suit fitting in hoi an

we went back to A Dong Silk today for the first of our suit fittings, and we were a bit nervous about how they would look. of course they have the really nice samples throughout the store that look perfect, but would the next day suits we ordered look anywhere as nice? we felt good about the staff, the look and feel of the store, and how thorough they were during the measuring process. here's the shop -

and here are just some of the racks for men's dress shirts -

so moment of truth came and we were pleasantly surprised (and a bit releaved) that the suits fit and looked great! bob's fit nearly perfect, with only the trousers fitting a bit long. mine also fit great with the exception of being a bit snug in the crotch which they are fixing at the moment. my shirts, jacket, and vest fit perfect. with my unique shape, i was amazed at how well they nailed it making my clothing. VERY EXIIITE! i ordered everything on the "a smidge tighter than tailored" side of a fit, which i like, and it's tight without feeling restrictive. we're both super pleased at how everything turned out.

bob getting fit -

after our fitting, we scheduled a second fitting for later tonight and headed to 09, where bob had ordered a pair of custom dress shoes -

custom clothing aside, Hoi An has been wonderful. the "old center" of town with all the shops is very relaxing to stroll through, all the cafes seem to have wonderful food where you can eat outside, and there has been little heckling from locals saying "you buy somthing from me?" we found great places to eat with great food, bob has been able to enjoy $0.75 to $1.00 beers, and today we rented scooters for $5.00 and cruised down to the beach.

today was about 85 and sunny, the sand was very soft, and the beach bodies reading this are really missing out. the feel on this beach was unlike the mexican / caribbean places i've been - very much like a local hangout with a few ritzy resort here and there. no shops, no venders, nothing. it was great.

i've said it earlier, but i'm constantly amazed that you run into the same people throughout your travels here time and time again. and because the people we have meet are so wonderful, it's always a nice surprise. last night while eating dinner, mark, the expat from san fran walked by and stopped for a drink. today, the australian family from the boat in halong bay walked by while we were having desert and stopped for a nice hour or so chat. this is not that small of a country, yet you'd think it was the way you see people here and there. nuts, but nice.

so we're off in a few minutes to get our second fitting for our clothing and are going to call it fairly early. we fly out of Da Nang tomorrow morning for Saigon at about 8, meaning we have to leave our hotel by about 5:30 am. it will be the last in country transport, though, so that will be nice. we'll let you know tomorrow what are plans are and keep you up to date with photos and thoughts then. i'll leave you with my favorite image from our walks around the city. bye for now!