Day 6 - It's Hot...Damn Hot!

Miss Van's Laundry/Beer/Soft Drink/Ice Creamery

Atop the resort overlooking the pool area

Michelle's dragonfruit, mango and banana juice

The many Socialist signs around the towns. Great patriotic artwork

Banana flower salad with shrimp and pork. Excellent.

One of the saddest sights in Vietnam. A refill is 4000VND (A$0.25)

You can have any style of footwear your heart desires

The lanterns of Hoi An at one of the many shops in Ancient Town

We suffered from the heat of Hoi An today after venturing into the Ancient Town to have some lunch and try the shopping. The day began with a light breakfast and dropping off the washing at Miss Van's Laundry across the road from the Resort. She charges A$1.20 (20,000 VND) per kg for washing and folding and offers a same day service which we took advantage of. After that it was off to the ‘hairdresser’ for a quick trim for Murray and a shampoo and cut for Michelle. Michelle’s shampoo was a akin to some sort of ancient Vietnamese torture as the practice entails the operator digging her nails into the scalp (and holding the victim underwater) whilst shampooing. Ouch!

With the heat setting in, we opted for the sanctuary of the pool for an hour prior to heading to the cafe on the rooftop of the resort for a refreshing drink. With the time approaching midday, we took the shuttle bus to Hoi An for lunch. At this stage, the heat and humidity was like a wall and after about 15 minutes of browsing the tailor and shoe shops famous in Hoi An, we sought refuge in a local restaurant for lunch and drinks. We both chose the banana flower salad with shrimp and pork which was absolutely delicious.

After lunch, Michelle found some dress styles she liked at one of the numerous tailor shops in town and placed an order for 2 dresses and, after negotiating a price, got measured in places you wouldn’t think was needed for the average dress!

The unrelenting heat forced us to take the 2pm shuttle back to the resort for more pool action before having a few brewskies with some girls from Victoria at ‘Happy Hour’ in one of the bars at the resort. We then had a quick bite to eat at the restaurant before heading back into Hoi An in the relative cool of the early evening. Michelle and Murray both got measured for footwear and Michelle got fitted for a silk dress to be made in 24 hours at a price of A$27.50 (500,000VND).

The day ended with a few ales after being absolutely smashed by the heat. Tomorrow? Cooking lessons at the resort where for lunch, we eat what we cook – should be fun!