The nicest place in Vietnam so far!

After our crappy overnight journey, we arrived at our fantastic hotel in the picturesque city of Hoi An.  Hoi An is famous in Asia for it's concentration of bespoke tailors (we've seen tens, if not hundreds) and colonial architecture, which has given it the most fantastic feel for us and we have loved wandering around the beautiful Historic Quarter.

We made the trip to "My Son", a Cham Settlement (an Asian civilisation of people that existed for longer than any other recognised South East Asian civilisation) about 35km from Hoi An that although was ransacked by other civilisations throughout history, was ultimately near-destroyed in many parts during the "American" war of the 60's and 70's - it is considered in a way a "Macchu Pichu of Vietnam".

President Nixon was fortunately compelled to prevent further serious damage to Cham buildings by a French archeologist's letter of protest (after much fighting, shelling and eventual destruction of one group of buildings by a helicopter-borne US sapper team) because the Viet Cong used it as an outpost.  Some of the remaining detail on the buildings was beautiful (although you would expect to see it more on Indian Hindu buildings, whcih is an example of why Vietnam is a "rich Asian cultural melting pot") and we enjoyed wandering around in the oppressive heat and humidity before taking a boat back to downtown Hoi An.

Having had a few nights here, we can say that this is probably one of the most relaxed places that we have been on our whole trip.

  Although there is a very "decadant" feel (maybe our sipping of rum in bamboo-clad colonial bars feels like "F. Scott Fitzgerald in Asia"), it seems very family orientated and we have loved being here and are hopefully going to enjoy the last couple of nights we have here as much as the first.  We stumble across an amazing resturant by chance (because it looks like most of the others we have seen much around Vietnam - nothing spectacular to look at) and we have had the most amazing food there and the people that run it have looked after us like we have been family.  Hopefully Jeremy will be able to replicate some of it on his cooking course that he is going on before we leave Hoi An!

One thing we have noticed is howoften we go into a shop or cafe / bar / resturant and there are members of staff asleep on their elbows or on a makeshift bed!!!!

Anyway, for the first time in Vietnam, we are really enjoying the country and are relieved to be after a bit of a slow start to our time here.

**PART 2**

We had some clothes made in some of the many tailors that are dotted around the lovely old-town of Hoi An.  Jeremy went on a great cookery course a mile or two down the river from Hoi An. 

We were really sad to leave Hoi An and head to Hue. We were waved-off by one of the tailors that came to bring us cakes for the bus and also by a local resturant (THe Candle Light, which has produced the best resturant food that we have had on our whole trip to date!), that gave us cookies and dinks for the bus.  We were really touched by their kind and generous gestures.