A site inspection day

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Morning activities as usual - nothing out of the "ordinary". Good friends from Bathurst mentioned that were contemplating a package to Vietnam that included 2 nights in Saigon and 6 nights at Naman Resort. This 5-star property is around 12 months old and located close to midway between Hoi An and Danang City. After Breakfast I do my daily riutine of checking e-mails and FB - then I decide in the afternoon I will ride moto to the Naman to check it out. I get a call from my friend Chau who tells me the owner of the apartment I will move in to has invited me for a party at his house (next to the apartment). With a couple of hours to spare - I decide to ride to Naman - then get back in time for a shower, clean shorts nd shirt - then go around to Mr Hiep's (the soon-to-be-landlord)

This resort is quite impressive. The theme is rural Vietnam - with lots of bamboo, rice grain and lotus flower decorations. Most of the accommodation is 1 and 2-nedroom villas with private pools. Well manicured grounds, nice guest pools and a good piece of beach frontage. It would be very comfortable staying here - but also quite pricey unless you have one of the special packages like my friends have. I look at my watch - and I have 40 minutes to get back to homestay and shower then go to party. I am not more than 5kms from the resort and I feel a bit of a wobble on the bike. I think it's the front wheel - but within a matter of 10-15 seconds, at least 5 VN riders and drivers have pointed to my back wheel and tyre. Yep - a flat tyre. Lucky for me - I have stopped about 15m from a hole-in-the-wall bike shop. The grease-covered proprietor looks at it and tells me it will take 30 minutes and cost $6 to put in a new tube. I new I would be paying the "tourist" price (about $1.50 too much) - but what would I do in this situation? I have always wondered how they change a rear tyre on these models of Yamaha. They are direct drive with the engine/automatic gearbox mounted on the left side of the rear wheel. The exhaust passes back on the right hand side. Easy peasy, about 6 bolts are removed from the exhaust mounting and the framework lifts off - revealing the rim and the tube is removed and new one inserted. He was right - about 30 minutes, and new tube, both tyres pressurised to correct level and I was on my way. This was now just on 6.00pm - so there was no time to go to homestay and shower, change - so it was direct route to the about-to-be landlords.

The party was a family affair with out 15 VN adults and kids. There was friends Kerrie and Peter who rent the upstairs 1-bedroom, and Vicky (another Aussie) who rented the 2-bedroom on 01 July - and effectively "bumped " us from having the unit from 15 Jul - 17 Oct. She is due to leave on 03 Aug - and I will move in on 04 Aug. The Vietnamese men like to drink. Beer is the preferred alcohol of choice - although out host is a red wine drinker. The 3 tables (which can comfortably take 6 persons) and the little chairs - all aluminium - were rented for the evening. Mr Hiep's wife Hoa made all the salads and noodles. Several cartons of beer were produced and consumed - all with copious quantities of ice which is needed to cool it. Mr Hiep surprisingly got stuck into 2 bottle of Dalat red (not the smoothest home-grown wine in Vietnam). Friend Peter had his blue tooth speaker - so some music was provided. There was lots of laughing, drinking, and a little bit of dancing (started by me). I treated the evening as a farewell party for Vicky - and my about-to-move-into-the-unit party. When Vietnamese parties finish - they finish. Plates are quickly taken to the kitchen and tables and chairs are stacked up - and everyone goes home. No lingering storytellers or drunks. We came, we ate, we drank and we left. End of party. I made my way back to the homestay with anticipation that I would soon be in more comfortable surroundings.

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