Cycling the sights of Hoí An

Today we borrowed the free bikes from the homestay we are staying at and went for a long ride, past the old town and over to the coastline. We were collared by a lady going past on a motorbike and guided to her shack. From here she sold us a trip on a Vietnamese round basket boat, after a bit of bartering we agreed. She paddled us, all in Vietnamese hats, through the waterways and between the mangrove palms. We bumped (literally) into a South Korean group ahead of us, consisting of three boats and a karaoke machine. One of their guides obviously like to show off and demonstrated how to spin the boats round and round in circles. Our guide stopped to make us some accessories from the nearby palms - we got a ring each and David got a peter pan hat. It was, apart from the music, very peaceful and beautiful. Just as we were getting back to dry land the rain started, really started.
Once the rain settled we got back on our bikes and headed to the beaches north of Hoí An. On our way, we had to stop twice as escorted vehicles flew past us, heading to the APEC conference - if interested, David will tell you more. The beaches were very windy with rough seas so we continued across the coast until we found a nice bar on the beach. David tried another local beer while Kerry had a coconut.
Next, we rode to a burger place we had heard good reviews about; Chef Burger 2 (the 1st one is in Hoí An old town). We enjoyed a really good burger each and shared some fries, before cycling back to our homestay.
In the early evening we cycled back into the old town, just in time to catch a small boat down the river for sunset. The place felt much calmer and romantic at night, especially on water. We were able to light a candle each and make a wish as we set them to float on the river. We then found a quiet bar where we headed upstairs for a drink and spring rolls over looking the lantern-lit riverside town.
For dinner we cycled a little out of the town to a cute little restaurant we had read about. Unfortunately, this one did not quite live up to reviews, although the food was authentic and tasty, the mood was broken by the local pests (cockroaches). On our way home, we bought ourselves a little keepsake, a silk painting.Read more