There are many ways you can travel from Hue to Hoi An by train and bus, but we opted for hiring a taxi for the 4 hour journey. We had planned on taking the train the whole way down Vietnam, but the trains take longer, and are not always the best option for seeing places. Especially as there isn't a train station in Hoi An, you have to get off at Danang and get a bus and either get taxis or walk alot! Also with it being so rainy we doubted you would see or appreciate the views from the train. So we paid the big bucks (for Vietnam, it was less than the cost of a taxi from Guilford to Reigate back at home!)and travelled in style!

We booked our driver through the hotel, he was a nice and friendly man making lots of jokes with us the whole way. We immediately felt we'd made the right decision as we watched the rain pelting down outside the window as we drove along.

Our first stop was Lang Co Beach, one of the most stunning beaches we had seen in Vietnam so far. But our visit was greeted by lots of rain, not sunshine and glistening seas. No one was on the beach at all! Our driver suggested us having a swim, we declined after looking at the choppiness of the sea. It was beautiful, and being from England we knew how to appreciate the beach even on the worst days. With it being off season the hotels along the beach looked to be getting their updates and building work done with bricks and rubble all over the place.

After drying in the car our next route was to take the Hai Van Pass also known as Ocean Cloud Pass due to the mist that rise from the sea below. The train actually follows this route as well and it is renowned as been one of the most scenic sections of the 1726 km journey from Hanoi to Saigon. Even in the rain and mist the mountainous and rough coastline looked stunning. We were able to hop out of the car at a few viewing spots to take photos while huddled under the umbrella. We definetly appreciated having a car and being able to stop and take it all in.

We climbed higher up into the mountains and lost our views in the thick cloud. Our guide pointed out an old American bunker on the top of the hill and suggested us having a look, mainly because he wanted to grab a coffee in the tourist shop opposite! We decided to brave the elements and have a look, but when we arrived we noticed the tourist shop owners were alot more forward than others we had met in Vietnam. They came walking up to the car peering through the window and going to open the door, we politely grabbed our stuff and walked straight for the bunker as the shouted after us. We doubt they sold much during wet season. The bunker was reached by climbing the steps to the stone archway entrance, the rain was lashing it down and joined with strong winds. The umbrella we had browed did not last long as the wind pushed it inside out . As we huddled under the arch to mending the umbrella we decided against walking up the rest of the bunker as it was on a steep cliff. We didn't fancy getting blown over and drenched any more than we were. We hopped back in the car to dry off and descended back down the pass to Danang.

Danang was a large modern city with skyscrapers and high rises, it is also home to China Beach as named by the American soldiers who used the beach for R&R durning the war, its Vietnamese name is My Khe beach. We are glad we decided against stopping a night at Danang as it wasn't a place that would interest us. We drove through the city to Marble Mountains, a collection of high mountains formed from marble rock. On top of the mountains were caves used as Buddhist temples and pagodas, Matthew had read about the place and it was one of our main reasons of getting the car. We took the lift up to the top of the mountains and walked around in the pouring rain trying to appreciate the sights and not grumble at how drenched we were. Statues and ornately decorated buildings covered the large space with stone steps leading of to unnamed paths. We had no idea where we were walking or what we would find. The small caves contained statues of Buddha lit up by flame, in the dark damp cloudy weather these caves looked welcoming and warm. The main cave when we found it was a lot larger than the previous caves it was reached through a narrow tunnel that eventually open out into a large cavern. Straight across from the exit of the tunnel about half way up the cavern wall was a large Budda statue sculptured from from marble. The carven was decorated with smaller statues and a small building. The cave was lit by aural light from the small skylight in the roof of the cavern from which rain poured down into the cavern. It must look beautiful when the sun is out and shining in. However we saw a more deep and spiritual look to the cave, in its dark surroundings. It was so quiet, hardly anyone had ventured into the mountains so we could enjoy these caves on our own and take them all in. We really enjoyed our time there even if we did get completely and utterly saturated.

Heading onto Hoi An we assumed we would be getting to the hotel and relaxing for the evening. However our guide had other plans, he had already spoken about his family and mentioned his sister was a tailor in Hoi An. We had politely expressed our interest, but we had not decided if we would even get anything. Hoi An as it is known for its cheap tailored suits and clothing. Just when we thought we were approaching our hotel he pulled up at his sisters work and in a way peer pressured us into going inside. Yes we should have said no and not worried about being rude, but we were exhausted and pathetic. We followed him in and were greeted by happy faces free beer and water. After looking through all of their styles and options for a good hour we both decided to buy some shirts, as we had actually been looking for something to wear and struggling to find anything. The majority of the markets in Vietnam sell cheap Chinese clothing not worth the money you pay for it. They took our measurements and asked us to come back the following day for another fitting.
Our guide took us back to the hotel, but we decided against tipping him as we felt forced into buying something at his sisters place. It was ashame because up till that point we thought very highly of him and had decided to pay him a healthy tip.

We checked into our hotel which was lovely, but one of the most expensive we'd stayed at in Vietnam. But this was a theme for the whole place, later at a recommended restaurant we noticed everything was a lot more expensive and touristy in Hoi An!