19.04 - Day 22 - Hoi An, Vietnam
Sunday 19th April
Hoi An, Vietnam
Temperature Min 26, Max 30
10,929 steps
Mint Villa offers to organise bikes at 40,000 Dong per day ($2) and at 6:30am I've got one waiting for me out the front that has seen some better days, but the saddle is comfortable and the wheels go around albeit with a bit of wobble.
I cycle over the bridge into the Old Town. On the left, what was last night a night market selling to tourists is a very different beast in the early morning - fruits and vegetables in baskets on the ground, hunks of red meat being hacked at, plentiful fish on ice and eels in buckets. It's alive with people on foot, on bikes, on scooters. I walk through slowly pushing the bike amongst the throngs, and cycle onto the confusingly named An Hoi Island, cycling a loop and seeking out a cash point too.
Back for breakfast next to the indoor outdoor pool - in a similar manner to Joho Hotel, Kaohsiung, last night we'd had to choose one main dish, mostly a variation on eggs with bread roll plus the usual juices, coffees, fruit. I instead plump for the Mi Quang, a pork noodle dish which is hearty.
We want to all get on the bikes, keen to show Mema and Pawpaw some rice fields up close, so we get three bikes and stick Sienna and Seb on the back of two of them. Out on the main land we head on a route, in part from memory but reaffirmed by Google Maps, diving off the flat road alongside some large fish ponds currently being pumped emptied of water; all of us getting wet cycling past.
Up past a grave site (as seemingly all Vietnamese grave sites, containing a number of ornate graves). As I'm about to say - it was here we bumped into a water buffalo twice in two rides to two years ago - sure enough the same buffalo is in the same position on the dusty narrow path between two rice fields.
Whilst I’m pretty certain at the time it's the female owner I later match against my old photos. They've clearly cottoned onto tourists' interests in the intervening period - the husband is there too now encouraging ”photo photo” followed by “ride?.” He even produces a two-step frame to hoist Sienna and Seb onto the buffalo, who's aged 8 called either Cher or Share or something else we completely misheard.
They walk a small circle in the wet corner of a rice field and after a few more photos we slip the lady 50,000 dong well, if less spontaneously, spent. Through some small rice fields we cycle, trying to manufacture a group action selfie without topping into the field edged by narrow water ducts.
We arrive at our destination - Ba Nam Garden Cafe - another place we had visited two years prior, a small front garden cafe where we have refreshing smoothies and yogurt drinks.
The owner is thrilled when I show her photos from two years ago of Sienna and Seb with their dog who still padding about. We also buy a few items; a bag and some hair scrunchies from their upcycling - they get off-cuts from some of the numerous tailors in town and create a small selection of items to sell. After taking some photos - which soon appear on their Facebook page - they also gift us a small denim flat cap.
We'd come back again to this little oasis again, but now it's on to the bikes again, cycling back through more rice fields back to Mint Villa, immediately falling into the swimming pool.
As can be seen, I'm not great at resting, so head out on the bikes with just Pawpaw to tie down some more cash and we find a late lunch - Banh Mi's of course - from Madame Khan Banh Mi Queen. There's certainly still a small queue to order and a four-person production line behind the counter to create our one chicken, two egg, two mixed pork rolls. These are gratefully eaten on the balcony at Mint Villa fueling our upcoming afternoon excursion.
It's a walk over the bridge into the Old Town, Sienna and Mema easily finding a place to make their own lanterns. Whilst they're crafting, Seb, Pawpaw and I wander into the market, Pawpaw scoring two silk shirts after some negotiation and Seb an Hanoi FC shirt, prices varying from 180,000 to 550,000 for the same fake purple top. Capybaras seem to be in vogue at the moment (in Australia too) and Sienna and Seb complement their school bag collection of keyrings with a Vietnamese capybara.
Sienna and Mema add to their handiwork with a few more pre-made lanterns. Add in a dress Sienna picks out, dropping quickly from 650,000 Dong to 500,000 to 400,000 to 350,000 as we walk away - though I don't doubt the shopkeeper is still happy.
We make it to the restored Japanese Bridge before sitting down for egg and coconut coffees and smoothies. Mema and Pawpaw have a dinner reservation at 7:30pm, but there's time enough to head to the waterfront and source a 20 minute ride on the river.
Once we're off the dockside the engine is cut to idle and we can enjoy the lanterns adorning each boat and the dozens of other boats bobbing on the river. We hold off releasing a candle in a box on the river to prevent pollution though we do spot a line of netting men plucking them out the water a little further downstream. It's only 20 minutes but that's about the right amount of time to enjoy the water bound experience.
Sienna, Seb and I head back to Mint Villa for reading and bed while Mema and Pawpaw have dinner at Mango Mango - a spot they'd seen on a travel TV show with Bill Bailey. The restaurant say there's definitely been a small halo effect from the program - though not sure if that's what brought the wedding gown attired couple to a table on the balcony outside.