So after Hue (pronounced Hurray! but with an Elmur Da Fudd rr) we went on a sitting bus to Hoi An. Again we followed our new friends to their hotel (just like the tuk tuk drivers were following us in Hue they couldn’t shake us off!) it turned out to be really good value for the area– even if the ‘swimming pool’ was a puddle under the stairs! They left after a couple of days and on their last night we went out for dinner & drinks….but not in that order!
I have been seriously unlucky with my health since I have been out here and I think I caught something in Laos as now every time I am bit I the lump swells and is painful. On the bus down I was eaten alive and got 10 bites on the top of my leg which all swelled and blistered. Not gonna go into to too much detail but it was quite nasty – hard to walk and even sit so spent most of the time indoors and Aileen was my saviour getting me plasters/painkillers and food and drink. I was spending lots of time indoors but after 2 days in I got a rash all over my body – Aileen thought it was linked to the bites and googled my symptoms and convinced me I had MRSA! We then upgraded to a posh hotel which actually had a Jacuzzi and the rash cleared up.
Only other event for me was the Ireland France game – got very nervous when it didn’t come on the sports channels but just at kick off we managed to get it on TV5 the French channel - French commentary by Emmanuel Petit was no good for us so we listened to RTE radio over the internet. Will not say anymore on this subject as it still hurts and the FAI and Roy Keane have said enough!
As that’s all Liam has on the subject I’m (Aileen) back to fill in the rest!! With Liam laid up that left me to wander and explore at my leisure. Hoi An’s well known for it’s cheap tailors but for some reason even though I’d all the time in the world I thought I didn’t want to put more stuff in my bag so thinking I’ll wait for Bangkok…..or charity shops in Oz!!
The heat again for the first couple of days was unbearable to the extent that going out during the day was too much – evening strolls were the name of the game. Thankfully the weather turned….it was cloudy and rainy with only a few heavy downpours so much more manageable for daytime wandering! Hoi An is a beautiful ancient fishing village with all the buildings in the old town pretty much the same as they were 8 generations ago.
The market here really is a local market to the extent that you almost feel out of place walking through with the fish wives pushing through and the stink of meat and farm! I had some lovely food in this town and tried all the local specialties: Cau Lao (fat noodles), White Rose (Rose shaped dumplings) and Wanton (crispy and yum!). We also became fans of the roadside dumplings that are omnipresent throughout Vietnam (and most South East Asian countries I’d wager). They’re a lot different to the thin covered dumplings you get in Asian restaurants generally….these are a thick almost sweet bread with some sort of meat (?!) or vegetable mixture in the middle and always with a tiny egg in the middle. Unfortunately it’s hit and miss from stall to stall so you have to take your chances and hope for the best!! Liam reckons If you close your eyes they taste a little like a sausage and egg mcMuffin!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment