The verdict is in

Hoi An is our favourite city in Vietnam so far (very closely followed - for me - by Hanoi).

As Brett mentioned, we arrived in Hoi An 3 days ago, on new year's eve. We took a bus from Hue, through Da Nang and a stop at the beautiful deserted China Beach (where they make really good but really slow chips and spring rolls), arriving in Hoi An at about lunch time.

First stop, as always, was food at a cheap but cheerful restaurant, hosted by a woman with a beautiful smile. The specialities for Hoi An are Lau Cau (pork, noodles and herbs - very tasty), white rose (like an open soft wanton with pork) and fried wantons. All are very delicious and were especially so at this place.

Then on to a walking tour of the town. We stopped at the inevitable tailor (there are literally hundreds here) and were measured up for suits and dresses and other such things. I had been recommended Yaly as a tailor but unfortunately due to the Tet holidays, they were closed and not open again until 19 Jan which ruled them out. In the end, I liked the tailor I used (Sun Cloth Shop 273-328 Nguyen Duy Hieu Str, www.sunsilkhoian.com, sunsilkhoian@gmail.com) because they were very friendly and very patient and gave us a bottle of water everytime we came. I was very happy with my jacket and skirt; the pants are a little funny, but i got tired of sending them back to be fixed!

On the way home from the tailor, Simona and I got lost. we were looking for something like 48 Cau Dai Rd. We were on the right road, but the number was in the 400s. Just kept walking and walking. after a while, we stopped to ask for directions, showing the card for the hotel. people kept pointing us in the direction we were going. finally, we stopped and asked some people who were selling a small selection of drinks but were really just sitting out on the street, enjoying the evening air. they knew the hotel and it wasn't 48 Cau Dai but 379 Cau Dai. just great. fortunately, they called to the guy across the road who had a motorbike and scooted us back (yes, two of us on the 1 bike) the 3km or so for the negotiated fee of 30,000 dong. where else could you hitch a ride so easily!!!

That night was new years eve. After a nice dinner overlooking the river (86 Bach Dang St), we wandered into a few bars (mostly filled with westerners unfortunately - including the Tam Tam club which was nice but not a lot of atmosphere) and then found a good spot down by the river to see the fireworks. The atmosphere was great - very friendly and not too crowded. We had fairly low expectations of the fireworks, but were very pleasantly surprised. We were very close (safety zones are not a high priority here) and were treated to quite a long show that started slowly and built to a climax. The best part was watching the guys who were letting the firework off on the bridge wandering around right next to the launching point with no safety equipment or concern for their safety. On the way home, we stopped to watch a stage, set up for the occassion, full of people going nuts to techno music (some of our tour group included!).

Buckets of cocktails at 86 Bach Dang.

Happy new year! - A sign as we walked home.

the next day, there was a lot of chuc mung nam moi-ing (greeting people "happy new year!") as well as breakfast of cake and croissant at the Cargo Club, a vietnamese cooking class (86 Bach Dang st, where we had dinner the night before) and cycled to the beach. At the cooking class, we met a nice French couple who had opened a restaurant 4 months ago in Ho Chi Minh and were still working out the secrets of Vietnamese cooking. We had hired bikes for the day and it was really nice scooting around the relatively empty streets (empty in Vietnamese terms of course, you still had to do quite a bit of dodging and weaving)

A decadent breakfast at the cargo club.

Crushing lemon grass, garlick and other herbs on the floor of the restaurant, our classroom.

Dinner was a simple but fantastic meal at 87 Tran Phu St. It seems as though the best restaurants are the ones which have a short menu or no menu at all - just one specialty dish. This restaurant had a one page dish of all the Hoi An specialities Unfortunately, the place had run out of rice (haha - i don't believe that one - I think they just wanted to finish up for the night and noodles are easier than rice) so no Com Ga (chicken rice) for us, but apart from that, an excellent meal. After dinner and another dessert at the Cargo Club,it was on to sample the night life. We rode our bikes across the river that runs through Hoi An to a fair that looked like it had been set up especially for new years. there were games, gambling for kids (seriously - they had something which looked like a chocolate wheel at the casino which kids were putting down money for), bingo where the numbers were sung to the tune of some vietnamese folk song and food. Blacky won a packet of biscuits doing something that was kind of like putting balls into a clown's mouth (it was actually nothing like that but the concept was the same).

The next day we had a group tour on our bicycles around Hoi An and a boat trip. We stopped at the home of a family who made all the rice paper for the town. We had a look at a place where they made boats, although there was no work being done because of the holidays. We then went to the home of an old couple which doubled as a rest stop for people waiting to get on a boat.

Getting on the small boat was no mean feat, as we had to pile 12 bicycles as well as 12 bodies into it. where to put the bikes? On the roof of course! no ropes necessary.

Then it was lunch of barbecued prawns and fish with a fruit cocktail which tasted a bit like sangria on a secluded beach. A short distance away was a rickety looking structure, used for pulling in fishing nets and providing shelter for fishermen.Our final night in Hoi An stared with chocolate mousse at the Cargo Club (yes, it's a pretty good place!) and then to the Mermaid, a restaurant affiliated with the Cargo Club but is a little cheaper and a lot smaller. The food was pretty good, but we have now been spoilt and have had better meals.

Me and my bike on Bach Dang st (next to the river).