Sometimes a person can actually be taken out of one’s comfort zone but in the process learn more things than might have been originally expected.

This is certainly true of the two [2] days in and around Hoi An. The first [1st] day was spent walking through the old city which has resurrected itself as a tourist haven. That in itself was not so bad, once you steel yourself to say “no” to the myriads of independent merchants that know the key words in English– “heh!!” “you want!?!” “only a dollar!”. There is traditional Vietnamese architecture, mixed with French, Japanese (including a most unique covered bridge, with various spots to stop and worship, especially in flood season I guess) and some Chinese. There are lots of people, but one does not feel crowded nor pushed. The old market is a cross between Atwater in Montreal and Granville Island in Vancouver; but, perhaps the way they were fifty [50] years ago. Many open stalls with no obvious signs of refrigeration… the people are always smiling and most take “no” graciously, almost to say — well you’re missing out on a good thing, but that’s okay because there’s some one behind you that will be smarter.

After a fairly lengthy stay in “old town” we headed into the country by SUV (it being too rainy to ride the bikes — besides they didn’t have helmets, and this is one [1] country where driving conditions basically dictate as much personal armour as possible!)! We arrived at a massive garden/farm and were given a most interesting tour of the various plots: mostly vegetables and herbs… ST enjoyed this thoroughly, while I was appreciative of the guide’s extensive knowledge of what had to be planted, when (considerable rotation)… Finally we came to the farm house which while not huge (single level) was spacious enough to allow us to sit on a patio to watch the farmer prepare a plot for transplanting boc choi… With a simple hoe (actually a long handle with a bent spade at the end) he dug up the plot, engineered it for maximum water retention, and leveled it to accommodate five [5] rows. Once that was done, he dug up the middle, lay down some rotting sea-weed to serve as fertilizer, covered it and smoothed all the dirt, ready for planting. He then went and picked some boc choi that was growing in another plot — in so doing he reduced the congestion in that location (a form of pruning) and had exactly enough plants to put into the new plot. Using his fingers to dig the necessary holes (by punching his index finger into the soil) he quickly transplanted all the young plants. Then, dipping two [2] water-sprinkler type pails (one at each end of a traditional pole that he would put over his shoulder) into a water reservoir, he then walked along the plot and poured water on all the new plants, saving just enough for him to wash his feet at the end of the exercise. He then came into the house; efficiency is a trademark in this country.

Shortly thereafter he invited us to join him around two [2] small cooking stoves where he proceeded to teach us how to prepare our lunch. It was like an omelet with all kinds of goodies, chicken + shrimp, in it (ST will provide the recipe later to anyone who is interested) and when it was done we flipped it over (in half). Then we were given some rice paper which was placed on our plates — putting the “omelet” on the paper, we opened it and added more goodies, and then rolled it all within the rice paper so it sort of looked like a spring roll (although it tasted a whole lot better than any spring roll I had ever eaten). After this they brought out some local beer and then about six [6] more courses of food others in the farm family had prepared. It was quite a feast…great food with lots of laughter…

Before they would let us leave, they gave each of us a foot massage to compensate for all our walking!! Oh that we in North America were so gracious to our guests!!

After returning in mid-afternoon to our hotel we crashed for a bit (although ST did go to a special “street food” moment by the hotel’s pool) and then we went for a walk along the river by “old town” so we could see the lights associated with the lunar month that was just starting. It was very picturesque (although there were many trying to sell us lanterns to drop into the river ourselves). In mid-evening, after a walk through more markets, we returned to our hotel and went to the lawns by the river to enjoy some local beer & pizza…a genteel way to conclude the day…

Today (Day #2) was much different…up a little earlier, into the SUV and through some interesting villages heading towards the mountains. We did come across the aftermath of a bus vs. motor-scooter accident: the bus was damaged and the scooter was destroyed — we think the scooter pulled out to pass at the same time the bus did — anyway, the guide said that about twenty-five [25] people are killed each day on the roads in Vietnam. I’m just surprised it isn’t more…there was no ambulance by the time we arrived so we don’t know the fate of the scooter rider (nor how many people were on the bike — sometimes we see as many as three [3], and remember these aren’t Harley’s).

Anyway, we finally reached My Son, which is a site well into the mountainous jungle, not far from the “ho chi minh trail” used during the war — in fact, after parking the SUV we walked for almost another kilometre. I’m sure I will be impressed when I get to Ankor Wat, but let me say this: If you ever come to Vietnam, you have to visit My Son — it is a UN World Heritage Site, part of the old Champa kingdom and is full of various temples and secondary buildings erected between the sixth [6th] and twelfth [12th] centuries for worshiping various Hindu gods. I hadn’t realized that Hinduism had made it as far as Vietnam and that it had generated such incredible building. Most of the site is still standing, and while some parts have been destroyed by aerial bombing (a couple bomb craters are right beside an ancient temple) and other parts have been partially restored, the entire experience is amazing. We started with a brief “live” show of music and dancing from that era presented by some very talented young people and then spent another hour or more just wandering through the site. The Guide is very knowledgeable and gave us a plethora of insights into life then and how it perhaps ended — there are even columns still laying on the ground where the carving had not been finished. It is a very spiritual place and there are key places where only the priests could enter — not even the kings who built the temples — much like the Temple in Jerusalem (as well as other holy sanctuaries of other faiths). There also were longhouses for people to stay in on their pilgrimages between the various ceremonies which were held in the open spaces outside the temples themselves. A couple of these have been preserved and the carvings in them are amazing — it reminded me of being in longhouses in Gitksan country.

We returned to Hoi An in early afternoon and went to a restaurant called “Morning Glory” — divine experience…more on that later…

For now I’m going to take a break so I can take in some of the “street food” festival here at the resort (cause I think they are serving some local beer with it — and since I can’t do wine tastings here, there being a significant paucity of the fruit of the vine, I have to contribute my tasting skills in other directions!!).

Hoi An…a truly wonderful stop along the way…we will leave tomorrow for Hue, but my memories of this time in Hoi An will stay with me for a long, long time…