Roundabouts can be fun when used properly.
Knowing that we only had a short ride ahead of us we took
our time getting on the road from Hue to Hoi An. Before we got on our bikes we jumped in the
truck with Ngoc and toured the city.
Keith let me sit in front so I could better witness how Ngoc navigated the
streets in his big four wheel drive truck.
I am glad we are on motorcycles.
I could never drive a car through this mess. How people do this every
day without going crazy, killing themselves, or killing others, is beyond
me.
Ngoc is a great guide.
He conveys tons of information on the history of the towns we are
passing through. I wish my ability to
retain the information equaled his ability to dish it out. In the first town we home stayed in Ngoc told
us about the mating rituals of that town.
He said that if you like a girl you follow her home to find out where
she lives. Then, because the whole
family sleeps in one large room in a stilted home, you have to find out what
part of the room she sleeps in. Once
this information is obtained you then must take a stick and knock three times
under her, being very careful not to get it wrong and knock under her
father. If you get it correct she will
come out and meet you. If she likes what
she sees she will talk to you, if not she will send you away. (And I thought dating was hard in the
states.)
Today, in Hue, we went to a large temple on the Perfume River
that used to house the ruler who used the Perfume River to travel up and down
to oversee his minions.
After lots of pictures were taken we headed back, had a
beer, and mounted our bikes for the short 90 mile ride to Hoi An. The ride out of town was fun. Weaving in and out of traffic and using our
big bikes to their full advantage over the small scooters that fill the
streets. Before crossing the mountain
pass we had to fill up with beer and food.
As we stopped and dismounted our bikes I was overwhelmed by the loud
music coming from the building next to our stop. I went to investigate and discovered that a
large wedding was going on and people were doing Karaoke and drinking very
heavily. I, before I was able to
protest, was swept in by the people and asked to sit down at their table. I was immediately given glass after glass of
beer with many toasts that I could in no way understand. I could understand that they were having a
great time and were more than willing to be generous with anyone who wanted to
help them celebrate. Keith, wondering
what happened to me, came to investigate and found me sitting at a table full
of food and beer being stared at by the other twenty people at the table. He sat down, found a cute young translator,
and then proceeded to entertain the group.
The guy is a ham.
When we finally went back to our restaurant next door some
trickle over from the wedding followed us. A guy who was sporting two lovely
women by his side came walking in. Keith
started to strike a deal with the guy to have one of the girls join him. He did this by trying to barter us to the
guy, who told him he preferred boys, in exchange for the girl. He told the guy that this would not be a
problem since both Scott and I also preferred guys. I hope Keith knows that payback is
coming.
Once over the mountain, which featured some great riding
with ocean views, we came down to China Beach where we found a new toy,
roundabouts. Since we were so far of
Ngoc we decided to continue to ride around the roundabout until he caught
up. This immediately turned into a race
where we were riding counter clockwise as fast as we can. With our left feet out and our bike leaned
over as far as they could go we went round and round as fast as we could. Scooters entering into the roundabout only
added to the fun. If only we could do
this at home.
Hoi An is, according to Ngoc, the oldest city in
Vietnam. Built in the 15th
century. It is a photographer’s wet
dream. This place is beautiful. After taking a dip in our hotel pool we walking
around the city before we stopped to have dinner and more beer on the river. A woman selling toys tried to sell us a few
things. She had this toy that you lit up
and flung into the air with a rubber band and then watched as it flouted back
to earth. The bargaining started at
60,000 dong for three. We offered 30,000
and she countered with 50,000. I offered
her a deal. I told her if she could launch
the toy higher than Keith I would give her 50,000. If Keith’s was higher 30,000 was the
price. They both loaded up at the same
time and on my command launched into the air.
We all cheered in amazement as the woman, who was half Keith’s size,
launched her toy twice as high as Keith.
I am now 50,000 poorer.
Did I mention that I love Vietnam? I also love roundabouts.
Posted by Robert the wedding crasher
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