Dispatches from Hoi An

Greetings!

Well, one month into our travels and things have become a lot more interesting since we left the relatively westernised Thai shores for Vietnam.

Right now we are about mid-way through Vietnam in a charming town called Hoi 'An, somewhere we hope to be coming back to in years to come. It's got everything you would need for a relaxing holiday - a charming old town which looks very 18th century Europe, but is overflowing with Vietnamese hospitality, a great little beach and a warm ocean to paddle around in, and nearby 9th century ruins to amble through. If you'd like to know more, check out www.hoian.co.uk, before I start sounding like a tour guide. And the best website to consult for asia in general (so we've discovered) is www.talesofasia.com.

Both Marc and I have taken to life on the road exceptionally well - one might say like ducks to water. We are now suitably relaxed, becoming much better read, and a lot more at ease with the logistics of arriving and finding accomodation in new towns. We've even got a system! Instead of being dragged to the nearest hotel by the gazillion shouting faces in the welcoming party that meets us off the train/plane/automobile, we cooly keep walking until the last desperado gives up, find a cafe, and then one of us will set out to walk the street and negotiate a deal at one or another guesthouse. It takes a steady hand and stoney demeanour, but it works a treat!

My brother recently asked me what the reaction was when I told Vietnamese people I came from South African - he, like I believe that being from Africa makes me slightly exotic. I'm afraid, the reaction is quite dissapointing, as is the reaction to the fact that Marc is Scottish. The sooner we can get to the part of the conversation which establishes that Scotland is next to England, which is where Manchester United is, and Wayne Rooney, and David Beckham, and Cristiano Ronaldo...the better...as an avid cricket supporter, and acitizen of one of the most exotic countries in the world, I can tell you it's a sad state of affairs...

Nevertheless, chatting with the Vietnamese can extend beyond a ping pong of English footballers, although the accent is sometimes challenging to understand. A quick guide:

"You like n'che'eee?" - "Do you like Chelsea?"

"You want why raaaiiii?" - "Do you want white rice?"

" You need aaiiii?" - " Do you need ice with that?"

" She your waaaiii?" - "Is she your wife?"

And so on...

Tomorrow we're off to the Big Smoke (quite literally) Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC or Saigon) where pollution levels are dire at the moment thanks to the unseasonal weather. We'll then be moving swiftly on to the Mekong Delta where we hope to find lots of river villages and floating markets. And then on to Cambodia...

Overall, our impression thus far of Vietnam has been really positive - it's a great country to visit (not as difficult as you might think), with really friendly, charming people. But it's changing really fast as it moves to a market economy, so we're sure than when we come back (and we will), it'll be completely different.

Anyway, we hope everyone is well, apologies for the lack of individual e-mails but good internet cafes are hard to find.

PS Thrilled about South Africa's last cricket match, although I fear it will be our last for this tournament - if so, we'll be hoping for either Sri Lanka or the Kiwi's to take the cup...well, we can hope...

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