On arriving in Hoi An, we check into our hotel and are excited by the pool next to the restaurant as well as the day spa treatments which are available.
After a quick rest, we follow Chinh into the 'Old Town'. Hoi An is so far the most commercialised, touristy place we have been to in all of Vietnam. The streets are currently decorated with red and gold lanterns for the lunar new year and the shops which line the street are new and modern. Most of the shops are selling tailor made clothes and shoes with others selling souveniors and knick knacks.
Lunch is at the Mermaid Cafe where we sample local Hoi An treats - the White Rose and Won Tons. After lunch, Chinh takes us on a quick orientation tour. He hands us admission tickets which will take us to five various historical sites in the 'Old Town'. He lets us decide if we want to use them or we want to go shopping. We choose to go shopping.
We go to a clothing store recommended by Chinh called Sun Silk. The group gets measured up for all kinds of things and we agree to come back tomorrow afternoon for a second fitting with the items ready for collection by the end of the day. Talk about speedy service!
When we are done, it's a quick rest at the hotel before the team breaks into those who head out for dinner and those who attend a cooking class.
The next morning, we go on a bicycle tour of Hoi An. We are mildly concerned that we were not given helmets on this segment but were not too concerned. The tour involves us weaving through some light city traffic and takes us to the outskirts of Hoi An to the rice fields and villages which exist outside the city. The scenery is breathtaking and so are the villages. They all appear self-sufficient growing vegetable gardens and rearing water buffalos to help in the rice fields.We stop at a beach part way and some of the team opts for a quick dip in the water to cool off from the Hoi Ai weather which we already notice is warmer and more humid than the cities in Northern Vietnam. We then push off for our boat ride to an island for a BBQ lunch!
We load our bikes onto a little wooden vessel and sail off to an island. We dock and then carry the seats we were sitting on in the boat onto the beach. The "captain" has packed us all food and drinks - as well as a portable charcoal webber which he already started up on the boat.
The captain doubles as our chef and we feast on bbqed banana leaf fish, banana leaf prawns, chicken and beef with some french loaves. Lunch is topped off with some succulent pineapple.
A quick cruise and bike back to the hotel, a hot shower and we are all back at Sun Silk getting re-fitted where necessary or collecting our clothes. After being refitted, I head back to the hotel for a well deserved Hot Stone Therapy while Tim gets a back and shoulder massage.
Before dinner, we swing by Sun Silk one last time to collect our clothing. Tim leaves with a 2-pant suit and I with 2 winter coats, a pair of pants and a traditional vietnamese outfit. Stoked!!
Dinner is at a slightly fancier place than usual tonight and I comment to Tim as to how I think the food is pretty expensive. 140,000 Dong for a seafood hot pot for two. Then I realise that that is just under AUD$10 and I retract my statement. Having been used to all the cheap food in Vietnam, some things just begin to look a bit more expensive.
After dinner, we stop by the Cargo Club to pick up some dessert to eat while we pack for our 6.30am departure. The Cargo Club is not a traditional Vietnamese restaurant but rather an amazing french inspired patisserie. We leave with a mini passionfruit cheesecake and apple/pineapple crumble tart which prove to be amazing.
After a quick pack, it's time for bed for some well needed rest for our early departure to Ho Chi Minh city the next day.
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