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

 

[GarrettM]

Monday we booked a coffee making class at Phin Coffee

We would be making traditional Vietnam coffee, ca phe sua, as well as the more recent creations of salted coffee and egg coffee. The kids would be doing the same but with chocolate as a substitute. The boy was expecting to be bored out of his brains. He could not have been more wrong.

It was a very hands on process for all of us. Firstly the ca phe sua, using both arabica beans and the stronger local robusta beans.


The kids also made them, and had a tiny sample of both. They did not enjoy, so I stepped up to make sure nothing was wasted. The role of a father is one of sacrifice as many of you would know.

 

[GarrettM]

Next was the salt coffee. Milk powder, fresh milk, sugar, salt, condensed milk all blended and added to a double shot of robusta espresso. I was dubious but it was fab.




I think this was my favourtie actually. Certainly the kids loved their salted chocolate.

Egg coffee next, and again I'd never had it before so ws sn't sure what to expect. We cracked and separated our own eggs, and got to mix them too. Kids and powertools are always a fun combo. But it worked out just fine.




Miss10 thought the egg coffee was the best coffee she's ever had, which doesn't say much in truth. We won't be letting her get used to it.

We adults finished up by sampling Phin's cold brew, which is definitely not for us but I can see why others may go for it.
All in all the class, run by the vivacious Hi ( pronounced Hee) was really enjoyable. Another solid recommend if you're here one day. Be aware the cafe is tucked away down some ancient town alleys, so plan accordingly.

 

[GarrettM]

Monday afternoon was my time to finally get to the tailor after a couple aborted attempts. I'm looking to get a good jacket suitable for most occasions. Went to Kimmy Tailor as they did my suits when I was last here. Those are still going strong despite my expanded waistl...... I mean worldview.

I like a dark brown so that's what itll be, with a charcoalish lining. Buttons etc tbc...



Without giving too much away it's certainly at the top end of what I was expecting to pay. But not outlandish. I know haggling is par for the course in most places here, but I feel a bit gauche trying to do it all the time. This remains one of the higher rated establishments in Hoi An so I'm comfortable with the transaction.

Messsurements and such took about 30 minutes and I'll be back for a fitting later in the week.

And after all that I got tomdo something else I'd been looking forward to doing. Walking!

It's a bit under four kilometres from Kimmy Tailor to our villa, and requires just one corner. The weather was great in the late arvo so I put some wear into my thongs.
Went past the local golden arches, spotted another dog, and just generally dug thr vibe.




Too much movement for the panorama to be super successful, but meh.

 

[GarrettM]

Found this meditation park, and statue of Nguyen Duy Hieu, who was a 19th Century leader in the anti-French efforts.



The park also has a largish lake, and some kids were trying to catch the tiny fish it held.


Behind the park was a large open air roof I'd seen several times. Now I could finally investigate further. Turns out it's a sound shell with a sizable ampitheatre.



More local architecture, just cause.


We ended the day with a quiet meal in, although I was tasked with gently escorting this fine fellow to greener pastures after the kids went to sleep.

 

[GarrettM]

With the new year out of the way MrsGM had some actual work to get done, so I needed to get the kids out of her hair for the best part of two days. Luckily I had planned ahead and organised a night in Da Nang to tick off the Lady Budddha and Marble Mountain. Also I was originally intending to sneak in a guitar store or two. That was now off the agenda.
There is plenty of construction going on all over the coastal city. These seem pretty new.

We stayed at the Star Hotel and Spa, and I would advise you never follow in our footsteps. The location was good, and it was a quiet property, but it has absolutely nothing else to recommend it. Billed as a thre star hotel I think it would need to improve a lot to reach two stars. It is a budget option of course, and I reckon most of the ones nearby would be similar. But should I return to Da Nang one day it'll be somewhere else.
The room was spartan. Two basic beds. A tiny TV. No fridge. No bin. A manual switch to turn on the hot water system. And the "mountain view" consisted of the buildings across the street.



The rooftop pool was indeed a pool. The surrounds were shabby though. Weathered and cracked boards, screws sticking out dangerously. Cracked tiles and pool filters. A light in the pool had fallen from its casing and was laying on the pool floor, still connected to its cable. I made quite sure the kids didn't go near the glass fence that bordered the rest of the roof.

An attempt at a panorama which may show a bit of what I mean.


We did at least have some decent views. You can see here one of several very large projects under construction dotted along the seafront areas. In the foreground is a school, which had kids running around not long after I took this shot.

 

[GarrettM]

The breakfast "buffet" (included in room price) is where the Star really shined though. Fried rice, veal schnitzel, and a chicken curry were the extent of the offerings, along with some fruit and salad. It made last week's My Son spread seem like the Langham. They at least had coffee and the kids could get pancakes.



If you're considering a stay in Da Nang feel free to cross this one off your maybe list.

 

[GarrettM]

We were in the city though to head to the Lady Bhudda and Linh Ung Pagoda. Just a 10 minute drive away. And although the weather wasn't great we did find a window of opportunity in the mid-afternoon.


And the Lady herself. All 67 metres of her.


The grounds offer a nice view back the city but on a poor weather day it's a bit diminished.


Some other random shots...


You also need to be aware of these buggers. I'd hate to step on one in thongs.


Even more worrisome are the monkeys, which apparently get worse every year. The warning signs do say not to get close as they have a habit of snatching things straight out of your hand.
The kids liked seeing them though.

 

[GarrettM]

I need to go back in time slightly and mention Spanda Cafe where we had lunch after arriving in Da Nang. It's a cafe slash yoga studio. Very hip I suppose. Quite pleasant and the avo toast was good. The kids ate chips, as they do a lot.


After getting back from the pagoda, and giving the kids plenty of ipad time I wanted something solid for dinner without having to travel far. Luckily there is a Cheers bar close to the hotel, and although it was raining slightly I made the kids walk with me. They of course made the five minute stroll an arduous 15 minute trek, but I shouldn't whinge. There's been a lot of comfort zone expansion the past couple weeks and they are allowed to push back occasionally.

They did at least both eat.



The rain had stopped for the walk back. I was amused seeing this car seemingly put to bed.


The kids got more of a kick from this dog on a scooter. To be fair both are common sights we've found.


Soon we were back in the crummy hotel, on our even crummier beds (for those wondering how three into two goes, I shared with the boy who is a terrible bedfellow) with plans of seeing Marble Mountain the next day.

Spoiler: we would in fact not see Marble Mountain the next day.

 

[GarrettM]

Wednesday's weather was just too bloody ordinary to drag the kids anywhere. They were both already showing early cold symptoms as it was.
So after the misery of the "buffet" we found a better brekky option across the road.
A half decent coffee and passable eggs benedict.


And after some generous ipad time we packed up and returned to Hoi An and our resumed jigsaw puzzle. Thankfully we'd smashed it out after Monday's mishap and it took just a couple hours to knock it off. Except for ONE piece. Not sure if that was missing from the original attempt, but I'm blaming the cleaner anyway. You can see the offending gap in the middle on the very left.

 

[GarrettM]

By now both the girls were battling with head colds, so it was going to be boys only heading out for dinner. But before that I had an appointment at Kimmy Tailor to check on the progress of my jacket. Progress was positive.

A quick little adjustment and a couple minutes to lock in button options and it was set to be ready by Thursday.

With that out of the way the boy felt like tacos of all things, so I found a likely spot.



I got a chicken burrito, washed down with Bia Saigon. Was pretty good.


The boy prefers his tacos with just meat, cheese, and sauce. But he doesn't like the cheese here, and they didn't put sauce on it. But he did eat the mince.