Hoi An

A very early 5.30am
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The last few days have been a real adventure.I got the bus from Da Lat where I met a 31 yr old Kiwi , Lee. We arrived In Da Nang hot and sweaty . It's then we find that due to it being a national holiday rooms can't be had for love nor money. We tried and tried and even resorted to an booking agency who phone round but charge commission. No Joy. Now what?

The only real option seemed to be to move on. The next bus was already full so thought we'd try the overnight train.After supper of chicken soup at a roadside stall and a wait of a couple of hours we squeezed onto a tightly packed train.It was full of locals who chatted happily  and  ate from the trolleys that passed every five minutes . By 9pm the lights were dimmed and we all tried to get some sleep.

Flowers for sale in early morning
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I actually slept okay and arrived 9 hours later  not exactly ' bright eyed and bushy tailed ' but not feeling half dead either.The station is actually in the nearby city so we had to get a moto ride to Hoi An , That was fun at 5.30am . a great way to clear the cobwebs.I'm not up at this time if I can help it and it was amazing to see how busy the streets were.

We rode thru a little market full of piles of fresh veg and wicker  baskets of ducks and piglets.Finally , after 24hrs on the road we got the chance to dump the bags and freshen up.

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Hoi An is a nice town on the river , full of 19th Century wooden buildings and narrow streets.The market is a photographers' dream - overflowing baskets of of produce and old women with their cone hats.It's a relaxing place for a stroll and a cup of strong coffee in one of the cafes. I found one tucked away in a side street that charges 12p a cup, plus tea comes free!

It's also the place to get a suit or outfit made up. Tailors will knock out a cheap copy of your favourite designer garb or you can choose from a catalogue. If i was going home soon I'd be picking a suit for those job interviews!

all the baskets you could ever want
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In the evening  we met up with a really nice Canadian couple Lee had met earlier . I already knew Lee  ' liked a drink ' and being his birthday was as good an excuse as any.. I soon found out theres not much he doesn't like or at least tried. We ( and the rest of the restaurant) were regaled with tales of drug and sex excesses that were incredibly funny and left us feeling we'd led very dull lives indeed. Of course  we've not  acquired the interesting STDs or ( as he admits )the  addled brain either .

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We finished the evening  in a local nightclub. The emphasis was more on dancing than drinking and groups of lads were happily bopping together. The music was mostly contemporary dance with the odd throwback . It was during ' I Will Survive' I ended up  in the middle of a cheering circle of local lads. All in all , a damn fine evening.

A trip out to My Son was  a nice way to spend the next day .Sandstone temples , nice scenery and a chance to chat to some more travelers.I'm back on the bus tommorrow for a long trip up north.