Harvesting has begun in the rice paddies, the tourist numbers are dwindling, wet season is looming, and our gym membership has just expired. We have just ticked over the beginning of week 26 and our 10th week in Hoi An and our amazing Asian adventure is coming to a close. We have had a great time catching up with old Vietnamese friends and meeting new ones while here in Hoi An.

3 old ladies taking time out from walking on the rice husks to help the drying process.

The school being used to dry the rice (above) on a Sunday. The roads are covered in it, front yards of houses (below) so a timely reminder to always wash your rice!
We have reluctantly started packing up Betty and Nancy for the journey home. They have been worthy steeds, taking care of us for 3500km and navigating the Vietnamese traffic, which is no mean feat, with minimal road rules. We have seen more than enough crashes over the past 6 months so fingers crossed we survive tomorrow on the free hotel bikes.
We have been so fortunate to have had the most amazing experience. We have seen so much poverty and hardship offset with the most generous and resilient people who have never been short of a friendly wave, smile and hello.
Our minimalistic lifestyle that we have been adapting over the past few years is not a lifestyle choice here in many parts of Asia but is one they strive to achieve. It makes our perceived problems in the western world seem trivial and pale in comparison to daily existence. Sometimes we just need to take a step back, take a deep breath and not sweat the small stuff.
We have been treated so well on this journey throughout the 4 countries we have visited but without a doubt Myanmar has been the highlight with its unpretentious and simple way of life.
That being said our final few days in Hoi An have been really special with our good friends. (See pics above)
When we hit Australia this weekend we will have to ditch the charades and pigeon English as we immerse ourselves back to the western way of life and adjust our thermostats that have been sitting in the mid 30s for most of the trip.