We lunched at Mango Mango (across the river on the island, opposite the Japanese covered bridge). We enjoyed a starter to share: “A geisha tempura fish”, tempura pieces of red snapper in Japanese-Vietnamese style and tossed with green pepper, garlic and sesame seeds. This was followed by a main: “Buddha boogies”, seasonal exotic vegetables sautéed with garlic and fresh herbs, served with grilled eggplant, feta cheese and tamarind sauce. A Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, Vina Malpo, was the perfect accompaniment. Food was great, service was fine, but I was not a fan of the tiny brown ants on the table that we kept having to swat so that we didn’t have to share our meal – al fresco has its disadvantages!
We had a nice little moment crossing the bridge back to the main part of Hoi An when we happened upon a couple we had met on the Halong Bay cruise (and shared one lunch with, as they were only on board for the one night). We had a brief ‘on the run’ chat as they were late for their big bus that was waiting to whisk them off to the next port of call on their whistle stop tour. Am so glad we weren’t part of that group – they only got to enjoy Hoi An for a few hours! We found a few days barely scratched the surface!
Our final (truly, final this time) fitting at Blue was squeezed into 20 minutes with my one linen top fitting perfectly and the promise of the other 4 being made to the exact same specs. The bundle of clothes were weighed (including some other purchases that we didn’t want to lug home ourselves), bundled up ready for shipping, and we handed over our credit card. As John had left a little earlier to go back to the hotel to meet a delivery of silk pyjamas (!!), I was ready to high-tail it back too after all the formalities of our exchange were complete. Dong insisted that I catch a ride with one of the girls – such larks, fanging along on the back of a moped (helmet on, of course, and very responsible driving from the slip of thing at the helm!). We arrived at the hotel at exactly the same time as John, who had left at least 20 minutes before us – perfect timing.
Now, off to Fusion Maia Spa Resort!
Click on any image below to view as a gallery
- The pool at Life Heritage Resort, Hoi An
- Life Heritage Resort
- Boats with ‘good luck’ eyes on the Thu Bon River, Hoi An
- Mango, Mango Restaurant, Hoi An
- Mango, Mango Restaurant – classy signage!
- One of the Thu Bon River bridges, Hoi An
- Hoi An tree-lined street
- Nic and Dong, at Blue Tailors