The homestay is good, I guess. For $15 a night, I get free use of a bicycle and access to a refrigerator (leaving my bottle in there overnight should leave me with cold water come the morning). They also provide free breakfast, which I'll have words to say about as soon as I've tasted it.
I went last night to a restaurant at which a young lady served me, and appeared to be flirting with me, but today she stated she had a girlfriend when I tried to kiss her hand.
Yeah. Probably not a gesture she would appreciate as much being that she's Vietnamese, but what can I do?
Let me move on. Please.
Anyway, I arrive at the homestay a good two and a half hours early, and there I took a shower and got ready to expedition out upon the town. I chose, after much advice from Hu'ng, that I'd set out toward Hoi An's city center, which takes me away from the ocean. The bicycle wasn't the best, more of a cruising sort of thing, but with absurd pedaling and the endurance gifted by a bike bell, I was outpacing slow-moving motorcycles left and right.
Bikes are fun.
Anyway, I arrived in the city center after a while of pedaling like a madman, ringing my bell until my thumb was sore, and I wandered around somewhat aimlessly. Eventually, I found a shop selling sandals and flip-flops. I quickly realized that it would be difficult to find a shoe of any sort to my size in this country, as not only my height (which messed up my first two shirt purchases), but also the size of my feet caused everything to be slightly out of my size range.
This shop was willing and able to make me sandals sized exactly to my feet, but because of Tet, I wouldn't get them for at least two days. Being that I'm going to be on the beach for these three days, I kind of need a pair of sandals right now. Also, she wanted 750,000 dong, which comes to more than $35. While this might be a good price for correctly sized, leather, quality sandals, I wasn't sure I could justify buying two pairs, unless one was exceedingly cheap. I may still buy these leather sandals she offered, but I'll have to think about it and I might have to buy something in the meantime.
There was a woman loitering around during the entire ten to twenty minutes this woman was offering me sandals to try on, and eventually measuring my feet; once I decided not to make the purchase right away, she all but forced me to follow her to her shop, probably three or four blocks away, where she offered me shirts and fabrics and jackets from my wildest dreams.
It was difficult for me to dissuade her initially, as I can't afford to have much cotton, and further I can't afford to buy much more than one shirt on my way through the first time. I may come through Hoi An just before I head to the airport in Hanoi, and go on an absurd spending spree, for myself and my family, but I might have to get some checked baggage at that point. That'd be interesting.
Anyway, eventually she quoted an actual price to me for a simple polyester T-shirt, and her price was (initially) $35. USD. I almost laughed at her, saying I'd pay $15 or less; perhaps that seems mean, but the shirt on my back cost me less even than that. Also, they didn't have a proper orange fabric to be found.
I was sorely disappointed, and at that point, between the lack of orange, the price, and the fact that I'd been unceremoniously walked four blocks (she rode my bike; I initially assumed her shop was across the street, then that she was stealing the bike, before I arrived, perhaps five minutes later, at her shop). She meant well, I don't doubt, but I'll have to check out more tailors (cobblers?) around town before I make a purchase like that. I can only afford to have one more shirt in my backpack, so it'd better be everything I want and still reasonably priced.
Once I escaped the tailors' shop, I went out, hoping my bike hadn't been stolen (they're equipped with this interesting lock which is mounted on the fender), and finding it still out there, I realized it was afternoon and I had not yet eaten lunch. I'd picked a restaurant earlier that day to go to, called La Plage, near the beach, beyond the initial Hoi An beach area, which is supposedly devastated. It's a real shame if our attempts to view the beauty of this country, we've managed to destroy the beach there. The beach near La Plage was a few kilometers north of my homestay, which I rode past and continued on, on the beach road, toward the north beach.
One thing from earlier today which I ought to mention is that I found some sunscreen at a pharmacy and bought it. Six ounces. One hundred eighty thousand dong. $8.44. 6 oz.
Now that I think about it, it MIGHT have been cheaper to bring a smaller case full of sunscreen and other liquids than it'll be to buy them all here. Of course, I didn't barter with this woman. I guess I really need to shake off the sort of official status I give pharmacies. In the US, despite the fact that they're technically businesses, there's this sort of impression of officialness, as if they were part of the government or something.
I suspect the Vietnamese learned this and took advantage of the social norms of America in order to get a profit here in Vietnam. I guess next time I'll have to offer half her price and start walking away if I don't like the price she reciprocates with. Anyway. That happened. That's relevant for what happened twenty minutes ago, though. Not just some random tangent. Yay!
So I arrived at the beachfront area, in which vehicles and bicycles are prohibited. As often occurs in these areas, there were several parking lots as you approached the vehicle-prohibited area. One lady quickly flagged me down, offering a price of 20,000 dong, and I counter-offered ten, just like that. I kind of feel like a jerk and a boss at the same time, but I doubt she feels much pity for those she manages to charge that much to.
Anyway, another man had a lot directly next to hers, and he quickly asked, "Ten? Ten?" I affirmed and queried the same back to him a couple times just to make sure, and went in to park my bike. He offered me a laminated number, and marked my bike's seat with that number. I paid my fee, and went on my way.
La Plage was a bit hard to find, honestly. On Google Maps, it shows up just off the road, probably within fifty meters or so. However, the fact was it was well down a footpath back toward the homestay. I insisted on finding it instead of settling for another, as it had good reviews on Google Maps. It was worth it.
I'll have to return and take some photos tomorrow, but beyond that, the food was good (fried shrimp and fried shrimp spring rolls), and as of now, sitting in my hotel, I have yet to pay for my meal (which amounted to nearly $9). I intended to return as soon as possible to repay my debt, but the Aussie tending bar said he trusted me, "Your face looks like an honest one," he said. I went back to the homestay and here I sit in my bed.
I've neglected to take any photos since I left Ninh Binh, but I hope to get to sleep early tonight and wake up to take a timelapse of the sun as it rises. I only hope I get the exposure correct for when the sun has risen. It's impossible to accurately determine what the exposure needs to be a few hours ahead of time, but I have to give it a try.
My host, Hu'ng, came up just now and asked me, for his mother, whether I'd stay and eat dinner with them. I was glad to accept; I only hope his mother doesn't try to marry off her daughter in the three days I have here.
I think I should just buy those sandals, but probably at 600,000 rather than 750,000. It seems like a pair of properly fitted leather sandals ought to be worth about $30. A big box store in the US would sure take the opportunity to overcharge me. At least if I'm getting overcharged here, it's for a product being made specifically for me, out of (presumably) real leather, and by a person far closer to the labor and source of the merchandise than at said store in the US.
The space of time I have afforded myself feels now uncomfortably little.
I'll write you some whimsical poetry or prose or something while looking out upon the ocean tomorrow, so you one day save a few thousand dollars and come here. While Tam Coc would probably be my choice in the summer, if you travel during the winter years, I think Hoi An would probably be a better choice.
Oh. And there's still Hue, as well. I've been told that I would love that place, as it has a great deal of history to it and everything. I feel like the history of a place may not hold as much appeal to me as the faces and sights of a place, but I'll probably try to make it to Hue at least with as much vigor as Saigon.
I've written too much, I feel. I worry that you won't read the whole thing if I keep jabbering, but I guess I write for the most interested of my audience, not the least.
I'm getting slightly better in body, and being in a new place where the sun shines will do some good for my spirits (as if they need it)...I finished Tintin and the Shooting Star, if you're inclined to follow me in that. It surprises me now how little time it takes to read a single book; they're all less than a hundred pages, I think, and I can pretty easily read one before bed.
!Noah!
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