Hoi An, Vietnam: Today’s adventure was the $4 (no air conditioning) bus ride from Hue to Hoi An. I swear that all vehicles in Vietnam must have a governor on them to regulate the speed. We never exceeded 35 mile an hour which turned the trip into 4 hours! They were supposed to leave us at the bus terminal but that didn’t happen. The driver must have had the “entrepreneurial” spirit since we got left off in front of a $10/night hotel. I wonder if he got a commission on that? There weren’t any taxis around only “motorcycle taxis”. Well…when in Rome. This was definitely a sight to see: the driver, my carryon roller bag and me behind him wearing a backpack. I got to the hotel ok along with my luggage. This hotel is somewhat of an oasis so I think I will extend my day here.
For dinner, I saw a recommendation in Lonely Planet Guide. “Bale Well is the local place that’s famous for one dish – delicious BBQ pork served satay-style which you then combine with fresh greens and herbs to create your own fresh spring roll. The owner/manager saw me with the Lonely Planet guide and told me to sit down. Before I knew it, she brought me the meal (see photos) and said “I will make it for you”. She grabbed the wrap, put in a rice pancake, greens, cabbage and then the BBQ pork and handed it to me. She would come back every two minutes and make me another until I couldn’t eat any more. I didn’t bother asking her if she washed her hands between giving change, cooking, taking out the garbage and making my spring rolls. I guess that falls under the category of “I don’t want to know”. They were pretty tasty however.
