A month in Hoi An

[GarrettM]

Important to keep the kids occupied and away from screens. And what better way to do so then.... painting traditional hats! Admittedly this was another excursion I was ambivalent about, but again it turned into a lot of fun.
The many flower motifs were not for me, so I tried my hand at creating a dragon.



The girls did floral theme, while the boy wanted to go with buffalo. Fitting really.
He also took the chance to nab my phone and take dozens of random traffic pics. Some of which were actually ok.

 

[GarrettM]

The hat painting took almost two hours, but we all came out happy. I will say my dragon does not come close to those of the woman who paints and sells them herself. But it is mine. The hats get sprayed with some sort of clear coat so they should be ok for a while.




We did this near An Bang beach, so again if it is of interest this was the spot.
And her own work...


We then went to The Deckhouse for a light lunch. We were not in any hurry because the villa was being cleaned. That process took FIVE hours and really messed around with the kids despite them jumping in the pool.



Here are our hats again, in a photo taken while the villa was being cleaned. You'll probably note the jigsaw puzzle in the background. I mention this because Miss10 and I had been working on it for a week, and it was perhaps 70% complete. Until the cleaner ripped it up and put it all back in the box. Absolutely bonkers behaviour, and boy was the girl angry. I almost had to physically restrain her. I get this is a different culture but surely the jigsaw concept isn't totally alien to the Vietnamese.

Here is the puzzle in its current iteration. Safe to say we are motivated to get it done before the cleaner returns.

 

[GarrettM]

Determined not to let crazy cleaners ruin our day we set for Traders Waterfront Restaurant. But for the love of all that is holy we simply could not find it.
So we walked into Vietnom instead.
Vietnom Local Eatery

Odd place. Apparently very new. It's three different restaurants on three floors, but you can seemingly order anything from any of them no matter which one you pick. That's what we did anyway. And it was quite good.


The desserts were a hit with everyone as well. Choc lava cakes and choc coconut banana. I let the wife and kids eat those.

Our Grab driver home was evidently into all this animation. Pics cannot do justice to his car dashboard.


On the topic of cars, the uptake of electrics here is surprising. Plenty of Japanese and Korean examples, and the local manufacturer (I think it's local) does a few models also. There's also plenty of electric motorbikes doing the rounds. Not sure what all that means for "the grid", such as it is here, but it is interesting.
Some local cars...




Plenty of familiar manufacturershere as well of course, but I'm often curious about why how different models get to different nations. My Grab history is full of riders with Hyundai i10s, Toyota Veloses and such. Why aren't these models seen in Australia?

 

[Flyfrequently]

Really enjoying your TR @GarrettM
I take my "hat" off to you and Mrs GM for doing all sorts of exciting things with the kids and making such wonderful memories.

Closest I got to a conical hat is my fridge magnet!

 

[GarrettM]

Really enjoying your TR @GarrettM
I take my "hat" off to you and Mrs GM for doing all sorts of exciting things with the kids and making such wonderful memories.
View attachment 489161
Closet I got to a conical hat is my fridge magnet!

Thanks. Im also contemplating a conical hat tattoo to mark the trip. But I'll explain that if and when it happens.

 

[GarrettM]

Our hat making, in video form.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Thanks. Im also contemplating a conical hat tattoo to mark the trip. But I'll explain that if and when it happens.

Fridge magnet is cheaper and less hazardous methinks @GarrettM