Woke up early and went on a Pho hunt through the old town. Not through the main streets, but through the back lanes. What a treasure this place is. The photo's I took give you some idea of the narrow streets and activities. Right behind the main street are paddy fields with women in conical hats tending the rice, I also passed a sawmill of some sort and a school. The kids peered out the window at me laughing and pointing. A couple of ancient ladies stopped when I asked how to get back to the main street and chattered away to me in Vietnamese as by this stage I was totally lost.
Every house seemed to have a dog and they were good guard dogs, when I approached the boundary of the property they barked and when I stepped over the boundary the other side they stopped
. Finally found my way back via the unofficial city dump (see pic) and found a friendly Pho shop the Lame Cafe. Got into a broken conversation with the daughter of the proprietor and she taught me Tam Biet, (Good bye) and also that one other phrase I had saved up was incomprehensible to her.
Dripping with sweat and footsore I made my way back and was hassled unmercifully by a motorbike taxi (Xe Om) who drove slowly alongside me giving me many opportunities to say Tam Biet.
Sallys birthday today so they were staying in a luxury resort at Cai Dai beach so I went there at 4 to have some beers and watch the footy, Hawthorn v Sydney. Quite a few Aussies at the bar watching but a scrappy one sided game so we packed up at half time. The resort, Golden Sands is financed by a Swiss group who have hotels and resorts all over the world. Strangely it seems that no Vietnamese work there, all imports from Thailand and more staff than is needed and very inefficient staff at that. But it boasts a swimming pool over 100 metres long which adjoins the beach and seems to say, why get sand on your feet when you can laze away here and drink while you're doing it.
Some observations: Often you see schoolkids riding pillion on pushbikes, the pillion passenger always helps with the pedalling.
Vietnamese are hopeless with car gearboxes, they leave the car in one gear, top or 3rd and let the engine struggle. Why no automatics?
Hoi An Day 2
Friday, September 16, 2011
Hoi An, Vietnam
Other Entries
-
1Getting ready
Sep 0511 days priorDaylesford, Australiaphoto_camera0videocam 0comment 1 -
2Ho Chi Minh City
Sep 115 days priorHo Chi Minh City, Vietnamphoto_camera14videocam 0comment 1 -
3Day 2 Ho Chi Minh
Sep 124 days priorHo Chi Minh City, Vietnamphoto_camera11videocam 0comment 1 -
4Ho Chi Minh Day 3
Sep 133 days priorHo Chi Minh City, Vietnamphoto_camera13videocam 0comment 1 -
5Cao Dai and Cu Chi
Sep 151 day priorCủ Chi, Vietnamphoto_camera17videocam 0comment 1 -
6First day in Hoi An
Sep 151 day priorHoi An, Vietnamphoto_camera9videocam 0comment 4 -
7Hoi An Day 2
Sep 16Hoi An, Vietnamphoto_camera21videocam 0comment 0 -
8The Old Town visit
Sep 171 day laterHoi An, Vietnamphoto_camera20videocam 0comment 0 -
9Trip to Hue
Sep 182 days laterHue, Vietnamphoto_camera11videocam 0comment 1 -
10HUE DAY2
Sep 193 days laterHue, Vietnamphoto_camera23videocam 0comment 0 -
11Down Perfume River
Sep 204 days laterHue, Vietnamphoto_camera41videocam 0comment 0 -
12From Hue back to Hoi An
Sep 215 days laterHoi An, Vietnamphoto_camera7videocam 0comment 1 -
13FAMILY Bizness
Sep 226 days laterHoi An, Vietnamphoto_camera17videocam 0comment 2 -
14Never enough Bahn Mi
Sep 237 days laterHoi An, Vietnamphoto_camera9videocam 0comment 3 -
15Swallows nests and Cao Lau
Sep 248 days laterHoi An, Vietnamphoto_camera12videocam 0comment 0 -
16The noise, the noise
Sep 259 days laterHoi An, Vietnamphoto_camera15videocam 0comment 0 -
17Quiet day
Sep 2610 days laterHoi An, Vietnamphoto_camera13videocam 0comment 0 -
18Final Supper
Sep 2711 days laterHoi An, Vietnamphoto_camera20videocam 0comment 1 -
19Leaving day
Sep 2812 days laterHo Chi Minh, Vietnamphoto_camera5videocam 0comment 0 -
20Back Home
Sep 3014 days laterDaylesford, Australiaphoto_camera16videocam 0comment 2
2025-02-12