Advertisement
Published: June 19th 2013
It's the weekend! An overcast one here in Hoi An, but no rain in sight. Not that it will make much difference to me because I have little choice but to stay in my room on Saturday. I have kicked the little toe on my right foot hard against the bed leg and wouldn't be surprised if I have broken it. It has swelled up alarmingly, and hurts like hell.
So, it's a quiet day in for me. I rest, read, blog and sleep, venturing out around 5.00pm to Solo Restaurant, just down the road, for an early dinner. I eat breakfast at the homestay, and then have one more meal for the day, usually late afternoon. This is a habit I started in India and will try to continue when I get home.
On Sunday, my toe feels much better until I squeeze it into my runners and try walking on it! Not happening, I'm afraid. Looks like thongs for me for a while. I hired a bicycle during the afternoon and headed into the Old Town, but not a lot happening there either. Even though the day isn't hot, due to the overcast skies, the streets weren't
Caged Bird
One of many hanging in the streets here.busy. I cycled around for a while, made a couple of purchases, then headed back to the homestay, via Solo Restaurant, for an early dinner. Another super lazy day, hope my toe is getting better! Thank goodness for my iPad with it's supply of games and e-books!
One thing I've noticed in Vietnam, particularly in Hanoi more than here in Hoi An, are the large number of caged birds kept here. They hang in their bamboo cages outside shops by the dozen. I thought they must be a good luck or prosperity symbol but apparently not so. A lot of them sing beautifully, and I've often stopped just to listen. It's a community hobby here, and competition is fierce between owners. I stopped today to watch an old man tend to his birds. The cages were lined up on the footpath, and he transferred the birds between them, giving them containers of fresh water which they dutifully splashed in. Such a simple and pleasant pastime.
The streets here are full of tailors shops, as Hoi An is well known to be the place to get bargain priced, made to measure clothing. Suits, dresses, coats, even jeans can be
Around Hoi An
Caged birds outside a tailors shop. manufactured especially for you, within a couple of days, allowing time for fittings and alterations. The same goes for shoes - get your feet measured and have an exclusive pair made, and ready to wear, within 24 hours. Choosing a tailor whose clothes won't fall apart as soon as you get home is the hardest part.
Thank goodness I have no interest in upgrading my wardrobe. My budget doesn't need that sort of battering. But, I must admit, I've been tempted to pull out the credit card after seeing some of the beautiful silver jewellery and hand stitched soft furnishings in the shops here....
On Monday I had no plans. My toe seemed okay, I was able to get my shoe on without any pain, so that was a good sign. I hired a bicycle and decided I'd ride to Thanh Ha Pottery Village about 3klm outside town. In the 17th century Thanh Ha was a thriving village. It was famous for earthenware that was sold in many provinces throughout Central Vietnam, mainly bricks and roof tiles. Nowadays, they make pots and items for the tourist trade.
I was disappointed, I guess I had higher expectations. It's
Around Hoi An
Shoes, clothes - all can be tailored to your specifications here. All these shops are selling shoes. just become another tourist trap with half a dozen families producing ugly terracotta wares in small family run potteries. They hastily showed me how to throw a pot on the wheel, and then pointed me in the direction of their displayed items, pushing for a sale. I bought nothing, I refused to be bullied by pushy sales tactics. Most of the smaller stuff is available in town anyway. So, a waste of time, though I did enjoy the ride which followed the river for part of the way.
When I returned to Hoi An, I 'parked' my bike and thought I'd just wander through the markets and streets, looking for good photo opportunities. I'm not going to have many chances left to do this, and I still love getting amongst the locals and enjoying the sights and sounds of their daily life.
I seem to have spent a lot of time in Hoi An sitting in cafes in the late afternoon and evening, enjoying a meal and a drink, as I watch the streets fill with people. Occasionally I'll chat with others, and occasionally I'll avoid them. I live by this quote at the moment - 'the time
Around Hoi An
Lots of fresh produce is available in the market. you enjoy wasting is not a waste of time'. Thankfully, I don't feel the need to rush and fill every moment with activity. I've cycled, walked, and shopped Hoi An from one end to the other, and simply savoured the pleasure of being there.
Tuesday had a super early start, I'm standing on the footpath at 4.45am, waiting for my pickup with Hoi An Photo Tours. I'm going on their Sunrise Tour ($35), which included a ferry ride to Duy Hai fishing village. There were only five people on this tour which was led by a professional photographer named Etienne.
The day started with tea and a photo talk at a small eatery by the river whilst we waited for the next ferry. Etienne encouraged the five of us, all amateur photographers, to take our cameras off the 'auto' setting and be more adventurous. A daunting prospect for me, I'm well aware I don't use my camera to it's full potential. Etienne explained the basics of ISO, aperture and shutter speed and was always available for questions and help during the tour. The ferry arrived, we waited for the motorcycles to be off loaded, then hopped aboard.
Around Hoi An
Fresh fish as well... With Hoi An's limited space becoming more and more valuable, the town decided to move the local fish market 10 minutes down river to the banks of Duy Hai, a once quiet fishing village that is now booming with that unmistakable early morning market energy. We had the opportunity to take lots of photos of the locals at work, as Etienne and his followers are a common sight along the river here at this time of day.
As the men unloaded the boats after a night of fishing, the women battled it out to get the first pick of the fresh catch. Some got straight to drying and smoking the fish while others jumped on their motorbikes and headed to the markets in Hoi An with their share.
Some of the smaller fish are delivered to the local fish sauce company where they are thrown into large vats, with water and salt, to begin their six-month fermentation process. We walked through the rooms where the huge wooden vats where. It was a great place to fiddle with camera settings and practice photography in low light.
As the day started to heat up, the market started to wind
Around Hoi An
Another market scene. down. Some of the larger fish were put on ice, loaded into trucks and driven off to the surrounding towns, while the remaining smaller fish were laid out along the riverbanks to begin the drying process. Time for us to have a late breakfast in the village and board the next ferry back to the mainland where bicycles were waiting for us for the 4klm ride back to Hoi An.
It's only 9.30am, but getting hot already. The rest of the day was spent doing nothing much at all, something I seem to be rather good at nowadays. Wednesday morning, my last in Vietnam, sees me repacking my suitcase and trying to get myself organised for another flight. A quick bike ride into the Old Town for a last minute purchase, an early lunch at Solo Restaurant, and I'm just about ready. I've booked the car to take me to the airport at 12.30pm for a 3.30pm flight to Kuala Lumpur.
On arrival at the airport a quick perusal of the departures board tells me my Air Asia flight isn't listed. I was completely unaware that Air Asia had stopped flying from Danang about ten days prior. They
would have tried to contact me, probably months ago, but the email address they had on file was now defunct, as was my mobile phone number. All services had been cancelled nearly six months ago, before I left home. Bugger!
Well, it had become obvious I wasn't going anywhere today! I had no choice but to leave the airport and find myself accomodation in Danang until I sorted this out. Thank goodness I had four days left on my visa.
Once I had internet connection, and a clear head, I was able to book myself onto flights leaving the next day (Thursday). Now I have to fly to Ho Chi Minh, sit in the airport for a few hours between flights, then onto Kuala Lumpur from there, finally arriving at 4.30pm. The change in schedule has cost me an extra $340 plus a night's accomodation in Danang, and I've lost a day in Kuala Lumpur. I can claim a refund from Air Asia for the cost of the original flight and will sort this out when I get home in a fortnight's time. This is the first problem I've had like this in the six months I've been
Minh Hu'ong Worship House
Huge burning incense spirals, with wishes attached, hung from the ceiling. You can buy your own wish for $20. away. It threw me at first, but then I knuckled down and got it sorted. All good!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.156s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 14; qc: 68; dbt: 0.0751s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
