After leaving behind the more or less average beach town of Nha Trang, I continued north to the shopper's paradise of Hoi An City which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is where everyone (but me apparently) comes to buy custom made clothing. There are over 200 tailor shops in town that can turn out a perfect copy of the latest Armani suit or dress measured and fitted exactly for you....sometimes as fast as overnight! And the prices are dirt cheap. Since my fleece jacket and t-shirts are holding up quite well, I decided against buying these unnecessary things. But many tourists, I discovered, have these job thingies they go to back home where they must serve many hours of punishment each day while wearing these custom made clothes. I guess it makes sense to look good while serving your time.

It's also Leap Year today, which I thought was worth mentioning. Not sure why exactly.

Nearby, China Beach stretches for miles and used to be a rest and relaxation post for American troops during the war. If the weather was better, maybe I could actually enjoy a beach in this country. The unimpressive Marble Mountains are also an easy motorbike drive out of town....seriously, they are really lame despite what you may read about them. What was impressive was all the marble statues and carvings the local sculptors make from the quarried marble. The detail, artistry, and craftsmanship was simply amazing. If I had a few thousand bucks to blow, I would have loved to buy a two ton statue and ship it home.