Hội An

The Americans never bombed Hội An, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, supposedly because some general found it "picturesque" (if that were the criteria, I would have spared Hue instead).  Cute and colorful is more like it.  Lots of hanging lanterns, too.

 

When several of members of the Sticky Rice Crew eagerly went to get fitted for "bespoke" suits, it dawned on me that the city existed mostly to separate men from their dong. Neither Thom nor I had any interest in the clothing, so we strolled the streets and covered market.  Motorized vehicles are prohibited in the heart of the city during peak tourist hours.

Sidewalk bicycle repair reduces your overhead and prioritizes customer convenience.

Butchery is a woman's profession.

Candy colors have nothing on Mother Nature.

Dragon fruit is black and white inside!

Come to think of it, Hoi An might be fun on acid.

We stopped for an ice cream cone.  The handsome kid scooping was about the same age as I had been at Baskin Robbins, but instead of trying to explain what we had in common, I took his picture.  What I wouldn't give for a selfie of me at 16 in my white, peaked paper hat and brown clip-on bow tie!

Just as I realized we'd be spending the next two days in Hội An, longer than any other place on our itinerary including Hanoi and Saigon, the coeds from Da Nang who asked us to help them practice their English lifted my spirits.  They left us with a postcard offering a guided tour of their city.  If we'd had transportation, I would have done it even though it has been entirely rebuilt since the war.

We walked along the Thu Bon River until it was time to cook dinner, if not catch it.

Huge baskets of pasta were air drying.

Fresh crabs for sale.

Thom posed in a motorbike parking area.

When in Hoi An, do as other tourists.  I succumbed to commerce and bought a mask.  "Not made in China," the proprietor insisted though I hadn't doubted him.

A patient, enthusiastic instructor at the Green Mango restaurant taught us how to make spring rolls and several other traditional Vietnamese dishes which we eventually consumed 

including signature mango sticky rice for dessert!

After nearly three hours of instruction, Sheila wasn't the only one who was exhausted.  She just pantomimed it better.