Hoi an to Nha Trang

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Vietnam Continued!

Hoi an was a great place. Very much set up for tourists now however. Tailors shops galore all vying for business. Very French but yet very Vietnamese too. On arrival the hotel tried to push us in the direction of their chosen tailor but immediately after, a Canadian couple caught us and said they had just had some really good clothes made up buy a bloke round the corner. Now on our strict budget, i was thinking maybe a shirt or 2 but once in the shop, you just can't say no to a suit once they have measured you up and Alex is there saying 'You would look really nice in that one!' 24 hours later i was sporting a tailored Cashmere suit and a shirt all ready for the interviews when I get back! The lady looked at us a bit strangely when we sent it sea mail- "3-4 months!" she said but she didnt quite grasp the fact we would not be home until August. All in all it looks pretty good and should be OK for a few interviews and weddings yet all for less than the cost of an M+S special.

Hoi an made a nice contrast from Hanoi's narrow claustrophobic streets. Wide streets and relatively calm traffic tempted us onto bicycles to cycle a few Km up the coast to a good beach where we bared our pasty, white, winter flesh and had a swim in the South China Sea. After eating street food very cheaply for lunch, we splashed out on an amazing 5 course set menu in a small restaurant one evening. This satiated my seafood fantasies which have been there since watching 'Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey' before Christmas.

The Rain came at the end of our stay in Hoi An and we spent a soggy day moving from cafe to cafe to keep dry having checked out of the hotel. We caught the 'sleeper' bus overnight from Hoi An to Nha Trang. I managed a few hours despite the reclining seats being designed for 4 foot tall Vietnamese! Alex unfortunately couldn't sleep a wink so suffered all the next day.

Nha Trang- The Benidorm of the South China Sea! Or at least that is what we were told by a grumpy Englishman in Hoi An. Turns out to be not that bad. Lots of bars and opportunities to party but have been rather lame and retired early most nights. Pretty low season here though. The Sea is too rough to swim in and we have had all seasons in one day, from blazing sunshine to strong winds, clouds and rain. Much reading has been going on and downtime before going to Saigon tomorrow. Trying to brush up on Vietnam war essential reading which doesn't provide many 'laugh out loud' moments but interesting none the less.

I gather the big freeze is almost over back home so i won't feel as guilty writing about our times in the sun!

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Comments

[Mum]

Still envious
Great stuff and still so envious. Bikes as well but remember your mother cycled all the way from Saigon to Hanoi!