This morning we will be going on the fishing expedition that Dung organised for us yesterday. We set our alarms for 6:30am and went across to the adjacent building for breakfast at 7:30am.
The entrance to the breakfast area was via an impressive marble staircase and the restaurant overlooks the river. There was a good choice of food including food cooked to order. I had an omelette.
As always the tour people were there waiting for us at the appointed time of 8:30am. Dung introduced us to Kwon, our guide from Jack Tran Tours. The was also a driver for the van that would take us to our destination.
After the van dropped us off, we walked for about 5 minutes through the village where we could see ships being built or repaired. There were plenty of boats moored at the beach ranging from old traditional timber boats to modern speed boats.
The main boat we would be travelling in this morning was anchored about 40m off shore. To get there we had to climb into a basket boat. This was a fully circular vessel like a tub. Basket boats are made of timber and sealed with tar. Kwon paddled the basket boat out to the main boat.
Our boat was another timber boat that is apparently about 30 years old. My guess is that is was probably about 12m long. It had capacity for about a dozen people but we were the only guests on board because Dung had organised a private tour.
There were two crew members apart from Kwon. One man was both the captain and the cook and so naturally he was referred to as Captain Cook. The sign in front of the steering wheel confirmed this. We were allowed to take off our life jackets when we came on board but we had to take off our shoes to be ready for the morning's activities.
As we motored out to sea, Kwon told us to take photos of a man and woman in a small traditional timber Vietnamese boat. The woman was steering and paddling the boat while the man was casting a net high in the air. He would then pull the net back in to see if he'd caught any fish.
Next it was our turn. They brought their boat along side ours so we could clamber aboard. Not only did we see them doing their work up close, they then taught us how to do it. The takings weren't great. Suzy caught one small fish.
We left their boat and motored to a sandy beach on a nearby island. I thought we'd left the fishing couple behind but they came ashore too. They proceeded to give us lessons on how to cast the net into the sea from the beach. It took us two or three attempts each before they were satisfied that we'd mastered the technique.
By this time our shorts were wet and sandy. However, our work was not over. Nearby there was a timber structure that looked like a lifesaver observation tower at a glance. On closer inspection, it had a pulley system for raising a very large fishing net off shore that was supported on long bamboo poles.
Our job was to sit on the platform and use our feet to wind the rope in. It was hard work even though they were helping us. Unfortunately there were only two small fish caught in this huge net.
As we clambered down onto the beach, we noticed that four cows had wandered down onto the sand followed by a woman tending them. Yet another great photo opportunity. I didn't stand in one spot for long because the sand was so hot.
Our boat then took us under the new concrete bridge and up the nearby river. Apparently the bridge is only 2 years old and is 2km long. An impressive structure.
After we'd anchored in the river, the two crew members each got into a basket boat and gave us an impromptu demonstration of rocking and spinning in their basket boats. It was like ballet or acrobatics on water.
Next it was our turn. They got us both into a basket boat and took us deep into the reeds where they showed us water coconuts growing in the reeds. Apparently Vietcong had hidden in these waters long after the war had finished. We were old that fishermen still sometimes pull land mines up in their nets.
Our two crew then showed us their skills in making small objects with the reeds - such a grasshopper, rings, spectacles and a crown.
Back on the boat, it was time for lunch - even though it was only about 11am. The captain had indeed cooked our lunch. It was quite a pleasant spot to eat because there was a gentle breeze off the water taking the edge off the heat of the day.
Then it was time to head back to the wharf where the van was waiting to take us back to the hotel. We got back by 12:30pm. It had been a very memorable morning - the sort of experience we won't forget in a hurry. We were very grateful that Dung had suggested it and arranged it.
Suzy decided to sit by the pool while I went around the grounds taking photos.
Dung was waiting for us at the appointed time of 3pm to take us on our walking tour of the ancient own.
But first we went over the road to collect our laundry. She had done an excellent job of washing, pressing, folding and packaging it for us.
Thankfully the walking tour was a gentle pace because it was hot and humid as always. One of the apps on my iPhone said it was 35C with an apparent temperature of 39C. After a while, it gets very draining. Luckily Dung was happy to wait while Suzy went into shops to look at jewelry and clothes.
At one of the shops, we'd ordered tailor-made clothes yesterday - dresses for Suzy and shirts for me. They got us to try them on. My shirts fitted well whereas Suzy asked them to make some further changes.
At various points along the tour, Dung explained some of the history of the town. For example, hundreds of years ago, the town was occupied by Chinese and Japanese. They each occupied different halves of the ancient town. The Chinese are still present but the Japanese moved back home a long time ago.
There are still signs of these cultures including a Chinese religious building, a Japanese house and the Japanese Bridge. The Japanese house is the oldest surviving house in the town - about 400 years old. The bridge is an enclosed timber structure over a canal near the river.
As usual, the streets were busy with motor bikes, bicycles, rickshaws, cars and pedestrians. Most of them were sounding their horns regularly. Perhaps the most dangerous were the rickshaws because they don't usually have a bell or a horn. Sometimes the driver would call out "beep beep" but otherwise you just need to be on the lookout.
The waterfront was probably just as busy as last night. There seemed to no end to the Chinese and Korean tour groups. It was wall-to-wall people and so it was a struggle to fight your way through if you wanted to get a photo from a different vantage point.
At about 5:30pm, it was time to part company with Dung. He had done a fabulous job of looking after us for the last few days. We left him with our email addresses so we could keep in touch.
After Suzy had spent more time at the jewelry shop, we managed to find the restaurant (Dao Tien River Restaurant) that Dung that had recommended near our hotel. Even though it was only about 6:15pm, it was already well patronised. They found us a very nice table on the terrace overlooking the river.
It was another excellent meal. Once again the wine was too expensive and so I went for the local Danang beer, La Rue and Suzy had a couple of glasses of gin and tonic. She was falling asleep when we got back to the hotel. It had been another long, eventful and enjoyable day.
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