Hoi An to Dalat

Well, Hoi An was my idea of fun! Row upon row of tailors, and so many clothes to be made. We spent 3 full days there and other than the tailoring, there is not a lot to report, but it was a very pleasant town to walk around with lots of lovely cafes and set on a river.



We spent a few hundred dollars each and came away with winter coats, work clothes, play clothes and shoes, all made to fit perfectly. I have a whole new wardrobe and it feels so good! Even Tim got into the spirit and came away with two new suits, a coat and several other bits and pieces. Oh, and we had to call a doctor out to our hotel - an ear infection I'd had a week earlier hadn't cleared up, and it appears I have developed an allergy to penicillin after 25 years! I was feeling really rough and the super cool doctor sorted me out with some new drugs.

We came straight to Dalat, bypassing the beach resort of Nha Trang and heading up into the highlands. It's about ten degrees cooler up here - about 25-30 today, and glorious. Dalat is apparantly the honeymoon capital of Vietnam, but from the first impressions of the town it's hard to see why. But it's surounded by beautiful rolling hills, waterfalls and lakes, and it's all very kitsch, even the temples - the decoration is so over the top it's funny, the dragons are like cartoon characters and the laughing Buddahs are so happy you'd think they'd been taking something...






Today the four of us took another full day motorbike tour, this time with the Easyriders, an unofficial crew of bikers who cruise the streets looking for tourists to take out for the day.






We headed out of the town through the mountains, first to the very crazy Crazy House, then on to a Zen Buddhist meditation retreat. After an hour of freewheeling down and around through the hills we were taken to a silk-worm farm, a silk factory, the huge Elephant falls and even a mushroom farm!












But the best bit was just being on the back of a bike. I think I have the bug. And it is the only way to see Vietnam - the way the locals do. We were taken on roads and through villages that we couldn't have seen on our own, and that we wouldn't have been taken to had we chosen a tour on four wheels.






Next stop is the beach - Mui Ne, the first of many to come hopefully!