HANOI TO HUE AND HOI AN and the Tailor's.....on to HCMC
24 Nov: Last day in Hanoi. Have never spent 4 hours at a Folk Museum before! Fascinating info about all the different languages and cultures of past and present Vietnam and an outdoor area with re-constructed houses, halls, pagodas and a water puppet theatre. Feel we know a lot more about the country we are traveling through - and its people. (New building joint funded by French govt - and opened by Jacques Chirac.)  Spent a mesmerising hour in the popular 3 storey market near hotel in Old Quarter, Dong Xuan (no, nothing to do with Don Juan), getting unusual snacks for overnight train journey to Hue, including half a duck (cooked) bought from a tiny stall run by some lovely elderly ladies at the end of a dingy alleyway. Got a new larger second rucksack at market too, handy for extra food for long journeys - for the things Anne will be bringing home......
Overnight train journey took 13 hours to Hue and impressively arrived on time. Rather cramped, but clean 4-berth compartments shared with couple from Midlands Helen and Mark. Enjoyed the conversation, a few Hanoi beers, the duck and the boisterous cards with S Hemisphere group in next compartment. Can't beat them at rugby, but can at cards! Fitful sleep with the occasional impression that you had been stuck inside a washing machine that was rattling you around at top speed... Amazingly, Anne slept through quite a lot of it.

Onetime capital of Vietnam, Hue bristles with temples and tombs of emperors through the ages. Less busy, less noisy than Hanoi, everywhere evidence of being a cultural and colonial centre. We travelled throughVietnamese history via the ornate and majestic tombs of Ming Manh, Khai Dinh and Tu Duch, the latter set in splendid gardens amonst ponds and lakes, with special buildings for concubines, eunuchs and maids to the emperor and empress. Finally, the vast Imperial Citadel, modelled on Beijing's Forbidden City complex, much of it destroyed by US bombardments during Vietnam war, but currently being renovated. All this in lashing (warm) rain which somehow added to the atmosphere......  All this culture deserved a treat before dinner, so we indulged in a Vietnamese full body massage for an hour together. Final effect blissful and relaxing despite a fair bit of kneading, pummelling, stretching and joint-cracking by 2 diminutive but very strong young Viet masseuses. Evening meal all together at Bob's friend Ushi's down the road. Excellent.                                                                                                Sat 26 Nov: 8 am coach journey to Hoi An via a famous pass of military significance at the border between North and Central Vietnam with gun turrets, fortifications and look-out towers still in place, and Marble Mountain near Danang, a veritable tourist trap for afficionados of gigantic (and some smaller) marble statues representing dragons and every other imaginable creature. And so to beautiful Hoi An, with its small steets, riverside cafes and bars, its busy market and its tailor shops. Evidently quite a prosperous town and former major port at the time of the silk and spice trades, Hoi An retains a sense of busyness tempered with a more laid-back ambience than Hanoi. A place to wander the streets, enjoy some lunch at a 'Streets' project (where we met the head of the NGO running the project for disadvantaged teenagers) and of course visit a tailor's or two........  Dilemma upon dilemma! What colour, what type of cloth, what type of silk, for which occasion, will it look right, is it too bright?????

Since above, long but comfortable train journey southwards to beach resort Nha Trang for 2 days (red bits to show it!) and a little relaxation including extraordinary experience of natural mud baths.... Then interesting overnight sleeper coach, not well named, but memorable, arriving Saigon (alias Ho Chi Minh City or HCMC) at dawn next day. Saigon crazy with traffic and bustle and if Hanoi was an explosion of motorbikes, HCMC must be a of starburst proprtions. Population 10 million, motorbikes 5 million, so we're getting even better at crossing roads! After incredible (Vietcong guerrila) Cu Chi tunnels and War Remnants Museum 2 days ago (1st Dec) , now back from extraordinary 36 hours down in the Mekong Delta area on boats along and across the mighty mekong river and several tributaries and canals weaving between a myriad of islands in the vast estuary. Huge variety of sights and experiences, including snake wine (local hooch), exotic fruits, elephant ear fish, jackfruits and guava, and a very welcoming homestay with a village family and observing - and trying - local crafts. Almost too much to take in. Everywhere courtesy and warm hospitality. Roamed more popular parts of Saigon and the riverside alone this afterrnoon (3 Dec) and enjoyed local snacks in market and icecream and strong Vietnamese coffee before meeting new guide at 6pm. Bryan from US takes over from Aussie Bob who has been great and a mine of information.

Cambodia tomorrow! Will miss Vietnam, but excitement still mounts....