Ahoy Hoi An

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We took a sleeper bus to Hoi An from Nha Trang, but this one actually was a proper sleeper bus, unlike Cambodia we had beds and we got a good spot at the back of the bus. We arrived in Hoi An about 7am and got a motorbike taxi to the Southern Hotel and Villa. We decided that if the weather was going to be crap, we wanted to stay somewhere nice. We checked in and chilled for a while (well Jo had a little nap, while Jay watched some football on the TV!). We got up and headed out into the town centre for lunch and a bit of exploration.

Hoi An is a quaint and pretty little town, with a very French feel to it. Lots of Parisian looking buildings and boutique style shops. We got down to the river and were enticed into a bar by a sign advertising “fresh beer 3000 dong” (about 12p!) What a bargain and it tasted pretty good too. We met a lovely couple who had also been drawn in by the cheap booze and ended up spending the next few days with them and their friend during the rest of our stay in Hoi An.

Today was our three year anniversary so that evening we went for a nice meal overlooking the riverside in a beautiful stone French colonial building, where we even had a birds eye view of some traditional Vietnamese singing and dancing. We didn't really have a clue what was going on but it was funny to watch anyway. The river was really beautiful at night, lit up by giant Oriental style figures and paper lanterns which were floating on the water. After dinner to commemorate our anniversary we joined in with the display and released our own candle lit lanterns down the river for good luck.

We then met up with our new friends for a few drinks (and then a few more) and ended up in a grimey graffiti covered bar, where we got to be DJs as the playlist consisted of about 30 songs in English being played off an iPod. We danced and played pool until the early hours, and after the good time was a little spoiled by some moody lads who didn't want to share their iPod music or the pool table, we decided to call it a night.

The next day we took it easy and chilled by our fancy pool for a few hours. Then like the cheapskates we are, checked out and moved to a hotel for half the price (but no where near as nice!) We had dinner with Gavin, Helen and Ian and settled for an early night.

The following day the 5 of us had a late breakfast – Ian opting for the squid to our horror! He then told us he has squid at least once a day (why would you do that, maybe its a Burnley thing!). After brekkie we rented some bikes and headed for the lovely beach. We did some sunbathing and had a brief dip in the sea before we met the now infamous “Ba-na-na Woman” a little old hawker lady (who looked about 102) that tried to sell us a number of items, including a bunch of four tiny bananas, which she kept thrusting at us and saying ba-na-na in a really funny voice. Funniest ever but we guess you had to be there!

For anyone who loves to shop (like Jo), or more specifically who likes tailored clothes Hoi An is the place to go. We didn't really want anything that much but got dragged in to one big sewing factory. They measured us up, took us through the entire Next catalogue (yes Next) to choose our clothes, then helped us pick the material before they would give us a price. They kept saying, don't worry, very cheap price for you. They finally quoted us $102 for a pair of shorts, a shirtsleeve shirt and two dresses. No Chance, its cheaper in Primark!

Our last day was spent taking a boat trip on the river with our new crew – we such many wonderful sites, such as a local peeing into the river, a dead rat floating past and a “fishing village” with about 3 boats! But the weather was lovely and it still made for a relaxing cruise. After another wonder round the centre, we said goodbye to our buddies and got a taxi to the airport. Hanoi here we come.

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Comments

[Chris and Nikki]

Cool picture.