Hoi An Day 3

Today’s plan is to try not to get killed whilst I explore by bicycle. Apart from modes of transport that have legs, I’ve pretty much covered them all now!!

My butt is not a fan of bike seats, but it wasn’t too bad after yesterday’s adventure.

So off I set looking for a bike. They seem to be everywhere when you’re not looking for them, but the only one I found this morning as I walked towards where I was going was just ok!

After a quick run down on how to lock it 🤣🤣 away i wobbled. Not much traffic at 8, found a place for breakfast and continued to the Charming Homestay for my morning cooking class.

There were only 3 of us in the class, we were in the kitchen and not wearing a chefs hat and apron!! Like some of the bigger touristy ones publicise.

We rode 10 minutes to the local market - with a road side shop stop to buy raincoats. A brief but heavy shower as it turned out. The couple from the Netherlands quite well adapted to the biking, but the raincoat was just one more thing to think about and it was about here that I noticed the seat slipping.

The market was fun and interesting, they always are, but Ha had some great things to share about different things and the couple were very curious about all the food types they’d never experienced before.

Equipped with what we’d need for our dishes we rode back to the Homestay and cooked our meals.

Banana and prawn spring rolls, a simple dipping sauce, a beef and a chicken dish. All delicious and the recipes recipes will be shared with us soon. We were given one of the kitchen gadgets that we used, which was funny as we’d taken a photo of it to go track it down at the markets.

I wasn’t far from the Tra Que Vegetable Village, so I detoured there on my way back to the tailor. Little plots of land, all owner by different families and farmers that grow all the greens and vegetables that we’d seen earlier in the markets.

On the way to the tailor, I had a young guy on a scooter pull up next to me and tell me there was something wrong with the bike. Eventually we figured out it was the seat he was trying to tell me about, fixed it again and then he rode off.

A few minutes later I rode past him again and he started riding along beside me making conversation. I eventually pulled up near other people to check my bearings and he took the opportunity to ask me if I wanted to “try a local boy”, I laughed out loud, and said “No thanks, I’m too old for you!” He said very seriously - “No, you are still good”, I said “No, but thanks for the offer”, and still laughing he shrugged and rode away.

I told the girls at the tailor when I got there, they could’ve believe I thought it was funny.

Tried on the things I’d ordered, with just a few adjustments, and then was whisked away with Ahmi, to pick the leather for a jacket I decided to have made and the dress I’d bought with me to have copied. Back to the tailor, and onto the bike to make my way back to get rid of it. I ended up walking it through the busy tourist section, no one paying attention to anything let alone me, and the groups of Chinese or Korean, just come at you like a wall, so thought it safer for everyone if I wasn’t on the bike.

An atm, a snack and then to the other tailor, around the corner who has knocked off a couple of my reversible skirts - but messed up the pockets and then out to dinner and ate at my first and last restaurant. It was nice, but nothing to get excited about.

It’s 9:30
A walking tour of the old quarter planned for tomorrow.Read more