The High Road to Hoi An

After the excitement of Dalat we decided we needed some relaxation, so we headed to the much-rumoured (but difficult to track down) Jungle Beach resort. While the water wasn't as clean as we hoped and it was a bit on the expensive side, it was still nice to chill out there for a few days, away from the constant horn-tooting that pervades the rest of Vietnam. We had sent our trusty guinea pigs (Sarah and Chantal) on ahead so we knew how to get there and we managed to convince them to stay an extra day so we could pester them. Notable events at Jungle Beach included lots of reading, card-playing and beach-walking up to the local fishing village, as well as the appearance of a cobra (very exciting) and shelley getting bitten by a dog (small panic until we found out it gets yearly rabies shots). Shelley is now banned from hurting herself any more for at least another week.

Our hut at Jungle Beach

We then sent our faithful guinea pigs off again ahead of us, to discover that the night bus was not a very good idea (something to do with drugtaking bus driver and plentiful horn beeping) so we backtracked to nha trang and got the overnight train to Hoi An instead. This turned out to be a great idea since we spent a lovely afternoon in Nha Trang visiting a big buddha and a great photographic exhibition and walking along the seaside, and the train was quite comfy. We took our poor guinea pigs out for dinner in Hoi An to thank them for their suffering on our behalf :)

Big buddha in Nha Trang

So we finally arrived in Hoi An, which has turned out to be a great little town, full of life and little streets, old buildings and most of all - clothes shops! There are no photos of our (many) purchases yet as they are still being altered to our size, but we have definitely done our share of shopping for the year! It's quite fun being measured and getting things made especially for you. Scott especially looks very spiffing in his wedding tux!

As well as shopping (it takes lots of time!) we have been wandering the streets of Hoi An and eating the yummy and cheap food here (3 course vego meal for $3!!). It's great seeing the pretty temples and just watching the street life go by - yes pretty much everyone wears the pointy conical hats and they manage to balance ridiculous amounts on motorbikes and bicycles! We really like the Vietnamese, they have a good sense of humour and seem to be very playful and friendly all the time. Bargaining involves lots of laughter (what! noooo! i not buy the material for that! You help me, you no worry! you give me little bit more!)

Boats on the river in Hoi An

Pretty pagoda

We have managed one side trip while staying here - to the ancient Cham ruins of My Son. They were pretty (very old and covered in grass and ferns) but the girls had most fun taking photos with the large Lingum statues :)