Day 16: 2nd March 2011 - Hoi An. By Chris

We arrived here after a very long train journey but as soon as we got to the Hotel we were rejuvenated immediately! The hotel was amazing yet again, rooftop swimming pool does help we felt!

Hoi An is an amazing place free from the abundance of tourism we had become accustomed to in the majority of the previous locations, it had an almost Mediterranean feel to it which was really relaxing and calming.
The canal that ran through the centre with overlooking cafe's and bars were brilliant to watch the world go by. Here is the main place on our tour to get handmade clothing tailored to your every wish. We didnt really need anything but some of the group had suits, dresses, shoes and shirts made for them which were amazing, although not as cheap as we would have expected.

That afternoon we attended a cooking school were we were taught how to make 3 different dishes! This was brilliant as it gave us a taste of how the food is made as well as the culture behind it, but most importantly, it was our dinner! We were so full afterwards but so satisfied with our efforts!
Aj made sure that we found a little bakery down a side alley for dessert, she couldn't resist, so I remained in a riverside bar drinking 10p pints!


Day 17: 3rd March 2011 - Hoi An. By Chris

We had another buffet breakfast at the hotel to set us up for the day before boarding a small private boat to take us on a tour around the local area and to visit an island which was famous for their carpentry, in particular their boat building. This was really interesting as they were carving the boats from the trees that they had cut down the day before, so simpole yet so effective!

Me and AJ then hired some pushbikes for the remainder of the day for 70p each, bargin! We ventured over to the local beach which was 4km's away and it was totally worth it! White sand and crystal clear water! Heaven! We walked along the beach and stumbled onto the more upmarket section of the beach! The resorts that overlooked the beach from their own private villa's. We said that we will return there and stay in one of them when we actually have some money, but for now just buying a bottle of water from them was pricey enough for us!
We got back onto our bikes again and set off back t the town and explored a bit more there before heading back to the hotels pool for a swim befor eheading out to dinner with the rest of the group. Yes, for a second night, AJ found the bakery, and I drank cheap beer!

A great place and one that we could see both sets of our parents visiting, so much to see and do and such a relaxed atmosphere, great stop.