Day 7 - 09.10.2016
After the last couple of days all I wanted to do was relax. Sleep in, have a relaxed breakfast, write a bit of my blog in the air conditioned room and then head outside for a little stroll. An so I did. Hoi An has some lovely little streets, alleyways and corners that are the perfect background for so many Vietnamese Instagram accounts.
Not just the streets, but also the shops try and flaunt their best designs and colours in order to attract the most customers.
I think my drink was something incredibly healthy with sellery, cucumber, apple, lime and ginger. It was cool from the ice, there were fans to cool you down and you sat in the shade. It is just so warm during the midday hours around Hoi An. Not so much hot, but hot and humid. Only in the afternoon when a slight sea breeze picks up, it is much more bearable.
My fitting appointment was only 1 hour away, and so I tried to get an earlier appointment, seeing as how I was only across the road. All garments were already done and the first fitting could start. This was quite fun to see how lovely the ideas in my head had become. Just the wintercoat was hard to enjoy, seeing as even with the fans on full blast it was just plain hot. I had to come back for a second fitting as there were small alterations here and there.
Here a statue of a general that supported the Ho Chi Minh party.
This was taken in a store that sells silk clothing. A lot of these stores are kept quite traditional but are luxuriously equipped on the inside.
I wondered along the river and crossed the bridge where there are normally night markets during the evening.
I then went back to the hotel, had a drink by the pool with everyone else, enjoyed another short period of time in an air conditioned room and then headed out for my jewellery fitting. I was very happy with the result as it very much resembled the original font I had picked out.
Next up was my second fitting at the tailors. Most of the ladies of our group had assembled here for this second fitting and so it turned into a bit of a fashion show.
Here the result of one of my dresses. (It was then finished and perfected and delivered to the hotel later that evening, as were the other garments too.)
The second shoe fitting turned into a bit of an adventure. I tried the shoes on and the one shoe was now a lot wider and my foot kept slipping out. The sales assistant then asked me whether I would be able to come to the factory with her as the shoe maker could fix the problem there instantly.
But how to get there – on her bicycle! I was pedalling while she sat at the back giving me directions, taking selfies and having a great time. I did get to appreciate the Vietnamese traffic system a little bit with all the honking by having to ride myself!
So we get to the factory, a large house where in the back part you see the workshop of the shoe maker. There are shoe models lieing about, shoe nails on the floor, pieces of leather lieing about, and in the middle of it was the family of the sales assistant with her two children (2 and 5 I reckon) and her husband. A great environment for day care!
Anyways, he fixed the shoe by adding some sort of spongy material into the shoe. I tried the shoe on and it was quite comfortable. So I asked whether he could repeat the same process in the other shoe so that both shoes would be comfortable. This is bound to be successful when you are right at the source.
We drove back by bicycle for me to pay at the store and I did.
Back to the hotel it was.
For dinner we went to a recommendation by our tour guide. Again, the lanterns were just beautiful!
First up, a raspberry shake.
Second – some obligatory spring rolls.
Next – duck breast with orange sauce and a carrot and papaya salad. I just left the mash potatoes, as they didn’t really fit in with the meal.
After dinner I wanted to t he visit the bridge and the night markets and so I headed out, first destination being the japanese bridge.
Next we crossed the bridge to get to the night market. Here they sell the usual items, including a large array of lanterns. The market was quite calm this Sunday, so you could wander around freely.
After this little walk we headed back to the hotel, seeing as the next morning would be an early start.
