Martin's Travel Journal Just a few photos and ramblings from my trips.

It felt today as if I was waking just as the sun raised over Hoi An. As daylight spilt into my room I was awake and ready for what would turn out to be a great day. I had already learnt the previous day that Hoi An is wonderful, certainly my most favourite place in Vietnam thus far. However I was to venture out of Hoi An in the morning to visit the Cham site My Son.

Encircled by mountains covered by jungle, appearing from the thick vegetation is My Son. My Son was established by the Chams between the seventh and thirteenth centuries - when the stone towers and sanctuaries were first built. The site was not rediscovered until the late 1800s by the French. My Son then suffered severe damage during the Vietnam War and apparently there are still live mines in the surrounding jungle.

My Son is magnificent and how it  has been preserved is great testament to the Vietnamese, especially considering the war. I wandered the grounds for an hour or so, avoiding the huge wasps, before watching a traditional dance show which was surprisingly brilliant.

The tour bus returned to Hoi An early afternoon and I immediately grabbed a bicycle from my hostel and cycled to where, I hoped, John and Hannah's hotel was. After finally finding common language with the receptionist John and Hannah came down to meet me.

After a 10p local beet we cycled into the ancient town where John and Hannah both had the same reaction I did the previous day. We explore the streets and market, buying gifts an haggling where we could. After lunch I had to try on my new suit and organise postage back to the UK then we went back to our respective hotels for a rest. That evening, after a couple more local beers, we gazed upon the beautiful lamps and light displays by the Japanese Covered Bridge before taking a Vietnamese cooking class.

This was a great experience. Our cook, Vina, was hilarious and made the evening even more enjoyable. Our dishes of Spring Rolls, Pho, Vietnamese curried prawns and fish in banana leaf were, if I do say so myself, delicious. Even better was the nickname Vina gave me. She gives all of her students a nickname, mine was 'Sweet and Hot'. A great evening.

The next morning we cycled out to Cua Dai Beach. The ride took us along the Thu Bon River which, further out of Hoi An, is beautiful and lined with riverside restaurants before rice fields led us down to the beach.

We relaxed for a while and played football but soon it was time for me to head back. My bus to Hue was that afternoon and John and Hannah were going straight on to Hanoi that night. I cycled back and stopped at a small cafe on the banks of the river for a quick lunch - my last bowl of the local Hoi An specialty, Cao Lau I then returned to the hotel and boarded the bus to my next destination.