Hoi An

We made a great discovery for accommodation in Hoi An - a lovely hotel called Greenfields complete with swimming pool, restaurant, billiards table and free cocktails at happy hour round the pool! We had booked two nights in Hoi An, the weather (like Hue) hasn't been brilliant but we still made the best of it.

Day 1 was a mission to get our camera fixed (it had broken in Hanoi and we were lost without it). We were directed to a Kodak shop who said it looked like a big job and would need to be sent off to a neighbouring town (Danang) to be fixed. Reluctantly we parted company with it and feared a large bill the next day.

So with the rest of the day, we decided to hire a bike and peddle over to Hoi An beach - it was only 2.5 Km away. The cycle there was very picturesque past paddy fields, rivers and fishing villages. As we neared the beach big expensive looking hotels loomed on the horizon. It's a shame really that tourism has well and truly got it's claws stuck into Vietnam, but on the other hand it has it's benefits. It is so easy to get round Vietnam and find things to do in each town because tourism is such a big thing. We have been suprised by how established and developed Vietnam is, I think we were both expecting something a little more like India. I think it is more like Thailand.

The beach at Hoi An was lovely, though the water very choppy at this time of year. We sat for a while watching the waves come in and enjoying practically having the beach to ourselves. After this we headed back to our hotel longing for those promised free cocktails. It was a really good way of meeting people - we got speaking to an Australian couple and ended up staying at the hotel with them for food too. They even braved the cold swimming pool - bbbrrrrhhhhhh!!!! Barmy Australians.

Day 2, weather still not great, but again decided not to let it bother us. We hired bikes, bought rain-ponchos and headed into the 'old town' of Hoi An. Wow - what a place! If Hue is all about culture and art then Hoi An is most certainly all about the shopping! So many shops selling souvineers (they are big on bamboo lacquer products here and silk) and lots of Tailors and clothes shops. Hoi An is meant to be 'the place' to get a suit made to measure - Dale nearly succumbed (two weddings this year!) but time was against us so we decided against it in the end. We cycled along the river, walked around the beautiful old town (it is so quaint and all the buildings are timber framed dating back to the early 1900's. We visited some small museums, assembly halls, chapels etc to get to know a bit of the history behind the town. Then we went for meal in the evening on the river front. This was really lovely. The food in vietnam has been so good - in fact each day we look forward to our evening meal.

With our whistle-stop-tour of Hoi An complete, we were ready to collect our camera (only 640,000 Dong which sounds pricey but only equates to about 20 pounds!). And then we hopped on a sleeper bus heading to Nha Trang - beach capital of Vietnam!

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