Hoi An

Today was an absolute pleasure, a really great day. We headed out early to go for our bike tour with Steve, the British guy we met last night. He owns a restaurant-bar on an island connected to Hoi An, and also does bike and motorbike tours during the day. He was a great host and quite a humorous fellow. He promised to take us where few tourists go, and that he did. We took a ferry to an island further from the city and spent the day riding around the island. We rode on the dirt trails between rice paddies, by homes with cows grazing and chickens pecking around the motorbikes, to a beautiful, untouched white sand beach, and so much more that rural Vietnam had to offer. One of Steve’s friends, an Irishman also named Steve was with us for some of the day until (in true Irish fashion) he became entrenched drinking beers with the locals. We had delicious fried squid on a floating restaurant and drank plenty of rice wine (much better here than in China) with some local guys about our age. As we rode by, they called out and welcomed us for some wine and food. They were having a small feast on one of the guy’s porch, celebrating Tet and the fact they didn’t have to work. It really was a beautiful and enjoyable day, and the flat terrain made the biking very relaxing. Steve’s Vietnamese wife made some great barbecue ribs and pork chops on our return and even some potato salad, which they definitely don’t have in China (it’s not electronic, so they haven’t been able to copy it).

At night, after some well needed showers, Dave and I hit up one of the few bars in town and via invitation, from some British bar promoters went on a minibus to a beach bar. We chatted for a while with the bar promoters, who seem to have figured it out. They spend their days hanging out in a gorgeous beach town and then get to party and drink for free or at a discount at night. Like one would expect, the beach bar geared towards tourists was expensive, but we had a few beers, hung out with some Australians, Canadians, and Brits, and then grabbed a motorcycle taxi home. I really liked Hoi An because it wasn’t too big, and although pretty touristy, it still had more of a less developed, rural feel. The city was also prettier because it was full of yellow and red flowers and kumquat trees. These are plants somehow involved with Tet, so there are vendors lining almost every street. Steve commented that some Vietnamese make a small fortune selling these items. I am excited to see all the Tet celebrations. It is primarily a family holiday, so I might not get much insight, but should be able to see the fireworks at least. Steve also noted that Tet spending is so great it affects the rates the banks give on short term loans and savings investments. In Full Metal Jacket, I think they describe it as Christmas, your birthday, and New Year’s all wrapped into one. I’m just glad all the decorations made Hoi An even prettier and festive when I visited.