Friday: Hoi An

Hoi An has a central historic area closed to all traffic until 10 am and we enjoyed an early walking tour without having to compete with scooters or any vehicles. There’s also a push to use electric vehicles, so when not walking we rode open-sided electric carts. The city is smaller than other places we visited, but very touristy, and it’s known for being one of the best places for shopping in Vietnam. There are tailors galore, as well as leather and ceramics for sale.
In the afternoon, everyone in our group opted to join an add-on activity which was a lot of fun. We first stopped for a visit with a 94-year old woman in her new house out of town for a chit chat. Then we got up close to a water buffalo and several members of our group got on his back. Next was a ride on small boat on the river, stopping to allow two at a time to ride in small “bucket” boats - see photos. The boat ride was also the site of a birthday party for Susan of our group. Henry had gotten her flowers and a cake; it was all very festive! Susan definitely felt spoiled and we all enjoyed celebrating with her. As it turned to dark, lights and lanterns of the river in Hoi A came to life. It was over the top and Disney-like, but fun. Making a wish, we each placed candle-lit floats into the river. Finally, we went for diner at a restaurant serving skewered pork, and pancakes, wrapped in rice paper. Very different from other meals and quite tasty! Another game of bridge at the hotel was a nice end to the day. .Read more