Days 8 & 9: I hate being sick in foreign countries ...

Up bright and early for the transfer from Hué to Hoi An on day 8, and no sooner had I eaten breakfast than the grumbling within began. By lunchtime the scene was set for the next act after a four hour coach trip down the coast, and yours truly retired to her bed at the new hotel to alternately sleep or... well, let's say it wasn't pleasant and leave it at that. I'm writing this two days later so have the blessed relief that it is all pretty much a memory, and I've had worse tummy upsets in Europe, so I was lucky compared to some, but that's no relief. It's a rite of passage so JP tells me, but so speaks a man whose idea of tummy upset is indigestion after a rich meal. Since he slept through the worst night (the earplugs I gave him are a little too effective for my liking), he can't really comment!

I'm very, very grateful that we're in a nice hotel. I chose it for a change (JP chose the first two) so it would have been my own fault if it was a bad one, but being ill in a nice place makes everything better. The staff are so nice and so keen to help, and JP's stories of his latest conversations with the various receptionists over the course of the days made me smile lots. I can't imagine how it is complicated to extend the hotel room for another two nights, but somehow it was for JP and he made me chuckle recounting it. Anyway, as a result of the tummy bug, we're now staying in Hoi An for an extra two days and we couldn't have picked a nicer place for it.

Hoi An is a really pretty town, with a lovely riverfront, with charming shops and buildings in the old town centre. It is on the UNESCO heritage list, or at least bits of it are, and well worth a visit. This is the first place we've been to that I have completely relaxed, as the pace of life is so much calmer and the people are more laid back. There is less traffic so less likelihood I'll need to use my travel insurance each time I cross the road, and the sun is out so what more could I ask? I can't comment on the food yet as I'm just starting to eat again after two days, but fingers crossed all is good on that front too.

Having recovered enough to venture out for a bit yesterday morning (day 9), we headed into the old town to look at the sights there. Visitors can buy a ticket which covers five of a variety of different sights, so you "choose your own adventure". We went to the Japanese Bridge first, which is a bridge built by the Japanese community in Hoi An, back in the days when people kept to their own ghettoes and didn't mix much. Evidently one set of folk lived on one side of the river, the Japanese set up stall on the other and in order for everyone to trade, a bridge had to be built. JP told me about a ceremony where a metaphorical sword was put in the bridge in the 16th century to stop earthquakes across Asia that were being caused by a dragon who's heart was below it, but since the ceremony failed to stop the quakes, I think history proves that some ideas are best left unsaid.

My favourite bit though was the visit to the handicrafts workshop. By chance, we arrived just as a demonstration of traditional entertainment was about to begin, so we stopped to watch. I normally wouldn't make a beeline for opera in any country, but amongst the selection of pieces was a clever dance and song by a young chap who was supposed to be a warrior from ancient times. Even JP commented that his use of his stick-on beard as a prop was impressive. After a few pieces covering folk songs, opera and instrumental pieces, the only jarring note was the end piece where all the cast came together on stage to sing Auld Lang Syne in Vietnamese - one of the weirdest things I've ever sat through.

Then it was back to the hotel to sit out the heat of the day before attempting dinner in the evening. Whilst dinner was not an entirely successful venture (for me at least, JP seemed to love his steak!), we loved the walk out along the river. It was a cooler evening for a change, so we were enjoying the welcome breeze as we strolled along the promenade with cafe's and restaurants alongside the street vendors. We stopped for a drink of sugar cane juice from one of the "cafe's" - really a portable stand set up with plastic tables and chairs at the roadside, but they are a perfectly normal business here. One of the funniest things is that JP managed to get stuck in a chair again. It's the second time he's found himself getting stuck as the chairs are often children's sizes, since we are giants in a land of lilliputians here in Asia. We've tried to get sun hats whilst here and the same problem occurs - everywhere we try them on, the hats perch on top, looking like we've tried kids stuff on. Very funny, but a bit tricky when you've stopped for a drink and you're trying to subtly disengage the furniture.


JP thinks the size difference is chuckle-worthy, hence this latest pic he snapped of me with a local lady trying to sell me bananas on one of Hoi An's many bridges.

So now I'm more or less recovered and ready to take on the world again, we're all set to embark on the sightseeing proper with our next trip in day 10, but more of that in the next entry...