Up at stupid o'clock to meet Sinh for breakfast in the usual place. I tallk to him about me thinking about buying a Moto, I want to get his thoughts. The bike I am thinking about is a Honda Win, of course not a real Honda Win, one that is made in China, as it is considerably cheaper. Of course Sinh tells me that they are not good bikes and that Vietname people don't want to buy anything from China. I expected his response, but I am leaning towards the purchase regardless.
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After breakfast I meet Elias to talk about a few of the finer details. He shows me a map of the planned route, tells me how the bike was tricky at the start but he is now a pro. I think he uses that term quite loosly. He offers to give me a go on his bike to try it out. I'm feeling a little scared, but after some discussion it is time to put in to practice what we have been talking about. First things first, this is a real bike, not like those scooters you see, or the automatic Moto I was on the other day. It is big and has a great pur when you get her going. I get her powered on and try releasing the clutch slowly to determine the biting point. I give it a little go just down the street. So far so good. I am concentrating so much on changing gears that I am aware that I am not dedicating my full attention to the road in front of me. That has to change. I refocus. The accelerator could not be described as smooth. More of an all or nothing accelerator. This makes maintaining a constant speed almost impossible. Of course, as this is my first time I am sure I am not doing things properly. After a quick rip down the street and back up again I have a feel for it. I now have everything in place to make an informed decision. I tell Elias that I will let him know by the end of the day, so I can discuss with some more people.
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Tea gets me later in the day and we go back to Da Nang. I ask her about me getting a Moto and I am met with a resounding 'No, too dangerous' Ha, just what I expected. I'll take on board her opinios and add it to my decision making. I have expressed interest in getting a camera lens. After playing with her friends 50mm, I asked Tea to find out the price for me. $90 which is cheaper than I bought it for at home. I'm not sure why I didn't bring it with me. Aww well. We are going to go and see if we can get one. In to Da Nang and I get out the phone as we piggy back some free wifi. Get to the camera shop and they have the lens. Tea gets a little discount and I buy. Happy Christmas Marty. We go to get something to eat, and we end up in this place that does, chicken and rice. So I get a half chicken, bones and all. Normally not a fan, but it tastes so good that I literally destroy that half chicken. Nom Nom Nom.
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I have decided that it is now time for me to go and see the new Bond movie. There is a cinema here and so we decide to go. I think this is the best cinema I have ever been in. The picture quality was superb, the sound was clear and crisp and on top of that the seats were comfortable. Bond wasn't too bad either. It was in English with Vietnamese subs, so it was perfect for me, being the only foreigner in the place. Though I had heard that going to the cinema in Vietnam was a disaster. I can see why, because it is all sub titles it means that the Vietnamese people have no problem answering their phone or talking loudly to each other. This proved to be a little irritating after a while, but not enough to distract me from the movie,
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We get back to Hoi An and Sinh want to meet for a drink as tonight is my last night. We stop at a little restaurant and Sinh soon arrives. He orders up some food and the crate of beer that is customary in these places. We share a some bottles and it is clear that Sinh is somewhat worse for ware. It gets to a point where he is just leaning on his hand sleeping, Tea and I laugh. The scary thing is, he then gets on his bike and heads homw. Crazy. Tea drops me back to my hotel and I send Elias and email. I'm in.