So I've been a little behind in my blog updates but to be fair I am on holiday and I'm busy having fun.

Today we had an early-ish start for our bus ride from the ancient imperial capital of Hue to the ancient town of Hoi An, also known as Faifo. Hoi An is located near the city of Da Nang where the famous "China Beach" is. China Beach is actually called My Khe (pronounced "Mee Kee"). Our drive took us through some picturesque countryside and farming areas with some areas skirted by cliffs and mountains. We made our way over a mountain pass rather than taking the quicker route via the under mountain road. It was worth the extra time it took as we made a pit stop at the top of the mountain pass where some old French colonial fort ruins were located. The view from here was stunning with the rural area we had recently driven through on one side and the city of Da Nang, it's harbour and My Khe beach on the other. I negotiated some stray cows and climbed on top of part of a ruined bunker to get a better vantage point for happy snaps. The pit stop was only short before we boarded the bus again for the short 20 minute drive to Hoi An. This took us along the gorgeous "China Beach" which is lined with palm trees and dotted with round basket boats. Da Nang and my next destination, Nha Trang, are the only two locations in Vietnam that use these boats.

The group was looking forward to our visit to Hoi An for a few reasons. Our tour leader, Khoa (pronounced "Kwah") had told us our hotel was very nice and had a pool; there was plenty of shopping to do, including plenty of tailors, shoe makers and bag makers; and it was just a pretty little town. (I should note here that the standard of accommodation I've stayed in on this tour has been well above expectations as has many other aspects of the tour but I'll address all that in a separate blog entry) We were to spend three nights here.

We arrived around 11:00, checked in to our hotel and had a chance to freshen up before a walking tour of the town and some lunch. We walked the main three streets of the old quarter and some of the intersecting streets. All of them were filled with shops offering souvenirs, nik naks, homewares, clothing, shoes, art and food. Almost every type of shop had the same thing as the next one. All the souvenir shops sold the same souvenirs. All the homewares shops offered the same homewares and so on. Thankfully Khao recommended some good tailors, shoemakers and bag makers. We stopped for lunch in a nice restaurant. I should also point out that it is stinking hot and we're all dripping in sweat. I was wearing denim shorts and on this day it was a big mistake. They were coming off after lunch… once I had returned to the hotel of course. During lunch Khao had given us a list of optional activities to take part in while in Hoi An however none of us seemed that interested. Instead we decided to all do our own thing and meet up ad hoc. This was great for me as I was keen to spend some time relaxing and I did just that.

After lunch our free time began and I decided to wander the streets looking at the shops, stalls and markets to see what I could find. I was also on the lookout for a pair of thongs as I hadn't brought any with me. In this weather they were definitely needed. I tried a few shops looking for a pair my size and got lucky at the third shop I came across. I was only looking for a simple black pair to get me through Asia. They were a little small but they are doing the job quite nicely on my journey through Vietnam. There was a little chaffing during the first few days but I soon got used to it. And for my UK friends reading this I should mention that when I talk about my slightly small black pair of thongs that have chaffed me a little, I'm talking about flip-flops, not a G-banger so please stop imagining me in a snug G-string.

I'd taken notice of the coats on display in many of the tailors and was considering having one made for the impending winter in the UK. After trying on a few in the searing heat I decided not to buy one. The quality of the coats was also lacking. I was also looking at some of the chopstick sets on offer at every second shop. The set came with chopsticks for 10, chopstick resting things and a decorative box. The first shop I came across offered me a set for US$8 which I thought was pretty reasonable but figured I should shop around first in an effort to find a cheaper set. Probably a mistake because the next few shops offered higher prices, up to US$25 in some. I think it was Crystal in the tour group had bought a set for around that amount. The following day I had haggled with a shop girl down to about US$15 but realised I didn't have the cash on me. I tried to tell her that I didn't have the cash but she didn't understand and thought I was declining the purchase. She actually ran after me for about 200 metres begging me to buy them and dropping the price down to US$10 but I had changed my mind by that time instead deciding to find a pair in Japan. Bit of trivia for you, Chinese chopsticks (like the ones on sale here in Vietnam) have larger tips than those in Japan. I think this is because of the delicate nature of Japanese food when compared to other Asian countries.

As I'd mentioned in a previous entry, my camera had decided to s*** itself. On my way back to the hotel I noticed a camera and electronics store. I popped in to see if they also made repairs and fortunately for me, they did. The guy quoted me about US$40 and I was more than happy to pay and not haggle. I had planned to buy a new camera in Hong Kong but I would have been out of pocket a hell of a lot more and my camera was only a couple of years old. Snap! Camera being fixed and ready the next day. I got back to the hotel and made my way to the pool to cool down. The pool water was a little warm but OK enough to cool me down before heading out for dinner