Viv's Voyage(s)

It turns out that getting things tailor-made takes a decent amount of time. Essentially, it ended up being the main activity for us in Hoi An. A quick process synopsis...

Katie and Viv surrounded by fabric

Phase 1: Design Doodling

Step 1 - You sift through giant catalogs searching for a style/clothes.
Step 2 - Sales person scribbles/doodles down the design that you've picked out.
Step 3 - You stare at the reams and reams of fabric surrounding you (slight honey glazing of the eyes occurs) and pick what you want your clothes to be made out of. (This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I don't think I'm very good at grabbing a swath of fabric and confidently seeing the final product...)
Step 4 - Sales person spins you around while she takes measurements and shouts them to an assistant taking notes. (At the first tailor I was admonished for wearing a sports bra to get fitted. Apparently that's a no-no. Something about my chest being "flattened" and not as "lifted" as it would be in the made clothes had I been wearing a "real" bra. Right...well, I learned my lesson.)
Step 5 - You wave good bye and promise to return in a mere 24 hours.

One of Joc's many measurements

A necessary step in Carl's search for the perfect Western shirt

Phase 2: Fitting and Alterations

Step 1 - You try on your clothes piece by piece and get scrutinized. The sales folk break out chalk to mark you up as well as needle and thread to sew the item to fit as it's hanging on you.
Step 2 - Return a couple of hours later to repeat Step 1.
Step 3 - Return several hours later to repeat Step 1.
Step 4 - Return the next day to repreat Step 1.
Step 5 - You run out of time and hope the final alterations were the "final" alterations.

Aaron is Bain-ready in his new dress shirt

Viv and Jocelyn selecting buttons

I had a great experience (emphasis on "experience") with the tailoring. We ended up at 2 different tailoring shops (Bi Bi Silk and Be Be Designs..."same, same but different" as they like to say in these parts) and I had success at both. Bi Bi was about 1/3 cheaper than Be Be, but the service of the latter was better. Ultimately I walked away with a few summer dresses, a few pairs of pants, a couple of skirts, and a bathing suit. Carl was the most restrained, picking up only a western style short sleeved shirt. The rest of the crew collectively picked up a number of suits, dress shirts, dress pants, dresses, etc. I'd be lying if I said there weren't any misses. Katie, for example, ended up with a formal dress that looks like a maternity dress that I bet she'd be happy to pass along. Any takers?

Besides the tailoring, Carl, Joc, Jennie, and I used our collective bargaining power to amass some plates. Yes, you read that right, plates, and yeah, they're not light. While the price was mostly right, Carl, Joc, and I learned that the price to mail them home was definitely not right. A bit of a stomach punch one might say. Here's hoping the boxes make it home in one piece...emphasis on the *one* piece.

Carl, Joc, Jennie, and I rented some motorbikes and sneaked in a couple hours at the Hoi An beach - between fittings of course. With a sunset for a background, the beach was full of locals relaxing; it was really nice to see. Small "restaurant" stands with plastic seating were all along the beach; each one of multiple families enjoying their evening and dinner together. While we did not eat on the beach, we did enjoy a nice orange fanta (my favorite!) before heading back to town to meet up with Katie and Aaron for dinner.

Enjoying our motorbikes

Orange Fanta...YUM!

We've since made it to Nha Trang - Vietnam's premier beach town - met up with Brendan and Allison, and hung out at the beach today. They're unfortunately leaving us tonight on an overnight bus to Hoi An. It's been great to catch up and exchange beta regardless! We're planning another beach day tomorrow and mostly likely heading to Dalat the day after. We lose Jennie tomorrow evening for good as she makes her way home. Sad. And then there were three...