4-day trip: Halloween in Hoi An - Day 3

See Day 1 here, and Day 2 here.

Day 3: Wednesday

We woke later than usual. I'd spent the previous night asking questions about Hoi An and checking out the info available in the hotel so I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do that day. Mike was a bit reluctant about the idea of getting back onto a bike (bicycle this time, not motorbike), but agreed to it.

Our hotel was half an hour ride to the beach, and half an hour ride to old Hoi An town. And we wanted to see the beach!

We had breakfast - pancakes for me and an omelette for him, sitting at a table with a lake view. The hostess remembered our drinks from the previous night and brought us the same: tea for me, coffee for him. I was amazed at her effort to remember.

After that, we jumped into no-gear bicycles that she already brought out for us. They were slightly on the not-new side so they needed some adjustments but it worked. With our belongings placed in the baskets in front of us, we were off.

It was a simple, straightforward road. Apparently it would go through recently harvested rice fields, and it did. Again we had the most fantastic weather. The sun was shining and the wind was blowing to cool us down. There wasn't traffic on the little roads where we went. Wind blew through the grass blades, forming soothing motions and gentle rustling sounds as it went.

One part of the road had pampas grass growing tall, tickling our faces and shoulders as we drove by.  It was calm, peaceful, and beautiful.

We passed a tour group, who were looking at a water buffalo, and obviously did not miss our opportunity to also take a photo of it.

Not much further on, we struggled to find the roads connecting the beach to the main road. This area reminded me a bit of St Lucia in SA - a place I love! Eventually, on turning around and cycling back a bit, we found a sign. We followed the little path and came, once again, to a single lady with a stall. This one said we could leave our bikes there if we buy something. Naturally, we agreed, brought some drinks, left our bikes next to a tree, and climbed the little steps down to where the lady had placed relaxing chairs on the beach. It was time for some R&R.

There weren't many people on this part of the beach, so it was nice and private. Feeling the warm sun, we relaxed for however long until Mike decided it was time to dig a hole. At first I watched, but it seemed too fun to miss so I joined him, and we spent the next however long digging holes and running from the edges of the waves. The wind was blowing strongly, but it did not exfoliate us the way South African sand would have. It did, however, cause people to start packing up their belongings. We eventually left the beach when our stomachs called us to lunch.

We cycled the way back we came, and stopped at a place called "The Filling Station", where we had an amazing meal of cheese burger (for me) and chilli dog (for him). I can recommend going there!

After an afternoon nap, we watched the sunset over the lake from our hotel before heading out to old town Hoi An. 

We grabbed a cab and walked towards where Mike had seen a restaurant we wanted to go to. It was a fantastic experience of stalls, more haggling, lights, lanterns and tourists everywhere. I took some photos with the lanterns (which will always be one of my favourite things in Vietnam). We also spent much time staring at more of the lanterns which my phone cannot take pictures of well enough to express the beauty.

Eventually, we stopped for dinner at an Irish pub called Shamrock. There was live music by a duo, and it's worth noting that the woman has a voice of gold: Habakkuk. We also received free halloween shooters. 

Later, we bought some of the ice cream we've seen on Instagram and Facebook videos, where they freeze and custom make your little ice cream tub rolls.

Mike liked the romantic-looking boats in the lake, and one of the last things we did that evening was to climb aboard. It was beautiful, with lights reflected around us. We received two little lanterns to light, and we watched them float down the river.

That evening, we walked home. I was worried about being late, and it ended up being a speed walk for no very good reason as our hostess had, once again, prepared for us being late. Note: Getting a cab in Hoi An is more difficult after the following have ended.

See Day 4 here.