Goodbye Da Lat, Hello Hoi An via Nha Trang

04/07
Up early again, this time waiting for the bus to pick us up. We are going to Nha Trang and  then onto Hoi An later.  Our hotel made us breakfast "padkos" which was great!

Sinhtourist (ex SinhCafe), the bus company we are travelling with, seem to take all the back roads which is much more scenic than freeways, although some roads leave a lot to be desired and makes the trips last that much longer!

We drove through lots of small villages, most people in this area seem to plant vegetables in any available piece of ground.  Oooops now comes the descent!!!!................. Going down this mountain pass was unbelievable.  It is only 30 Km but took us 2 hours to get down.  In places they were repairing wash-aways and there was only enough space (just) for 1 vehicle to get through.  The road snaked back and forth like you cannot believe.  Sometimes when passing on-coming traffic, I swear, our tyres were inches from the edge.  Oh boy scary at times but the countryside was outstanding, when you stopped watching the road!  For those in the know Sani Pass is "Mickey Mouse" and that can scare the Sh... out of me!

We finally arrive in Nha Trang and we had several hours to waste before our sleeper bus to Hoi An left.

We were close to the beach front so went there found a shady spot and made Avo rolls for lunch.  We had bought 2 Avos the day before and then got 2 rolls from our coffee place before we left.

I put my toes in the ocean, that was warmer than my bath water.  The sea here is very flat, hence all the water-sports are available here!

We went walking around when it got a little cooler and came across this Vietnamese museum/showpiece for embroidered pictures.  Words cannot describe the artistry required for this craft.  We watched a couple of young girls displaying their talents.  Talking to one of them, she reckons it takes almost a month to complete one average sized piece.  Most young girls are still taught the art as part of growing up.  Damn I wish we had space in our suitcase!!!

Later on we went and caught our "sleeper" bus, what a giggle!  Just imagine the 2 old fogies bending down and crawling into these sleep bunks.  Oh well another first!!!

05/07

After a strange on/off sleeping night we arrive in Hoi An at about 6:30am.  We got our bags off , left them at the bus company's office while we found some ambition.  Then on to look for a hotel.  The first one we went into quoted us $15 with bathroom, AC, Wi-fi and breakfast.  Frank reckoned we should take it so we went to fetch the bags.  When we got back the receptionist said we would have to pay another $2 for the AC and we couldn't have the room until 12:00pm.  We left our bags there and walked down the road.  I saw a very nice looking hotel and went in out of curiosity to see what it would cost.  Amazing! - $15 with AC and breakfast.  We went back to the first one, got our bags and booked in at the second one.  Oh and we could have the room immediately!  No contest!

Hooray a shower was badly needed!  You need to take at least three showers a day in Asia, damn but it is HOT!

Ok if anyone really wants to buy clothes, come spend a couple of days in Hoi An and you will end up with the most amazing clothes.  Bring your own designs, if you want.  They make whatever you want.  The fabrics are awesome!  By the way this applies to males and females!

We found  a shop where they do wood carvings.  The quality of these guys' work is incredible.  The artistic talents of the Vietnamese people still takes my breath away.  The attention to detail is impressive to say the least!

We booked our last two legs of our trip through to Hanoi.  We have also booked a 2 day, 1 night trip to Ha Long Bay which should be fascinating.

Right we shared a Vietnamese style hamburger (strange) and chips for dinner.  It is still too damn hot to have a full meal.

06/07

Morning Vietnam!  We found some "wild" ambition at about 5:45am.  Wow if that don't kick-start your day with a bang I don't know what would!

Later we had breakfast at the hotel.  Hmmm, Yum-Yum!  It is buffet style, let's see, boiled eggs (hard), ham (real ham), dragon fruit (white one), watermelon, pineapple, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, bread/toast/breadroll and of course coffee.  Very tasty!

We went back to the hotel room as I was trying to charge the battery for the camera.  At about 10:00am we took a walk down to the river.  We wanted to take a boat to Kim Bong Island (carpentry and woodcarving) and Thanh Ha Island (pottery).  A young "boat captain" who had spoken to us yesterday saw us and came over to say Hi.  We got him to take us to the islands.  What a fantastic morning!  First we went to see the pottery.  They have to buy their clay out as the clay from the river is no good and does not fire properly.  Their pottery wheel is totally manual.  A young child pushes the wheel around with her foot while the adult forms the clay.  When I think of the supplies and machines I have for pottery it makes one realise just how damn privileged we are!  Their greenware is dried for two days and then it is fired in a wood kiln for 3 days.  They do handwork, wheel and moulds.  All the children are encouraged to make things with clay.  When we arrived on the island there was a young girl, no more than 7 or 8 years old, selling her little whistles she made.  I bought three and her little face just lit up with excitement.

The government has also stepped in to try and save this dying art on this small island.  They have even started a school for the children.  Nice to hear that they offer support!

Next we went with Captain Seo (pronounced Say-O) to the carpentry island and saw them building their boats.  I was so damn fascinated I forgot to take photos!  Can you believe it?????  We then went to the wood carving place.  Like I say the talents that these amazing people have, is humbling!....And Awe-Inspiring!