Hoi An - Nha Trang - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

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Hi All. Last time you heard from us we were in Hue which is sort of half way down the coast in Vietnam. We left there on the 26th February, I with a belly full of Immodium tablets to stop me pooing on the 4 hour bus journey to Hoi An. You will be pleased to know - (Medical Science 1, Diahorrea 0) - I did not poo....however that story was not quite yet over.

Anyway, Hoi An was a lovely town where we decided to spend 3 days. After the damp of Hanoi and Hue, it was a relief to find ourselves in much sunnier weather where we were able to stroll around, soak up the riverside atmosphere, browse the many artisan shops and enjoy the local cuisine...some of which was better than others. The first night, due to my dodgy belly, I only really fancied pasta, so we stopped at the first place to sell pasta, and it was the worst pasta I have ever had. Horrible, sloppy, tasteless, falling apart, shitty pasta. But fortunately the food got better over the next couple of days as there are countless bars and restaurants to choose from around both sides of the main river front. The river front itself is great to walk around at night when it gets busy - the bridge is all lit up, there are lanterns floating all over the river, motorbikes pushing past everyone etc. But for me it was an early night....

Next day, the plan was to walk around some of the tourist attractions, but having woken up to my 15th "loose stool" in a 48 hour period, Alex and I decided it was probably time for me to seek medical assistance...(Medical Science 1, Diahorrea 1) - I wanted antibiotics...but where from? Well, we went straight to the Hospital, where the Doc put me straight onto an intravenous drip!!!! I have never in all my life had one of those, so I was a little taken aback...but apparently I had a very low blood pressure because I couldn't retain any fluids. So we sat there for 5 hours while 2 litres of fluid dripped slowly into my arm. Then I was given a course of antibiotics and a pat on the back, all for $78. Bargain - I felt better straight away, and there hasn't been a remotely loose stool ever since. (Medical Science 2, Diahorrea 1 - Game Over).

Anyway, that day was a write off really. So the next day we decided to make up for it by hiring some scooters. For a half day it cost us about $3 each, and we would both say it was some of the best money we have spent so far. Slightly apprehensive and a bit wobbly at first, we both rode off into the slightly manic Hoi An traffic, but we got used to it pretty quickly. We went all the way to the beach, had lunch then just hit the closest highway we could find and carried on on an almost empty road all the way to Danang! A few hours later, after a swift beer along the way we arrived back in Hoi An exhilirated - it was a great experience and hopefully we will do it again somewhere along the way! We went for a great curry that night in a place called Ganesh (highly recommended).

Day after that on March 1st we took a day trip to My Son, which is a collection of ancient Cham temples in the hills near Hoi An that were heavily bombed by the US during the war. It was a pretty good trip for $9 (inc lunch) but it was sooooo hot it was crazy! That evening we caught the 6pm overnight bus to Nha Trang (11 hours). I'm really glad that Alex got on the bus first as well, because she nabbed us the best seats ever - the two closest to the toilet!!!! One of which had less space than any of the other seats on the bus!!!! Good choice because I just love the smell of festering piss...she got the small chair of course. After a bit of a painful 11 hours, we arrived in Nha Trang at about 5am to a crazy seaside town where everyone was up doing tai chi and aerobics and badminton on the beach at that time! Mental!

We decided to make the most of the day so went straight to the beach after check in...stayed there until about 3pm, and inevitably got burnt to fuck. Word of warning, that orange Banana Boat suntan lotion does not work. We basically couldn't move that evening, and annoyingly, couldn't go anywhere near the sun the next day without being in agony! Lesson learned, Banana Boat is in the bin, and we have drafted in some heavy duty Soltan! We both liked Nha Trang, it would be a great place for a holiday - beautiful golden beach, hot, cheap jetskis and kitesurfing, good food - 2 days wasn't enough really, but we are only here for so long, so the next morning after our day in the shade, we were up again and on another bus, this time 11 hours long and going to Ho Chi Minh City, better known as Saigon.

Arriving in Saigon on 4th of March was almost as crazy as arriving in Hanoi almost 2 weeks before, although we are a bit more used to the traffic now. We got there at about 6pm as dusk was drawing in and walked to our hostel in Pham Ngu Lao which luckily turned out to be a bit of a central area for backpackers and the like with lots of bars and restaurants selling beer for about 10.000 to 12,000 Dong, which is about 50c....whatever, its cheap and sitting on the street there is just manic, but great for people watching.

There are a few options for sightseeing around Saigon the next day which was the 5th March, either just going around Saigon itself, going on a tour of the Mekong Delta, or going to see Cu Chi caves where the Viet Cong hid out during the war, but really with only one day there we though it was best to soak up the city itself, and it turned out to be a good decision because it was 50% off a regular Supreme pizza at Pizza Hut. If you are visiting Vietnam shortly, that falls on a Tuesday I think. But on a more serious note it was good to stay in Saigon itself, we went to the War Remnants museum which was both fascinating and moving, then in the afternoon we went up the Bitexco Financial Tower, which was a bit dear at about $6 each, but we got a great view of the city. That evening, as our last in Vietnam this trip (sad face) we decided to go to a Vietnamese restaurant which sold such delicacies as braised ox penis, chicken testicles and pig brain...so went for the fried rice.

And that was it really. We have been in Vietnam for about 2 weeks and been to some great places, some damp, some sunny, some beautiful, some ugly, but all fascinating and eye opening and charming. When I think back to our first impressions of Vietnam in Hanoi when it was raining and everyone was driving into everyone, and how we feel now, able to walk across a 4 lane carriageway, sample the food and deal with the hagglers, all with (relative) ease I can't believe that we have only been here for that long. We have had a brilliant time, but now we move on to Cambodia, and Phnom Penh.

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