Sorry we've been away for so long, Vietnam was a bit of a whirlwind and we're now chilling on the Thai islands so can finally catch up with you all! So anyway, Hoi An.....

Ahhhh what luxury it was to travel to Hoi An! Easy peasy, flight, taxi, hotel, door to door in less then 4hrs which was much more appealing than another 20hr bus trip (if only we could afford to fly everywhere)! We met a buddy along the way, Lisa from New Zealand living in Oz and we all ended up checking in to a nice hotel we'd been recommended by other travellers along the way!

Unfortunately when we arrived it rained and it poured so naturally there was only one thing to do in Hoi An . . . . .no not the pub, we went to the tailors and got ourselves fitted for some tailored threads! A mere 24hrs and 2 fittings later Matt had a 3 piece charcoal suit with lilac silk lining, 2 fitted shirts and I had 2 more intricate fitted shirts made. We decided that clothes were not enough so we went to a shoe shop to get some footwear made. We both decided that we wanted a pair of Toms made (canvas shoes) and I thought I would be very clever and get a pair of replica Ash trainers made! Unlike the success of the tailors the shoe making went a somewhat different direction. Our canvas shoes looked more like slippers albeit comfy, and my 'Ash' trainers came out more like a tacky platform that you would only see on eastern europeans (you know exactly what I mean) so after a bit more explaination and a few hours later the platform had disappeared and the trainer looked more like a trainer but still not something I would even look twice at on a shelf so we will see how they look once I put then on under my jeans - otherwise its ebay all the way!!!

To make up for the shoes and the rain we headed out (in our ponchos) for some food, we were dodging puddles and looking out behind our hoods at different places to eat. Struggling to make a decision Matt saw a restaurant that he recognised from the lonely planet so we just went in. Wet ponchos hung up by the staff, chair pulled out for us to sit in, lovely table settings and attentive staff we thought something must be wrong here. While I looked at the drinks list that was handed to me Matt quietly said 'Sinead, we need to leave'. It turned out that the restaurant was one of the top end ones and we couldnt even afford a started so we had to skulk out red faced and apologise for the inconvience we had just caused all the while being stared at by the rich older couple dining in the corner. At this stage we were pretty hungry so just saw a place with a cheap menu and went it - gold. We order a traditional vietnamese seafood hot pot. It was amazing. The clay pot was placed in front of us and a fire lighter lit then the pot with the seafood (prawns, calamari and a nice chunky white fish) was placed infront of us to heat up and infuse the lemongrass and the chilli into the broth. Then the waitress broke up different herbs (spring onion, mustard leaves, basil, coriander and beansprouts) and placed them in with the fish to boil. It was beautiful and one of the best meals we had in Vietnam, not to mention the service and all for £5 for both of us.

The next day the sun had broken through and we hired bikes with Lisa to cycle 4km to the beach where we literally chilled and soaked up the sun and a few beers. Eeeen, I meant to tell you I managed to buy 'The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest' in Saigon for $3 so started that which I'm very happy about. Hoi An is a lovely quaint little place, that reminded us a lot of Luang Prabang in Laos. Even in the rain we could see the beautiful buildings and with the river flooding into the side streets we got to see the little women in their boats get into the best positions to entice people to come for a spin down the river with them, cute!

S&M