May 26 - June 21, 2015

Despite my letter breaking up with Southeast Asia, we still had at least two weeks left to spend together....always an awkward situation. Anyway, I need to move on and report on our month living in Hoi An.

We became comfortable as residents of Hoi An and began to live our lives as locals. We made regular bicycle trips to An Bang Beach. The road along the rice paddy fields toward the beach was lovely. We quickly learned to visit at lunchtime in order to avoid the throngs of Vietnamese who go around 4:00 when it is cooler. They set up mats on the beach, have a dip in the water and prepare their dinner. It does not matter what day it is, it is always crowded at sunset.

Parking motor bikes at the beach. Now you know why we avoided sunset. It was a challenging exit.

What we saw on our way to An Bang Beach

Not sure what she has, but the greens were harvested from the river

Heading to the beach to sell balloons and other trinkets

Thankfully the water buffalos off the side of the road were tied to the land.

Daily life in Hoi An also involved getting groceries from the central market. Unfortunately prices are not set and are subect to change depending on which vendor you visit and your bartering skills. My skills are not strong and I did not pick many battles. I established a relationship with some vendors in the hopes of not getting ripped off too badly. The egg lady and I were quite friendly and she always smiled as she picked a dozen of her best eggs for me. Getting them back home without cracking was always a challenge. I learned to bring my own cardboard egg container, otherwise they just went in a plastic bag carefully packed for the bumpy ride back home.

It was best to run errands on the electric bike (moped). I could zip in and out of traffic just like everyone else on motorbikes. So while bartering for groceries wasn't a typical daily activity for me in the states, dropping Maeve off at a sleepover with her new friends was (except now she was delivered on the back of my bike). During our last week, we ditched the bicycles and got another electric bike. It was too hot to peddle around and I got tired of arguing with the kids to get them out of the house for even the most basic excursion (i.e. dinner). It was easier to have them as passengers on the back of the bikes so we could explore more of Hoi An.

Typical street in town with tons of tailors, restaurants and clothing shops

If you don't have a bike, this is an alternate way to explore Hoi An

Lunch excursion to Baby Mustard restaurant. Delicious!

During our stay we also got to celebrate Michael's birthday and watch the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup (a special occasion even if it meant getting there at 8:00 a.m.).

Michael's birthday cake specially made and delivered by Dingo Deli....YUM!

Watching the Blackhawks at Hoi An Sports Bar

Regular visitor from across the road. She loved to come in and explore our house.

I waited until the last minute to book a bike tour of Hoi An village life. The tour took place on the other side of the river and we had to put our bikes on a boat to cross. We had a fabulous experience learning about more traditional life in Hoi An and seeing how boats, mats, and rice noodles were made. The tour guide and the other passengers made the trip even more special. On top of it all, it was free! We just paid for the boat across (less than a dollar round trip) and small contributions to the families who welcomed us into their homes and demonstrated their skills. The guides were college students practicing their English skills. We definitely recommend Free Hoi An Tours.

Local youngster making the most of river crossing by reading a book.

I seriously could not sit like this all day

She is cooking the dried rice over the fanned fire.

Liam takes a shot at making rice noodles

The noodles were hand cut or cut with a crank and then served to us.

The little girls getting some water in their yard

Liam on the boat ready to head back. The only real rainy day of the entire month.

An absolutely beautiful place with beautiful people. We will miss Hoi An....but not the heat.