Day 226, HoiAn, Vietnam

Note the cane highchair 

I had such a quiet day in Hoi An, that there is just not much to write about! Went and saw Mrs Tan Tan, ended up ordering two dresses, haha. Bike ride, swim. I so love this little town, I could just stay here and never go home.

I must tell you about scooters in Vietnam. For a population of 90 million, there are 37 million registered motorbikes (only about 2 million cars). They are everywhere man! In a town like HoiAn, what you see is 40 scooters, 20 bicycles. 5 taxis and 1 car. Roughly of course.

Cartons of eggs 

Everywhere I have been in Vietnam, I saw everyone and everything transported on bikes and scooters. Just this afternoon I saw a guy on the back of a motorcycle holding on to a wooden two wheeled cart, upon which had been stacked a huge aquarium (empty), a wardrobe and dressing table. Building materials, livestock, fridges, flatscreen televisions.

Hold onto that television!

Then there are whole families, mum, dad, toddler in this little 'high chair' or just standing up, and mum holding onto a baby with one arm, baby looking like it's going to slip and slide right out of her arms at any minute. There must be some point where the kids don't fit on the scooter anymore, but for a long time it seems to be sufficient to transport the family.

What is worn on the scooter is another matter altogether. For female riders and passengers it is imperative she is as fully covered as possible. This will involve the following items: gloves, socks (with jandals), a full length jacket, if wearing a skirt then an 'over skirt' is often worn to cover legs, a hoodie and a face mask that covers as much as possible.

All covered up

So, part of the reason for all this coverage is obviously the sun. And it's not just because they're worried about skin cancer; most of it is vanity. The lighter the skin better, hence the lightning face cremes. A tan means lots of time in the sun, so looks older, whiter skin means youth! So when you see a couple on the scooter from the back in shorts and singlets....you know they're tourists!