Day 8 Hoi An

What a day. 30 degrees for most of it and we were on a cycling trip for half it. Our guide met us with the bikes at 8 30 and we headed off into the reasonably busy traffic, remembering that we needed to be on the right side of the road. We then headed up and down country lanes until we were out in the middle of rice fields and farmland at the back of the city. After several short stops including a close up look at water buffalo and a fishing village, we boarded the round bamboo boats for the ride through a water coconut palm forest. There were hundreds of boats all travelling in convey up the canals. The local sailors put on displays of paddling and spinning the boats to music and we also had a go at crab fishing. We then biked on to Tra Que Organic vegetable village where we had a very interesting demonstration of how to prepare soil and plant vegetables as well as having a go at many of the tasks ourselves. The fresh vegetables and herbs were in hundreds of little plots and the farming techniques very basic. We returned to the nearby family restaurant for the cooking demonstration - also very entertaining with lots of participation as we all made Vietnamese pancakes which was the basis of a very filling lunch. The bike ride back was extremely hot and quite hard after being used to our electric bikes and within minutes of returning to the resort we were in the pool. At 4 pm Malcolm, David and I headed into town to pick up our newly made clothes ( a jacket, some shirts and a pair of shorts) which had all been ordered the day before. We returned to settle down in the restaurant for a drink and dinner, and to view the second wedding at the resort. It was all very entertaining as there was a sudden shower of rain and all the wedding had to be quickly moved indoors which caused lots of activity and action. It was a shame as the setting for these outdoor weddings is absolutely beautiful. Another early night but good as we are off to the Bah Nah Hills early tomorrow.Weiterlesen