Finally I was about to try it out ! After having already spent two weeks in this country of endless tide of scooters, I had summoned up my courage and borrowed a bike from the guesthouse where I resided. The goal of the stroll ? The Beach ! I was currently in the charming town of Hoi An in the center of Vietnam, known for its countless multicolored lanterns which adorns its walls and gives a joyful atmosphere to the city. The first pedal strokes were hazardous. It had been quite a long time since I had ridden a bike ! Leaving the narrow path leading to the guesthouse, I found myself quite rapidly on the main road, caught in a backfiring frenzy of scooters, bikes and even tractors ! Everybody was honking, some were even driving the wrong way and whole family were sometimes riding on one vehicule. After the initial dread that this joyous mess inspired me, I soon realized that this chaos was less dangerous than it seemed as nobody was driving too fast. Then the bustling city gave way to the countryside and the stream of vehicules dried up. Soon after I found myself pedaling alone in the middle of the ricefields with water buffalos for only witnesses and after about half an hour of effort I arrived at my destination. The weather was gray and very windy this day and few tourists had stuck out their necks to the beach. My arrival was thus celebrated by the streetfood vendors as a good omen. At last a bit of animation and maybe even a future client. As enticing as their stands looked, I had another priority, to go bathe ! Soaked in sweat due to the physical effort and dampness of the country, I threw myself with delight into the rampant sea, diving, bodysurfing and getting massaged by the heavy barrels that splashed on my backs After quite a long time, I got out breathless and soaking to sit on a dune and did my best to dry myself up with the tiny towel I had brought from the guesthouse. As I was catching my breath, comtemplating the sheer force of the ocean, an old lady popped up on my right. She was carrying on what seemed frail shoulders, a wooden stick from witch two enormous bundles hung, full of knick knacks that she was peddling to the tourists. She headed towards me and called me out in broken English : - Hello Sir, you need anything ? -No thank you I'm good, I answered. She kept getting closer and asked : - You sure ? - Yes, yes I'm okay " . With noticeable dissapointment, she proceded to sit next to me, putting down her gear, panting from the effort. It must have weighed around 40 pounds. - Very windy today. No tourists . What could I do besides nodding in agreement. She undertook to open her bags to let me admire her merchandise. A sundry collection ranging from plastic flipflops to fake Raybans to trumpery jewelry and also makeup kits so useful at the beach ! -You sure you don't want anything ? -No, no I'm fine. -What do you need ? Having noticed that she curiously did not have any in all of her jumble and wanting to dismiss her gently, I answered " a towel". She rose up swifly with disconcerting ease and started to make off, only telling me : You wait here, leaving me with all her stuff at my feet. Taken aback, I set myself to wait for her return on my dune. The few tourists passing by were surprised to see an european guy with two massive bags at his feet, full of trinkets typical of beach saleswoman. Time went by. Ten minutes then 15, 20 and still no sight of the granny. I could not decently go and leave her stuff without supervision. Finally after a good half an hour, I saw her coming, breathless from running but smiling, handing me proudly two towels that she must have gotten from her house. - You choose ! The towels were stale and even a bit frowzy and I opted for the yellow one which reminded me of the city walls color. After a brief bargaining, I gave her the sum we agreed on. Satisfied, she proceded to tie down her bags put it all back on her shoulder and left scampering on the beach. - Have a good day, Sir ! Two days later, as I sat at the table of a beach greasy spoon, savouring a fried rice with crab, I saw the little granny walking on the sand. She recognised me and asked me again. -Hello Sir Need anything today ? I smiled at her and showed her the glorious towel that was drying up on the back of my chair. - No I'm good. - Maybe tomorrow then ? She answered while a big smile radiated on her face which definitely made up for the towel's poor quality...