Today we purchased our Hoi An tourist tickets which let us into 5 of
the many sights around the old town. It was great to learn about the
history of the area and wander around the smoke filled temples and
houses. The bia hoi is still flowing freely and the local food is very
tasty.
We have no plan for tomorrow so it should be a good day!
After a 9 hour train ride from Nha Trang to Da Nang we took a taxi to
our next stop in Hoi An (where the Top Gear guys got their suits made).
We arrived to find that every hotel was fully booked and we very
nearly gave up before we found a room at Thien Trung Hotel. When we
checked in the staff exlained that because it was a full moon the
whole old town of Hoi An would be closed to vehicles and the street
lights would be replaced with lanterns.
We made our way down to the riverside at 6pm and things were just
starting so we had a few Bia Hoi (fresh beer costing 15p a glass)
before exploring the amazing streets. We wandered into a stunning
temple where the smell of inscense was overpowering but the buzz
inside was amazing.
Tomorrow we plan to have another look at the sights when they are a
bit quieter and probably have a few more bia hoi!
This morning we had an early start to go on our PADI Discovery scuba
dive! It was fantastic! We went out to an island off Nha Trang for the
first dive which lasted about 30mins at 6 meters (the lowest you can
go at our novice level). We then moved on to another site & given the
opportunity to do a 2nd dive (extra $20 each) which we couldn’t pass
up. Another 30mins down there where we saw foot-long sticky type fish,
big bright yellow fish, moray eels etc etc as well as beautiful coral.
We both loved it & now considering whether to do the full PADI course
so we can do more.
Knackered now so having a siesta! xx
PS – Good luck to Hull City against Chelsea later on. We’ll be waching if we can!
The train from HCMC to Nha Trang was really good and perfectly on
time. We got to see some great views go past and had our compartment
to ourselves for the whole 7 hour ride.
We found a great hotel via TripAdvisor.com and WikiTravel.com called
Ha Van Hotel and after some very nice food at ‘Same Same but Different
Cafe’ we are off to bed before seeing the beach in the day light.
Thank you for all the comments you lot are leaving for us, it’s great
to hear from you all!
