Hoi An

The partying of Koh Rong meant my body was starting to feel and smell horrible and due to ferry transfers not working in my favour i had to stay the night in Sihanoukville before heading to Saigon. I travelled with Taylor a Canadian i met at Vagabonds we both needed a shower and a room with AC... which we got for $6. To have a room/bed without sand was amazing! We spent the following day wating for our sleeper bus in Top Cat cinema complete with AC and latest films for $4 in your own private room!

After a 15hr night bus from Sihanoukville (Cambodia) i arrived into Saigon (Vietnam) and booked a sleeper train to Danang. I originally wanted a "soft sleeper" carriage however these were completely full and I had to resort to a "hard sleeper" carriage. TBH the hard sleeper was good i requested the lower bunk which was equipped with power socket, reading light, table, pillow and blanket and after watching Casino and The Departed back to back i fell asleep with ease (even with a box chickens next to me). The train arrived in Danang which  is about an hour north of Hoi An.... i arrived at the Sunflower Hotel Hoi An approx 16 hrs after leaving Saigon but the journey was worth it and after dip in the pool i was more than relaxed.

Hoi An is a city located approx in the center of Vietnam on the coast,close to Danang, it has a real colonial feel and the ancient timber fronted shops make Hoi An a great place to chill out and relax. The main area centres around the Japanese bridge crossing a river and there are lots of cool coffee shops and bars to watch the world go by.

Daytime:
I hired a bike for a few days and cycled around the city and to the beach stopping off at watering holes whenever i wanted. The beach itself is nice, not as picturesque as those in Cambodia but still... The most enjoyable day was spent on a motorbike riding with Canadians Mike and Ben to the Hai Van Pass. The views were amazing and the roads were awesome to drive.We stopped in Danang on the way back for food at the Vietnamiese version of McD's "Lotteria" which was packed full of school kids who all stood around our table watching us eat ahahahah.... I also spent many hours in Kimmy fashion. These were my chosen tailors to make my tailored shirts and flag for the Lions tour. In short it was a ball ache trying to tell the staff exactly what i wanted.... but the end result is fantastic and i am really pleased with the flag and the shirts.

Evenings:
These were rotated between going out and more relaxed evenings boozing in cafes around the Japanese bridge. The main nightclub (Volcano) was i ended up and is similar to any small town club back home but it still made for a great night given the right company. The plus side of Volcano is that 3 quid gets you as much booze as you can drink. The food in Hoi An was really good the local specialities were amazing my favourite being the Cao Lao noodles and Stuffed squid from Cafe 43. The Noodles worked out at roughly one pound and they were truly amazing. I also had the pleasure of some amazing Indian food with people from my dorm for a fellow travellers birthday again the food and night out was good the latter being the better. All in all Hoi An is a brilliant place i ended up staying for 7 days. The city was so relaxed, not over priced and good nightlife. I could have quite easily stayed longer.

Pics and Videos FYI.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvss8cIEdb4