Day 13 - The Many Waters of Hoi An

A big shoutout to receptionist Vicky! After a night shift at the front desk, she manages to individually settle the bills of a group of 15 young Swedish girls. Each of the girls seems to have specific requests. Some are skeptical and want to double-check everything themselves. I feel really sorry for Vicky at this point. But she handles it with grace and an unwavering smile on her face. She has been a great help to me in the past few days, and we have also had some fun and gossip together. I will miss her a little bit when I leave for Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in two days.

Classic Vietnamese coffee teaches patience. It all starts with a thick glass and an aluminum coffee filter. The coffee filter consists of four parts: a flat dish with fine holes, a cup also with fine holes, a small plate with fine holes and a central handle, and a lid with side handles. You place the dish and cup on the glass. Then you put three heaped teaspoons of coffee powder in the cup. Using the plate, you press the coffee firmly into the cup and leave it on top of the coffee. Now you pour a small amount of boiling water onto the plate - about two tablespoons. You let the coffee powder swell. Once the coffee powder has absorbed the water, you pour hot water up to the brim into the cup and put on the lid. Now comes the most important part: waiting. It can take about 10-15 minutes for the coffee to find its way into the glass. No matter how rushed you may be, the coffee has its own will and cannot be rushed. However, in the end, you will be rewarded with a tasty, stomach-friendly coffee that also has the perfect drinking temperature. Who would have thought that you could learn something about life from a hot drink?

I had no specific plans for today. After breakfast coffee, I borrowed a bike from the hotel and rode towards Coconut Village, where I had a cooking class a few days ago. On the way there, I had My Ga, rice noodles with chicken, from a street vendor. After a while, on a whim, I turned from the main road into a side street to be closer to the river. Not two minutes later, I came across a kayak rental where I spontaneously decided to rent a kayak for two hours.

Paddling through the mangrove and coconut forests was incredibly relaxing. Apart from the occasional fishing boat, my kayak and I were all alone. I listened to the rustling of the wind through the palm fronds. Dragonflies flew right next to me, just above the water. I watched butterflies flutter by just above my bow. From the thicket, a heron would sometimes rise and find a new spot on one of the other islands. From time to time, I stopped at a sandbank where dense reeds grew, just to watch the wind create small waves on the water surface. Once, I passed a small beach where dozens of ducks were gathered, searching for food in shallow water. I would have loved to drift on like this forever, but the two hours were soon over.

I continued cycling to the sea, where I took a short break at Hidden Beach and also had a quick swim in the sea.

On the way back to the old town of Hoi An, I passed rice fields. The setting sun turned the small rivers that feed the rice fields into silver mirrors.

Arriving in the old town, I treated myself to a relaxing massage. After a shower and a phone call with my dear mom, I went to the famous restaurant Morning Glory for dinner.