Collect your goods then leave hastily...

(written 03/08/09, posted 28/09/09)

T and I have decided to leave today but my bus for tonight was full. I book it for the day after to Saigon which is an epic 24 hour trip on another cramped bus. In the meantime T is going to China Beach. A couple of the other travellers on the Halong Bay trip, the lovely K from London and hilarious C from NZ, said it was amazing. As they were completely right about the fantastic food in The Cargo Club in Hoi An I have no reason to think this place won't be great. T has been planning on going there for ages. As it's only one night out of an already late schedule I'm happy to go and it's off the beaten path so I already have lots of excuses.

We go around town collecting the last of our goods. T was so happy with a couple of dresses she already had made she got some more. After window shopping for most of the first day I eventually parted with some cash. This excitement becomes a bit deflated as we pick up our leather boots. Only one out of the four we ordered are any good. Mine look like a gerbil stuck the mismatched soles on using bits of chewed up toilet roll. T's supposedly classy heels look a bit hooker like. We clearly chose the wrong shop and there were some communication problems.

Ladies, let this be a warning to you: go with pictures and a clear idea of what you want and what will look good. If you make it up on the spot you'll be left with some very weird looking shoes! I get a couple of lovely dresses but the shoes have left a sour taste. Time for a sharp exit to China Beach.

Night travel by bus to Hoi An

(written on 01/08/09, published 28/09/09)

I was sad to leave Hanoi behind and felt there was a lot more I didn't see or experience. It was time to say goodbye to a few people we'd shared the Halong Bay trip with. I was really sad to see L go, a British girl on her way to New Zealand to live. After some sad goodbyes and a rushed Panini, T, myself and two very hungover British girls tramped off to the night bus. For $40 for a 4 stop ticket enabling me to get all the way to Saigon was clearly to good to be true. There were the 4 of us plus another person crammed in on the top bunk with barely space to move. That wasn't the worst though. The aircon was blowing a sewer smell into our faces and it was freezing. The toilet stops were plain scary and no-one wanted to go on their own. Why we didn't get a lovely train I don't know!

Anyway, T by this point decided to skip her stop to Hue and jumps on the day bus with the remaining 3 of us. We arrive, dodge the hotel touts and manage to get a hotel pretty quickly. Hoi An just felt pretty, gentile and quiet on arrival. Deep yellow painted houses and dark wood. Fragrances and delicious food. Lanterns and river boats. Balconies and cocktails. And clothes upon clothes. After a bad night, T and I went on the rampage, shopping and having cocktails.

A good meal and an early night for us though. T tore up her bus ticket and vowed never to get on a sleeper bus again. With 6 weeks to go of my trip there was going to plenty more sleeper buses for me.