Friday, 12 January 2007 - Hoi An

 A sleep-in this morning (what a bonus) and then breakfast downstairs. Vietnam does fruit very well. There's always watermelon and pineapple for breakfast and at the end of other meals (just one fruit then). Sometimes mandarins, custard apple, mango and/or papaya.  They also do eggs very well. There were scrambled eggs this morning, or boiled if preferred.

Thanh Binh III - our Hoi An accommodation

Off to the market. Had rice pancakes made over a gas flame in a tiny pan.  They included some vegetables and was all wrapped in rice paper and served with a peanut dipping sauce (3,000 VND, about 30 cents each).  We probably wouldn't have been brave enough to try these if the cooking class girl hadn't suggested them.  Also probably wouldn't have been game to eat at the market when we first arrived in Vietnam.  

Picked up our lanterns that we had commissioned the other day (from Du Kein Thanh, a tiny family store that has been making lanterns for generations), then a little more bargaining.  Interesting to see the number of workshops in Hoi An set up to accommodate those with disabilities.  With no welfare, it's a way to give those less fortunate a living.

Back to the Cargo Club for mochas. Alex and Richard have discovered mochas are more reliably drinkable than cappuccinos and are usually great at the Cargo Club.  Like everywhere, it depends on the skill of the person who makes it.  We also added potato skins with onion and melted cheese - Yum.

Watched a woman throwing her fishing net into the canal from a small boat and then pulling it in almost as soon as she'd got it overboard.  Didn't see her catch anything, but she was extremely agile, using her leg to manoeuvre the boat through the water as she laid out the net with both hands.  She was then banging the oar on the water. We wondered if this was to attract the fish.

It's raining again.  Doesn't look like we'll ride bikes to the beach this afternoon as we intended. Went by taxi instead. It was nearly dark when we got to the beach, but even so, a number of people were wanting to sell us souvenirs.  One can imagine (NOT) how relaxing it would be, sitting on the beach in a deck chair (that you've paid to sit in) only to have people wanting to sell you stuff all day.

Back to Hoi An for dinner at Cafe des Amis.  Food was good but probably not really any better than Cafe Can (which was $4 per person for a set menu compared to $9 per person).  Finished the night at the Cargo Club for Mocha and cakes/strawberry sorbet.