27th Dec cont . Check out of hotel at 3pm to check in to the English pub for a great shepherds pie to set us up for the journey ahead. Brak neck taxi ride down the pass to Lao Cai to get the train back to Hanoi arriving 5.30 in the morning 28th Dec. Checked back into hotel to clean up & rest before catching our flight to Danang at 4.30pm as we couldn't face another day of crazyness in Hanoi on the street. Taxi from Danang to Hoi An was quite an adventure as we got the usual trick of trying to drop you at a hotel of their friend rather than the one you want. After a struggle we arrived at Vinh Vung 1 a charming little hotel in a Chineese building in the centre of town right by the river. Straight out for dinner at Cafe Des Amis and a chance to explore this lovely old town. 29th December 2006 Another lazy day with a late breakfast before setting off to explore the wonderful old buildings, museum & temples that make Hoi An such a draw for tourists. The covered market is a warren of tiny pathways between the stalls for mainly meat, vegetables & household wares, before stumbling into a mass of massage, Hairdressers, shoemakers and fashion stalls. Ann couldn't resist another foot massage and ends up getting the whole works with an hilarious lady who would soon double as a brain surgeon given the chance. Luckily I escape only with a manicure & foot massage but still with a hefty combined bill and a very emotional lady justifying her dollar rated fees. A fun way to kill a couple of hours before hitting Hai Scout Cafe for drinks and an enforced dinner as the weather took a turn for the worse and the rain fell like stair rods. Making the classic mistake of not spraying up for the evening mosi attack we got eaten alive and will not make that mistake again. The town goes quite early so we hit the sack about 11pm saving ourselves for NYE.                                                                                                   30th December 2006 The seasonal showers we had been warned of seem to have let up for a few hours so we hired a couple of bikes and cycled out to Thanh Ha a poor community known as the "pottery village" just 3km west of HA that was very enjoyable but so glad we had not paid to visit with a group. Back in the saddle we headed east through town and out to  Cua Dai beach 5km east of HA to find a windswept sandy beach that whilst obviously beautiful was missing blue skies and sun. The surf was rolling in and   for the brave could be a great place to "hang ten" as long as you watched out for the under tow and strong currents. Appearing through the mist we spotted Cham Island famous for its source of swiftlet nests that are exported to Hong Kong & Singapore for birds nest soup. After a couple of hours relaxing on the beach and a light lunch we headed back to town.