Hoi An Easy Rider

This morning I received the message that the shoes I ordered were ready for fitting. Instead of taking the usual Grab taxi, I decided to rent a scooter. The order via WhatsApp was straightforward, and 45 minutes later, my 110cc fire machine was ready in front of the hotel. Operating an automatic scooter is really not rocket science, but I still received a thorough briefing. Before I finally got to hop on my moped, the friendly gentleman approached me once more with a serious expression: 'Marek, something important.' 'Yes,' I replied, looking at him expectantly. 'Always remember, the most important traffic rule in Vietnam is that there are no traffic rules.' He smiled and walked away. Well, then we have everything clarified. Engine on - and off went the wild ride.

My way to the ancient town of Hoi An led me past the Thu Bồn River and many rice fields. The traffic was manageable and not chaotic at all. It felt a bit unusual at first when you can overtake on all sides, traffic lights are merely colorful lights, or at an intersection, everyone initially drives to the middle to then determine who has the right of way. Usually, it goes like this: one or two honks, visor down, and then wrist at 90 degrees. Full speed ahead. No worries: I didn’t drive that wildly. ;-)

When I arrived at 'Miu Miu Custom Made Shoes', it was straight to the fitting. Visually, I was satisfied, but the size still needed some tweaking. Tighter here, shorter there - 'no problem, no problem.' It would take another two hours for the changes to be made.

I used the time until the next fitting to cruise around the area on my scooter. I rode through the old town, which was quite busy even during the day, and then through the rice fields. It was fun to ride around a bit out of the tourist spots and aimlessly. The fields were alive with activity, and some farmers were herding their cows and water buffalo across the land. It was lovely!

Back at the shoemaker, I slipped into the galoshes again and was very satisfied; they now fit like a glove. Top grain leather inside and out, and everything stitched and not glued sounds good; whether the shoes will hold up to their promises, we will find out later.

On the way back, I visited the ladies at the beach club and offered to join my small biker club without any big initiation rituals. Well, the two didn’t really get too excited about it. Nevertheless, I recommend a ride on the scooter. With a price of about 5 euros a day, the travel budget is hardly affected, while the impressions you can gather are priceless.

Tomorrow, we’re going to Da Nang for a golf game. I’m looking forward to it!

In this sense: Stay engaged!