this is the sign from the place we have been eating. we've found it to have the best non-western food in hoi an. we had rice pancakes, which are stuffed with veggies and shrimp, then you place fresh greens (lettuce, basil, & something else) on top, then you wrap that concoction in a thin white rice paper and dip it in spicy sweet and sour sauce. yum! we also had crispy noodles, see below, and these are delightful as well, they get not crispy after you mix the sauce.

we have done some cultural things, such as viewing temples and old houses and a folklore museum. each of these huge coils of incense is placed in the temple to burn in honor of a prayer for someone. you can get little coils for little prayers, too.


our hotel is about a 5 minute walk from the historic old town, which is pretty much all that hoi an has to offer tourists, except for some nice rice paddy views. we walk down a busy street to get to the old town, where there are not supposed to be any motorbikes. people like to break this ban, unfortunately. we pass this pork place on the way, and here is the guy cutting up the whole roastedpig, right on the side of the road. whenwe came by later, it was nothing but a bare-boned carcass.

in the mornings after breakfast, we have been strolling with walker before his nap time. there is a water way here that is peaceful to walk along. we discovered this handmade boat yesterday, they even put on the eyes. apparently all fishing boats have to have eyes so they can see the fish. some kid and his parent did a great job making this boat out of some trash.

we took an hour long ride down the river to see the city from a boat. jamie got to drive! we saw some corn growing and a duck farm. there was a situation where two old people threw a netout of their very small boat, looking as if they were catching fish. then the bigger boats like ours would come up, and we would have to give them some money. but we still hada nice time and walker liked crawling around on the boat.

we have had a nice time here in hoi an, and in vietnam. however, we are getting worn down by the traffic and by the amount of attention paid to walker. it is exhausting, telling people"no" they can't hold him, no kissing on the face, trying to get around people who want us to stop so they can play with him, telling people it is ok he is not wearing a hat, et cetera. yesterday we came upon someone on the street, stood in front of the stroller so we had to stop, and reached in and grabbed him, trying to pull him out of the stroller. mama bear got MAD.
as i told jamie, one of the best things about this trip is that both of us have gotten to spend such great quality time with walker. i think each of us has developed a closer relationship with him, and i know that all 3 of us have enjoyed our time together. he is such a good baby and and a real delight for us to be with.

we are ready to come home, but 1st we go back to HCMC tomorrow for a day where we will see the currys again! i am so sick of the traffic here, and the sidewalks are taken up by motorbikes. so just a couple more days of that, and then we board the big bird for what could possibly be the most tortuous plane trip ever. we'll see. but it will all be worth it, as we have had a great trip!

more later!