The rest of Vietnam

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After Hue I got a bus to the lovely city of Hoi An. Hoi An is famous for tailor made clothing and the tailor shops were everywhere! I think I was one of the few people who didn't get anything made (I am on a budget!) It was a nice place to walk around in and it had a very nic ebeach. When I arrived though everything was full! Eventually I found some places that had rooms left but the prices were ridiculous. And then there was a hotel who felt sorry for me and they said they had a $5 room in the attic of their hotel. I was very desperate at that point and decided to take it. When I walked in there was a bed that barely fit in the room and a fan.. but I was only planning on sleeping in there so I took it. I bumped into some friends at the same hotel and we explored the city. When I decided to go to bed, I opened the door to my room and saw the biggest cockroach ever!!! Because of the light it crawled away into a corner and I couldn't see it. I was so afraid it would come back if I turned the light off I decided to sleep with the light on that night. Luckily the next day they had a room available for me with air con and cable tv.

After 3 nights in Hoi An I left with some friends to Nha Trang. This place was a bit larger then Hoi An, but the beach was definitily not as nice. I went to the mud and mineral baths (very nice for my skin!) and I did a boat trip where you go to several island. There was even a 'floating' bar where you got free shots! I stayed here a couple of days because I just wanted to relax for a bit and didn't want to get on a long busjourney again.

With a few friends I went to Dalat which was in the mountains. It was supposed to look like the French Alps in springtime, but it didn't really. It was a nice place though beacuse it was a lot cooler then the rest of Vietnam. I even had to wear a jumper. There weren't many backpackers around which made a nice difference. I ended up in a club with a friend as the only westerners and we were quite an attraction. When we did a tour of the area the next day we had to pose for a lot of people. I really felt like a photomodel... The attractions around Dalat were quite cheesy because it's a place where many Vietnamese honeymooners go to.

I had to say goodbye to Dalat and then go to Saigon. I got on the bus and after 10 mins the busdriver asked where we were going too. We said Saigon and he said that the bus wasn't going to Saigon and just kept driving.. I asked another girl on the bus where she was going and it was to the beach town of Mui Ne. I didn't really mind if I had to go there.. I was in no rush. Eventually I had to speak to the buscompany and then we got kicked off the bus and had to wait for them to pick us up in the minibus and take us to the right bus.. that's Vietnam for you.

So finally making it to Saigon I booked my 3 day tour to the Mekong Delta. You got on boats.. saw how the local people made their things and walked around the islands for a bit. I was supposed to do a homestay. I thought that would be a great idea to meet local families, but we ended up with 13 people at one home and we barely saw the family! So that was a bit of a dissappointment. The last night of the trip Kate and I found some locals sitting on the sidewalk eating and drinking and the called us over. So we went over and they shared there food with us and gave us some ricewhiskey (not very nice, but it's rude to refuse) so we ate, drank, sang and danced with them. It was great. Vietnamese locals who were drivig/cycling past stopped and joined in too. That was definitely the best night I've had so far on this trip!

Now I'm back in Saigon. I had heard no one liked it but I'm actually enjoying it. In an hour I'll be going to a waterpark that's supposed to be great and then some sightseeing tomorrow and after that... Cambodia!

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