No Hue Jose

We were taken by our taxi from the hotel to Danang airport. I had a feeling we were going there when I saw international terminAl this way and domestic terminal this way etc.
Luckily there is about 15 mins between the train station and the airport otherwise the taxi driver would have had to driven us to Hue.
We got to the station and 10 mins later the train pulled in. We were entertained by the most adorable 8 year old boy who was an expert at mime.
The Hai Van pass was spectacular but upon arrival in Hue the rain greeted us just as it had done earlier in the week in Danang.
Our hotel is a bit out of town but very pleasant and has a good spa.
The weather got worse so we booked ourselves in for treatments then had dinner at the hotel.
Sue tried the Vietnamese wine which she described as "interesting". I don't think she will be describing it again on our trip.

A Hoi there my hearties

This is our final morning in Hoi An and we have finally gone across the Japanese covered bridge to the Narnia that lies beyond. We are currently by a fan drinking Vietnamese tea and contemplating the continuation of our journey North. This afternoon we travel around the Hai Van pass on the SE2 reunification express for 2 and 3/4 hours to Hue.
We have loved Hoi An and would highly recommend the town for a visit. It is quiet and relaxing after Saigon. An oasis of calm in a Vietnam traffic sea of bibbing horns.
Rain showers apart it's been hot, 30-33degreesC. North of Hai Van the weather gets more influenced by the North winds blowing down from China and the Gulf of Tonkin.
Thank you for reading our blog and thank you for the comments.
We have had nearly 800 views and that encourages us to keep writing and sharing our experiences.
See you in Hue.

Fire up the lantern one last time

Today was our last full day in H

oi An. We shall be very sad to leave. The town has a nice feel to it, there is quaint old buildings, good food and friendly people.
We hired bikes today and cycled up to An Bang beach for another relaxing day by the seaside.
We went back to town to pay for the suit and get it shipped to the UK.
Then we had a foot massage (complimentary so thanks hotel) then we ventured out on foot for eats and tops for Sue.
A very nice town in Central Vietnam. I highly recommend the Little Hoi An Boutique Hotel especially Rebecca and Alice. You can hire a bicycle outside for the day for 2$US as well as Tuong the tailor (excellent and very professional service - allow three full days for a good quality suit) at 67 Tran Hung Dao St. and A.Chau the Optician at 23 Le Loi St. (What a lovely brother and sister outfit. Efficient and good value)
For the best restaurant (but pricey) we recommend Lantern Town at 49 Nguyen Thai Hoc St. Lovely atmosphere great food.

Hoi An - the big lantern.

We have four nights in Hoi An which is a quaint town that has been semi pedestrianised. You can still use mopeds and bicycles in the old town.
Firstly, you have to buy a ticket to enter the old town 6$US, this is valid for the entire length of your stay. It gets you entry to 6 ticket entry sites. These sites include old houses of prominent Chinese families, meeting halls and temples plus the Japanese covered bridge.
Upon arrival we got an eye test from Chau's on Le Loi Street and ordered reading glasses each then I got measuredfor a Suite at Teoung's.
Yesterday we hired bicycles for the day 2$US each and we cycled to An Bang beach then the vegetable village at Tra Que. The village is deinately a must see. It is beautiful and peaceful and the food was the best we have eaten in the trip.
We spent the rest of the afternoon cycling around Hoi An old town, making the most of 2 for 1 cocktails and I got flags sewn onto my rucksack.
After dinner I ventured out to watch Afghanistan v Vietnam in the Asia Cup Qualifiers in a bar in town while Sue went to bed.
Today we took the free hotel shuttle bus up to the beach and we were so glad we did because it was really hot and we had a relaxing time by the South China Sea.
We met two lovely Swiss girls and we keep meeting them in and around Hoi An. They have been away in South East Asia for 3 months before starting University and are heading South on the day we head North.
It was raining when we ventured out tonight so we took the hotel umbrellas with us, picked up our glasses and I had my first try on of the suit which requires further alterations. We had dinner at a nice restaurant then went to get our umbrellas.
They had been given to other diners and were now 'at large' in Hoi An.
A waitress on a moped was despatched to seek the umbrellas out and returned 15 mins later with the stolen items. All is well that ends well.

The Reunification Express

Yesterday we had earned a lie in but we had breakfast at half eight and walked to the War Remnants Museum. A very well thought out place dealing with the Vietnam War and it's legacy.
Prior to entering the bizarre but now common spectacle of people wanting their photo taken with Sue.
See below.
We has our laundry delivered then we were on our way to the Cu Chi Tunnels with our wonderful guide Huy.
The tunnels were certainly well worth a visit and certainly gave us an insight into the lives of the VietCong fight against the US.
We hired a room back at Saigon before our train to Danang left at exactly 19:30. Then it was 17 hours North into rain clouds then persistent rain. The first we have seen since the Phuket storm.
Arriving in Danang we has arranged for our hotel to pick us up at the train station and take us to the Little Hoi An Boutique Hotel. By 2pm we were at this delightful hotel close enough to the pretty town but fat enough away to be quieter. Where I am now writing the blog by the banks of the river.

The Pearl of Wisdom

Starting out from Tra Vinh today we cycled through the delightful town of Ben Tre on the way to lunch at My Tho. Another 40kms clocked up today.

We totalled the amount of cycling done over the past five days to be 145 miles. We have pretty much cycled from Chau Doc to Ho Chi Minh City.

We got to Ho Chi Minh City at about 2:45 checked in and had a long shower.

We had a look around old Saigon ending with a drink at Shri, 23 floors up.

We are looking forward to a lie in tomorrow followed by a trip up to the Cu Chi Tunnels.

Cycling to Tra Vinh

Today we cycled 40kms to Tra Vinh, home to a large proportion of Khmer people. They are among the most friendly people I have ever encountered. This lady ley us onto her traditional house.

Soc it to me

We started our day with a trip to a genuine floating market at Cai Rang followed by a drive out to Phung Hiep (not a great name for house sales). Fortunately it was relatively cloudy. We rode 43kms to Soc Trang where we visited the "bat" pagoda. All very beautiful. I even helped to load rice onto a boat!

More photos

I had a very green breakfast consisting of pennywort which tastes like grass put through a blender and Rua a type of Vietnamese porridge which was tasty.

Sadec in bloom

Today we cycled through Sadec to the largest city in the Mekong region, Can Tho. We have some nice photos from yesterday and today. Suffice to say we are still alive and looking forward to a nice sleep in a comfy bed as we are staying in a good hotel here in Can Tho. Sadec is the flower producing region and we stopped off at a garden centre today, just like a Sunday drive to Ayletts on the way to Hatfield!