Hoi An

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From Dalat we took a bus up to Nha Trang, which was supposed to have a fantastic beach. It didn't - the beach was overcrowded and covered in garbage. You had to pay to use to beach chairs and the sand was stony. So I didn't want to stay, but Kieran signed up to do a scuba diving course. I had meant to do that when I got to South East Asia, but money is getting a bit thin at this point, and I couldn't really afford the three hundred they were asking.

So Kieran stayed four days and I went north to the incredible city of Hoi An.

Hoi An used to be a very popular port - originally used by the Chinese, Japanese, and a bit by the middle east, and later by the western world. As a result, Hoi An is a very unique city in terms of architecture (chinese temples, japanese covered bridges). They also have dishes you can't get anywhere else in the world, including the delicious white rose ( a shrimp and pork dumpling) Cau Lao, a doughy noodle dish with pork rinds and fresh herbs, and awesome shrimp pancake, which is rice paper filled with an eggy batter, mixed with shrimp and fresh vegetables, accompanied with a sort of peanut sauce. Delicious.

This is definately my favourite city so far. So much personality, riverside cafe's and restaurants, oh yeah, and five hundred tailors.

If you want to get something made, Hoi An can usually do it. One in every 120 people are tailors in this city, which is significant when you consider how big the hotel and restaurant industry is here. The city center is absolutely dominated by tailors, cloth markets and the like. Very beautiful. I may have taken advantage of their services.. somewhere in the neighborhood of four hundred dollars or so... Well what's a guy supposed to do when he has over a week to kill here? I'm only human!

Anyway, I had three jackets, three pairs of jeans, six shirts and one wool jacket made for me. pretty fun.

The best is kieran though. One night we were up late talking, and he raised the possibility of having a pajama suit made. Didn't really think it would take off, but now Kieran boats a full length, adult size, polka-dot, one peice pajama suit, just like the kind you used to have when you were a kid. Terrific?

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