Ride 'im cowboy!

Last night I dined on breast of duck.  This morning I learnt the true meaning of "Duck's Arse" and it has nothing to do with a men's hairstyle from the 50's.

Once purged, we set out to explore Hoi An.  You should know that this is a centre for tourist fleecing, in the nicest possible way.   There is no question that prices are good, but within an hour of leaving the hotel we had ordered 2 pairs of made to measure shoes (Sue) a pair of shorts & T Shirt (got), a 50/50 cotton/silk blouse + a silk dress and blouse (Sue - just in case you were going to ask!), a silver pendant and a silver ring. (one each), a leather bracelet, a set of silver topped chopsticks and a Buffalo Horn hair comb.  They are bloody good sales persons, rest assured, but we haggled well, we think.

The town dates from 800 AD, and there are a few buildings still standing dating from then - amazing. Much dates from the 1600's.  Hoi An has an interesting history, but it's prominence declined after the French got involved with the Boss at Da Nang and managed to secure some exclusivity of trade with this province through that port, to the detriment of Hoi An which became a forgotten backwater.   The happy result is that it remained un-modernised for over 100 years, was virtually untouched by the American War, and is now strictly preserved, and sympathetically restored.  The clever bit is that restorations are not obvious to the casual observer so the place looks as it did long ago.    

We ate in the market at lunchtime today, from a stall staffed by three generations of the same family.   The food was great, inexpensive, and so far has stayed put.
The market was a fully functioning version, but much cleaner than many we have encountered so far, and the traders delightful, to boot, so really no qualms about eating here.

Going for a cruise on the river tomorrow, followed by a deeper investigation of the old town, and some bike riding, although I doubt we will be as elegant on two wheels as the local populace.

Today's photo was taken from our hotel window which overlooks paddy fields.  The animals are water buffalos.  
BR,
G&S