FootLoose in Asia This journal is primarily for family and friends to follow our progress on our SouthEast Asia adventure through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and possibly Malaysia and Myanmar (Burma). Hopefully there will also be some useful information to others planning a trip to thease areas.

Hoi An, Vietnam – 8 to 11 February, 2007 After experiencing the decrepit bus from Dalat to Nha Trang, we knew we didn’t want to book with the same company on to Hoi An which was scheduled to be a 12 hour trip. There are a number of travel agents and hotel groups that run their own services, so there are some choices available. We had walked by one agent’s office when their night bus was leaving, and as it looked like a new bus we decided to book with them. Now pros at the bus scene we booked seats on the right hand side (away from the afternoon sun and looking east towards the coastline) and were in for a very scenic ride through the mountains and along the South China Sea. Just as we were leaving town on the bus, J realized the hotel had not given us our passports when we checked out. Most hotels in Vietnam hold them as they have to make reports to the police, and it also prevents you from leaving without paying. Fortunately the bus was able to backtrack past our hotel and the clerk was waiting out front to hand them to us. The bus was much better than the previous one, but the seats seemed to be very narrow, and we were further hindered because our choice of seats put a window post along the seat back taking away another inch of shoulder space. At least the air conditioning worked for the first eight hours. After that it seemed to quit, and it wasn’t too long before the bus pulled off the road and the driver and assistant checked the engine compartment. A belt that drives the air conditioning had broken so the fan was blowing but no cool air was coming out. Fortunately the bus carried spares, so we were on the road and cool again within 30 minutes. As it was expected to be a long trip, we kept telling ourselves it was only four more hours. The problem with this approach is that four hours later, there are still four more hours. In the end we made it into Hoi An in 13 ½ hours and were extremely glad to get off the bus. Fortunately we had realized we would arrive late, so we booked a hotel before we left Nha Trang. When the bus arrived, our hotel was just across the road, so we were able to check in quickly and go out to find a restaurant. The hotel was very nice and just on the edge of the old city. Hoi An is a lovely old city with quaint allies and river front. No one can get lost in Hoi An, not even D. Shopping is the main pass time here with tailors on every corner. You can have a suit, shirt or dress made to measure in 24 hours. We met many people who had done that, and the local post office was dong a booming business on international mail. We don’t need any more clothes, but D took advantage of the market and post office to pick up a few things and then mail them home. She was having withdrawal not getting her weekly Kohl’s shopping fix, but felt better by the time we left Hoi An. It was not J’s kind of day, but he was happy to find Bia Hoi (locally brewed beer) for 3,000 Dong (less than 20 cents a glass) served in a number of restaurants along the river front. We met a lovely young lady server at one of the riverside bars that served Bai Hoi and as it was not busy she sat down beside us to talk. Her name is Ty (pronounced T) and she is trying to learn more English. She comes from a small village near the Laos border, and had moved to Hoi An for work. D was looking for something in her bag when she took out some Mascara. Ty asked what it was, and when D explained Ty said she had never seen it before. D told her to try some, and when she did her smile was from ear to ear. D then gave her some blush to try, and she couldn’t get over it. D left the mascara and blush with Ty who was leaving the next day to return home for a week or so for Tet. We are sure she will be a hit with the young girls (and men) in her village with her new makeup. Other than doing a walking tour of the town, there really isn’t much to do in Hoi An outside of the market and many shops full of clothes, lanterns, and other souvenirs. After a relaxing two days, we decided to head to our next destination, the old capital city of Hue. Next stop Hue.