Suits You Sir

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We took our first overnight sleeper bus from Ninh Bihn to Hue which was an experience. Imagine a coach with all the seats taken out and replaced with reclining beds. Three across and two deep. At the back of the bus there are five beds - two deep! On this occasion our coach had a sheet, blanket and pillow. As for comfort well lets see that's pretty low on the list, but still we managed to cat nap our way to Hue and made it in one piece. We decided only to stop in Hue for the day before moving onto Hoi An. We weren't overly impressed with Hue, but that probably had something to do with the heat and humidity and the fact we were quite tired. We did visit the Citadel which dates back to approximately 1804. The walls are two metres thick and surrounded by a moat where you can watch the local men fish. The Imperial Enclosure is set within the citadel and is mainly in a state of ruin. I'm sorry to say it really didn't float our boats and it wasn't long before we headed back to the relative cool of our hotel. I am positive Hue has more to offer than we can give it credit for.

So on to Hoi An and what a difference. Our journey took us down the coast and through the hills to this lovely old city. Knowing we now have to work once we get to New Zealand (and we have a distinct lack of the correct clothes) we headed straight to Hoi An's speciality - the tailors! We chose our suits, shirts and blouses and were duly measured and tweeked. Our suits would be ready the next day. We went round to a shoe shop next and had made to measure shoes too! Now we just have to carry it all! After the necessary alterations we have fantastic suits and shoes and all at half (if not more than what you would pay in the UK). The quality is spot on and the service over and beyond expectation - we loved it!

Anyway Hoi An has far more to offer and the weekend we were there was the lunar festival. This one was especially for the childre and as night fell the children came out in groups and dress and dance as Chinese Dragons. Everyone carries chinese lanterns and many are floated down the river. The whole city reverberated to the sound of beating drums and cheering children delighting in the tricks of the dragons. Absolutley fantastic.

Old Hoi An has bags of charm compared to many other towns. There are no towering hotels or office blocks here. Of notable interest is the Japanese Bridge constructed in the 1590's. Legend has it that a monster called Cu had its head in India, tail in Japan and its body in Vietnam. As and when the monster moved, disasters like flood and famine befell Vietnam. So the bridge was built on the monsters weakest pointe, which killed it. The locals took pity on the monster and built a temple just by the bridge which is also worth a visit.

We also visited the local market which was a real mixture of life. Seafood is brought in on the river, poultry is prepared and there is fresh fruit, veg and colourful flowers adding the the mix.

Our next stop from Hoi An is Nha Trang which we discovered was on another overnight bus - boo hoo!!!!

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