It confuses me that most vietnamese cities on the backpacker trail begin with H...we are moving so very quickly that i often find myself wondering exactly where i am...but then, let's face it...i'm quite easily confused at the best of times, let alone when my brain has been unused, on the whole, for 4 months!!
Actually, we are in Hoi An...and, suddenly, I am in love with Vietnam. This town is exquisite...it's a magical mixture of shopping and the beach...alongside teeny tiny orange cottages and french colonial architecture....wondering around the old town last night i was transfixed by chinese lanterns lighting the quiet streets and atmospheric little bars inviting us in for local beers costing 25p....
Now,listen to this girls...Hoi An is famous for its custom made tailors and, as we have made our way down the coast of vietnam all anyone talks about when discussing Hoi An are the suits and the shoes they have had custom-made....the proceedure goes a little something like this....you duck into one of the many little shops along the street...sitting down comfortably with a cold bottle of water and the most recent Next catalouges (for the aussies Next is a very popular High Street shop in the UK....) Flicking through you point out the style of the clothes you want before picking out the materials from a large range on their shelves...less than 48hours and one fitting later you have yourself a custom made item...just for you....
As you can imagine, i could well have gone a little crazy here....however I (read matt)have managed to control the purse strings and have settled for a stylish business suit to win me (hopefully) a brilliant job in my first interview back in England (well, one can dream) and a pair of blue jeans without the gaping hole at the back which always seems to be my problem when buying off the shelf...Moving on the to shoe shop I was measured up for a gorgeous pair of black leather boots - riding boot style - which will be a perfect replacement to the pair I wore out last winter in England. I'm in heaven...
And while in Hoi An, while one's wardrobe is being improved, one can rent oneself a scooter and motor on down the 2kms to the beautiful, white sand beach with it's multitude of palm trees and chilled out vibe...we spent today there...taking a well earned breather and soaking up some vietnamese sun over a glossy novel before spending 75p on some seaside grub.
tomorrow we head on down the well trodden backpacker trail on another overnight bus...ending up in Nha Trang for more beach therapy...and maybe a party boat or two?? Who me?? ;-)
stay tuned. xxx
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