Even Monks will pinch your bike

On our bikes...BEFORE they got nicked!
see all photos »

Boarded our bus this morning and climbed away from the safety of the city into the Central Highlands. Just outside of Hue we stopped at a border crossing where a couple of men – aged maybe 18 or 19 - tried to steal bikes but were caught and severely beaten up by a gang of about 10 policemen. Scary!

We continued as a more subdued group into the thick jungle of the mountains. Could really imagine the Vietcong/American fighting in the thick jungle here, and appreciate how unprepared the young American soldiers were to try and challenge the Vietcong army. Stopped at ‘China’ beach, an R & R location for American soldiers and I had a dé-já-vú moment in the restaurant - definitely felt like I'd been there before!

Marble Mountains: The climb was well worth it!
see all photos »

On the road again we stopped at an American lookout post a short climb up from the road. As soon as we stepped off the bus we were surrounded by Vietnamese women who followed us up to the bunker and then back down trying to sell us tacky souvenirs. Felt a mixture of admiration and pity as we drove away.

Driving down from the lookout bunker we stopped in Danang – a depressing, council-estatey place which seemed to have an essence of nothingness about it. While here we visited a Museum of Cham Sculpture – an interesting break from the bus ride but we were all too brain-fried from the heat to take it all in. What I did discover, to great disappointment, was that the beautiful Cham Sculptures had survived intact from the 2^{nd century AD only to be bombed to pieces by the Americans during the war.}

Scramble to Heaven...scary but fun!
see all photos »

On our way into Hoi An and our next city-stop we stopped at the Marble Mountains. It was a really tough climb up, which meant that the top was so much more satisfying and relatively free of lazy tourists – wurhey! It was a magical place to explore; hidden shrines and unexpected statues that were sprawled across the mountainside. A couple of us attempted something called ‘Scramble to Heaven’, which I can only assume was called so because we had to go through hell to get there! A difficult but fun scramble up a narrow rock crevice to a rather unexciting view – didn’t really warrant the label ‘heaven’!

Morning Fish market at the river
see all photos »

Hoi An was a fantastic place – a lovely, busy but cosy and manageable city. We had a few drinks at ‘Treats’ bar before a meal in the open air down by the river. Convinced the night warden back at the hotel to let us have a swim in the dark, and floated under the stars...

The next morning we hired $1-a-day bikes to explore the area. A hot but pleasant ride past some very inquisitive locals, who seemed to find the sight of westwerners on bikes hilarious! Cycled through suburban hamlets around Hoi An, and stopped at random temples. Later on we stopped at a Buddhist temple, and were so bowled over by the beauty, we didn't notice someone nicking one of our bikes! The others went scouring the village for clues, while I tried to decipher what the monks were saying. Had to hitch a lift back to town to grovel to the hire place. As it turned out, we only had to pay $9 each for a new bike, but felt embarrassed all the same!

Madame Trang making my top!
see all photos »

Had an afternoon wander around the Hoi An markets and made a visit to ‘Madame Trang’s’ Tailors this afternoon – Had a blouse made which eventually arrived on the back of a motorbike! There are lots of craft-type shops here too, and the streets have a really nice feel about them, especially by the river. After a few hours relaxation by the hotel pool, I wandered down to the river to look at the art galleries on the other side of the Japanese Bridge. An unofficial-looking official insisted that I buy a ticket in order to cross the bridge, so I looked at the craft shops nearby and then bumped into Coco at a street-side café. She had been chatting to a Vietnamese man who had fought on the American side during the Vietnam War. When the war ended he was reviled in his home town and, as a ‘punishment’, he was shot in the knee, resulting in the loss of his leg. Managed to sneak across the bridge in the end, but the art on the other side was nothing special.

I set my alarm really early the next morning to see the morning fish market at the river. We were there early enough to see the fish being unloaded from the boats and going straight onto the market stalls. Very busy and chaotic, but a brilliant experience! Smell turned my stomach though.

Drove a short while to My Son to see the ruins of the Champa palaces. We had a very fun bumpy jeep ride from the car park to the temple sites! Again, were shocked to discover that the whole site was destroyed by American bombs after it was used as a base by the Vietcong. The temples themselves were quite interesting, but suspiciously full of phallic symbols!