Half term arrived yesterday after a very productive paperwork day at school. With primary reports completed and most of the planning for the first week back finished. I left school feeling excited about my first real Vietnamese adventure.
Last night I flew to Da Nang, where I was met by a driver from my hotel and taken to Hoi An.
When I arrived I wasn't immediately pleased with my hotel room as there were centipedes in the bath; the air con is temperamental and I also wanted it all to be perfect. Today I've decided that it has a faded charm; the bed is comfy and the staff very friendly. I've also thought (and not for the first time) that I must stop comparing the prices of hotels to what I could get in Ecuador.
Today has been a crazy mad day! I've wandered round the streets taking pictures and been enticed into many shops. Hoi An's streets are crammed with tailors and shoe makers. Fi heaven - shops and photography!
I decided to take a wander round the fabric market, and was followed by a beautifully dressed older Vietnamese lady asking me if I'd like a manicure or pedicure? the price quoted was amazingly cheap so I accepted, but only after I'd finished looking around. Every stall holder wanted me to look at their materials and buy clothes from them! Another lady invited me to her shoe shop and I have to admit that here I got quite carried away and ended up ordering 4 pairs of shoes, which will apparently be ready tomorrow - amazing!
Whilst chatting and laughing with Ms Thanh, Madame Mai (my manicurist) waited nearby, she also joined in with our jokes and smiles. Miss Thinh also waited, hoping I'd buy some clothes from her!
Madame Mai whisked me away to her stall in the Market as soon as she could. Before I knew it not only was I getting a pedicure, but my eyebrows were being threaded, followed by my legs and parts of myself I don't consider very hairy were being examined critically by Mme Mai's discerning eye!
A team of four women worked to make me 'beautiful', assuring me that there is no gain without pain and that I would now find many boyfriends. I really liked all these women, with their humour! Because I liked them and was enjoying the attention, I kept agreeing to more things. Naively I didn't ask a price as I went along, so the final bill was a bit of a shock. Yet I did have a marvellous time. Also, hilariously, a couple of the women had a quick feel of my boobs - I laughed a lot!
Miss Thinh kept coming back to make sure I was coming to her stall afterwards. I couldn't refuse.
Back in the fabric market I waded through many catalogues and picked out some items that I liked, this took ages. I was getting increasingly more tired and wanting to escape! When it came to choosing fabrics I only found a few that I liked. I was getting increasingly more worried about committing to some clothes after already spending quite a bit on shoes and pampering. Also at the back of my mind was the fact that I hadn't followed any of the guidance given by friends or guidebooks about which tailor to go to. I finallly agreed on a pair of trousers with matching waistcoat and a silk dress. I have a fitting tomorrow, so will find out if I chose well then I guess.
After all the excitement I was exhausted so had some food and came back to the hotel to chill.
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