Good Tourists

To Hoi An, Vietnam

We learned yesterday from the woman in the lobby that the easiest way to Hoi An would be a taxi. As promised, at 10 a.m. the driver appeared and we were off. Since we had already made reservations for a cooking class tomorrow, the rest of today was totally free.

Morning Traffic

Han River, Danang

After lunch, we decided to walk into the nearby old town to explore the sights. Dex was adamantly opposed to the plan but softened his view a little later. I suspect the ice cream we ate had something to do with it.

Although there’s a small fee to enter the old town, the benefit is that cars and motorcycles are, thankfully, not allowed. Moreover, all the store owners have adopted traditional fabric shades for the electric lights, making for a beautifully subdued effect.

We first checked out the 326 year old Japanese bridge before strolling over to the river for a short boat ride. Apparently the thing to do is to light a candle lantern and place it in the water. The woman we paid to row us along the lazy river didn't speak English, so, not knowing the protocol, we made a wish for continued safe travels and set the four colorful paper sacks adrift.

Japanese Bridge

For the rest of the evening, we wandered around the outdoor market filled with souvenirs. We were excellent tourists letting Dex and Kylie have their names written on a grain of rice, which is then deposited into a small glass bead, allowing those of us who are visually challenged to actually read it. Then, in recognition of our new found eating skills, we bought a small selection of decorated wooden chopsticks, and then finally stopped at a tiny river side stand to enjoy some noodles and chicken satay while sitting in tiny plastic chairs.  

Only three letters, D - E - X

As a special treat, we decided on another movie night, generally a rare activity. While in Hong Kong, we had chosen, for the first time, to download a couple movies for possible holiday viewing, one of them being Forest Gump. The kids have been asking to see it since this summer. Not knowing what our bike route was going to be like each daym we had quoted from the movie. The saying applies as much now as ever. "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get”.