Hoi An

---

it seems like ages ago that i last wrote an entry on here! its a very hot sticky nght here and had quite a stressful day!! it feels more stressful i think bcos we all had a bit of a holiday this wkend in Hoi An!

All the volunteers went to Hoi An for the weekend which is about an hour and a half north of Tam Ky..its a really picturesque town and famous for its many tailors! they can pretty much make anything u like and if u take a magazine cutting..even better! everything is made to measure so you know it will fit and if it doesnt they alter it straight away! - its amazing and very addictive!! i had a bikini, kimono, 3 pairs of shorts, sandals, a dress and a few other bits made for such a small amount of money!! we stayed in a really lovely hotel (also dirt cheap!!) with air conditioning and a pool!..it was heaven!! and i felt a bit spoilt!

we also met up with the other volunteers from other programs which was really cool especially as everyone gets on really well!
i think the highlight of the weekend was getting a motorbike taxi to the beach, just outside of hoi an...it was the most beautiful ride there. The scenery is absolutely beautiful! and the beach was goregous too! thw white sand stretches for miles and the only annoying thing is that u get hassled as soon as u step foot onto the beach buy people sellng things! but they are all so lovely that you cant help but chat to them and sometmes buy some jewellry or something! the girls are mostly students who are just trying to fund their education and the things they carry weigh about 15kgs! i cant imagine having to walk up and down the beach in the scorching heat carrying those!! its really funny..they practice their english on you and come out with all sorts of phrases once they learn you're from england!! - lovely jubbly, alright mate, asda price, shit happens are just a few !but its so funny!!!

we got back to tam ky last night and because abbe and robin have donated a lot of money to the baby orphanage they are over-seeing the work thats going on, including a new rubber flooring to replace the concrete. so off we went last night to see the progress only to get their and see all the children high on glue fumes!! it was so strong that i left with a headache after only an hour and they had been around it all day!! so the kids were slightly mental! and none of the orphanage staff could work out why! ...
but we went back today and the smell had gone and the kids were jumping all over the new floor with big smiles so that was pretty cool!!

i have broken my camera and waiting for it to be fixed so their should be some pics up soon!

---