Hoi An

Hoi An is still one of my favorite spots in Vietnam. The town is rustic and very quiet compared to other citys. They don't allow cars in the main area of town and there are only a few motorbikes. Lots of nice restaurants, food reasonably cheap, beer cold and we found the best lime juice of our holiday!

The kids all had some clothes made, we went back to the tailor (To To), they made Sam's shorts from last year that he has lived in for the last 12 months and have been brilliant value. He decided on some grey shorts, unfortunately when made up they look too much like his school shorts, so he chose another fabric quite close to the ones from last year (wider stripe). At the last minute I ordered him a check pair that are very nice. Kyle chose the same fabric as Sam's last pair (they look like twins!). The boys shorts are really nice and look great on. Poor Issy had two pairs copied from a favourite pair of shorts and they are a disaster! Picked them up on the doorknock and are really dreadful. She tried them on so many times and unless they recut them (which they had no intention of doing so!) they always were going to be dreadful (they will be great for harvest though!). She has a dinner/dance at the end of the year for school and I took her to a Yaly (upmarket establishment) and she had a lovely simple blue chiffon dress made. It is very pretty and looks very nice....so at least she did come out with something nice at the end of it all! I was going to get some pants made up....but after Issy having her drama's, I couldnt be bothered. Phil had a pair of pants made last year...they are so daggy, he wasnt game to have another pair made!!!

We are staying at the Thein Thanh Hotel, nice budget hotel with a lovely swimming pool area. Its just up from the Thanh Xuan were we stayed last year. Our rooms are really nice and clean. Janine and her family had a family room that they shared with a rat for the first two nights. It was in a bamboo stalk next to her bed! (or so she says!) After two nights I thinks the kids pretty noisy so it decided to evacuate! Thankfully it didnt take up residence in our room! Unfortunately the front of house staff could have been a little more pleasant, one lady was just plain rude when we checking in. If we hadnt been such a large group and knowing how hard it would be to get accomodation for the lot of us in the same hotel, I'd have told her to shove her room and move on, but I bit my tongue (yes, it was bleeding at the end of it!).

Hoi An was the relaxing part of the holiday, Janine, Granny, J9's kids and Issy did the Red Bridge Cooking School which they really enjoyed. Apparently Janine is the gun of the tomato rose and cucumber fingers! But she was hopeless at make fresh rice paper. She said the food was very tasty and the tour of the market very interesting. Len, Phil, Stu, and my boys did the Ecofishing tour. Had a ball. They reckon best value tour in Vietnam. Len Phil and kyle did this tour last year and thought brillant fun. They gave Len tips in net throwing for his fishing trips up north! Learnt to row a round type basket and their lunch was delicious also. Me, I wandered through the market taking lots of photo's of meat, fish, chickens (dead and alive) and veges/fruit! I was pretty stinky by the end of it, the floor is very wet and lots of 'things' on the floor that you either have to tread through or go round (if able!). The local ladies are really happy to chat and want to have a look at the photo's i took of them, some ask for money, so I usually delete that photo is they get a little agro. Others just laugh and point to the photo.

On our last full day the 'boys' all hired motorbikes for the day. Phil says if we ever go back again he will hire for the whole time he is there. Loved riding around, Vietnamese drive on the opposite side to us so it is a novelty. Also as there are no 'rules' (only as long as you use your honk your horn lots), he and Stu with Sam and hamish on the back rode into Danang (about 30km away). Poured with rain on the way home, so when they got back everyone drenched. I was having a 'few kittens' back at the hotel when it started raining quite heavily as we had no insurance if they were to have had an accident on the motorbike as Phil does not have a motorbike license. Len took Kyle 'out back' somewhere and let him drive him around. What I didnt know, wasn't going to hurt me!

Next stop Hanoi....

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