The road to Hoi An and a Happy New Year

Another early start and we're sat on the back seat of a mini bus with Lynsey and Barry from London. It's a four hour journey but it flies by with a good free flowing conversation.  They're travelling for 8 months and are 5 months into their trip - it sounds like they're having a fantastic time.

Kon Tum is our destination today, again it's a little off the beaten track but is reputed to be the friendlist town in Vietnam but it's not coming across like that. When you smile many people do not smile back and it's not just the older generation whose suspicion you could understand.

It's delightfully hot here and our walk and market meanderings find us in need of beer.  'Our bar' is on a very busy roundabout and we settle down to watch the world go by - literally.  We see a man on a motorbike with a fridge freezer on the back, a family of 5 on one motorbike, huge pots of Chrysanthemums, orange trees you name it, it fits on the back of a motorbike. The a procession appears and a truck full of people are waving cheerily, we respond with the same amount of enthusiasm - then the coffin goes past! This is our second funereal experience here and it's far from a solemn affair.

We have a couple of beers and some very soupy noodle soup with Barry and Lynsey tonight and find we are travelling together again tomorrow.

It's another early start and we're on the back seat of a mini bus again.  The driver tries to scank us but thankfully there's another minibus and we manage a price war, sadly the money we save will have to go towards a bus to our destination when driver fails to deliver us in the correct town. Hey ho! It doesn't matter when we finally arrive in Hoi An.

Our hotel tonight even has an indoor pool! This town has a really good feel about it and this is soon backed up when we take a stroll into town for some lunch.  Tonight is New Years Eve and the plan is to have several beers and see the New Year in in style, so a rest is required.

Hoi An is lit up with lanterns across the street, on shop fronts on the bridges over the river and looks fantastic. There is an exihibition of artistic lanters, a pinata stand where they bang symbols at the side of your head as you are hitting the Pinata and a strange little square with all sorts of gambling games. We had a couple of bets on the roulette wheel but leave when we're evens. True to plan we have a few beers, another not so satisfying meal, some more beers and watch the evening's entertainment and just soak up the atmosphere. The entertainment consists of singing, dancing a little play and more singing and dancing. At midnight we cheer and clap and wish everyone Happy New Year and the Vietnamese just stand impassively. It's a little strange but on the way back to the hotel everyone is happy and smiling and wishing everyone chúc mừng năm mới.