Week 40 – Saturday 2 March to Friday 8 March 2013
The chlorine in the pool in Hanoi seemed to have less sting than the chlorine in the pool at Hoi An. But then again, the Hoi An pool had dolphins in it.
Hoi An is a world-heritage listed city with more tailors than you cold poke at a sewing needle at. I resisted the hard-sell of the many tailors but now realise that I could have asked them to make me some togs. Tailor-made swimming trunks, imagine that. So it goes.
Fifteen minutes by push bike from Hoi An is Cua Dai beach. It’s gorgeous in summer according to all the brochures but at the tail end of winter the sky was grey, the wind was blowing, the rain was falling and the water was rough, very rough. I dived under a few waves and headed for the safety of the sand where a lone vendor, Lu-Lin, tried to sell me tourist knick-knacks. I had deliberately left my wallet back at the Glory Hotel.
The week concluded with several daily dips back at The Hanoi Hilton, headquarters of the 365 Swims International Laws Tribunal, which had convened an emergency hearing to adjudicate the case of the Williamstown swimmer who missed two days of swimming while in Sapa, near the Chinese border.
The week’s dips:
2 March: Hanoi, 7pm (after returning from Halong Bay)
3 March: Hanoi in the morning, Hoi An in the evening
4 March: Cua Dai beach in the morning, Hoi An in the evening
5 March: Hoi An in the morning (before flying to Hanoi)
6 March: Hanoi (7am, Noon, 6pm)
7 March: Hanoi in the morning
8 March: Hanoi in the morning and afternoon.
Next week: missed opportunity at Singapore Airport.
