THE GREAT VIETNAMESE COOK-OFF DAY 52: Hoi An We checked out of our hotel and were disappointed to leave. The staff at Nhi Nhi Hotel in Hoi An are superb. We were made to feel very welcome, they can and will do anything for you and it was a real pleasure staying there. And they, like all other locals, call me Nah Tan, which is quite funny. We then went for our final fitting (all good and very happy by the way) before heading to our Vietnamese cooking class. T...

NICE ONE, MY SON DAY 51: Hoi An and the temples at My Son Alarm goes at 4.20am. Not funny. We were being picked up by our taxi and tour guide at 5am to make the hour or so journey to the temple ruins at My Son and the best time to see them is early in the morning before the crowds turn up in their thousands. It was really dark in the hallway as we left our room, not even an emergency light to help, then all of a sudden we heard a loud 'DING DONG'. In an attem...

TAILOR-MADE IN HOI AN DAY 50: Hoi An Most people that come to Hoi An take advantage of its tailoring tradition and get clothes made to fit at a snip of the price you'd pay back home, so that was high on our agenda today. After dropping off our laundry at reception (they made me write down every item in our 8kg load of washing) and booking some tours and travel, we headed out in search of a tailor. There are literally hundreds on offer in Hoi An, many on the ...