Day 58! I’m having a blast in Hoi An! Nothing beats relaxing on the beach and swimming in the ocean! But today, I got my motorbike back, but it’s unfortunately not the end of the repairing saga…

The sun came up over Hoi An and it was the start to another cloudless, sunny day!

I headed over to the main hostel for breakfast where I had a few pancakes with banana and honey, then a Banh Mi with a warm and fluffy omelette.

To add to the nice beginning to the day, I had a FaceTime with my parents and we caught up on the week! It was nice to hear from them and learn what’s going on in their world.

My motorbike was done at 10am but I decided to wait for the free shuttle into Old Town, provided by the hostel, at 11am so I was a little late. But saved a few dollars by not getting a Grab!

Lea decided to come with as well and we planned to grab lunch in town after I got my scooter.

The van dropped us off about a 10 minute walk from the shop. And after arriving, the mechanic went through and showed me all the repairs he had made.

This was one of the most thorough mechanics I’ve had and he made sure I understood what they had done and what I was paying for!

He was also super goofy and with the little English he had, was trying to make jokes about different things.

Before I left the shop, he made sure I left a review. So I took this picture to tac on to my Google review of the shop. 5/5 stars for sure for the service and care for my motorbike!

We took Kilby for a test ride and I could tell the motorbike was feeling a lot better! It was really nice having a working odometer and speedometer again too!

After driving around a bit, we stopped at an ATM since I had just spent most of my Dong at the shop. Then made our way to one of the most popular Banh Mi restaurants in Hoi An, Banh Mi Queen!

The food did not disappoint! I had this last time I was in Hoi An, but this time it was even better! I had a chicken and a tofu Banh Mi and they were both delicious.

While we were eating, a solo traveler from England sat next to us and we chatted for a while about our travels. I actually never got her name, but it was a nice conversation and another example of how wonderful the people are out here!

It was then time for another afternoon on the beach!

The weather was perfect again and it made for a great time hanging out, listening to music, and splashing around in the waves!

The ocean was a lot more calm today but still was a blast to swim around in.

Lea has a hammock and we set that up under an abandoned lifeguard tower. It made for a free and great place to sit and watch the waves.

After a number of hours on the beach, it was time for a snack. So we went back to the main hostel and I got a vegetable stir fried noodles. The hostels food is actually very good and very cheap!

I took a nap and then Lea and I hopped on my motorbike to head into town for more exploring and dinner!

But on our way into town… my motorbike broke down!

This was a full on engine stopped working on the side of the road moment. I was a bit surprised seeing how I just got my motorbike from the mechanic, but I guess they could’ve messed something up.

I messaged the mechanic, which we were a 25 minute walk from, and then started pushing my motorbike.

The mechanic said he’d come pick us up, but before he could, 3 locals pulled up next to us to help out!

One of the bikes pushed me all the way to the shop and the other let Lea ride on the back of their bike! It was very nice of them and made our lives a lot easier!

It’s crazy that this is the second time a local has gone out of their way to help me out in a situation like this.

We arrived at the mechanic and two guys quickly went to work trying to figure out the problem.

They then proceeded to completely strip apart the motorbike which was a stressful process to watch. Screws were being tossed around, plastic sounding like it was breaking, but I had to trust that they knew what they were doing!

They figured the problem was specifically the engine and nothing that connects to it… and claimed that they “didn’t work on the engine.”

I questioned this and said it worked before I brought the motorbike to them. And I was about to remind the mechanic that they in fact did work on the engine, when he found the problem.

A screw (yes, the things they were just tossing around) had fallen into the engine and blocked the cylinders from firing…

The mechanic started profusely apologizing and said that one of his workers accidentally dropped it in. He also said I wouldn’t have to pay for the additional repairs, which is very kind of him… especially now that I won’t have my motorbike for another full day.

I’m glad we didn’t get hurt in this ordeal, but man! It was a big bummer.

With plans to be back at the mechanic tomorrow at 1pm, we set out to find dinner.

We eventually settled on a small restaurant with a very nice owner. I got a plate of Hoi An chicken rice, which is always a delicious meal!

As we continued on from dinner, I saw a piece of graffiti that reminded me of a special bird…

I doubt it’s supposed to be a Jayhawk, but it sure has the right colors for one!

We then continued our night with wandering the old town some more and snacking on more sweet treats!

While we were wandering, an older lady said, “oh, hello!” It took me a second to recognize her, but her and her husband were the Italian couple I met in Bao Loc! They were the ones that thought I looked like Frank Zappa (so does my dad). We had a short catch up and then said our goodbyes, but it was nice to run into them again!

I got some mango cakes (which I don’t actually think have mango in them), coconut sherbet, and finished the eating off with a peanut butter and banana pancake! It’s been a while since I’ve had peanut butter and it was such a treat!

I also made a small purchase tonight. There’s a game that the locals play called Da Cau! This is actually the national sport of Vietnam.

It’s essentially a mix of badminton and hacky sack!

So for 50,000 Dong, I thought it’d be a great addition to my travels to be able to play it in future countries (and beaches) to come!

Since we didn’t have our own transportation back to the hostel, we got a Grab car back and called it a night!

It was a nice long day of relaxation and eating which is one of the reasons I really like Hoi An! This town is a great one to just chill out in for a bit before I start my motorbike adventures again… hopefully!

It looks like there might be rain coming in, but I’m hoping the weather changes and it calls for more time on the beach!

Only time will tell!

– Elie