Honestly though, at this point the sniffles I had in HCMC blossomed into a full on head cold, and not sleeping last night made me a zombie in Hoi An. I walked blankly back to my room and slept from 5pm-8am the next day.
Thankfully I packed some DayQuil, so the next morning I tackled the tailor shops. My Vietnamese sales lady was so good I actually had fun shopping - or rather, "dress designing." I decided against getting a custom suit because I don't foresee needing one for a really long time. Instead, I got a cocktail dress, a summer dress, and a gray blazer that fits very smartly. Then I had a sudden burst of inspiration and asked for two pairs of jeans as well: a skinny pant and a trouser pant. Next stop was the shoe store. Now, I have a little foot but it's wide in the toe and somewhat high at the top. Shoes can be very difficult and the thought of custom designed shoes was really exciting. I did A LOT of damage here that I'm too embarrassed to report on. But I'm excited for my clothes to arrive in the US soon!
In between fittings, I met with an "Easy Rider" to discuss a guided motorcycle trip to Hue (about three hours north along the coast). I had grand images of a drive similar to pacific coast highway in California, despite the rainy and misty weather. Anh, my driver, shook his head and quickly convinced me to drive out into the mountains along the Ho Chi Minh trail, stay the night in a small town, and head back to Hue for some sightseeing before dropping me off at the airport at 8pm.
The drive, my friends, was utterly gorgeous. We passed through so many shades of green that I can't even describe it. We stopped at a small home where brooms were made and watched an automatic loom weave some cloth. I made rice paper very badly and ate it! We saw a pineapple plantation and a minority village, where thankfully I was just a boring visitor barely worth a wave. The next day we stopped by a waterfall, a rubber tree plantation and a pepper tree, where Anh tricked me into eating a pepper that destroyed my mouth for half an hour.
Riding on the back of his motorcycle was exhilarating. We dashed up and down the mountains until the foot rests I used vibrated too much for my feet. Just wow. I couldn't stop thinking about how much my life has changed in the past two years and how I could have never predicted this moment. I felt so utterly young and alive and full of potential. I held my arms out from my sides and felt the clear air rush past while I laughed among the peaks and rice paddy valleys.
By Hue I had very little desire to hit the tourist circuit (my traveling high for the day was already reached!) but I made an obligatory stop amongst the crowds to Tu Duc tomb and the famous pagoda. They were actually really beautiful and so different than the Wats I've been tracking down in the rest of Asia. The tombs were massive but old, worn, ruined. The weathered wood and peeling paint in the mist gave the whole site a great atmosphere.
I convinced Anh to take me to the beach before the airport. We sat on a bamboo platform watching the light fade from the gray sky until the horizon disappeared. I dug my toes into the sand and drank a beer, letting the past few days & weeks settle in. It's hard not be reflective as a trip comes to a close and the ocean waves were so soothing.
Anh dropped me off at the airport with a tear for the last flight out to Hanoi. Un/fortunately it was canceled, so Vietnam Airlines put me up in a three star hotel. I had a shower curtain for the first time in my trip! I linked up with a woman and her teenage son in the hotel lobby the next morning, where staff argued that we weren't on the first flight out. The woman made a few calls and next thing you know we were boarding an 8:30am plane to Hanoi. Perfecto for me, barely iffy for her. I hope she made her connection to Ha Long Bay.
I had my own plans for Ha Long Bay to come later... :)
Katie
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