Our first experience of Vietnamese trains was a good one - despite only being able to book a hard sleeper (6 beds to a cabin with thin carpet to sleep on) rather than the soft one we wanted (4 beds to a cabin and mattresses.) I think it helped that we had the cabin to ourselves from 2300 until 0800 and we all managed to get some sleep. We had stocked up with food and it was a pleasant surprise to find a boiler full of water at the end of the carriage so we also able to make tea and coffee. The guide book had said during the last 4 hours of the journey the scenery out of the windows was stunning and it wasn't wrong. We wound our way down the coast line with mountains on one side and the beach on the other. Stupidly even though I knew Vietnam had a long coastline I was still surprised by it's beautiful white beaches. I suppose like most people of my age who have watched the American Vietnam war films, when I think of Vietnam I wrongly expect just jungle and paddy fields. As enjoyable as the train journey was, when we arrived at Da Nang at 1300, 14 hours later, we were all glad to be back on terrafirma. Like everywhere else we have been, a taxi materialised out of nowhere offering to take us to Hoi An for $14. Now there are 3 of us everything is split 3 ways making taxi journeys a more viable option rather than local buses.
We made our way to Huy Hoang 1 Hotel (recommended in our guidebook) which was near the river and next to the old quarter market. We chose a room overlooking the river on the ground floor for $25 and mum was in the room above for $30. It wasn't ideal as the following morning Steve and I were woken up at 0600 by hotel staff talking at top volume outside our window. Mind you none of us had slept very well as the mattresses were solid and to top it off I woke with a headache from hell. Steve and mum soldiered on without me and went out on the motorbikes we had hired ($5 a day each) for mum's first lesson. They both came back in one piece - mum had had no problems with riding the 125cc Honda, as if I ever doubted she would?
The three of us then rode to the local beach and lazed for and hour soaking in the brilliant sunshine. The temperature has risen significantly and it must now be in the low 30's and it's quite humid again.
Then we rode to the Marble Mountains, about 20km away, all the time mum and I both increasing in confidence riding on the roads. In Vietnam it is customary to toot your horn when approaching to over take. The louder the noise generally means the larger the vehicle. We have quickly adapted, so much so that Mum's taken to shouting bib bib as her hooter didn't work. We all enjoyed watching the locals go about their daily tasks harvesting rice. The ubiquitous straw hats that you associate with Vietnam were in abundance.
Things got worse at our hotel that night when we returned from our evening meal. The electric in the whole road was off due to work going on, and as we walked towards our room the noise of the generator grew louder. Infact it couldn't have been any closer, as it was situated just outside our window. We had also overheard other guests complaining about the noise and to add to things, that the communist government had commandeered the large balcony where guests took breakfast as they were building a riverside walkway and there was nothing the hotel owners could do about it. We were made to feel like we were an inconvenience by the hotel staff after we and other guests negotiated to turn the generator off at 2300 due to the noise. The following morning after very little sleep due to the heat, once again we were woken up early - this time it was men ripping down the balcony. Enough was enough and we decided to change hotels. We still had the motorbikes so all three of us went out searching. What a find we made..... A little oasis on the outskirts of Hoi An called Vu'on Trau family resort hotel, which was 5*, or would have been if they'd have had a pool. It was the complete opposite of our last hotel. The rooms were amazing with every last detail perfect. There were clogs for outdoor use, flipflops for inside, 2 umbrellas, a first aid kit including tweezers and scissors, a hairdryer (unheard of), a huge fridge/freezer and a big bath tub. The staff bent over backwards to help us and included in the $35 was free internet, free pushbikes and free laundry. For anyone heading to Hoi An check them out here....
www.familyresortsinhoian.com
The next vietnamese disaster was just around the corner and came the next morning. To cut a very long story short the motorbike trip with easyriders lasted all of one day. It was a no go for various reasons, safety mostly. It is a shame as we were all looking forward to 6 days of adventures on motorbikes through the mountains but these things happen.
The other thing that Hoi An is renowned for it it's tailors. Between us mum and I had 6 skirts, 1 pair of jeans, 2 pairs of fisherman's trousers, 3 pairs of trousers and 1 jacket. Oh and mum had a pair of sandles made too.(see photo) I was really pleased with all of my clothes, especially the jeans which are a wonderful fit. We used 2 tailors, the more expensive Valy and Shop 51, both I would recommend. My rucksack now weighs a ton.
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