We got up at half 9ish and showered and packed - I tried to re jig my backpack so everything would fit better. It helped a bit, but I'm looking forward to the vac pacs my dad has ordered for me which I'm going to ask Hannah to bring out for me (if you're reading H-Mart, it won't be very big!)

We went to have breakfast at a bakery we saw last night, but we wanted croissants and they didn't have any even though they were on the menu, so we left and went to Treat instead. I had scrambled eggs which were okay, mine are better though! The bread they came with was warm and really nice.

Afterwards we wandered along the river and found the old Japanese bridge. It was started in the year of the dog and finished in the year of the monkey, so there are dogs guarding one end and monkeys guarding the other (not real ones!).

On the other side of the river we looked in some shops and tried to resist buying anything, but failed. I got some more gap yah trousers but in a plain dark grey so they go with more tops. They are a bit less garish than my elephant ones so I think I'll be able to wear them to the beach on future holidays. I also realised that my entire outfit, except my trusty Havaiana flip flops which I got for my 21st (thanks Becca and John if you're reading!), I had bought whilst travelling. That is to say my shorts, top, anklet, bracelets, hair clip, earrings and sunglasses are all travelling purchases. I have now put a self imposed ban in place on shopping (except for a vest I saw in Bangkok and want to buy when we next pass through).

We saw parts of the town we didn't see yesterday, it is really pretty and wasn't affected by the war. After a bit more looking around we just sat by the river and sunbathed and played on some bamboo swings. I am hopefully getting started on my tan now!

We had some late lunch at 4ish by the river, we all had the local dish, Cao Lau, which I also had last night. You can only have authentic Cao Lau in Hoi An because the water has to come from a certain local well.

We then walked back to the hotel to change for the nightbus to Nha Trang. I had a look on the Foreign Office website for Vietnam and Thailand. Vietnam seemed generally okay, but travel to the Thailand-Malaysia border through Southern Thailand is strongly advised against because of frequent violence to do with Muslims and Buddhists. We were planning to travel through this region overland, but we have decided to look into flights from
Krabi to Kuala Lumpur instead.

We are now on the night bus to Nha Trang - it is so nice! It is full of bunk beds so hopefully sleeping will actually be possible. We had to take our shoes off when we got on the bus so it is kind of like a moving bedroom. There is also a Westlife playlist playing on Viatnamese MTV which is a nice touch (Hannah Jenkins and Ruth Perry would appreciate this hugely). The Vietnamese seem to really enjoy love songs.

There are no road markings in Vietnam
and the main form of transport is motorbike. The coach driver is just driving along and constantly beeping his horn to clear his path of motorbikes. It's all very well having comfy beds on board, but nobody is going to get any sleep if this beeping goes on all night!

I'm feeling a bit sick from writing this whilst moving so I'm going to leave you there. Next stop, the beach!

xxx