Hoi An and around

There goes that law again…. set out on a 20km or so bike exploration only to get 10k out and the sun decides to appear for the first time in 7 days. No hat, 30deg and due to dubious powers of navigation an extra 10k on top of the 20k planned. For a while I thought my web site name was a prophecy and I may indeed begoneforsometime….. However it was all worthwhile due to the great scenery and interesting views along the way, some of which I will once more bore you with…

Never quite understood the need to show off live food at a restaurant. Having seen and made friends with the creature do you then really want to eat it? Sure it attempts to demonstrate freshness but whose to say they don’t substitute a thawed out version kept out of sight…or am I just being cynical… Either way I hope these are just for show and are actually pets called nemo or similar with a long life ahead of them…

Zig zagging across many rice fields are a series of paths frequented by local farmers, bikes and the inevitable scooters plus the occasional buffalo! Throughout there are miles of irrigation channels reminiscent of ‘el Campo’ in rural Murcia although significantly more abundant water here.

Lots of white Egret’s around the rice fields and lots of plastic / tin can attempts to scare them off. Although did see this chap doing a good job too.

Middle of nowhere and up pops what appears to be the local version of scooters r us but on closer inspection turns out to be party-time, exclusive for scooter owners; unfortunately my bike did not qualify…ho hum…

However all was not lost as 5k down the road and of course…you come across the ubiquitous Irish bar! I don’t know how they do it, I have seen these in virtually every location I have travelled from Kenya to Bahrain; from Wroclaw in Poland to Delhi and beyond. Remarkable export for such a small country!

Sláinte!

Suitably refreshed had some serious catch up to do so on my bike once more; this time away from the beach area across Hoi An down busy arterial roads with the constant accompaniment of scooter horns – seems when they want to change direction they toot the horn and just go… As the sound is the same whichever direction they take not sure how we are supposed to know and therefore be ready to take the correct remedial action. However, as in Bangkok, I am yet to witness any carnage, close encounters aplenty but it appears to actually be a non-contact sport…so far at least! Soon reached a much more tranquil labyrinth of pathways crossing rice fields, down dead ends which finished in someone’s house and occasionally coming across surprising sights…

Of course in this part of the World there are one or two Temples around…. Sooooo many! Huge and small, inhabited or just a roadside shrine St. Christopher like overseeing fair play in the relentless non-contact traffic sport. Some dating back centuries and some just a few years or even currently under construction. The first one in the photos below shows the year 2532 which is based on the lunisolar calendar closely linked to the Chinese calendar and is actually 31 years ago as we are now in 2563…do try and keep up…

Back to Hoi An old town. First pic is the Bamboo circus on the adjoining island in the Thu Bõn river.

Stumbled across a busy market. Mix of fruit & veg plus fish, spices and stuff I had no idea of. However also saw the laundry sign…wish I’d seen that earlier…wonder if it’s a dry or wet kg for a dollar?

I’ll finish with a Public Health warning…. The fruit below is called a Durian….under NO circumstances should you get nearer to one than this photo. When cut it could clear an arena in seconds as it’s aroma is a cross between an ancient overworked latrine, an angry skunk and a marathon runners old socks. Why on earth it is bought and eaten with apparent relish and why on earth it is called a fruit I will never know. Many hotels actually have signs forbidding the presence of the fruit in their premises…thank god! You have been warned!!