Day 37: Hoi An by boat
Claire: I do enjoy a town/city with a river. There's something very pleasing about the water and open space it creates. Today we enjoy just that, and not much else (apart from a delicious Bánh mì lunch)
Strolling down the riverbank you are hassled several times to take a ride (you are actually begged), but we passed one chilled dude who won us over and for a bargain £5 we got a sunset ride for two. You can't complain at that!
Gav's day 37 takeaway
How to haggle with the Vietnamese - Part 1
1. Sit in bar across from boats and observe how it works, who's had business and who's not.
2. Walk past boats slowly as if you aren't looking for anything in particular, and... wait for it...
- Boat man: "YOU WANT BOAT RIDE MISTER?"
- Gav: "EH?" (Looks uncertain but politely curious)
- Boat man: "I TAKE BOAT RIDE, 30 minutes around island"
- Gav: "Oh right. Erm, no I'm ok"
- Boat man: 30 minues around island"
- Gav: "Cool"
- Gav: "How much"
- Boat man: "400,000 for 30 minutes"
- Gav: "OH" (Face tells him that sounds expensive)
- Boat man: "Okay how much you pay" (Touches Gav's arm)
- Gav: (Stops walking)
- Gav: "Erm, I dunno. 50,000"
- Boat man: (Undeterred) "I do 300 [thousand]"
- Gav: (gazes into distance)
- Boat man: "250 [thousand]"
- Gav: (Scrunches face as if to say tempting) "I don't think we have that, maybe tomorrow"
3. Earlier that day, put 150,000 in your pocket away from all your other money.
- Boat man: "What you pay? What you pay?"
- Gav: (Pulls money from pocket and counts) "This is all we have"
- Boat man: (Snatches money)
4. FYI. When you get a cheap boat ride, don't expect the full service. If for example it's supposed to be half an hour, expect 25 minutes. If you're going round an island, expect it to be the ugly one. And if the boat man needs petrol, expect that he'll do it when you're in the boat and expect that it feels awkward.
Gav: (We'll call it a draw)
