Urban Adventure Tour Hoi An

After breakfast we headed into town to do some more exploring.  We headed in new directions and on the way found shirts and shorts for Gordy, a ring for me and a great new tailor - YALY - they have the best selection of fabrics and I was told by our local tour guide later that they have a very good reputation.  I did weaken and order another dress.

We walked through the markets, which were abuzz with people selling all sorts of trinkets, fruit and vegetables, poultry, fish .... you name it!  I turned around at one stage to see Gordy being led away by a local woman.  I literally had to run after them to catch up only to see him being ferreted away down a small alley ..... when I finally arrived he was sitting with his shirt off being "threaded"!  All stray ear hairs and eyebrows have now been eliminated, hair cut and a massage into the bargain!  I couldn't stop laughing :)

It was getting quite hot so we returned to the hotel for a swim to cool off.  We had to be back at Intrepid Travel agency by 3pm for our afternoon tour ..... a bike ride!  I was suddenly panic stricken!! I haven't ridden a bike for 50 years, and even then it was only once while staying with my cousins :(
Amidst quite a bit of initial wobbling I soon got the hang of it and from then on simply hung on and concentrated for dear life!  After making our way out of town we headed through the rice fields where local women were working surrounded by water buffalo lolling in mud baths and beef cattle grazing in the distance.   We stopped at a local house to visit but they weren't home so we pushed on meeting up with another local farmer and his water buffalo which he insisted we ride!

Every time I climbed back on that bike it felt like I was sitting on a brick!  Not the most comfortable I've ever been and it was sooo hot!  We finally arrived at the boat and after chugging along the river for a while we moored on the embankment where the skipper cooked us a bbq.  Back on the boat we witnessed the most magnificent sunset.  I've never seen the sun so huge and so orange.  The skipper dropped us off on the edge of the town and we had one more short ride to complete our journey ..... ouch!  After the cab ride back - the poor driver was so confused as I tried to give him 35,000VND when it should have been VND35 (A$2 for a cab ride!), we headed straight for the pool then up to our room.  We have a 7.30am pick up tomorrow for our private tour to My Son.