Saigon Tourane Da Nang

... us and we have been laughing about Judge &amp; Mrs Jones (or whatever their names are) I am sure they are not happy with the lack of &#8216;bum wiping&#8217;. <br><br>As we were docking in Da Nang, Vietnam, Jack asked me if I had seen any seagulls at any of our ports. When I stated that I had not &amp; that was weird, he said "probably not weird .... but, did you enjoy your Chicken Chow Mein?" oooo yuck!! When we thought about it, we have seen very few birds ...

... in Hoi An was a bit of a let down. A 20 minute walk from anything interesting and the walls covered in mould our trusted following Trip Advisor booking tactic had let us down for the first time! <br>We decided to take a walk to the river and have a beer sat in some of the mini plastic chairs all over that Chris cant fit into. Most things in Vietnam are made for people under 5'5'' so he has been struggling with most things Vietnamese!<br>We stayed out for dinner at Cargo Lounge ...

... the curse has been overcome!<br><br>Every Friday night, people working for the local NGOs are able to congregate at Treat&#8217;s Café and have a chat while eating and drinking. It is good socially, but is also a good way for people to learn about each other&#8217;s work and share ideas. Robyn is the main person behind this event and sent a lovely text inviting people to last week&#8217;s drinks: &#8220;Cyclone Ketsana debriefing and liquid counseling &#8211; Treats 6.15 Friday ...

... my kind of place with cobbled windy paths going off in all directions begging to be explored so I could discover what was around the corner!!! Nathan was very patient knowing it is one of "my things"!!!<br><br> <br> <br><br>Stopped off at China Beach where the Americanns had R &amp ...

... cut our day short and get back over the bridge to our hotel before we weren't able to. Everywhere we went, locals were offering to sell us ponchos and umbrellas. If the rain let up even for a second, they would switch to selling us postcards. It was a little absurd. We were drenched head to toe no matter what we did and were just happy to return to our room and get dry. We spent the evening nibbling cheese and crackers and watching a movie (Platoon, of all things). <br>

... to the President of America and asked them to stop destroying My Son. And he agreed!<br><br>We also visited the cathedral and the market but they weren't much to write home about really... We were going to go to the waterpark but decided to ditch that idea cos of the rain. We also decided against visiting China Beach (apparently featured in a famous 1980s TV show). <br>

... notable ruins of Ankor Wat. Although not as big as Ankhor, the ruins at My Son are a nice alternative for an introduction to the Cham and their lives. Each new king would build a tower here in honour of the gods on three levels to represent hell, earth and heaven respectively and come here before battles and on other special days to perform rituals and sacrifices. The site has seen alot of wear since those days since although the bricks and mortar are extremely ...

... and for 20,000dong each he took us to the beach and drove us around until we found the perfect accommodation, which ended up being a $15 a night room at the "Romance Hotel" not the flashiest, but all the hotels around were all booked up! so busy being the Vietnamese school holidays...we had no idea! <br>The water was blue as blue with golden sand and beach seats set out all along the beach ...

... dort drei Tage gewand**t, habe eine Nacht in einem sogenanntem Homestay (bedeutet so eine Art Backpack** in einem d** dortigen Do**f**n) und eine Nacht im Hotel geschlafen. Es war auf jeden Fall unglaublich schoen dort und mein** Meinung nach noch mehr zu empfehlen als Halong Bay, was natu**lich was voellig and**es ist. Bin dann zurueck in mein geliebtes Ha Noi gefahren und habe dort einen letzten Tag v**bracht. Heut Morgen bin ich dann nach Da Nang ...

... and his family the next day. I didn't end up meeting up with my new Vietnam ally, but I did make a trip to Marble Mountain the next day to pick up a couple handmade statues to mail back to the States. After another random dance party in the courtyard of the hotel with the Filipinos, an Australian businessman, a British traveler, and the Vietnamese owners, I decided to leave China Beach and head about 15km south to tourist central... Next Stop: Hoi An