Hoi An is quite well-known for its colourful lanterns, its historical downtown and a bit for its beaches. However, the heart and soul of Hoi An didn’t seem to be exactly where cut-rate trousers are hawked to tourists. Rather, it seems to live in the rice fields and water bodies where grains are harvested and fish is caught. It seems to live in the extremely hard-working locals who drag wooden carts, slosh in swamps and row their little fishing boats out into the sea for a day of fishing.
On the drive into Hoi An, you saw the wide swaths of green fields under the giant clouds. After a cursory afternoon through the places that are supposed to excite visitors, you set off the following morning into the place that excited you.
You are wandering up the dirt path and hear a “woosh woosh woosh woosh” sound to your right. What you see is a whole group of fisherman fishing in a water body with wooden baskets in each hand. As they walk, they slam down one basket after another in the hopes of getting some catch. It seemed they were fishing for fish, and when you asked, you were told fish, but whether it was fish or crabs or shrimp or who knows what, who knows. You will not forget the sight and sound anytime soon, although you surmise this is just a regular day for them.
A close up of a fisherman fishing with the baskets:
You continue on and come across another technique being employed. Two fisherman wade around in a water body with folded up nets. Without notice, one of the men launches the net, which transforms instantly into a large circle. The edges quickly drop to the bottom and the man goes to work. It seems like not much is being caught this moment, but the amount of effort to pick up the net, clear it of the debris and re-pack it seems intensive.
Meanwhile, while all this fishing is going on, a local drags a wooden cart full of plants along the dirt road.
The fishing party with the basket concludes its efforts and the various workers go their various ways:
This local tries to get you to visit a tomb somewhere (which would have ended with him asking for a fee). Then he decides he wants to take your photo with your camera but that isn’t going to happen either. At the end of his pleas, he asks for a cigarette which you don’t have to give. A nice fellow in any case.
With the workers clear from the distance, you spot some geese:
And lastly, some lillypads with clouds in the distance:
Many times, successful travel (and perhaps life) involves following gut instinct and proceeding without a plan. Walk in a direction, sometimes slowly, and see what develops. Sometime it pays to not look for anything in particular; it is then that you get to see everything else.
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