a cane basket lying side on across the back of a scooter going along that I passed. No photo.

At one of the petrol stations where we stopped, the petrol attendant was fascinated by my beer gut and wanted a photo of me with him. The word must have got out and three kids from across the road came over to see "the giant".

Workers collecting rice husks by the side of the road, they seem to leave it there to be dried and crushed up by passing cars and motorbikes.

Rice fields, looked better later in the afternoon light.

The kids and the "giant". I told the interpreter to tell them I was Santa on holidays but I don't think they had heard of him!

What I am assuming is an old boat turned into a house by the river near Hoi An.

The place we are staying is called the Hoi An beach resort and is pretty flash, although only seen it a night so far. The beach is across the road and the river on the otherside of the hotel. It has at least three swimming pools. Yet to be explored. Tomorrow morning is sightseeing in the old historic town and the afternoon is free. The day after we ride (last day riding) to Hue, about 140k further north, then we fly to Hanoi. I could come back to Vietnam, but on a motorbike riding trip, well not for about 10 years when they have finally fixed the roads and they allow motorbikes to do more than 60k and can use the freeways. One strange thing about this place is that when you leave a town, there are houses and building all along each side of the road for about 50 or 60 k past the town and start again 50k before the next town. There is very little of the main highway that is not built right to the edge of the road on both sides, making it more like one long street.

Stay tuned for tomorrows instalment.

LB