Hue to Hoi An

As you can see we have discovered how to add photos to the blog, more about what this is later.

We decided to take life easy and took a taxi from the Hotel in Hue to Hoi An. The weather had not been good and the trains were unpredictable so we thought in a car we could have a bit of control, where we could stop and what we could do on the way. Our driver was really good and stopped whenever we wanted, he also took a diversion on the way to show us a picturesque inlet where fishermen kept their boats and the waterside was lovely. The boats resembled kayaks (took me back to Halong Bay) and were constructed from woven palm fronds covered in pitch. We later saw some others made in the same way but just the same shape as coracles. On the way, we went past Marble Mountain which as it says is made from marble. There was a small village just given over to sculptors and stone masons who were making the most amazing statuary, too big to bring back home.

We also saw some truly wonderful beaches, one of them, China Beach. was where the American soldiers would go for a break during the Vietnam War. This area is now under a huge amount of development with hotels and apartments being built. How they are going to sell them all in this economic climate is uncertain.

We arrived in Hoi An and checked into our hotel which is very smart. It is a riverside hotel and a spa resort. We have a lovely room overlooking the pool and it is just so peaceful. There are just delicious little touches like pottery urns filled with water with flowers floating on the surface. There are small ponds with water llies in and the whole place is just a delight.

Hoi An is a world Heritage Site and to preserve the town they limit the traffic to essential vehicles and deliveries. There are signs at the start of some of the roads which say 'walkers and primitive vehicles only'. By primitive they mean simple (cycles). Our guide said they told the authorities it was the wrong word but they took no notice. You can walk down the centre of the road without any fear, a real contrast after Hanoi and Hue.

We have been on a guided walk through the town and been in old buildings where the family still lived and where generations of their family had always lived. They showed us where the water had come up to when the river flooded. All the old houses have an internal pulley system to move the furniture quickly to the upper floor, something we could do with in some parts of the UK.

The whole town has had a mixture of cultures influencing the architecture. There is a Japanese bridge, French influence in the shutters on the houses and Chinese influence in many of the roofs, this eclectic mix just works somehow . The buildings are just lovely and are protected. If any restoration takes place it has to be approved by the local planning authority and to conform to the style of the town. It is reassuring that this level of interest is being taken in such a lovely , historical place.

The picture at the top of this page is of one of the temples of My Son which is a Hindu temple complex, unusual in this part of the country. It was the Champa people who passed through this area and built the temples. They are in poor repair and were clearly heavily damaged in the Vietnam war. There is evidence of bullet holes in many of the walls and some old ordnance is on display which must have been found on the site. It was an interesting trip, the rain has persisted so my pink poncho came in very handy.

On the subject of the pink poncho I need to give you my side of the story as John is threatening to put a post on this blog as I have avoided telling you this bit. It is while we were in Hue. John thought I was taking a disproportionate interest in the pavements. All I can say is, I am sure I do not suffer from Osteoporosis. For some reason I had difficulty in staying upright. It was raining and the hotel had lent us pink umbrellas, this in combination with the poncho meant that I was a bit of a study in pink. It seemed that every time John and our guide got a few steps ahead of me I would trip or slip on something, apparently when ever John looked round all he could see was this pink mound of plastic with a lump in the middle which was me.

To add insult to injury, John now calls this not my packamac, but my flashamac. The poncho is designed to be worn on a bike. So you can use it at night, there is a clear panel in the front to be draped over the handle bars and over the light. A good idea except when you wear this while walking around you have to ensure you have your trouser zip is done up or it looks like ...... well I shall leave it to you to decide!