It rained, it rained, it poured! and as our next stop was the beach resort of Nha Trang it was less than ideal so we opted to tick off the few tourist sites in the area and head for the other activity that Nha Trang is renowned for.............drinking!

Braving the rain and doning our multi-coloured poncho's (clearly looking immensly attractive!) we dodged and dived the locals trying to sell us postcards (at one point Sharon even ran away from a boy to make her point, which was quite funny to watch as he was trying to run backwards and keep up). Cham Po Nagar towers was our first stop which once stood where the River Cai met the ocean, remnants from the Champa Kingdom (7-12th C) they are decorated with dancing faries, boat racing and ancient life. We got the obligatory photo's but being bitten alive by mosquitoes, the rain getting worse and the constant hastle from the locals meant we moved on quickly to the budha of Long Son. Randomly, they only advertise the 9m high white budha built in 1963 the laying down budha that we found around the corner was far more impressive. After several hours of walking around in the rain we head for the shelter of the Why Not? bar and why wouldn't you? closely followed by the red apple and the stylish but expensive sailing club. Checking the weather forecast slighlty hungover sampling a burger from an American bar the next morning, we decide to press on as with only beaching and drinking available to entertain us, the former not an option and the later expensive we figure we might have more luck in Hoi An. I head to the mineral spa before the bus (i think i should be reincarnated as a pig as I'm beginning to make a habit of this mud lark!!). As i'm on my own i get my own private tubs, a tap gushing cold ud fills the first one (a random sight) and then boling mineral water in the next. After hours of lazing i head for the showers which turn out to be little tents (much like our little changing cubicle we used to make on the beach out of windbreaks when we were young) slighlty seasoned thanks to the salt water i head to meet the others for yet another fun overnight bus journey!

Hoi An, can be summed up as a bit of a wash out really, such a shame as very quaint little cobbled streets lined with character buildings selling tailored clothes and chinese lanterns made the town very likeable. We all got measured up for new clothes, i was especially excited to be able to get a new pair of linen trousers after mine died in China thanks to an especially hungry washing machine! Sharon and I both sent home knee high boots and winter coats, it was so cheap we just couldn't resist! After a failed trip to My Son, the bus actually had to turn around due to completely flooded roads and bridges fully submerged in water we opted to hibernate with Harry Potter 2&3 on DVD (I'm getting through the books at a rate of knots) We did enjoy a boat ride on what was the pavement which showed us the true extent of the flooding, i was more than impressed that the locals didn't seem phased in fact boats appeared from nowhere offering tourists rides to capitalise on the situation as tailors shop moved their stock to higher ground. It would have been maor panic time in England, but here all in a days work!

Hue, had a full day city tour on offer so once again Ponco's on and braving the weather we head out visiting the citidel, purple forbidden city and tombs. I may aswell have been wearing ice skates as it turns out that rain and flip flops are not the perfect combination especially when most of the attractions had marble floors (definately a major design fault, although i guess flip flops didn't exist when they were built!) A dragon boat ride back down the river to our guesthouse pretty much summed up the whole day when our boat almost got stuck under the bridge as the rainfall had made the river rise. Dishartned and soggy, plus probably a little bit homesick as this weather is like being back in England but without any of the creature comforts! we decide to hit the road further north in search of sun..

Sadly the worst journey yet was sent to try us, the capsules for beds were the smallest i have seen yet and wet (thanks to the rain!). We had a tyre blow out a few hours into the journey and despite our protests the vietnamese didn't seem phased, driving on at a slightly reduced speed, which i think was more to do with the friction caused by the burst tyre slapping the undercarriage of the bus than their thoughts on safety! Every cloud though as we met Ellen,Billy,Chris and Mike all thanks to Ellen who wouldn't stop talking to me although I was engrossed in some slushy girly book at the time. We are glad that she perservered though as much fun was to follow and even some sun!