Ohhh its COLD

The Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An
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Jes here.

The only way it seemed to get out of Ho Chi Minh City during Tet was to Fly. It cost around 30 pounds each, which for locals here is about four or five months wages! But we were happy to pay it to continue our travels further afield.

I was impressed with the service (with a smile) and the fact that the dress fits me so well :o).

We arrived at Danang airport at 7.30 after a 3 hour flight on a ATR 72 (a small 2x2 seats across with 16 rows!) it was a small plane! Once we arrived, we had the task of getting a taxi to our chosen hotel. As per the guide book we knew it should cost about $3usd, however when we approached the 10 or so Taxis they were asking for $10usd! after Al getting a little pissed off (this was after he spent majority of the flight with his eyes shut or in the toilet) we grabbed a taxi which had just dropped people off at the airport and made him use the Meter. The 4Km trip cost us $3usd, however he did try to charge us for something else, but we had our bags on our backs and just walked into the Y Van hotel knowing we had paid what was on the meter!

The Lanterns on the Japanese covered bridge
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We (I) decided we would have a nicer room than before as the room in HCMC was very small, so we opted for a Deluxe suite for a few extra $. The room was Mahhooosive and the bathroom had a bath! We were impressed. The temperature in a big room however was rather cold! but we managed to get many blankets from reception, so it was ok in the end, well apart from something in the room that was making me have a blocked up nose. I tend to get this sometimes, but haven't had it since we have been away. When we were out of the room i was fine, but as soon as i stepped into the room i started sneezing and had a blocked up nose! I think it was the dust!

A colourful Temple
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The main reason for coming to Danang though, was to Visit Hoi An, a small village 30km south of the city. The first day we took a tourist bus there and had a look around the village which had some interesting temples with nice designs, however many shops were still shut because of Tet :o(. In the guide book there was an article on Silk tailoring in Vietnam, with the best place to get something made is in Hoi An. This was our first stop. After shopping around we found a shop we liked the look off and the lady understood what i wanted - a dress and jacket of the same silk. I paid half and we could come and pick it up the next day. Once we were ready we hailed a taxi to take us back to Danang, which was a few dollars, but we had no other option.

A tradional Boat (Sampan) with a Womanin a Conical Hat
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The second day we hired a driver for the day for $40, about 20 pounds for the two of us, who gladly took us to My Son (a Cham ruin). The ruins were very interesting, however with all the wars Vietnam have had, the ruins really are ruins, because of the destruction from the american bombs. This area and Hoi An seemed to be warmer, T-shirt weather, unlike Danang which was 5 jumpers and a Coat weather!

From here it was back to Hoi An to pick up my dress :o) I tried the dress on and  it was a pretty good fit apart from the front, so they whisked it away for alterations. Half an hour later we were back and i had it on again, a much better fit. The jacket had arrived too and this fitted well, it just needed a little button on the front to keep it closed. The entire dress was made in a day and is completely made from silk. I was impressed with the service (with a smile) and the fact that the dress fits me so well :o).

Figures on the tops of Buildings in Hoi An.
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After leaving Hoi An, we headed for the Marble Mountains. These mountains look like out crops of land in the sea, surprisingly enough this is what they use to be, but the landscape has changed a little! Once we paid the 1 pound entrance fee, we climbed up the many, many steps to the top of one of the mountains where we had a good view and could look at all the temples / pagodas and caves. The caves were spectacular as they were so big and the temples where interesting to look at. The steps up and down were actually made from marble, however as we have encountered so far they do not believe in heath and safety here, thus the steps where all shapes and sizes made out of many big and small pieces of marble.

A temple in Hoi An.
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The day trip with our own personal driver was good value for money as he waited for us and whisked us off whenever we were ready. However he drove in pure Vietnamese style - as fast as possible all the time! Beeping at everything and anything, whilst driving between 60-100km on bad roads with no seatbelt on! However, the occasions where he would drive in the middle of the road up until the last second where he would pull in and a bus would wizz past honking his horn, were the most terrifying. Let's just say, we were glad to leave the car at the end of the day!

Danang at Night
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After two days in the area it was time to get moving and we had read that the train journey from Danang to Hue was superb. So, this was our choice.