Hoi An has been very relaxing.The overnight bus journey was a little tedious, but we got here eventually.We have an open bus ticket which gets us from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi, and you pay different prices depending on how many stops you want to make along the way.Ours cost $36 each, to stop at Nha Trang, Hoi An and Hoi along the way.The bus is a sleeper, but different to what we got in India.There are 3 rows of single bed/seats with 2 aisles between them, and there are lower and upper seats.You sit with your legs out in front of you, and I can nearly stretch my legs fully if sat right back.The back rest then lowers to 45 degrees, so it is relatively comfortable to try and sleep.The problem with our latest overnight journey was that they got us all on the bus, then 10 minutes later got us all off and on to another bus, just when we were getting comfy.They then asked me to move as my seat was apparently 'reserved', but when I refused, saying I did not want to be moved to the other end of the bus away from my husband they let me stay there.Every seat was taken on the bus, so it was very full, but when speaking to people with other bus companies we realise we had a great journey compared to them.Others have has local people sitting all the way along the ailses, falling alseep on their shoulders and some had children practically sleeping in their beds!So our slightly bumpy, full bus doesn't seem so bad now!It is also annoying as they stop every couple of hours and put the lights on and shout, 'toilet stop!'Anyway, for the price I know I shouldn't complain.

We havea great hotel here, with a swimming pool and an excellent buffet breakfast included.We are paying $20 a night, but have a large triple room, with a patio garden, AC, fridge and TV, and we are really making the most of the free buffet breakfast!We met up with some friends we met in Nha Trang (Hannah and Kevin) and met another couple (Rob and Jasmine) so all went out for dinner and drinks on the first night.You can get a glass of fresh local beer here for 4000 Dong, which is less than 20 cents, so about 12-13p!Our meal and drinks all night cost less than 15.00GBP for the 6 of us, and they gave us a free drink each, plus free Hoi An cakes and tea!We then went back there last night and will be going again tonight with some more friends.

We have spent our time walking around the beautiful old town here and in the hotel swimming pool!Yesterday we hired mopeds with Rob and Jasmine and all drove up the coast to Da Nang and went to China Beach for the day.There were very few people on the beach, so it was great, but there was a very strong under current in the sea.We also stopped at the Marble Mountains on the way home, but didn't bother to pay to climb up to the Pagoda, we just took pictures from the bottom!(We've seen enough Pagoda's and the last thing you want to be doing in the heat is climbing a hill wioth no shade!)

Hoin An is most famous for being the place to get clothes and shoes made, so today I took a dress in which I need altering, and am having a similar one tailor made as well.The alteration cost $3 and the new dress is $30 with lining.I know I don't need more clothes, but it's so tempting when you see all the tailors - and you will all be amazed to hear that I haven't had any shoes made - they're too impractical to carry when backpacking, heavy to send home and we met some people who had shoes made which fell to bits, so I'm a little dubious!Graham has bought himself a red vest top with a yellow star on it for $1 but hasn't had anything made.There's still time though....I have to go back in a couple of hours to collect my dresses - it's so exciting!

We have booked our bus for tomorrow morning to take us to Hoi.Only a 4 hour journey this time, so should be ok.The roads out here are pretty crazy.There are lots of road works going on in Hoi An, so the mopeds just drive on the pavements instead!They also like to crowd the pavements in Vietnam full of bikes, chairs, stalls, etc, so most of the time you have to walk on the road anyway.There are thousands of mopeds over here - it's just as you imagine it to be.The craziest things we have seen people carrying on mopeds so far are: a dining room table, a filing cabinet and a sheet of cut glass, about 2 metres by 3 metres!We also had a guy on a push bike cycling towards us (he was on the wrong side of the road) carrying the wooden base of a double bed!Whereas I've only just plucked up the courage start taking photos whilst on the back of the moped, and even that is scary to me!

Take care, missing you all.

Maggie x