Day 11 – Vietnam

Hoi An is wonderous. At night the bay lights up with little pagodas, boats, and the reflection from the nightlife. A bridge covered in Tet holiday decorations connects us and old town (or ancient town as it is also known). Old town is the draw here. Tiny little shops some still family owned pour into the street. The buildings ancient. Way older than I can even date.

It’s a full moon, we walk around the bay and watch it rise. The moon reflects off the water. It’s romantic, ladies with large hats and sticks carrying fruit try and sell us stuff. The hustle is deep but we are strong.

The bar a little thing out on the tip of the island is owned by a sweet family. Dawn and I play with their little girl, feed the new puppy and have many conversations lasting way into the night. For this we pay the price today. A slow morning.

Hoi An is a town of travelers, destination seekers, and people looking for a tailored clothing.

The morning is full of boats getting ready to head out and fish. Cafe’s open early for the tourists and the locals. It has diversity in price far more than I have seen. I can get a coffee for 20’000 dong or 40’000* (that’s just a dollar or two but it’s a huge difference here)* just depends on the location. I gravitate to a nice coffee shop it looks just like home. I need to leave.

This makes me comfortable in the wrong way. It’s too easy nobody speaks to you in Vietnamese, you realize English is the international language. Which is nice and all but it’s fun to have to try, each interaction a little funny show and tell struggle for both sides.

The trash truck plays music. It reminds me of Japan.

We eat Cao Lau another new favorite dish. A local Hoi An dish with some of the yummiest noodles we have had to date. Great food is everywhere here. Cooks in this country know the local fresh products and use them. Each region has its own dishes.

We rent scooters and ride to My Son starting off, its a little sketchy, dawn has never rode a scooter. She gets the hang of it after a couple trips around the small easy part of town and we are off. It’s a long ride for a first time. Dawn is awesome. It’s 45 kilometers about 27 miles. We hit the road and make it out to the ruins before sunset our goal to be in and out and back here before the sun goes down.

The ride is worth the trip we pass through small towns, large towns industrial areas, everything is decorated for Tet. Flags everywhere, lights everywhere, stages everywhere. We scoot past water buffalo on the road, cattle, farmers carrying pigs on a scooter.

Dawn gets a lot of looks. People stare and point sometimes. I love riding behind her seeing the expressions.

My Son is really amazing it’s old. Real old. The ornate detail people were capable of even in the 4th–13th century. Amazing to see.

Dawn looks for birds and we walk around the ruins. We head back. Passing the fields of rice, the cattle, and back into the towns. It’s so fun. So much fun. I smile as dawn gets more confident and starts passing people. This is why I love her. She is amazing. A daredevil in a yellow coat with red hair flowing in the wind. It’s brilliant. Everyone stares.

We pass school kids on bikes more than I can count. They travel a long way to school they stretch on for miles.

The rain starts about a mile from the highway. Highway riding here is no fun. You just get to the side and gun it. With the rain and the large trucks kicking up dust, debris, and rocks it really sucks. Add a little darkness and inexperienced riders and you have a recipe for disaster. I keep it as easy as I can and we get off as soon as possible. A little lost but alive no scrapes no bruises. Tired and hungry.

We make it back through a different town. Slightly lost a man helps us as soon as we stop. Everyone is nice here. People are so helpful.

We eat and it’s bedtime, tired. The standard goodbye here seems to be “see you tomorrow” or “see you later” I like that so I’ll use it.

See you tomorrow.

Read the other entries from our Vietnam trip below
Day 1 – Day 2 – Day 3 – Day 4 – Day 4 1/2 – Day 5 – Day 6 – Day 7 – Day 8 – Day 8 1/2 – Day 9 – Day 10 – Day 11 – Day 12 – Day 13 – Day 14 – Day 15 – Day 16 – Day 17 – Day 18 – Day 19 – Day 20 – Day 21