Today will be my second to last day in Hoi An. I move on to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon, aka HCMC, aka Hennepin County Medical Center...), with little or no plan of what I'll end up doing there. What did I know I wanted to see in Hoi An? I knew they made suits and stuff, hopefully for cheap, but I knew I couldn't buy much when I first came through. It'd weigh me down and I'd have a harder time seeing the things further on. I'll probably have to get a checked bag of some sort for my return trip, as I've bought so much, even in the first half of my journey.
And to think, only a month ago, I'd never been outside the US. I'd never been on a plane before. I didn't have a passport. I had probably half a dozen ties, but now I have at least seven more of my own.
Wow. I just don't know how I got here, really. The idea that I'm responsible for this is kind of absurd to me. I imagine laughing out loud if someone were to tell me that. But still, I bought that plane ticket. I researched the ups and downs of the various countries, staked out flight prices for a week or so, and bought hundreds of dollars of things I probably wouldn't make much use of short of traveling.
When I posted a photo of a shrine/temple/pagoda back when I was in Tam Coc on Reddit, I got a lot of attention as I'd never been outside the US before, but more important was a comment on that page; it read like this:
" Oh dear. Now you've done it. You have crossed the border! Now, when you come back, all you'll want to do is leave again. Welcome to the world of never feeling settled!
"
I'm becoming more and more aware of this new truth. I'm hoping/planning now to spend another year in the US earning money, then go back, hopefully with some kind of certificate or degree, such that I can travel and teach English. I'd really like to start in South Korea. As of now, that's where you may watch this leaf strain to soar.
I must return to the present, however. Today looked like it would be horribly uneventful, like the rest of the week, but I knew I had to get my shirt on and try on some bow ties. Hung had some plans, as well, which I initially followed.
He brought me to the bank, so I could withdraw the absurd sum of 10,000,000 dong, which amounts to less than $500 dollars. I withdrew this much because I expect my bank back home will charge me $15 for the transaction. I was also charged about the same amount on this end, so I'm doubly glad I opted for such a large sum. I'm not happy about the amount I had to pay to get it, but had I paid even $15 for a withdrawal of 2,000,000 dong, I would be unhappy to a far greater degree.
After we left the bank, he and I visited the market near Hoi An's Ancient Town. This is where everyone goes, tourists, vendors, tricart riders. They're all there. It's crowded, noisy, and you have to be moving fast or downright scary to not get approached by someone selling bananas or something else.
He was buying a few things for tonight; among them was some pork, which was what we were going to grill and eat. It was a slightly different kind of pork, which allegedly is a bit like bacon. Maybe I've been spoiled, but despite tasting spectacular, it didn't remind me much of bacon. I am grateful; they cooked me a good meal and shared it with me to a degree I wouldn't receive at home. Despite being somewhat fit, I eat like a starved lion most of the time.
After a while, Hung had amassed a number of products, all of which were to make it home by motorcycle. The way he solved the problem of carrying about 5 liters of oil and a few pounds of other things was to simply put them all in a plastic basin, probably one and a half feet wide. This I carried for the five or so kilometers home.
Hung also got me Com Ga, which means chicken rice. This is apparently a specialty of Hoi An, which is primarily chicken and rice, but includes some vegetables, and the rice is steamed over the broth of the chicken rather than over water. This gives the rice a yellow color and a chicken flavor. Thus, it's not just chicken and rice, but chicken rice. This I ate for lunch.
After my rather late lunch, I showered, put on my button up shirt, and went out to get some bow ties and chop sticks. The bow ties were somewhat easy to find. It takes a while to get properly familiar with the streets in the Ancient Town, and honestly I haven't yet done so, but with Google Maps and a little patience, you find your way eventually.
I got there and started looking and trying to bargain the lady down. She wanted 180,000 a piece for the bow ties; this is $8.43, roughly. I'd bargained a day or two before, either with her or another lady in the shop, and had managed to get her to agree on 120,000 a piece for two. I perhaps didn't bargain hard enough, I probably could have gotten them for that price or even better. The prices on the street, I learned later that day, would often be inflated to absurd levels. I ended up paying a total of 450,000 for three bow ties. I wasn't particularly happy about it, but apparently they make them (custom made, as many things in Hoi An are).
After getting the bow ties, I headed back to the market by the river, and started looking out for chop sticks. I found them within a couple minutes, and they were available at every stall, most of them similar or the same. Some of them came with boxes for the set, and some without. I asked Hung beforehand what would be a good price for a set of chopsticks, and he said 20,000. The first offer I got was at least 250,000. I went from vendor to vendor, and I almost gave in; one vendor was willing to go down to 100,000 once I was on my bike ready to leave, but she didn't really have the kind I wanted, so I rode away.
I was going for a while when I was approached by a kind man with an ulterior motive (who doesn't have one?); he told me that outside the market, the prices were much, much higher. And, upon entering the market with him, I found him to be absolutely correct. While Hung still thought I paid too much (I probably did), I ended up paying 30,000 for a set of bamboo chopsticks. They're not the prettiest of things, but I might try dying them or something to make them black.
Again, the thing you should get out of this is that it's always a good idea to try multiple vendors, and get advice about your purchase from someone who knows more than you. It's a bit difficult if you don't have an English-speaking host or guide or something, but a second opinion from an unbiased source will get you a better perspective on your purchase. This particular incident made me wonder if my bow tie purchase earlier could have been much cheaper, but if she or someone she knows did indeed make the bow ties by hand, I think $7.03 is a pretty reasonable price. I hope they last.
I'll end with my meal from tonight and something to try if you ever come here. First, Hung and his family barbecued the pork meat he bought earlier, and we wrapped it together with cucumber and lettuce-like greens, and rolled it up in rice paper. We dipped this in a sauce made with soy and peanuts, and ate. It was delicious, and I especially enjoyed it as I'm becoming more and more fond of rice paper and all the things that get wrapped up in it.
Second, before I got either product today, I sat down at a family's drink stand, directly next to the river. They sold a variety of drinks, including beer and water, lemonade and orange juice, but I decided to try something I'd tried once before. Pineapple and banana shake/smoothie. I watched and waited for perhaps five minutes, until I realized they'd gone out and bought a pineapple for me right then and there, blended it up with a banana, and that's what they served me.
I was kind of blown away, and expected to be charged extra for the combo drink. However, he charged me even less than my first "shake" had cost me; 20,000 dong. I thanked him a couple extra times because 1. It was really good and 2. They went out of their way (literally) to make something really delicious for me and 3. They charged me what seemed like a very reasonable price when they could easily have charged me the price of two and I would have happily paid.
Anyway, that's a wrap for today. I've included a few photos from my shoot at the beach today, where I got a timelapse, but said timelapse is not ready. I adjusted the angle of the camera halfway through, and so I wasted about five hundred frames. Anyway, I'll probably post it later. Hopefully.
I remain well, and Hung's family kindly gave me a (rather large) bag of tea leaves and what seems like some kind of cookie. I'll let you know how I like the cookies, but I think I'll have to save the tea for someone back home...
!Noah!
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