Getting Lost

I had one thing on the agenda for the morning, and that was to head back to the tailor and get my suit tweaked, if it needed it. Well, I had a second item on the agenda but I wasn’t sure whether or not it would actually happen due to the continual rain and cloud that had followed us to Hoi An. I wanted to see the beach on the east coast of Hoi An, as Chloe and Laura (off of the train from Surat Thani to Bangkok) had been there and it had looked amazing. Also, the Top Gear boys had taken their travel-weary bikes down to the beach and met some locals down there, so I fancied doing the same. But if the weather stayed like it was I would more than likely skip it and just bum around the town.

Before I set off we did some research into India, as we would need to complete our online visa application before the day was through. We planned a vague route, but it will probably change once we get nearer to crossing the border, and once we have worked out just what we will be doing in Nepal. We waited for a break in the weather and then I began the long walk down to the tailor, agreeing to meet James at Treats for lunch at 1:00pm. It turns out that the suit didn’t need tweaking at all and it fit me like a glove, so we arranged a postie to come to the shop and send it on its way back to England. It had taken slightly longer than anticipated so I was a little late getting to lunch, but we had a beer and a burger (something we haven’t had since the US) and it hit the spot perfectly.

There's the beer, the burger's gone already!

After lunch James wandered back into the markets again to find another shirt and I went back to the hotel to grab a bike and hit the beach. Unfortunately the weather was still pretty miserable, but I wanted to see the beach so I just went and bloody did it anyway! The bikes were free and I also took with me the big golf umbrella that I balanced across the handlebars. This stayed there for only a few minutes as it very nearly came straight off and tangled in me spokes, so I sheathed it down my back between my bag and my coat, in a He-Man style (cartoon from the 80’s for all you non-UK readers). I hadn’t ridden a bike for a number of years, but getting back on a bike is very much like……riding a bike. But this was in Vietnam. And I would have to ride on the other side of the road to what I am used to. And it was Vietnam. There was a heck of a lot of traffic on the roads and none of it made any sense!

On the bike 

I headed east along the main road, rain pouring into my face so I could only just see through my glasses. I was overtaken by most things, but I had the edge on most other cyclists who were just dallying around. I also got very used to ringing the bell when overtaking, so as to tell them that you are near them. I only hope I forget this habit when I get back to England and am driving in my car. It was only a few km to the beach, and I parked up, locked up and went for a wander.

Hoi An beach...in the rain

The rain was being intermittent by this point, but the beach still looked pretty good. The waves were crashing on the shore and the sea was actually quite warm as I walked through the surf. I had a laze on one of the sun-loungers there, under the wooden umbrellas, but it really wasn’t the kind of image you would imagine, especially with me still in my raincoat. After a good half hour I climbed back on the bike and headed south, to try and get to the end of the peninsula. It didn’t take too long, but it wasn’t really worth it to be honest. There was a lighthouse, and a few boats hanging around, but not much else. Apart from the odd playing card on the floor. Seriously, they are everywhere in Asia. If you ever lose a card you can probably find another one within 10 minutes.

The Lighthouse on the peninsula

Turning back to the main road I came across a smaller road that looked like it might go somewhere interesting. I cycled down it, getting a few looks from the locals as if to say I shouldn’t be there. Not in an aggressive way, more of a “why would you come down here” kind of way. I biked through lots of little huts and small houses and came to a little jetty area with a few more locals checking me out. As time was getting on, and I wasn’t entirely sure where I was or where I was heading, I turned back to the main road.

The local jetty

Unfortunately there was a school that I had to pass. Just as the kids were coming out, and their parents/brothers/sisters were picking them up in every mode of transport imaginable. So I had to fight my way through the melee, ringing my bell and trying not to scratch anyone’s scooter. I have learnt that young Vietnamese kids will enthusiastically shout “hello!” to you if you walk past them, and this was just a huge hot-pot of “hello” calls heading my way. I responded to as many as I could (I even gave one kid a high-five) and they loved it. So much in fact that one kid came running after me once I had breached the crowd and was accelerating away, so I turned, high-fived, gave a thumbs-up and powered off. I felt like a celebrity for all of 60 seconds.

I made it back through the rain and the traffic (even after a coach and two people on a motorbike had tried to wipe me out) and met James back at the ranch. After watching me get my suit made he had apparently been toying with the idea of getting one for himself, and he had gone down to the same place and asked for “same same, but different” to get a suit done for him. After a quick shower we worked on the India visa some more, but I encountered an “internal server error” when trying to upload my photo, so we went for dinner and would come back to it later. We ate at a little place over the river, and thankfully there was no rain in sight. It made the place look so much better, and there were even a few candles floating down the river in coloured paper boats. We sampled some more local fresh beer and then made our way back to finish the India visa and get packed. We would be leaving for Hanoi in the morning, and absolutely nothing could go wrong.

Hoi An by night