Hoi An 19th March 2006 - Vietnam

Well we finally made it out of Nha Trang, and headed off by train to Hoi An.
The train journey wasn't that eventful, although we did manage to book a train that stopped at every town on route.
This meant that every hour, the train would slam its brakes on and then hundreds of people would rush around to unload or get on the train.
Its amazing how relaxed you get to noise, after 7 or 8 hours of repeated interruptions

Hoi An
We were met at the station by the hotel car, which sort of implies that we have booked into a good quality hotel.
Well for $15 per night, what more would you expect !!
The car journey from the station to the hotel was like watching Grand Theft Auto being played.
The driver was able to squeeze the car through gaps that looked impossible from a passengers view !!
You also notice here that it is mandatory for all drivers to sound their horn at every junction.
You even hear people on push bike simulating a sound of a bell if they don't have one fitted !!

Well after checking into our room, we headed off into the town.
It's much more touristy that Nha Trang was, with every shop owner begging you in to see their wares.
The problem here, is that they all sell the same old stuff, so once you seen one shop you've seen them all.

The buildings here are very nice, most of which have been restored over the years.
It has also attracted World Heritage status, so all the old buildings that haven't yet been repaired will at least have some money set aside in the future.

There are a lot more holiday makers here, where Nha Trang was more back packers.
This means that you get to watch people eating plates of chocolate cakes, without a worry of the cost.
Alison has already succumb to temptation, and dived into a strawberry pancake with orange syrup !!

We plan to get up early tomorrow, as the market here is meant to be really good.
I have never been into shopping, so the thought of a 7am stroll around a market does not fill me with much excitement.
hopefully there will be plenty to photograph, or I can see this being one of the shortest shopping trips that Alison has ever been on !!