The Road to Hoi An

Well after the hell of Hanoi, we decided to join 'em and took scooters out to the streets in the town of Hue. The streets aren't as crowded here and they are wider, so all the beaping and weaving wasn't as, well, close. Bit of a thrill to be a part of the madness! We rode all around the city stopping for lunch and to see the Forbidden City. Lunch was at a monestary. Delicious! Vegetarian delights cooked by monks! Then we hopped back on our scooters (driven by locals, we rode on the back) and attacked the streets again, stopping at temples and little shops to see how incense is made as well as those iconic hats you see farmers wearing out in the rice fields.

It is 8am and we've just finished breakfast and are on our way to Hoi An today. It's a four hour drive. We'll arrive there around noonish to hit the shops early so if we decide to have some clothing made (Hoi An is THE place for tailormade clothing - earlier I had said it was Hanoi but I was mistaken) then we'll get measured and make fabric decisions and have the garmet ready for when we leave. We are there for 3 days. I'm not sure I'll have a wedding dress made there - but I would very much like to have some kind of dress made - we'll see what they have to offer.

Vietnam is an intriguing place. It's a country of so many contrasts you can't name them all. It's truly a place that you have to see to believe. The people of Hanoi weren't too friendly, but who would be when you breathe in soot all day and listen to constant high pitch horn honking. The people of Hue are much more laid back - isn't it interesting how impressions of people are made just by feeling the vibe of the city! The people I've talked to here, though, are much more open and calm...the people of the north are, allegedly, less friendly than those of the south. Perhaps it's because before unification, it was the northerners, the Viet Min, who fought hard against resistance to their communist regime. There are many propaganda billboards and images of Ho Chi Min in the north. The south is supposed to be a little easier...

Alex has had a bit of a rough time of it, he was sick (both ends!) and it lasted for about a week. I've managed to avoid it thus far...his back has been really sore too due to the non-existen mattress situation. All the hotels seem to only offer box springs to sleep on! So, we rollup quilts for cushion the blow so he doesn't creak and crack out of bed in the mornings.

Facebook is blocked here in Vietnam! I'm hoping to log on in Cambodia.

We have booked our trip to Africa - it starts in April. A fifteen day safari trip with three days in Zanzibar! Really looking forward to it...

We read a message on a hostel bulletin board in New Zealand that we are the lucky 10% of the world population that have the means to travel. We keep reminding ourselves of that whenever we hit a rough patch (I went a little "moody" in Hanoi, as you can probably imagine ; ). It helps to keep remembering that....

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