We arrived train weary at Betel Homestay in Hoi An early Wednesday afternoon needing a wake me up shower and a little food. However, we were served a huge amount of unfamiliar food...... morning glory and rice and banana flower salad. With our energy levels rebooted, we set off on the homestay's bikes towards the main part of Hoi An. I thought that cycling here would be a calm, unhurried affair. But no! Unfamilarity with the curious rules of the road here caused us more than a little consternation. At our first junction there was a a constant stream of two way traffic which we needed to cross to travel left. To the amusement of old grannies and three year olds who passed us and weaved in and through the oncoming motor bikes and cars, we eventually had to gingerly walk our bikes across to the other side. Things got better as we headed down a straight road until confusion reigned again at the next major crossroads where we watched dumbfounded as the locals knitted their way across the mayhem ahead of us. The Vietnamese have amazing spatial awareness and once there is an opportunity for a gap, they are through it in a wink. Anyway, somehow or other we found the parking spaces that the homestay has for bikes in Hoi An and we accepted the confident assurance from a local shopkeeper that the bikes would be safe on the pavement in front of their store... without the need to lock them up as they would look after them. Wise move? Hoi An clearly prides itself on being a tourist town and is bigger than I had expected but it still retains much of its character and charm in spite of attracting a constant stream of Western backpackers and fairly wealthy travellers in search of different travel experiences. We probably fall into the last category. We walked in and around the local market where the locals hailed us cajoling us to buy some fruit or try a Hoi An dish that was simmering away in one of the pots that surrounded their patch. But with full stomachs we resisted. Plenty of hawkers made half-hearted approaches to tempt us into a boat trip or a cafe visit as we stumbled past the riverside stalls and over the bridge. Again we resisted....for a while..... until we needed a pit stop to take on more liquids at one of the tourist cafes. I was aware here how quickly day turns to night and was keen to return to our homestay on our unlit bikes before we became unseen victims of an errant vehicle wielding local. High road fatalities here you know? But having recovered our bikes which had been securely guarded as promised we headed away only for Alyson to notice, within less than twenty feet of the starting line, a tourist version of the iconic conical hat. She tried it on, had it fitted properly, smiled and showed how much she liked it, as did Caitlin. Not a good point to commence the negotiatons. The stall holder wanted 10 dollars for each one....as this would be her first sale of the day. I can't remember what I knocked her down to after her calculator moved from her hand to mine several times. But the rich capitalist Westerners were stung and made to pay a silly price for our first real purchases in Vietnam. And I know these hats will be swiftly depatched up into the attic in a few weeks time! As I passed over the few hundred thousand dong to the smiling vendor, I noticed the beaming headlights of multiple scooters and taxis which hurtled past us in the South East Asian post-twilight gloom. Somehow or other, we arrived back safely in spite of several stops for the two females readjusting their headgear which naturally enough slipped over their faces constantly as they blindly careered towards the pavement or an unsuspecting pedestrian. On our arrival at our homestay, we asked one of the staff here if they would phone up the "Love of Life" bike tour - number one tour as recommended by tripadvisor- for our next day activity. This they dutifully did. Thursday morning breakfast was a rush to say the very least. Due out for 8, breakfast arrived at our table at ten to eight as our pick up. Very quick feed then and off into town to the office where a group of a dozen or so strangers assembled and were fitted up with their well cared for bikes. First we trooped in single line through the busy streets and past the bustling market until a few minutes later all our bikes were lifted on to the public ferry along with thirty or forty scooters / motorbikes and their passengers. A crossing of some fifteen or so minutes increased a liitle by the stalling of the engine mid-stream to mild consternation of a few. The next six hours were very pleasant. A very hot day but there were plenty of stops built in to the tour and plenty of cold drinks supplied as required. One highlight of many was crossing a long and narrow pontoon bridge which was in need of more than a little love and care from members of the bridge repair force. We got a feel for typical village life as we sauntered past people at work and leisure beside the route. If you ever come to Hoi An, you should certainly consider whether to book a day's cycle tour. For about £14 each, we were guided through the Vietnamese countryside by the humourous, accomodating and patient Vinh -who had to deal with some picky French tourists who overly critical of trivial aspects of the tour such as that their favourite flavour was not amongst the wide variety of cold drinks he offered us! But in addition, visits to different crafts people, three ferry rides, a cafe stop, a delicious four course meal which included vegetarian options, a foot massage and two taxi rides (to and from our hotel) were all included in the price. Immense value for money. A brilliant day out with good company which included the picky French who warmed up and became sociable and funny towards the end. One of our fellow travellers looked the spitting image of Shane Wlliams the Welsh international rugby player. This was the first time any one had told him this. His girlfriend found this amusing and promised to goole Shane Williams and then we all proceeded...including the French...to take lots of photos of the Aussie lookalike. This we all found hilarious except perhaps for Melbourne Shane. Little things please.....! It is a very nice touch of our hotel to invite everyone who has three nights there to a feast with the other guests. We sat near a lovely Dutch family on one side and a Swiss man and his Russian wife and their family on the other. We were stuffed after our bicycle tour meal at 3 and at half 7, we were off eating and drinking again! And for the third time in 2 days, we had morning glory and garlic presented before us. Repeating itself in more than one way. The next day in Hanoi we were up too late to take up the kind offer from our new Swiss / Russian friends to visit Mae Son with them. Instead after a lie in of sorts, we reached breakfast a few minutes before ten. Again, a lovely enough meal except for a disturbingly doughy banana pancake which I couldn't even force myself to eat. My only refusal so far! As veteran bike travellers in this locality, we ventured out to Bebe tailors in town to have a fitting for the clothes we chose to have made up yesterday. I say chose but if my words are to be written truthfully I should say that the staff suggested and informed and chose what would suit. I am innocent in these matters. Do I know if a narrow collar is more suitable? Should I choose charcoal black? I am ignorant in these matters. However, I have my own handmade suit now and Alyson and Caitlin have two dresses each too. They didn't laugh at me in my suit so I imagine that it must be okay. For much of the rest of the day, we tracked our way up and down the main streets of the more pleasant parts of Hoi An without feeling the need to buy the tickets to enter all of the historic buildings or cross the Japanese bridge with the convoys of foreigners trampling all over it with cameras aimed at any beam that might have some significance. Of course, we found a pleasant cafe or two to sit and smile at the world outside. With increasing confidence on our bikes, we rode around the main parts of the town even managing several crossroads without stopping. Hardly heavy exercise as we paused several times. We gazed from outside at hundreds of best dressed guests waiting for the bride and groom to arrive after their unification ceremony and then scores of little children in gaudy mauveuniforms doing some form of martial arts exercise routine a little further down by the river. Plenty more which attracted the eyes and senses but there's no time here to record but one or two things. I have begun to understand how the traffic works in Vietnam. It is easy to mistake the bustle for madness. But no! No-one travels quickly and everyone considers everyone else on the road. If you walk or cycle slowly and with a clear, defined path you will have no problems....and the rest of the traffic will work its way about you. We met the author A D Scott today and she likened travelling on a bike on the road to being a part of a shoal of fish which merges into another shoal. You go calmly with the flow and you arrive safely. These are my major thoughts about Hoi An. A flight to Hanoi on Saturday afternoon and then the night train and we'll be in Sapa on Sunday morning before 5 in the morning. Another night of little sleep for sure. Apologies for any misspellings in my blogs. Not easy to type correctly on an ipad! o of them resisted.