Dai Long Hotel Hoi An

... closed!I was interested to see how far he'd go, but I was still glad when he walked away!!On our way one tout pulled us aside and told us the Vietnamese for condom is pronounced ok, so when we were pushing past everyone saying "no thanks, I'm OK", the locals were hearing "no thanks I'm a condom!!<br><br>Walked to the main part of town and went for breakfast at the Mandirin cafe which was reccomended by Lonely Planet (and for once they ...

... will happen with English teaching when we have gone, but presumably there will be other ESL teachers here from time to time. We certainly hope that is the case, as it would be a shame if their skills were allowed to deteriorate.<br><br>It was Viet Nam Women&#8217;s Day on 20th October. They had also celebrated International Women&#8217;s Day on 8th March, so Mark wanted to know when the Men&#8217;s Day was coming. Many local women took great delight in telling him that men had 363 days ...

... of motorbikes) across the highway and we all met up for some gorgeous fresh, roll-your-own spring rolls at the famous Hoa's Place. After squeezing in one more dip in the water, we had to climb back into the minivan and drive back to Hoi An. Alas, a bit too short, but at least we'd had an opportunity to enjoy the water and the relatively empty beach.<br><br>The next day we would not be as lucky securing spots on an empty beach. After Ma and Pike ...

... hace se agradece), spa, la habitación tiene dos ambientes ...<br> <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br ><br>Superando la tentación de quedarnos en el hotel, salimos a comer el plato típico, Cao Lao, con una cerveza grande (no muy fría, en este país la cerveza no se toma nada fría).<br>Compramos los tickets para ver la ciudad y de paso, contratamos la excursión para ir al día siguiente a ...

Hanoi, "the city in a bend of a river," was once named Thang Long (yup, just like the yummy restaurant in the avenues), or "The City of Soaring Dragons." Found this interesting, as I've encountered images of soaring dragons quite recently - but those were in Clear Lake... <br><br>Woke to an array of sounds this morning that seemed to crescendo by the minute...shopkeepers sweeping the remnants of the previous evening, motorbikes honking and zooming ...

A quick blog entry to tell about our final day in Hanoi - Nicholas here!<br><br>We had a lie in this morning as were very tired! So by the time we were up and showered (yes Lisa, Sam is showering), we left to another local Vietnamese restaurant for Lunch, as recommended by the guide book (the greatest invention in the world).<br><br>On the way there Samuel nearly didn't join me for lunch as he nearly fell down a hole in the ground, mid sentance. I found this ...

... as a whole and found it to be exhilerating and exciting. It can wear you down though because there are so many people and motorbikes, and I would not refer to it as a "quiet" country unless you get more into the rural areas. Even with all of the horn honking, and "madam-sir"s, and "one dollah one dollah", and "you buy banana!", I love it here! I think the sensory overload adds character to the country and gives it a spirit of its own.

... for modest fees. Like a Gustav Klumt, Diego Rivera, or even a Van Gogh? Check out this artist couple's shop and you can even order your favorite artist's painting directly from the site: www.nhungducgallery@yahoo.com. I'm going for a version of an up and coming Vietnamese artist hot on the art scene at present. I have a theory that you can often tell a local from a tourist by the way they cross the street. In a part of the world ...

... of the pub, we heard a commotion outside the streets.. Looking over the balcony, we witnessed a street fight where one man was bashed up by 3 others. He fell right into the middle of the road and the 3 guys bashed at him with helmets and belts. One even stomped him in the face and the poor fella was finally saved by a lady tourist who bravely put herself in front him and pushing the one torturing him to the ground. The 3 of them fled ...

Well, I was originally planning on spending a few days in Nha Trang, but decided just to move on after arriving there to rain (and a forecast to continue). So, I left Dalat at about 7:30AM, arrived in Nha Trang at about 2PM and immediately bought a ticket north to Hoi An to leave at 7PM. I just arrived at 7AM but feel remarkably good thanks to a few samples of sleeping pills ...