Happily dry after a journey South through flooded Vietnam.

After days of heavy rain in Hoi An we were pleased to find that yesterday hardly a drop fell - it made a big difference not being wet all the time (I'm thinking that I should have invested in a better quality pac-a-mac as mine is getting pretty nasty. But it looks pretty at least!) Hoi An is on the river, and the banks had burst so the street alongside had been flooded the whole time we were there, but as the afternoon rolled on yesterday the water started creeping up through the town…

My favourite café, a gorgeous patisserie called Cargo (thanks for the recommendation Sarah - I ate almost every meal there!) was soon out of bounds and underwater, and the ever-enterprising townspeople (for a Communist country Vietnam sure is fond of the dollar) were making a quick buck selling boat rides through the streets across the river. Unperturbed Cords and I went for a traditional Vietnamese dinner of Hoi An speciality White Rose (steamed shrimp dim sum) and Cao Lao (pork and noodles) in a cute, if rustic, restaurant off the main road, Le Loi. Our wander back to the hotel kept meeting with dead ends where the water was deep and inky-black… a sign of things to come! Optimistically we planned a busy morning of tailor collections, a trip to the post office to send our new winter coats home, and a good breakfast to ready ourselves for the long train journey to Na Trang. The Gods had a different plan.

Woke up this morning to find that our hotel was surrounded by flood water! The streets had become rivers overnight, knee-deep to most people (thigh-deep to me). I wandered to the end of the road to see a canoe going past and people wading through waist-deep water, apparently not in the least bit fazed. Swooping into action, Cords sorted out a home visit from the post office (great service!) and I waded across the street to stock up on cheese spread sandwiches and snickers bars (nutritious and tasty) for the train ride. We'd decided a train would make a nice change to the looonnggg bus rides we've done up until now, and were looking forward to admiring the views. Turns out the train is not quite the Orient Express, but there was at least a Western loo and it showed Wolverine in English so that was a bonus!

Now I'm the first to admit I can be fussy with food, but Virgin Trains sandwiches look positively appealing compared to the local delicacy offered here… (vegetarians look away now)… chicken foetuses. Look like harmless boiled eggs, but crack them open and you'll find an assortment of foetuses at varying stages of development. I had a peek at one that a very small chap next to me was enjoying and could see feathers. Another Asian delight I'll be passing up on!

The floods were so extensive that I couldn't see much of the countryside; it was bizarre to see entire graveyards almost entirely submerged. Some of the graves are very elaborate; brightly coloured, very detailed with little Chinese-style roofs, rows of matching family tombs… and I saw a couple of tombstones with swastickas proudly emblazoned. There was also more evidence of Vietnam's pride in their warfare; as we passed over a bridge with yet another swollen river flowing underneath I could just see the tops of a long row of tanks, all with the guns pointed in the same direction. A bit chilling actually, but interesting to see.

We've stopped for the night in a lovely little hotel in Nha Trang; not a place I've been looking forward to having heard it's a bit like Ayia Napa. Given the weather I doubt we're going to spend much time on the beach so it's likely to be a flying visit - fingers crossed we find better weather at the next place!

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